Top Tips - How to prevent choking in children?
STAY – Stay with children when they are eating – it is the biggest thing you can do for them
STILL – Get children to sit still – it can be a battle, but it is much safer
CUT UP - foods that are round, hard, chunky, doughy, or stodgy
- Sausages or hot dogs – cut into short, narrow strips lengthways as thin as possible. Removing the skin makes them easier to swallow
- Meat – cut into strips and remove any bones, skin, or fat
- Fruit – check for pips or stones and remove them
- Round fruit (grapes, blueberries, cherries, strawberries, and cherry tomatoes) – cut lengthways and then into quarters
- Vegetables and larger fruit (melon, apple, mango, carrot, and cucumber) – cut into thin strips, grate or mash, steam, or simmer
- Legumes (chickpeas and butter beans) – mash or steam to soften them
- Nuts and seeds – chop or flake (Whole nuts should not be given to under 5’s)
- Cheese – cut into narrow batons or strips
- Bread - Cut all types of bread into narrow strips. White bread can form a doughy ball, so brown or toasted bread is a good option
- Remove skin from fruits or vegetables to make them easier to swallow.
AVOID these foods – for babies and young children
- Popcorn
- Marshmallows
- Round Hard Sweets – including lollipops
- Mini-Eggs
- Jelly cubes
- Peanut butter (but ok to use as a spread)
- Whole grapes
If you are a parent or carer, we hope you will find the web links below useful...