Common foods that cause choking:
- Whole grapes
- Nuts and seeds
- Popcorn
- Hotdogs
- Raw vegetables
- Large amounts of peanut butter
- Hard sticky candy
- Marshmallows
How to avoid choking:
- Cut up food into pieces smaller than ½ inch thick
- Cook vegetables until soft
- Offer well ripened naturally soft fruits and veggies like bananas, avocado, ripe peaches, kiwi, ripe mango
- Avoid harder round fruits like grapes
- Remove any tough skin before feeding
- Always supervise your child while eating
- Never allow child to walk around or play while eating
Ideal foods for young eaters:
- Bananas
- Avocados
- Cooked sweet potatoes
- Soft cheeses like fresh mozzarella
- Whole milk yogurt
- Canned fruits packed in water or 100% juice (not packed in syrup)
- Well-cooked veggies
- Lean ground meats chopped very small
Toys are choking hazards too!
- Never let young children play with balloons
- Bouncy balls and marbles are not safe for young children
- Follow manufacture guidelines and don’t let infants and toddlers play with toys intended for children over 3 years of age, they can cause choking!