6 ms·

Yeah, two-year-olds love to put random found objects in their mouths, often accidentally inhale them, and often lack the correct throat motions to unstick a rou

Yeah, two-year-olds love to put random found objects in their mouths, often accidentally inhale them, and often lack the correct throat motions to unstick a round object.

tourmalinetaco 2y ago
If memory serves, pennies are the most common object for young children to choke on, coupled by the fact that anemia makes them “tasty”. Perhaps we need to consider adding holes in coins to reduce that.
- Dalewyn 2y ago
  Between most metals tasting "sweet" and the mouth being a baby's foremost sensitive way of accruing information about something, babies and small kids are instinctively driven to put anything and everything in their mouth if it fits and consider metals as food until sternly educated otherwise. It takes a long time before any of the other senses become mature enough to be (more) useful avenues of accruing information and parents can finally stop worrying about it.
- iancmceachern 2y ago
  I choked on a penny when I was a kid, had to be taken to the hospital and got it out. They said that most just pass though the digestive system, I was special
  - bigstrat2003 2y ago
    I'm curious, if you were choking on a penny how did you even survive long enough to get to a hospital? Going without air will kill you in a matter of minutes, tops.
    - iancmceachern 2y ago
      It only partially blocked my airway. I got to the hospital in minutes also, I was a toddler, my parents took me. Luckily we lived less than 2 miles from the hospital.
- makeitdouble 2y ago
  Holes in coins have many other advantages, including reduce material volume, potentially tactile feedback if we could have them different shapes, and so much more. Would there be downsides outside of manufacturing cost and having to design with the hole in mind ?
  - harperlee 2y ago
    In my humble experience, by far the best usage of holed coins such as the old 25 spanish pesetas coin (https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Pesetas_fin_siglo_XX.jpg https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Pesetas_fin_siglo_XX.j...) is the ability to serve as a stopgap for spinning top launching rope (see https://www.ionlitio.com/images/2017/08/la-peonza-moneda.jpg https://www.ionlitio.com/images/2017/08/la-peonza-moneda.jpg). Fond memories!
    - angelaguilera 2y ago
      Ha! That unlocked some child memories! Gracias :-)
- AdamN 2y ago
  Coins used to have holes in them more often so that they could be put onto a string for counting/storage.

Yeah, two-year-olds love to put random found objects in their mouths, often accidentally inhale them, and often lack the correct throat motions to unstick a round object.

tourmalinetaco 2y ago

If memory serves, pennies are the most common object for young children to choke on, coupled by the fact that anemia makes them “tasty”. Perhaps we need to consider adding holes in coins to reduce that.

Dalewyn 2y ago
Between most metals tasting "sweet" and the mouth being a baby's foremost sensitive way of accruing information about something, babies and small kids are instinctively driven to put anything and everything in their mouth if it fits and consider metals as food until sternly educated otherwise. It takes a long time before any of the other senses become mature enough to be (more) useful avenues of accruing information and parents can finally stop worrying about it.
iancmceachern 2y ago
I choked on a penny when I was a kid, had to be taken to the hospital and got it out. They said that most just pass though the digestive system, I was special
- bigstrat2003 2y ago
  I'm curious, if you were choking on a penny how did you even survive long enough to get to a hospital? Going without air will kill you in a matter of minutes, tops.
  - iancmceachern 2y ago
    It only partially blocked my airway. I got to the hospital in minutes also, I was a toddler, my parents took me. Luckily we lived less than 2 miles from the hospital.
makeitdouble 2y ago
Holes in coins have many other advantages, including reduce material volume, potentially tactile feedback if we could have them different shapes, and so much more. Would there be downsides outside of manufacturing cost and having to design with the hole in mind ?
- harperlee 2y ago
  In my humble experience, by far the best usage of holed coins such as the old 25 spanish pesetas coin (https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Pesetas_fin_siglo_XX.jpg https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:Pesetas_fin_siglo_XX.j...) is the ability to serve as a stopgap for spinning top launching rope (see https://www.ionlitio.com/images/2017/08/la-peonza-moneda.jpg https://www.ionlitio.com/images/2017/08/la-peonza-moneda.jpg). Fond memories!
  - angelaguilera 2y ago
    Ha! That unlocked some child memories! Gracias :-)
AdamN 2y ago
Coins used to have holes in them more often so that they could be put onto a string for counting/storage.