Traveling in a car with young children is never simple.
Keeping them occupied is one thing, but ensuring their safety is always the bigger concern. Sadly, serious incidents can still occur when least expected.
Back in June, what started as a normal family outing to grab dinner in Tennessee quickly turned into the kind of moment no parent ever wants to face.
Seated behind his father
Parents constantly juggle countless responsibilities to keep their children safe. Most would naturally assume that toys designed for young children are built with safety in mind — created to amuse without posing any danger. It’s something most families never think twice about.
Yet it was one specific toy that nearly cost 1-year-old Lachlan his life.
In June 2025, Jordan and Rachel Flom were on the road with their four young children — toddler triplets and their 4-year-old daughter — when everything suddenly went wrong.
Their 1-year-old son, Lachlan, was seated directly behind his father, entertaining himself with an Xonteus Telescopic Suction Cup Giraffe Toy — purchased through Amazon — when his behavior suddenly shifted.
“I started picking up on this strange sound coming from him,” Jordan told Newsweek. “It was almost like he was trying to clear his throat.”
Something wasn’t right
A small dashboard camera pointed toward the rear-facing car seats gave Jordan and Rachel an immediate view of what was unfolding.
“I just kind of said, ‘Hey, babe, I think Lachlan might be choking,'” Jordan recalled.
“We looked over, and he was starting to look more panicked — his hands were moving frantically.”
The vehicle veered off the road
“I hit the brakes as hard and fast as I could and immediately threw my door open,” Jordan said. “I pulled him out, rushed to the front of the vehicle, laid him across my forearm, and started striking his back firmly. It probably took around eight solid hits before he let out this big gagging cough — and out popped this tiny yellow piece.”
The sound of Lachlan crying brought an overwhelming rush of relief. Passersby had pulled over after noticing the minivan swerve off the road, but by then, the worst had already passed.
Jordan later shared the frightening experience on Facebook, cautioning fellow parents about toys that can easily break apart — and encouraging families to install cameras or mirrors to keep an eye on little ones seated in the back.
“We almost lost one of the boys tonight!” the post began, eventually being shared more than 14,000 times.
An outpouring of support
The post struck a deep chord, drawing over 36,000 reactions and more than 5,300 comments alongside thousands of shares.
“Completely understand the fear. One of our triplets once choked on a piece of cheese and went blue — thankfully, back blows worked for us too,” one commenter shared.
A seasoned CPR instructor also weighed in: “I’m so relieved he’s okay. Thank God you noticed and acted so quickly. If you haven’t yet, please look into taking a CPR course — it’s truly invaluable.”
Amazon’s response
Amazon confirmed to Newsweek that the product had been pulled from their platform:
“Product safety is our top priority. We develop innovative tools to prevent unsafe products from being listed in our store, including robust seller vetting programs and advanced machine learning detection combined with expert human investigators. We continuously monitor our store, and if we discover a product was undetected by our proactive tools, we address the issue immediately, including the removal of unsafe or noncompliant products and outreach to sellers and manufacturers for additional information. The product in question has been removed while we further investigate its safety and compliance.”
Jordan admitted he was taken aback by how many other families owned the very same toy.
“A lot of parents pick it up because kids love sticking it to windows, but they also tend to chew on that soft material — which can break off pretty easily,” he said. “That toy is gone from our house for good.”
He also stressed how valuable a rear-facing camera can be, describing it as a modest purchase that could genuinely save a child’s life.
“Adrenaline just completely took over. Looking back, there wasn’t a single second where we were thinking — we were just acting,” Jordan said. “If we’d had music blasting and weren’t paying attention, it might have taken only half a minute of not watching him before everything changed.”
