Small children pose a real danger to themselves, especially when they are playing with small parts that could be a choking hazard.
However, one mother from the US doesn’t seem to care that much about this claim. This is the owner of the profile @colleethaspears1 from TikTok, who, when they saw their son swallowed a lego piece, filmed the child’s despair instead of taking him to the hospital.
The video, which already has nearly 6 million views and thousands of comments, features Colleetha’s son approaching her and telling her he swallowed a lego piece while playing.
Immediately, the woman asks, “How did you swallow it?” while the desperate child, crying incessantly, begs for help. “Call the doctors, Mom! Please! Call the doctors!” said the little one.
The video continues and Colleetha asks, “Are you choking?” but her son, terrified, doesn’t answer. Luckily, one can tell that he wasn’t out of breath.
The mother’s attitude may have been an attempt to inspire strength and courage in the child, which may not be advisable in such cases.
Watch the video in full:
@colleethaspears1
My Gamdma Baby swallowed a Lego🥹
♬ Original sound Colleetha Spears331
When asked to speak on the matter, Dr. Robert Kramer, a pediatric gastroenterologist at Children’s Hospital of Colorado, said such situations are common and, in most cases, of minor severity.
“Our hospital removes around 140 to 160 accidentally swallowed items every year,” says the expert. “We also get a lot of calls about cases like this. [do filho de Colleetha] and we always give hints and make observations,” he added.
Nonetheless, according to Dr. Robert, the objects “pass right by” most of the time and don’t raise any major concerns.
However, if the swallowed object is larger or contains magnets and sharp pieces of iron, help must be provided immediately. Signs such as shortness of breath or changes in the color of the lips and cheeks are also worrying.
Comments condemn the mother’s actions
Despite the pleasingly good prognosis for Colleetha’s son’s case, his video triggered a wave of negative reactions from Internet users.
“Did she try to get the child to explain what happened in such a situation? This is crazy,” wrote one user. “Poor kid. He just needed reassurance that he would be okay,” said another person.
Shortly thereafter, Colleetha released more videos showing her son being healthy and recovered, to the relief of those watching the boy’s agony.