Mum shares choking warning with X-ray of grape stuck in child's throat

A mum has posted a warning to Facebook about the importance of cutting grapes for children, alerting parents to the potential choking hazards with a shocking X-ray photo.

Angela Henderson, mum-of-two and mummy blogger, shared the shocking image to her Facebook page showing the graphic reality of what can happen if young children are given whole grapes.

Angela, who blogs at Finlee and Me, posted an X-ray of a five-year-old boy who had got a whole grape stuck in his airway. In the image, it's clear to see the oval-shaped fruit lodged in his throat which could have potentially choked him.

The blogger and mental health clinician addressed other parents in her post, challenging them to guess what the image was of.

'Attention Parents!

'Do you know what this X-ray is of? A grape! A grape that was lodged in the top of a 5 year olds airway today.'

Angela went on to explain that the little boy in the picture sadly had to be operated on to have the fruit removed, a traumatic procedure for any five-year-old child.

'This sweet soul had to be operated on, under general anaesthetic to remove the grape.

'He is VERY lucky that part of his airway was open or else this could have ended badly.'

She then reminded parents that children often don't think to chew their food properly, making the point that running around the playground at school can be a typically dangerous area.

'So please be mindful that not all kids chew their food, are in a rush at school to get in the playground etc.'

https://www.facebook.com/FinleeandMe/photos/a.219133604817029.57946.101232409940483/1438423039554740/?type=3&theater

The psychologist and sociologist then advised parents that cutting grapes and baby tomatoes is the best way to ensure your child is eating them safely.

'Please be careful. And when in doubt just cut the damn grapes, baby tomatoes etc.'

Angela hopes to raise awareness about the issue, which many parents wouldn't initially consider when giving their child a healthy snack.

'I'm thankful to the pediatrician that shared this and even more grateful to the Mother who gave consent for this to be shared in order to bring awareness to our community,' Angela noted in the caption.

The post has received thousands of comments from parents agreeing with how scary the dangers of eating this shaped food can be.

One Facebook user commented, 'Always cut them in half!' and another agreed, 'I work in school and I would not suggest sending them unless cut. There is no way staff can check 100 kids' 'correct chewing' and accidents happen in a second. That's my biggest fear!'.