Ex-Paramedic Shares One-Second Test That Could Save A Baby's Life
As parents, we want to do anything possible to keep our kids safe and healthy. Sadly, many parents are uneducated on basic first-aid, CPR, and safety concepts that could save lives.
former paramedic Nikki Jurcutz and her sister, Rach, realized there was a need for parental education so they founded a child safety organization called Tiny Hearts Education.
Nikki shared on her website, "As a former paramedic, I would often be called to jobs where, had parents been confident with simple first aid, the outcome could have been very different. Kids could have been treated at home by their parents or, even more devastatingly, lives could have been saved."
To help educate parents, Nikki and Rach started sharing safety tips on Instagram. Over time, they built up an audience of over 370,000 people!
In one of their videos, they share a one-second test that could save babies and toddlers: the squish test.
According to them, parents should use the test before serving their babies any food.
In the post, they said: "Whether you are baby led weaning or your little one is ready for finger food, the squish test is a great way to ensure you give your bub foods that are safe to reduce the risk of choking. Foods that are round, hard, slippery and the size of an airway = increase the risk of choking. The squish test helps you identify if the food is too hard so you can modify it to make is softer and safer."
To perform the test, parents simply need to squish food in-between their fingers to see if its squishy or not! Solid foods should be avoided.
You can see their life-saving hack below:
Malorie works as a writer and editor in Northern California. She's passionate about food, conscious living, animal welfare, and conservation. She's worked with a variety of publications in different sectors but is happiest covering topics close to her heart. When not at her laptop, Malorie can be found enjoying picnics on the beach, hiking in the redwoods, and spending time with her rescue pup, Jax.