A team of experts has issued a warning to parents over a possible choking hazard for children posed by a popular Easter chocolate.

The Child Accident Prevention Trust has urged parents to "please be safe" when giving Cadbury Mini Eggs to their kids during the Easter season.

The organisation warned that the Easter treats may be the "perfect small treat for your little one" but due to their size, they could block a small child’s airway.

Cadbury does feature a minimum age recommendation on all of its mini egg packets.

The packaging states that the chocolate should not be consumed by children under the age of four.

Sharing the warning in a social media statement, the trust said: "It's that time of year again when mini eggs are lining the supermarket shelves.

“But, did you know that, just like grapes, they are the perfect size to block a small child's airway and choke them?

"And, their hard shell can make it difficult to dislodge with standard first aid techniques."

Previously, the trust has advised that whole grapes are cut in half lengthways and ideally into quarters to create thin strips for your children.

However, they noted that chopping up mini eggs isn't as easy.

The Child Accident Prevention Trust has shared some advice about what to do when enjoying Mini Eggs this Easter.

The experts shared three key-steps to follow:

"1. Hide them from the children and eat them yourself good luck with that!

“2. Put the mini eggs into a sealable plastic bag and smash them into small pieces with a rolling pin. Or, crush them in a pestle and mortar, or

“3. Opt for a different treat.

"Larger, hollow eggs are much safer for little ones."

How to stop a child from choking

The NHS has shared important advice on how to stop a child from choking on its website.

"Children, particularly those aged from 1 to 5, often put objects in their mouth. This is a normal part of how they explore the world," the health service noted.

Firstly, the NHS notes that the best way to avoid a child choking is "to make sure that small objects like these are kept out of your child's reach".

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However, it does note that, "no matter how careful you are, your child may choke on something".

The NHS shared four tips to help stop choking (as seen below) but you can see further advice, broken down by age group, on its website.

If you can see the object, try to remove it. Don't poke blindly or repeatedly with your fingers. You could make things worse by pushing the object further in and making it harder to remove.

If your child's coughing loudly, encourage them to carry on coughing to bring up what they're choking on and don't leave them.

If your child's coughing isn't effective (it's silent or they can't breathe in properly), shout for help immediately and decide whether they're still conscious.

If your child's still conscious, but they're either not coughing or their coughing isn't effective, use back blows.