A funeral director has revealed the common foods and toys that aren’t allowed in her house, after the tragic cases she’s seen in her funeral home.

Lauren Eliza, from the US, who goes by ‘Lauren the Mortician’ on her TikTok account, has uploaded a series of videos detailing why she doesn’t allow her children to play with or eat certain things, including water beads, amber teething necklaces and popcorn.

In one video she explains that as a ‘scarred mortician/funeral director’ she has a list of things her kids aren’t allowed to have. Her list includes:

• water beads
• toys with a string
• amber teething necklaces
• balloons
• skipping ropes
• toys that contain button batteries
• popcorn
• nuts

“I pissed off half the internet because I came up with a list of toys I will never give my children because I am scarred from my job,” Lauren explained.

“I practically grew up in a funeral home and like many funeral directors will say that children’s deaths are the hardest ones we ever have to work with. And when you become a parent you find yourself being extra protective of your children because you know what can happen in the blink of an eye.”

@lovee.miss.lauren I’m a scarred Mortician / Funeral Director and these are not allowed in my house. Guess you can call me the Grinch ✨Educational PSA. #mortician #scarredforlife #waterbeads #yoyo #YellowstoneTV #ChevyEVSongContest #funeraldirector #deathtok #greenscreen #DisneyParksVoices #thegrinch ♬ Che La Luna – Louis Prima

The mortician went on to detail why she won’t have water beads anywhere near her own children.

“Water beads are not allowed in my house … the risk is not worth the reward for me when it comes to water beads and in fact they were not originally manufactured to be marketed to children. I do not care if you want to tell me these are non-toxic, because the truth is if your child ingests just one of these they can end up in the emergency room. Because they can cause blockages in your intestines and bowels.”

She also explained her fear of balloons around small children.

“My dad was actually paramedic for 15 or 20 years so my fear of balloons was actually sparked by my dad and the stories he would come home with were horrendous. Did you know that balloons are one of the leading causes of choking deaths in children?” Lauren has also revealed a list of things her children aren’t allowed to do because of the things she’s seen, including:

• Ride youth-sized ATVs
• Play near farm equipment
• Go sledding on a frozen pond
• Play in a driveway
• No popcorn until they are at least five-years-old

She elaborated on the popcorn ban, saying giving your children the common treat is one of the quickest way to get them a ride in an ambulance.

“Have you ever eaten popcorn? You know those little kernels that get stuck in your teeth? That can also happen to your children and those little pieces are so lightweight that they’re easily sucked up back into your oesophagus that you can aspirate on them or choke.

“No matter how much you watch your children they can still choke on popcorn – whether you are there or not.”

@lovee.miss.lauren Replying to @jessicaclucente EDUCATIONAL CONTENT ✨???? Call me the grinch. But my toddlers don’t eat popcorn. Chronicles of the Scarred Mortician continue. #mortician #educationaltiktok #funeraldirector #popcorn #hatehatehate #deathtok #BeTheReasonVisa #HuluChippendalesDance #scarredforlife #grinch #christmas #greenscreen ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design

Lauren says her children aren’t allowed to eat nuts for the same reason, and it’s why she recommends cutting up grapes.

“One of the saddest calls we ever got involved a child with a peanut. They put the child to bed not knowing there was a piece of peanut in their lip. And they didn’t wake up the next morning.”

Are there any foods or toys banned in your house for these reasons? Let us know in the comments below. 

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