Mum’s Facebook warning after her baby’s ‘choking incident’ with toy

'Please share so that other mums can check their toys'.

Kath Milroy Pattingale has shared a "choking warning" on her Facebook page in a bid to help other parents avoid potential danger to their children. Her daughter Maddison started to choke on plastic stuffing from the back of a Lamaze doll but thankfully, her father Warrick was beside her and helped his daughter. Speaking to Australian website Kidspot, Kath said:

"My husband said 'she’s choking' and put his fingers down her mouth, and pulled out a big hunk of plastic. "We just couldn’t understand where it had come from, and then we found it on the back of the doll".

The Brisbane mother of two said that she wasn't sure whether to post anything about what happened but that she couldn't live with herself if she heard of the same thing happening to another child. The toy in question was the 'My Friend Emily' doll aimed at 0-3 years which originally belonged to Maddison's sister Isabelle (2). Although Kath doesn't expect Lamaze to do a complete recall of their toys, she said that if parents are handing down toys from one child to another as she did, it's crucial to check the stitching. She said that the family has lots of these Lamaze dolls and comments on her Facebook post showed that the toy is a popular choice. Below is Kath's Facebook post in full:

"Choking warning - please share. A couple of nights ago Maddison (7 months) started to choke! Thank goodness we were right next to her and Waz was able to help her. She'd choked on plastic stuffing from the back of this Lamaze doll :( The stitching on the back had come undone and the crinkly noise it makes is because it's stuffed with cellophane which she'd ripped and got stuck in her throat (she doesn't have any teeth yet). We've got a lot of these Lamaze toys and they've been the kind of toys that I've trusted to leave with the girls in the car seat, pram, play mat, etc and to be honest I'd never thought twice about the safety of them. Please please please check the stitching on yours. I wasn't sure whether to post anything about this, but I'd never forgive myself if I heard of another baby choking on these toys and I'd kept quiet. I've contacted Lamaze twice and they've not even given me the courtesy of a reply. Please share so that other mums can check their toys and we can prevent another child choking. Thanks, Kath".