A mother has issued an urgent warning against Cadbury’s Mini Eggs after finding her son seconds from death, due to one getting lodged in his throat.
Vicky Heavey, 40, was about to perform CPR on her seven-year-old son Jacob, after he came sprinting outside with his hands clutching around his throat on Saturday March 2.
The mother-of-two, from Warrington, Cheshire, claimed her child’s face ‘turned blue’ and eyes became bloodshot when she began slapping his back to help dislodge the item blocking his airways.
After two painfully long minutes of choking, Vicky said a Mini Egg flew out of Jacob’s mouth and landed in the front garden, before the youngster was sick from the ordeal.
Vicky insists she could’ve easily lost her child that day – and vowed never to give him Mini Eggs again, banning them from their household.
A mother has issued an urgent warning against Cadbury ‘s Mini Eggs after finding her son seconds from death, due to one getting lodged in his throat
The student nurse, who is also mum to 20-year-old daughter Ellie Heavey, said she had bought her son the chocolate goodies as a weekend treat and he began eating them on the sofa when the incident took place.
Vicky said: ‘Jacob came running outside with his hands around his throat.
‘It was obvious he was choking, he couldn’t speak. I just knew immediately he was choking. I could see the terror in his face. He couldn’t breathe.
‘I was trying to encourage him to cough but he couldn’t cough. I work in a hospital so I was quite aware of what I needed to do. I had no idea what he was choking on.
‘It went on for a really long time, he was going blue, his eyes went bloodshot. It was quite silent considering he was choking.
‘I was horrified. It was close to two minutes. I was close to doing CPR and ringing the ambulance. Then there was just one big blow and this Mini Egg came flying out and he was sick everywhere.
‘I said to my daughter ring an ambulance and as she was getting her phone out, that’s when the Mini Egg came out.’
Vicky said her family have enjoyed Mini Eggs ‘millions of times’ over the years – but never considered the small round objects could be a choking hazard.
Vicky Heavey (LEFT), 40, was about to perform CPR on her seven-year-old son Jacob (RIGHT), when he came sprinting outside with his hands clutching around his throat on Saturday March 2
Vicky insists she could’ve easily lost her child that day – and vowed never to give him Mini Eggs again, banning them from their household
She admitted: ‘We’re a family who love Mini Eggs. He must’ve had about a million Mini Eggs in his life. It’s not something we ever thought would happen.
‘It didn’t actually hit me until the next day. What if he hadn’t ran out to me? What if he stayed in the front room? If someone’s not breathing, then you only have a short amount of time.
‘He was seconds away from going unconscious – he could not breathe. You just don’t expect it to happen when you’ve had Mini Eggs so many times.’
It comes as The Child Accident Prevention Trust has urged parents to ‘please be safe’ when giving Cadbury Mini Eggs to their kids during the Easter season.
The organisation warned that the Easter treats may be the ‘perfect small treat for your little one’ but due to their size, they could block a small child’s airway.
After the terrifying ordeal, the mother has vowed to ban Mini Eggs in her home this Easter – and believes Cadbury should expand the age range warning on the back of the packet.
Mini Eggs currently have a written warning on their packaging which states the chocolate should not be consumed by children under the age of four.
Vicky said: ‘There’s a warning on the packet for under-4s but Jacob is seven. I don’t think the warning should be age specific. Even me as an adult, I could’ve easily choked on it.
Mini Eggs currently have a written warning on their packaging which states the chocolate should not be consumed by children under the age of four
‘You never think you could lose your child by a bit of chocolate. It was terrifying. I never thought in a million years I’d have to do that to my child because of a Mini Egg.
‘I was so close to having to perform CPR in my front garden on my own child because of a Mini Egg.’
She added: ‘This has put me off for life. Mini Eggs are banned this Easter. It’s not worth the risk. I can’t believe how long it took to dislodge.’
A Mondelez International spokesperson, who own Cadbury, said: ‘The safety of consumers is of the upmost importance to us and all of our Cadbury Mini Eggs products carry a very clear choking hazard warning on pack.
‘We also highlight that these products are not suitable for children under the age of four on all Mini Eggs packaging.’
Back in 2018, an anguished mother, who says her daughter died after choking on a Mini Egg, warned other parents about the possible dangers of the chocolate treats.
The heartbroken parent claimed she tragically lost her five-year-old girl after she choked on ‘the dangerous hazard’ and wanted to warn families before Easter arrived so that her daughter’s death ‘wouldn’t be in vain’.
Sophie, the unnamed mother’s daughter, passed away after ‘she had choked on a mini egg and I was unable to dislodge it, even with back slaps and pushing up and under her ribs.’
‘I had done a first aid course only six months prior to this event so all the techniques to help a choking child were still fresh in my mind but it didn’t help,’ the mother wrote for Mums Advice.
