Paramedic mum's 'non-negotiable' car rule for her kids

A mother has shared one "non-negotiable" rule to keep children safe while driving in the car, and it's something not many people would think of.

Tiny Hearts Education is an organisation which helps in educating parents on how to best keep their children safe.

Earlier this week, one of the founders, Nikki, who is a mother herself and a paramedic, shared a video about one of her "parenting non-negotiables".

"One of my parenting non-negotiables is no eating in the car unless I'm in the back and keeping an eye on them," she said in the video.

"Remember guys choking is silent, if you're driving, concentrating on the road, you are not going to hear it and you're not going to be aware, especially when your little one is rearward facing."

• How parents' attempt to save water led to tragedy in just six minutes

• 'Possible danger': Mum's warning over popular children's snack

• 'Very scary': Mum's devastating search for life-saving medicine

In the caption, Tiny Hearts Education reiterated choking is silent, "more common than you think" and "time critical".

Many people in the comments of the post were appreciative for the advice, some saying they had never thought of eating in the car being a choking hazard for children.

"Wow didn’t even think of that! Thank you for sharing," one person said.

One mother explained one of her children once choked while she was in the car, though she wasn't driving at the time.

"I saw him right away because we weren’t actually driving, but he was in his chair," she recalled.

"And the time it took me to get out, run to his door, get him out of his chair with my shaking hands and start back blows was far too long for my comfort. It was terrifying to say the least.

"So yes this is important."

Others agreed with the rule, with one person saying it was always enforced in their car.

"I don’t allow food in my car anyways but certainly not when I can’t supervise," they said.

Some questioned what an acceptable age eating unsupervised in the car for children would be. However Tiny Hearts responded by saying it's a hazard at any age.

"The issue still remains at any age as it’s silent and you're concentrating on the road," the response said.

"There has been situations where kids have choked on food or toys etc and the parents have only realised once they arrive at their destination, when it’s too late.

"It’s a personal decision for you to make when you're comfortable and also the type of food they are eating."

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.