Aussie mum's toothbrush warning after toddler's shocking injury
WARNING – DISTRESSING IMAGES: Parents are being warned about the potential dangers of kids playing with their toothbrush after one little girl sustained a horrific injury while brushing her teeth.
First aid platform Tiny Hearts Education reminded parents to be "extra careful" before demonstrating exactly what can go wrong in a social media post.
A Sunshine Coast mum shared her story with the popular parenting platform, which was reshared on their Instagram page on Thursday.
She said her "daredevil" daughter ended up with a 1cm hole near her throat after playing with a toothbrush in her mouth.
"My daughter the daredevil, launched herself off the couch onto our playmat, as she does, it’s low to the ground. Only this time with a toothbrush in her mouth," she wrote via the Tiny Hearts Education post.
'Blood was pouring into her mouth'
She was scooped up by her dad "as blood was pouring into her mouth", the mum revealed.
"I cradled her into the recovery position over the kitchen sink and got dad to ring 000. We had no idea where the bleeding was coming from but I knew she was alert and that I needed to protect her airway."
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At the hospital, "a 1cm gash was found right at the back of her mouth near her throat", the Queensland mum explained.
"She had to go through surgery and was poked for hours trying to find a vein for a cannula. That was the hardest part of the experience," she said.
Parents urged to 'teach kids' about toothbrush safety
The advice from Tiny Hearts — which was founded by Australian paramedic Nikki and her sister Rachel — was for parents to be "extra careful with their little ones when they're using toothbrushes".
"Teach them not to run around or play while using a toothbrush," they added.
"A big shout out and well done to these amazing parents who, despite a very scary situation, remained calm and acted to protect their child," they continued.
"They knew how to support their little one into the recovery position and knew how to keep her airway protected. Now that's what I call an empowered parent."
Social media users share 'scary' experiences
Grateful parents rushed to the comments to praise the helpful advice. Meanwhile, some shared their own similar experiences.
"Similar thing happened with my daughter and a reusable straw but not this deep. So scary seeing the wound," one said.
"This happened to my little one at around 8 months with a wooden toy! Thankfully she didn’t need surgery but we spent hours in emergency," said another.
One panicked mum admitted her son "runs around with a toothbrush here and there".
"Immediately never letting this happen. Thank you for sharing and I'm so sorry this happened to your baby," she added.
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