Paediatrician warns: These 3 dangers lurk in the home

Have you ever thoughtlessly hung a bag with a handle over a chair? Or put a bowl of grapes on the table? If you have small children in the house, you should stop doing that.

Instagram user Niky Mamand is a paediatrician and has three children herself. She regularly shares tips and tricks on the social media platform about life with kids and their health and safety. Her video about three underestimated sources of danger in the home went viral: it has been viewed almost 770,000 times so far.

The influencer announces the reel like this: "These are three things I would never leave lying around in a household with young children."

Danger number one: bags with handles

Bags with handles that you hang on a door handle or chair, for example, can entangle your child and cause agonising suffocation. Many parents don't realise the danger when they hang up a bag lost in thought, says the paediatrician. "Unfortunately, it could be too late before you even realise what's happening," she warns.

Danger number two: button batteries

As a mum of two, this warning really made me think: my two-year-old loves playing with our remote control, which sometimes has a battery hole that comes off. However, Niky Mamand warns against keeping electronic devices with button batteries in plain sight, especially those where the cover comes off easily. This is because children generally like to put things in their mouths. If your child swallows such a round battery, it can be very dangerous and even life-threatening, warns Niky Mamand. Just in case, the expert gives the following tip: If your child is over a year old, you should give them some honey and then go to the emergency room. This is because honey allows the battery to slide down into the stomach and can prevent injuries to the oesophagus. Children under one year old should not eat honey and should go straight to A&E.

Danger number three: grapes and cherry tomatoes

As healthy as they are, they can be dangerous: Children can choke on grapes, cherry tomatoes and other small fruit and vegetables. It is therefore better to give them only under supervision and only when the children are sitting down. Niky Mamand says that her children are even only served these fruits sliced.