A stranger saved her daughter’s life when the toy became wrapped around the little girls neck.

UK mother Stacey Paterson has issued an urgent warning to other parents after her daughter Abigail was nearly strangled by a slinky toy. The popular toy is a regular feature in party bags and Christmas stockings, but a moment of unsupervised play quickly turned to panic for Stacey when it became caught around Abigail’s neck.

Harmless Fun

Taking to social media to share her story with other parents in the hope of preventing similar events, Stacey said she never imagined something so serious could happen so quickly. “Slinkies seem so harmless I would never have thought this could happen!!” she said. “She put it round her neck like a necklace. It got stuck and she pulled to try to get it off and it got tighter and tighter!!”

A stranger passing by heard Stacey’s screams and didn’t hesitate, running upstairs to calm her husband down and help him untangle the slinky while she called for an ambulance. “I will forever be grateful to the young lad!” Stacey said of the stranger. “Please be careful with slinkies!”

No Lasting Damage

Despite receiving abusive comments, Stacey did not delete her post in the hope it would help other parents. “Accidents happen and I already feel terrible – I don’t need other people making me feel worse!” she said. “Abigail is absolutely fine, she has some bruising but that is already fading. We were very lucky!”

We really feel for Stacey and admire her for being willing to share her story, but we think it also serves as an important reminder of the potential danger that toys can pose to young children if they are left unsupervised.

Has your child been injured by a toy? Share your story in the comments.