Preventing Choking when Eating
About Children's Nutrition
Children have small airways, which increases their risk of choking. Foods that are most likely to cause choking are large, round, firm, stringy, and sticky. Carefully select foods that are safe for a child to eat according to their age. Prepare and serve foods in ways that will help reduce the risk of choking.
Foods to Avoid
Newborns
You should feed your baby only breast milk or formula for the first four to six months of life.
Ages 0-4 Years Old
Avoid the following foods for children younger than 4:
- Chewing gum
- Chunks of meat or cheese
- Hard, gooey, or sticky candy
- Large amounts of peanut butter (avoid any peanut butter until age one due to risk of food allergy)
- Marshmallows
- Nuts and seeds
- Popcorn
- Raisins
- Raw vegetables
- Tough meats
- Whole grapes
- Whole hot dogs
Ways to Serve and Prepare Foods to Lower the Chance of Choking in Infants
- Cook foods until soft enough to easily pierce with a fork.
- Cut soft foods into small pieces, no larger than ¼ inches, or thin slices that can be easily chewed.
- Cut soft round foods, such as soft cooked carrots, into short strips rather than round pieces.
- Substitute foods that may cause choking with a safe option, such as thinly sliced meat or hamburger instead of hot dogs.
- Remove all bones from poultry and meat and especially from fish.
- Cut grapes into quarters.
- Remove pits and seeds from very ripe fruit and cut the fruit into small pieces.
- Grind or mash and moisten food for young babies.
- Cook and finely grind or mash whole grain kernels of wheat, barley, rice, etc. before feeding to a baby.
Ways to Serve and Prepare Foods to Lower the Chance of Choking in Young Children
Apples
Be sure to cut apples and other fruits into manageable, bite-size pieces, or cook until soft in texture.
Carrots
Raw carrots should be finely shredded or cooked thoroughly until mushy to the touch.
Celery
This food is stringy and is hard for young children to chew and swallow properly. With a peeler, remove the stringy outside layer of the celery stick, and cut it up before serving.
Grapes
Make sure seeds are removed. Do not give your child a whole grape. Make sure you cut them in quarters before serving them.
Hard Candy
They are unsafe because children may accidentally swallow them whole and cause their airway to become blocked.
Hot Dogs
Hot dogs need to be cut up. Slice length-wise and then chop into irregularly shaped, bite-sized pieces.
Nuts
Avoid giving your child nuts. They can easily cause choking because of their size and shape.
Peanut Butter
The safest way to serve peanut butter is to spread a very thin layer on bread or other foods and serve with a beverage. Children under age 4 should never eat large clumps of peanut butter from a spoon or finger.
Popcorn
Avoid giving your child popcorn. It can easily cause choking because of its size and shape.
Raisins
Children under the age of four should not be given raisins. They can easily cause choking because of their size and shape.
Making Mealtimes Safe
Make Sure Foods are Age Appropriate
Children who are beginning to eat table foods are unable to chew many foods. To lower the chance of choking, it is important to soften foods and cut them into pea size pieces. When a child gets older and more teeth grow in, they are able to handle larger pieces. Avoid seeds, fruit skins, and foods that are sticky. Children also have a hard time chewing meat because of its texture. Be sure to cut it into small manageable, bite size pieces and make sure it is a soft texture.
Supervise Your Child During Mealtimes
Do not leave child alone while eating. Watch your children at all times, just in case they start choking. It is important to watch your child until she is finished eating. If she chokes, most of the she will not able to cry out for help because the food is blocking the airway.
Teach Your Child Proper Eating Habits
- Chew food well before swallowing
- Do not cram big bites into mouth
- Do not eat while running or walking
- Eat at the table or in a high chair
- Eat slowly
- Sit up straight when eating
- Take small bites
Links about Choking Foods
Choking Foods
American Academy of Pediatrics—http://www.aap.org/publiced/BR_Choking.htm
International Food Information Council—http://ific.org/foodinsight/2002/jf/upload/Choking-and-Kids-Prevention-Is-the-Key-PDF.pdf
USDA—http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/feeding_infants.pdf (pages 65-69)
Relief of Choking
American Heart Association
Relief of Choking in Children—http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3025002
Family & Friends CPR—http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3040458
References
http://ific.org accessed Feb 6th 2007
www.aap.org accessed Feb 6th 2007
http://www.gbymca.org/childcare/chokingfoods.pdf accessed Feb 6th 2007
http://www.americanheart.org accessed Feb 7th 2007
United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service. Feeding Infants: A Guide for Use in the Child Nutrition Program. http://www.fns.usda.gov/tn/Resources/feeding_infants.pdf
