Got small kids? Know which foods are a choking risk

[kenny]

This is just a public service announcement.

Partial snip

Children 4 and younger are at the highest risk for choking on food.
Most only have their front teeth.
They can bite off a piece of food, but they don't have molars in back to grind it.

...

The American Academy of Pediatrics lists hot dogs as the highest risk food for young kids.
Grapes, raw carrots, apples and peanuts are also dangerous.
Smith said he has treated many children who have died from choking on hot dogs and grapes.

Story

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

That''s worrying. I have a nearly two year old who eats astonishing quantities of grapes. She does have molars, though. I wonder if that makes a difference or if I need to cut them up (and who I could ask).

Thanks for posting.

 

[janinegirly]

I think I would still cut grapes..they are slippery even with molars.

Thanks for posting kenny--i saw it on cnn as well.

My LO loves to take big bites and I''m always cutting things so tiny--you can never be too careful!

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

She''s eaten her own bodyweight in grapes some days. I''m going to have a lot of chopping in my future.

What about bananas? That would seem to fall into the same category as hotdogs, no?

 

[neatfreak]

I don''t think that''s true that most kids under 4 don''t have molars? Mine are only 14 months and each have some molars and almost all of their friends (same age) have molars too. And because I have twins and so does everyone in my mommy group, that''s a lot of kids! And all but 2 kids have molars.

 

[MonkeyPie]

I''d be worried if my kid didn''t have molars by age 4!

 

[neatfreak]

Date: 2/22/2010 11:54:33 AM
Author: Mrs Mitchell
She''s eaten her own bodyweight in grapes some days. I''m going to have a lot of chopping in my future.

What about bananas? That would seem to fall into the same category as hotdogs, no?

Bananas, assuming they are ripe, will squish easily. Hotdogs won''t and neither will grapes.

I would certainly cut grapes IMO.

 

[TravelingGal]

Amelia has had molars forever. I don''t cut grapes for her, but maybe I should. She''s a cautious chewer though.

 

[kenny]

As a kid we had ducks in the backyard.
We enjoyed watching whole grapes go slowly down their long throats.

 

[janinegirly]

I think C has molars but not sure since she never lets me check! How on earth do you girls brush those.I''m lucky to get a couple swipes of the front teeth...

 

[MissMina]

Pennies, penuts, hot dogs

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/22/2010 12:29:14 PM
Author: janinegirly
I think C has molars but not sure since she never lets me check! How on earth do you girls brush those.I''m lucky to get a couple swipes of the front teeth...

Janine, I sit her on the bathroom counter, cup her chin, and go at it. She doesn''t like it, but since I don''t give in, she knows she has to get her teeth brushed. She holds food on the side of her mouth, so I have to get at them, or it will be cavity central. As it is, I''m probably fighting a losing battle because she never drooled and I think she probably has a drier mouth (not good for fighting cavities.)

 

[MissMina]

Just looked as DS baby book.
He got his first molars between 14-16 months

 

[somethingshiny]

JT choked on everything until he had his tonsils out at 2.5. Mashed potatoes would choke the poor kid!

Peanut butter is a big choking hazard too. It''s difficult to swallow especially if the bread gets gummed up.

 

[Mrs Mitchell]

Date: 2/22/2010 12:26:32 PM
Author: kenny
As a kid we had ducks in the backyard.
We enjoyed watching whole grapes go slowly down their long throats.

I have a vague feeling that this would amuse me more than watching those whole grapes go down my baby''s throat. I''ll be cutting them up from now on.

I can''t say I feed her hotdogs (but I have been craving hotdog and onions myself since I first read this post).

 

[packrat]

I always cut stuff up, just in case. I was cautious w/London, but she never ate like the tazmanian devil the way Trapper does, so I really have to watch him.

 

[rierie26]

When I was working for a school that had 2 - 2.5 year old kids, they always cut the grapes in half. Wouldn''t have thought about hotdogs though, good to know.

 

[curlygirl]

We always cut grapes in half and cut hot dogs down the middle so they aren''t the perfect round shape to get stuck in the kids'' throats. And both of my kids have molars, including my almost 17 month old.

Our pediatrician also mentioned popcorn as a big choking hazard. We''re not really popcorn eaters anyway but thought it was interesting.

 

[VegasAngel]

If my daughter gets a hotdog I slice it up, I used to cut grapes for her I don''t anymore. My biggest thing trying to explain to relatives that she doesn''t need round, hard candies

I know of someone whose daughter died on her 5th birthday, during her party by choking on a hot dog.

 

[miraclesrule]

Everything is a potential choking hazard. I was OCD about cutting up my daughter's food. To the point where she was 16 and looked at one night and said "Mom..really? I can cut my own food now".

I sent her that article today and told her she better never again give me grief for insisting on cutting up her food.

Last year a five year old boy choked to death on a hot dog from the Costco food court where I shop. So sad.

I used to peel the skin off of the grape with my teeth and then mash it before I let my daughter eat it.

My neighbor gives popcorn to her 1 1/2 year old son all the time. It drives me crazy. Buy them Pirates Booty instead and tell them it's popcorn.

Parents freak me out.

ETA: Don't let your kids have the gift basket at parties either. Parents seem to fail to recognize that although the birthday kid and their friends may be old enough for some candy, the other younger siblings are not. Nobody should eat a hard candy unless it is a Lifesaver. They are called that for a reason...and it's the hole in the middle that allows you to breathe.

 

[mrssalvo]

just wanted to add that''s it''s equally as important that parents and caregivers know cpr and what to do if their child does start choking.

 

[charbie]

Thanks for the PSA, kenny. I don''t have kids, but its always good to know these things.

I remember being about 5 years old and choking on a hot dog. My mom was trained in first aid and gave me the heimlich. I believe it saved my life. It ws so frightening that it has stuck with me all these years...and my mom I''m sure hasn''t forgotten either.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 2/22/2010 5:09:09 PM
Author: curlygirl
We always cut grapes in half and cut hot dogs down the middle so they aren''t the perfect round shape to get stuck in the kids'' throats. And both of my kids have molars, including my almost 17 month old.

Our pediatrician also mentioned popcorn as a big choking hazard. We''re not really popcorn eaters anyway but thought it was interesting.

So if I cut hot dogs in thinner slices, would that work ? Amelia likes the nitrate free ones from Trader joes.

 

[Miss Sparkly]

I don''t have kids and I''m wondering, why not just avoide hot dogs? They''re not healthy and they seem to be a risk. Plus hamburgers are just as fun of a party food and they can be made with 97% lean beef, ground elk, or ground buffalo and they are easier to eat (as the meat in a way is "prechewed").