Risks of Choking
As your baby starts to grow big, you may have to start him
on some solid foods. This of course raises concerns about food
allergies and how to help your baby with that. There is also
another concern – about foods that could cause a baby to choke.
Let us see what kind of foods could carry the risk of choking a
baby.
Experts suggest that the following foods should be
avoided to prevent a young baby from choking on
them.
· Whole grapes: whole grapes are just big enough
for a small baby to swallow in its entirety and may get caught
in the throat.
· Peanuts and whole nuts: Other than being a main
source of worry for food allergies, peanuts also can get stuck
in the windpipe causing choking.
· Hard candy, raisins, whole olives, popcorn –
Almost all of these are of the same size and suggest that if
eaten wholly they may lodge themselves in the windpipe causing
the baby to choke.
· Cherries with pits, meat and meat bones – These
carry small pits or fine bones that could get stuck in the
throat.
· Potato or corn chips, noodles, celery – These are
either too dry or so stringy that they may get lodged in the
little infants throat.
· There are many more such foods that one has to be
wary of like raisins, hot dogs, gummy bears, granola bars,
cheese chunks.
The list above only lists the possible foods that could pose
choking hazards to your baby. However, there are some
precautions that parents could take to ensure that their baby
does not choke even on ordinary, fairly harmless food.
· Cut your baby’s food into very small
pieces. Babies’ throats are still very tender and only if the
pieces are small enough, can they pass through their throats
without any problem. At times, even food you would have
otherwise thought really soft like white bread or some peanut
butter can cause problems if the quantity is too big.
· Many babies just beginning to eat solid
foods, have as much fun playing with the food as much as in
eating it. Very often babies indulge in what is called
‘chipmunking’. In this, the baby keeps storing food inside the
cheeks instead of swallowing it. This is dangerous since it can
immediately cause some choking.
· Both babies and adults have to be sitting
up while eating. Never let a child lie down and eat his food.
Even if the child is in a reclining bouncer, remove her from
there and make sure she is well and truly sitting up. Also, do
not let your baby crawl around when she is eating – this too
can cause choking if what the baby is eating gets stuck in her
throat.
· Undertake a course in infant CPR so that
you can help your baby if need be.
By knowing what food items to avoid and by keeping a
watchful eye on your baby, you can certainly minimize the risks
of choking from various baby foods.
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