Dad Hears 'Weird Noise' From Toddler in Car—Left Traumatized by What's Seen

Newsweek

a day ago

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
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A family from Tennessee was on their way to dinner when their journey turned into every parent's worst nightmare.
Jordan and Rachel Flom were headed to eat with their four young children, including a set of toddler triplets and their 4-year-old daughter. Their 1-year-old son, Lachlan, was sitting behind his dad while playing with his Xonteus Telescopic Suction Cup Giraffe Toy—sold by Amazon—when he began moving his arms around.
Split view of suction giraffe toy and boy toddler.
Split view of suction giraffe toy and boy toddler.
Jordan Flom
"I started to notice a [weird] noise coming from him," Jordan told Newsweek. "It was almost like trying to clear his throat."
Fortunately, the family had installed a small camera on the dashboard, angled to capture the rear-facing car seats.
"Right away, just was kind of like, 'Hey, babe, I think Lachlan is choking'," Jordan said to his wife. "So then we looked at it, and he started to look more panicked; his hands were going."
Instantly, Rachel unbuckled her seat belt so she could get a better look at Lachlan who still wasn't making much noise—an ominous sign when a child is choking.
Rachel confirmed their worst fear: he was choking.
"I slammed on the brakes as quick as I could … and instantly opened my door," Jordan said. "I grabbed him, ran to the front of the car and put him on my forearm and just started hitting his back.
"[It] probably took … eight good hits, and then he did a big kind of throw-up cough and out came this little yellow piece."
Lachlan began to cry—an overwhelming sound of relief. Strangers pulled up behind the family's minivan having seen the vehicle swerve off the road, but thankfully the crisis had passed.
Jordan shared what happened on Facebook as a reminder to other parents that kids' toys can easily be pulled apart and urge people to have a camera or mirror to see their children in the backseat.
The post received more than 36,000 reactions, 14,000 shares and over 5,300 comments.
"Totally understand. One of our triplets choked on a chunk of cheese and started turning blue, thank god hitting his back did the trick too," one user wrote.
An experienced CPR instructor also urged other parents to take a first-aid training class to prevent circumstances like this from happening.
"I'm so sorry this happened, I'm thankful he is ok. Praise God you were able to hear him and knew something was off. So if you [haven't] already done so, please take a CPR class. It's invaluable," they wrote.
Jordan told Newsweek that he was surprised at how many people commented saying they had the same toy.
"I think a lot of people buy that toy for little kids because it entertains them [and] it goes against the window, but they love to chew on that soft material, so that can come off," he added. "We'll never play with that one again."
Jordan said installing a basic child-facing camera is a small investment that could be lifesaving.
"Our adrenaline took over, and I think back and it's, like, there wasn't one moment where we were thinking what to do; we were just doing it," he said. "If we would have been listening to loud music and not paying attention, it probably would have taken 30 seconds of not looking at him and not hearing him to arrive and then all of a sudden … see that we lost one."