A mother from Darlington has described the moment her two-year-old daughter stopped breathing for nearly three minutes after choking on a Halloween sweet bought from Aldi. Marie Johns, 45, gave her daughter Mia Parkinson one of the jelly sweets while decorating their house for Halloween on Saturday, October 17, when the child began wheezing and turned purple.
Marie, a singer and songwriter, said she initially thought Mia was choking and delivered back blows to clear her airways. When the toddler was still gasping for air, Marie performed stomach thrusts before dialling 999. She said Mia was unable to breathe for two minutes and 49 seconds before the sweet came out of her mouth.
Emergency response and hospital treatment
Mia was taken to Darlington Memorial Hospital by ambulance, where she was checked over and discharged later that day after doctors found no internal damage. Paramedics reportedly found fluids on her lungs.
Marie, a former teaching assistant, said she feared her daughter would have died without her help. She described the experience as "horrendous" and said Mia nearly lost consciousness. "Two seconds more, she'd have blacked out, I think," she said.
Product warnings and manufacturer response
The sweet in question was part of a £2.49 Trick or Treat Sweet Bag from Aldi North Road Retail Park in Darlington. The bag contained multiple packets of jelly sweets, including skull and teeth shapes. Aldi said the product featured a label warning that it is not suitable for children under three years old "due to small parts, which may pose a choking hazard and loops which may pose a strangulation hazard".
Sweet manufacturer BIP Candy & Toys UK Limited said the age warning was displayed on the outer retail packaging of the product, which is required by law and covers the whole product and its contents. The individual 25g sweet packets inside the cat-themed bag did not carry a separate age warning.
Mother's warning to other parents
Marie said the sweets should not be sold or given to children. She has banned them from her home and said Mia will only receive chocolate buttons for Halloween because they melt. "She'll never be allowed sweets again after that traumatic experience," she said.
A spokesperson for BIP Candy & Toys UK Limited said the company was concerned to hear about the reported incident and relieved the child was discharged from hospital. The spokesperson added that the company takes product safety very seriously and is reviewing the information provided, but noted they had not yet received a direct report of the incident.
