I’m speaking from firsthand experience when I say that Lego is an amazing addition to family life. But I’ve had more than a few hairy moments when one of those teeny tiny bricks ends up somewhere it shouldn’t. Because as well as playing with Legos, little kids seem to like putting them in their mouths, in their ears and up their noses.
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After her 8-year-old son accidentally swallowed a Lego brick, Laura Deena Halls shared her scary experience on Facebook, revealing that he ended up in a hospital after he chocked on the piece while trying to use his teeth to separate it from another.
In the post, which has since been removed, the Oxfordshire mum said, “I don’t blame Lego. I do think though that all Lego pieces should have a little hole for that and the fast actions of the staff here in hospital saved my boys life yesterday.
“We went to hell and back yesterday, we thought at 8 and a half we’d drummed into him no Lego in his mouth but that one split decision could’ve had tragic consequences.”
She later posted a picture of her son giving the thumbs up from a hospital bed, with the caption, “Post removed for now, awareness still ongoing but for reasons this has been removed for now. Please do still warn your children not to put anything in their mouths #HolesInEveryLego”.
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GoodtoKnow reported that the young boy had an X-ray at John Radcliffe Hospital, which showed that the Lego brick was stuck in the tube of his right lung. He underwent emergency surgery to remove the piece, and is now on steroids to reduce swelling of the lung and throat.
According to doctors, the 8-year-old may not have been so lucky if the brick he swallowed hadn’t had a tiny hole in it, which allowed air in.
Halls is now calling for the manufacturers to include the same hole in every single Lego piece, to help prevent choking incidents.
Watch this video from St. John’s Ambulance to make yourself aware of choking hazards in your home.
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