NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Lifestyle

Mum’s warning after toddler chokes on apple slice: ‘He was blue’

news.com.au
23 Oct, 2022 07:45 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Focus Morning Bulletin: 24 October, 2022
Boris Johnson bows out of leadership race, experts fear more long Covid cases will come with a new wave & Far North bush blaze in Rawene overnight in the latest New Zealand Herald Headlines. Video / NZ Herald ...
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
0:00
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time -0:00
 
1x
    • Chapters
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
    • captions off, selected

      This is a modal window.

      Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

      Text
      Text Background
      Caption Area Background
      Font Size
      Text Edge Style
      Font Family

      End of dialog window.

      This is a modal window. This modal can be closed by pressing the Escape key or activating the close button.

      Testing the waters: New study finds rise in Orca inviting humans to share their lunch

      UP NEXT:

      Autoplay in
      4
      Disable Autoplay
      Cancel Video
      Boris Johnson bows out of leadership race, experts fear more long Covid cases will come with a new wave & Far North bush blaze in Rawene overnight in the latest New Zealand Herald Headlines. Video / NZ Herald
      NOW PLAYING • Focus Morning Bulletin: 24 October, 2022
      Boris Johnson bows out of leadership race, experts fear more long Covid cases will come with a new wave & Far North bush blaze in Rawene overnight in the latest New Zealand Herald Headlines. Video / NZ Herald ...

      A mum is urging all parents to learn basic first aid after her son almost died after choking on a common children’s snack.

      When Ashlie Johnson decided to cut up a few apple slices to give her son Declan as a healthy snack, she never imagined it could nearly cost him his life.

      The mum-of-four said the 2-year-old was happily watching television and chomping on the bite-sized fruit slices when the horror unfolded.

      Read More

      • Early childhood centre's food rules to change following ...
      • Ministry wants to ban choke-risk foods from early childhood ...
      • Daycare food ban to prevent choking: Why I support ...
      • Mum issues safety warning over allowing children to ...
      • Mother warns of Cadbury Easter egg choking hazard - ...

      Just minutes later, her little boy let out a “weird scream” and appeared to be trying to cough as his face went bright red.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Neither Johnson nor her partner Tyson had a first aid certificate, but used their instincts to help their little boy bring up the stuck piece of fruit.

      But when a few hard thumps to his back failed to help clear his airway, they called an ambulance that rushed over to their Toowoomba home in Queensland.

      “He was walking towards me with his arms up, wanting to be picked up, but he was red in the face and trying to cough,” Johnson recalled.

      “He eventually coughed, and was coughing quite hard and quite profusely.”

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Declan was rushed to Toowoomba Base Hospital where an X-ray revealed there was a small piece of apple lodged in his lung.

      The toddler was sedated and flown to Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane to see a specialist, after attempts to shift it failed.

      Declan had to undergo emergency surgery to remove the piece of fruit.

      “Before surgery, they thought that the apple had moved in his lung, which caused his oxygen levels to drop,” the mum explained.

      “He was in distress and he was starting to go blue. They put him on to a ventilator so they could run his whole breathing for him.

      “We flew to Brisbane, he pretty much went from the helicopter to the theatre.”

      One hour after being admitted, the parents were relieved to hear that Declan’s surgery had been successful.

      The next day, the toddler was given the green light to go home.

      “I was so happy to hear he was okay,” she said.

      “They weren’t sure whether he would have had to go to ICU or be kept on a ventilator but he didn’t need to, which was great.”

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Johnson is now raising awareness about the importance of understanding basic first aid, in particular how to deal with a sudden choking episode.

      “What I have found since, is that some parents may not recognise the signs of choking,’ she said. “There needs to be more information regarding them. I’m still learning a lot, it’s all a learning curve.”

      What to do if a child is choking

      Medical experts have urged parents not to try and remove a blocked object from a child’s throat with their fingers, as this runs the risk of pushing it down further.

      Instead, try to encourage the child to cough, and if that fails, call 111 straight away.

      While waiting for emergency services to arrive, give the child five sharp back blows to help dislodge the item.

      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.

      Follow this with five chest thrusts, and alternate between the two.

      After each blow, parents should check inside the child’s mouth for any obstruction.

      Signs of partial airway blockage

      • Loss of voice
      • Choking noises
      • Coughing that keeps getting worse
      • Gagging
      • Wheezing
      • Anxiety and agitation
      • Stridor (a shrill, rattling sound when breathing in)
      • Sudden chest pain
      For more parenting news and advice, listen to One Day You’ll Thank Me, the Herald’s parenting podcast
      Save

        Share this article

      Latest from Lifestyle

      Premium
      Lifestyle

      For the love of bread: Why Orewa locals are queuing up at Romeo's

      05 Jul 02:01 AM
      Lifestyle

      From the beat to the beauty pageant: West Auckland cop named Miss Universe NZ

      05 Jul 01:00 AM
      Lifestyle

      School holidays dragging on? Try this fun kitchen activity for kids

      05 Jul 12:00 AM

      Sponsored: Get your kids involved in your reno

      sponsored
      Advertisement
      Advertise with NZME.
      Recommended for you
      ‘Mass casualty event’: Texas floods leave 24 dead, girls missing from summer camp
      World

      ‘Mass casualty event’: Texas floods leave 24 dead, girls missing from summer camp

      05 Jul 03:10 AM
      Plenty for selectors to consider as Black Ferns win trial match
      Black Ferns

      Plenty for selectors to consider as Black Ferns win trial match

      05 Jul 03:05 AM
      Brick By Brick: Gables Transform Boring Cottage Into A Standout
      Viva - Life. Health

      Brick By Brick: Gables Transform Boring Cottage Into A Standout

      05 Jul 03:00 AM
      'Serious leg injury': Police probe after incident in Murupara
      New Zealand

      'Serious leg injury': Police probe after incident in Murupara

      05 Jul 02:08 AM
      'Systemic failings': Coroner criticises Oranga Tamariki after 14yo runaway's huffing death
      New Zealand

      'Systemic failings': Coroner criticises Oranga Tamariki after 14yo runaway's huffing death

      05 Jul 02:07 AM

      Latest from Lifestyle

      Premium
      For the love of bread: Why Orewa locals are queuing up at Romeo's

      For the love of bread: Why Orewa locals are queuing up at Romeo's

      05 Jul 02:01 AM

      Diogo Riedi's grandmother taught him to make bread in a wood-fired oven in Brazil.

      From the beat to the beauty pageant: West Auckland cop named Miss Universe NZ

      From the beat to the beauty pageant: West Auckland cop named Miss Universe NZ

      05 Jul 01:00 AM
      School holidays dragging on? Try this fun kitchen activity for kids

      School holidays dragging on? Try this fun kitchen activity for kids

      05 Jul 12:00 AM
      Boss Babe to Bali bride: Iyia Liu’s $120K clifftop nuptials

      Boss Babe to Bali bride: Iyia Liu’s $120K clifftop nuptials

      04 Jul 11:00 PM
      Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper
      sponsored

      Sponsored: Why heat pumps make winter cheaper

      NZ Herald
      • About NZ Herald
      • Meet the journalists
      • Newsletters
      • Classifieds
      • Help & support
      • Contact us
      • House rules
      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms of use
      • Competition terms & conditions
      • Our use of AI
      Subscriber Services
      • NZ Herald e-editions
      • Daily puzzles & quizzes
      • Manage your digital subscription
      • Manage your print subscription
      • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
      • Subscribe to Herald Premium
      • Gift a subscription
      • Subscriber FAQs
      • Subscription terms & conditions
      • Promotions and subscriber benefits
      NZME Network
      • The New Zealand Herald
      • The Northland Age
      • The Northern Advocate
      • Waikato Herald
      • Bay of Plenty Times
      • Rotorua Daily Post
      • Hawke's Bay Today
      • Whanganui Chronicle
      • Viva
      • NZ Listener
      • Newstalk ZB
      • BusinessDesk
      • OneRoof
      • Driven Car Guide
      • iHeart Radio
      • Restaurant Hub
      NZME
      • About NZME
      • NZME careers
      • Advertise with NZME
      • Digital self-service advertising
      • Book your classified ad
      • Photo sales
      • NZME Events
      • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
      TOP
      search by queryly Advanced Search