21 Jul 2022 | 4 min Read
Sayani Basu
Author | 607 Articles
When a baby starts to eat solids, he/ she needs practice to build the munching and chewing skills to avoid choking. Choking in babies happens when the food they eat gets stuck in the airway mainly because of their small throats and tracheas that make it easy for the food to get stuck.
Although children can choke on food at any age, those under five are at an increased risk. The shapes and textures of some foods are more likely to cause choking in the little ones. We have listed below some of the foods that can be a choking hazard for the little ones. Take a look!
Here’s a list of foods that can be a choking hazard for babies, especially under the age of three:
Therefore, it is advisable to avoid them and opt for safer versions like nut or seed butter spread on lightly toasted bread or incorporated into a smoothie or oatmeal.
Rice cakes or puffed popcorn cakes can be better options for kids older than five who enjoy the crunch.
You can slice them vertically in half or quarters so that the pieces are long and skinny and it becomes easy to chew for your baby.
You can shred them or simply go with steamed or lightly cooked versions of these foods to avoid choking.
You can try shredded or ground and cooked meat instead, or meatballs which are soft and easy to chew.
Therefore, it’s advisable to remove the peel and chop them up.
While selecting cherries, make sure that they don’t have tough skin. You can also remove the stem and pit, and cut each cherry into quarters that make it easy for the little ones to chew.
To avoid choking, sit with the little ones during their meals so that you are right there if they have trouble eating something. This will also help them learn manners and proper table behaviour. You can also have a drink of water nearby while the kids are eating. This can help ensure that they have the liquid they need to move food around in their mouths.
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