Im a mortician and a mom I've banned these deadly snacks

June 11, 2024

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Now, this is scary enough to make your eyes pop.

Mom of two and mortician Lauren Eliza is virally serving up lesser-known yet potentially life-saving facts about the dangers of popcorn, and how allowing kids to pop the buttery kernels into their mouths could be deadly.

“Popcorn is not allowed in my house,” Eliza, a self-touted “scarred mortician” from Florida, exclaimed in her cautionary TikTok clip. “If something has made my list of things I do not keep in my home, you know it is a bad one.”

In her viral advisory post, which has scared up over 347,000 views, Eliza detailed the devastating effects the crunchy treat — which is typically enjoyed by folks of all ages at the movies, sporting events and during the holidays — could have on an innocent snacker’s esophagus.

“Giving your children popcorn is one of the quickest ways you can get a ride in an ambulance,” said Eliza, who has two toddler boys. She revealed that her father worked as a paramedic, and that she, too, was not allowed to eat popcorn as a child.

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“Those little kernels that get stuck in your teeth,” Eliza continued, “[they’re] so lightweight and so easily sucked up back into your esophagus that you could aspirate on them or choke.”

And she’s right.

In 2019, the American Academy of Pediatrics labeled popcorn a choking hazard that’s “best avoided” by children under the age of 4.

But Eliza feared that a handful of parents might think their tot is an exception to the rule.

And to Mom and Dad detractors who feel that the perils of popcorn can’t come for their brood — owing to how closely they supervise their little ones during snack time — she used her TikTok to warn folks that keeping an eye on kids won’t protect them from food harm.

“No matter how much you watch your children, they can still choke on popcorn whether you are there or not,” she insisted. “And the super scary thing is that you can’t get it out, even if you remove all the kernels [from their portions].”

Eliza explained that the irregular shapes and dry texture of each popped bite makes it easy for any piece to become lodged in a person’s throat.

She went on to deem grapes and peanuts high-risk goodies, too.

“One of the saddest calls [to the funeral home] involved a child with a peanut,” Eliza remembered. “They put their child to bed not knowing that there was a piece of peanut in their lip, and [the child] didn’t wake up the next morning.”

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And her beware bulletin seemed to have resonated with online audiences.

“My husband had a friend in college who choked to death on popcorn while eating it laying down. Don’t eat laying down,” urged a commentator.

“My kids aren’t allowed popcorn, grapes, or stringy cheese on pizza! Saved 3 kids from choking on that cheese, gives me anxiety,” said another.

“My dad has been a medic for 30 years. He said the most common food he saw kids choke on were hotdogs and popcorn!,” another chimed in.

Doubling down on her word to the wise, Eliza emphasized: “This type of accident happens when you least expect it.”

“Don’t just assume that it is something that happens to other parents,” she advised.

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