‘Honey, hair remover and cling film’: Paramedic explains why these surprise purchases could save a life

A former paramedic has revealed the three unexpected household items she always keeps in her house.

Nikki Jurcutz, who worked as a paramedic with Ambulance Victoria for eight years, said she always has honey, hair removal cream and cling film on hand to prepare in case an everyday situation turns into an emergency.

“These unexpected things could save your child,” she said.

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Honey

Nikki said she always has a supply of honey in her pantry in case she accidentally swallows a button battery.

“Swallowing button batteries is a serious medical emergency and requires immediate medical attention,” she said.

She said honey can reduce the risk of the battery potentially burning a hole in a child’s esophagus.

“Honey can make a significant difference in the damage caused,” she explained.

“However, the use of honey as a first aid treatment is not part of the guidelines for treatment in Australia (yet!), but other countries such as America have introduced the guideline of “10 ml of honey every 10 minutes for children over one year old”.

“Do NOT hesitate to come to the hospital to administer honey.”

If you have signs of shortness of breath, call 000.

If your child is not having difficulty breathing, call the poison hotline on 13 11 26 and go to the nearest emergency room.

“Every day at least one Australian child is hospitalized because they have swallowed one of these button batteries,” she said.

Hair removal cream

If a child has a tourniquet, which is a strand of hair that wraps tightly around the fingers or toes, Nikki recommends applying hair removal cream to the area.

“If the tourniquet does not seem too deep and there is no damage to the skin, you can try this treatment,” she said.

Apply a small amount of hair removal cream to the affected area and leave it on for 10 minutes.

Rinse with warm water.

If the hair is still wrapped, take your child to the emergency room immediately.

cling film

After administering first aid to a burn, Nikki said the area should be covered with cling film to protect against further damage.

“It’s important to use something that won’t stick to the burn as this can cause further damage when the cover is removed. It’s very important to use some nonstick to cover the burn,” she said.

“Something as simple as cling film does a great job.”

Nikki said the cling wrap should be used to cover the burn rather than wrapping it around the limb.

“This is because the limb swells after a burn. So if the cling film was wrapped around the burn, it can swell under that wrapping,” she explained.

“The cling film is used to protect the burn until it can be assessed by a doctor. The good thing about it is that it is non-stick and will not cause any further damage to the burn when peeled off.

“And it’s transparent, so you can keep an eye on the burn too.

Her video has been viewed more than 300,000 times – with many saying they didn’t know the life-saving purpose behind the three household items.

“I love the always fresh content! It drives me crazy how many people don’t know,” said one.

Another shared: “I didn’t know about the honey/battery swallowing, thanks.”

One suggested: “Really great ideas, thanks!”

While another added: “Great tips! Thank you very much.”

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