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Parenting

13th Feb 2024

Mum shares gentle warning to parents about eco-friendly straws

Jody Coffey

It’s not something you would think could happen

Eco-friendly straws are a great way to be environmentally conscious.

They may be more eco-friendly than plastic straws, but it’s important to be mindful of them around younger children.

Kazia Straughan (@kaziastraughan) uses glass straws to be eco-friendly but recently had a close call when her toddler attempted to drink her water.

She says ‘gut instinct’ was the only thing that stood between her child and a potentially serious injury.

Taking to TikTok, the mum explained that every night her son asks to drink some of her or her husband’s water before going to sleep, and this simple act has become a routine for him.

On the night in question, their schedule was disrupted after getting home from Kazia’s mother-in-law’s house late.

The mum said she could not stop thinking about the ordeal.

“I had the craziest, in my opinion, almost scariest thing happen yesterday, and I cannot stop thinking about it and the potential that could have come from this,”

“I got home late and my whole point was to get him home, bathed, and to bed. So, I skipped him drinking my water,” she adds, saying that she put her baby to sleep, and went to the kitchen in search of her cup to take a drink herself.

@kaziastraughan CHECK YOUR GLASS STRAWS!! #psa #momsoftiktok #fyp #foryou ♬ original sound – Kazia Straughan

“And the minute I grabbed my glass, it was so loud I cannot explain it – for me, I connect it to the Holy Spirit, others might say the universe or intuition – but I heard it so loud.

“It said, ‘Dump that out and get a new glass.'”

Listening to her instincts, Kazia emptied her cup into the sink only to find that the glass straw had shattered completely on its own.

“My glass straw broke and there was one big piece, and I looked even closer, and there are even more small pieces of glass,” she continued, explaining that she gave her cup a throughout clean to ensure all shards were removed.

This, she adds, could have caused an injury to her son, had they followed their routine and allowed him to drink from the cup as normal before bedtime.

“But the scariest thing is that it was in the water. Like, could you imagine if [my son] drank that before bed? Or even me, but more so my child.”

The mum has urged other parents to be mindful if their children are drinking from glass straws.

Experts advise parents against glass straws

Experts have urged parents not to let their children use glass straws as they can break easily.

According to one expert, glass straws are only suitable for teenagers and adults.

Many users, heeding Kazia’s warning, suggested making the switch to silicone straws instead of glass ones.

According to EcoStraws, these are a great sustainable alternative as the material they are made from is safe for all ages due to their soft, non-teeth chipping construction.

They are soft to bite down on, yet durable enough to resist tearing.

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