Among the major choking hazards are coins, paper clips, buttons, beads, pen caps, little toys, and small, disc-shaped batteries. But the most common cause of choking is the one thing children are supposed to put in their mouths—food.
Watch What They Eat
Imagine eating only with your gums. That’s all the equipment babies have. It takes a long time for toddlers’ teeth to emerge, and the molars, so important for grinding, are the last to make an appearance. Too often, kids swallow foods whole rather than chew them up, even when they have some teeth. The foods you give them have to be soft and cut up in small pieces. If your baby tends to stuff too much in her mouth at once, give her only a little bit of food at a time until she learns to go slow. The top choking hazards among foods are:
Nuts Hot dogs Grapes Hard candy Popcorn Raisins Raw carrots Spoonfuls of peanut butter Chunks of meat
The American Academy of Pediatrics says children younger than 4 years should not be given these foods or any other food that is firm and round unless it is completely chopped up. Fruits should be peeled and seeds carefully removed. Seeds can be inhaled and may lead to lung infections. Don’t give kids under 5 sunflower or pumpkin seeds to eat. Lollipops pose multiple threats. First, they are hard candy and should therefore be reserved for older children. Second, even an older child can be injured by a lollipop’s rigid stick if he falls with one in his mouth. A safer alternative is the kind of pop that has a pliable loop in place of a stick. Peanuts cause choking injuries among children more often than any other food. (Peanuts can also be life threatening for the growing number of children who are allergic to them.) Grapes and hotdogs pose serious hazards because their skins can easily cover a small child’s windpipe. Don’t give them to children under 4, and cut them up in small pieces for older ones. Never let any child (or adult for that matter) eat peanut butter by the spoonful. Even adults have died from a glob of peanut butter that stuck on their windpipe. Instead, it should be spread in a thin layer on a cracker or small piece of bread that can be easily swallowed. Pieces of crusty bread or bagels can turn gummy in the mouth and get stuck over the trachea. These should be not be given to babies. You need to be cautious about how your child eats as well as what she eats. Keep her in her highchair during meals. Don’t let her run around and play while she’s eating. Discourage laughing or horse-play while her mouth is full, because she could inhale a piece of food. Remember that kids can choke on any food. Always supervise yours when she’s eating.
Watch the Balloons
Balloons are one of the leading causes of asphyxiation in children. Part of the trouble is that these toys are designed to be put in the mouth, at least when they’re being inflated. It’s understandable, then, that a small child might put one in his mouth, swallow or breath in, and get it caught in his windpipe. Packages of balloons are required by law to carry a warning label saying that they are hazardous to children under age 8. The risk is twice as great for kids 3 and under. If your child is given a balloon that’s already blown up, there’s a chance that it will burst, and the pieces will end up in his—or a younger sibling’s—mouth. Don’t leave a young child alone to play with a balloon, and pick up the pieces right away if the balloon bursts or deflates. Mylar balloons are safer than the common latex balloons because they won’t break into small pieces. If you must use latex balloons, store them out of children’s reach and don’t allow kids younger than 8 to inflate them.
title: “Choking Hazards” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-20” author: “Lucia Thompson”
Aside from avoiding dangerous foods, watching children closely when they eat helps, too. Never leave a youngster unattended when he is eating. Kids can choke when they overstuff their mouths, or when they run around with a mouth full of food. Don’t let children eat in the car, either. There may be no way for you to help a youngster dislodge food from his throat during a car ride, especially if you are the only adult present. Help keep kids out of harm’s way by avoiding the following foods. Read the list carefully. Chances are, some hazardous foods will come as a big surprise.
Nuts Seeds Popcorn Snack chips and puffs Pretzels Raw carrots Raisins and other small dried fruit such as cranberries, blueberries, and cherries Whole grapes* Fresh or frozen blueberries Melon balls Marshmallows Large chunks of meat, poultry, and hot dogs* Peanut butter and other nut butters Hard candy and cough drops Chewing gum Jellybeans Gumdrops and other soft jelly candies Gummy bears and other hard jelly candies
