A mom is sending an urgent warning after an incident that few couldâve predicted. The anonymous parent recently wrote to the Tiny Hearts Education Instagram page and explained that her 14-month-old bit into an ornament while they were taking Christmas photos â eek! But have no fear. The mom is sharing the way she managed to keep her cool and prevent her daughter from getting seriously hurt.
As the anonymous parent explained, she and her 14-month-old were âgetting into the spiritâ by doing a Christmas photo shoot at home.
The mom wrote that sheâd gone âall outâ with a backdrop and props âand had some beautiful baubles nearby that my grandma had given me,â she explained in the post from December 10.
She swore she was keeping an eye on her daughter the whole time, but we all know how easily toddlers get into trouble.
She posed her with a jingle bell toy and âbefore I knew it she had scooped up this precious bauble and decided to bite it,â the mom wrote.
The mom could hear a âmassive crunchâ as she turned around, and before she knew what happened, the ornament shattered in her daughterâs mouth. This would be a total nine-alarm fire for most parents, but the mom kept her cool, carefully went over to her daughter, and removed the shards.
âI immediately got her, didnât let her swallow and removed the small and tiny fragments out of her mouth,â she explained.
The mom wrote that she was âabsolutely petrified inside" and made sure that her daughter was OK.
She knew that the parts were small and were all over her daughterâs mouth.
âWe went to the childrenâs hospital for an all over assessment and X-rays,â she wrote. âI was more worried about her accidentally ingesting, but the nurses brought to my attention she could have inhaled a fragment/s in shock when she bit down.â
Luckily, the X-rays came back clear and they were released to go home.
âI felt so lucky and relieved, and of course super emotional,â she admitted, before adding that she wanted to share her story so other parents know to be careful with their Christmas decorations.
âI know the Christmas season is upon us, and our little ones are attracted to shiny and bright objects,â she explained. âIt happened within seconds and it could have ended up with surgery. Thankfully all is okay!â
Thousands of people liked the mom's post, and some even shared their own horror stories.
"My daughter did the same thing (when she was about 3 years old) from drinking from a thin glass cup," one commenter wrote. "I stupidly let her have a sip of my water and she crunched down like it was an apple!! Thank God nothing serious happened, but it was a scary moment!"
"Our 10-month-old managed to reach through the fire guard (around the tree at the mo) and pulled the top off a bauble ⌠my husband had to pry the wiry prong part out of his mouth," someone else wrote. "Needless to say weâve got a very imbalanced decorated tree now."
"My 14-month-son sank his two front teeth into two small shiny Kmart baubles last week. They didnât shatter but the puncture was like thick tin foil folded in," a third commenter shared.
"I heard the crunch and was expecting blood everywhere but they didnât cut his lips or face luckily," the person continued. "Toddlers are so fast! He had a second ball I didnât know about as soon as I took the first! All thrown out and just lights and dried orange on the tree this year."
Other commenters wrote that the mom's story chilled them to the bone.
"I just recently broke my 4-year-olds 'First Christmasâ bauble ⌠I couldnât believe how paper thin and dangerous they are. Glad your little one is ok," one person wrote.
"This is why we left our Christmas tree almost empty this year, we have an 18-month-old and I was so afraid this could happen," someone else commented.
"Glad sheâs ok," wrote a third commenter. "I felt guilty for not letting our daughter touch our tree (I love it and Iâm OCD with the decorations); now Iâm glad itâs still in sight but not where she can access it. Would never have thought itâd be an issue."
It's a good lesson for all of us: We need to keep a sharp eye on our kids when they're near our Christmas tree â or take the advice of some commenters and stick to plastic or cloth ornaments instead.
