Lidl removes ‘dangerous’ wooden toy after boy, 15 months, almost chokes

'This recall should be publicised to stop another family from going through something potentially devastating.'

Lidl has pulled a ‘dangerous’ wooden toy from its stores across Britain after a toddler almost choked on a small part.

Mum Lisa White, 29, bought her 15-month-old son, Teddie, the Playtive Wooden Learning Puzzle to keep him entertained.

But she was horrified to find he had pulled out a small piece of the new toy and put it in his mouth.

Recalling the incident, Lisa, from Monmouth in South Wales said: ‘I popped out in the kitchen to get him a drink.

‘When I walked back in, the block stopper had come out and he had one of the balls in his mouth.

‘If I hadn’t noticed when I did, it’s a very real possibility my son could have choked on one of these balls and the outcome could have been extremely different.’

Lisa contacted both Lidl and Trading Standards over the toy, which is aimed at babies and toddlers.

She said she raised the matter on December 19 – but more than two weeks passed before a product recall was issued.

Now she wants to warn other parents who bought the toy of the potential dangers.

Lisa criticised Lidl for their response and suggested the supermarket giant should ‘take complaints a lot more seriously – especially when the toy is aimed at children [aged] one and over’.

‘I should not have had to fight so hard to get them to recall a toy that is very clearly dangerous.

‘This recall should be publicised as much as possible to stop another family from going through something potentially devastating.

‘I really hope, if in the future anything like this occurs again, they will act a lot quicker to ensure the safety of children.’

A Lidl spokesperson said product safety was of ‘paramount importance’ and apologised for any distress caused by the incident.

‘Following contact from the customer, our quality assurance team launched an urgent investigation with the supplier and took the decision to carry out a full product recall.

‘We sincerely apologise for any concern caused and we advise any customers that have purchased the product to return it to any Lidl store for a full refund with or without a receipt.’

Trading Standards confirmed the product had been recalled to the concerned customer, saying: ‘I hope this reassures you that your concerns were valid and that you did the right thing in reporting them to us after the company initially dismissed them.

‘We rely on vigilant customers providing us with such information to help protect everyone.’

Last week a baby formula brand urgently recalled some of its products over fears of contamination with dangerous bacteria.

Shortly before Christmas, Asda recalled children’s drinks after metal was found in the straws.

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