Re: I know about the obvious choking hazards (grapes, candy, hot dogs) but are there others that I should be aware of to keep my baby safe?
Kids under age five can choke on food and small objects. Believe it or not, a lot of the choking prevention advice for babies still holds for children up to 4 to 7 years old!
[ ] Your baby should sit up while eating, and be supervised at all times
[ ] Don't hurry your child when eating -- allow plenty of time for meals
[ ] Only put a small amount of food on the tray at a time
[ ] Avoid peanut butter -- it’s a greater allergy risk at early ages and is a choking hazard
[ ] Avoid round, firm foods and chunks (hot dogs, nuts, meat/cheese chunks, whole grapes, hard or sticky candy, popcorn, raw carrots, other firm, raw fruit or vegetable chunks)
[ ] Avoid foods that are sharp or angular (tortilla chips, potato chips, bagel chips)
[ ] Avoid foods that are small enough to be accidentally inhaled instead of swallowed (seeds, shelled nuts, popcorn, raisins)
[ ] Avoid stringy foods like string beans and celery.
[ ] Do not offer your baby honey before one year of age due to risk of botulism
[ ] The size of the pieces of food that you offer your baby depends on their oral motor skills. Start small, and when you think they are ready to progress, make the pieces a little bit larger. If it appears that your baby is not able to manage it in their mouth, go back to the smaller size, and try again with the larger size in a couple of weeks.
Nicole Meadow, MPN, RD, nutritionist | July 09 , 2009 4:12 PM