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Infants, Toddlers, & Preschoolers
How long to cut up food.....specifically, Grapes?
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Anonymous
| My 2 year old LOVES those little grape sized tomatoes - I just give them to her but think I will start cutting them up now! And grapes too. I used to be super careful about that kind of stuff but once she got those big molars I've been more lax. Think I will go back to slicing and dicing. |
Anonymous
| Yes, I heard about some poor 4 year old that died by choking on a hotdog. And you have to slice it not into horizontal slices, but into stripes. Judging by a babysitter we had who was cutting up a hotdog the wrong way, not everyone realizes the correct way to slice a hotdog. It's funny the things you learn as a parent. |
Anonymous
| Until recently I peeled AND cut DS's grapes in half. He's 18 months. Now I just cut them in half. Hotdogs freak me out but for now, DS doesn't like meat so we haven't had to deal with that. I'm sending the link to this thread to my DH because he thinks I am being paranoid about cutting up the grapes. |
Anonymous
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My niece choked on a grape at age 5. My sister tried to do the Heimlich, but it wasn't working...one of the most terrifying experiences ever, for her.
That story scared the crap outta me, so I'll be cutting grapes for a long time. BTW, my niece is a fast eater and my sister said she tends to not chew, which is how that happened. If your child is a careful eater and chews well, it's probably going to be okay; if your child is a gulper and fast eater, might be better to be on the safe side. |
Anonymous
| I cut them in quarters for a long time and in half until my son was 3. He is 4.5 now and they still freak me out. I choked once and it was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. |
Anonymous
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As a former teacher I have used the heimlich 3 times. 2 times for grapes and once for pears (cubed).
That being said I stopped cutting grapes around 2 for my child. You know your child best. If he/she holds food in his/her mouth or seems to have difficulty with chewing then keep cutting up stuff. I have a friend whose daughter has speech/motor delays. She coughs a lot while eating and also stores food in her mouth. If she was my child I would most definitely cut up all choking hazards! |
Anonymous
| My 4 year old who has never choked on anything before just choked on grapes today. I had to give him the Heimlich, it was very scary. I had debated before serving them for lunch, if I should cut the grapes or not. And decided not to since he was 4 1/2 and had eaten them whole many times before and had never choked on anything. I am so relieved I was able to pop the grape out with the Heimlich - I could not image the pain if the outcome was different. I was lucky, my son was lucky. Please cut the grapes, don't think it can't happen to your child. |
Anonymous
| 3 and I'm still cutting and keep planning too. They are big choking hazards and I'm disappointed to hear that people think they don't need to cut them up because their kids are good cheweres. The point is that kids can sometimes just breathe in quickly or laugh and inhale one. For an adult, it will go right down but a grape (or uncut hot dog piece) is the perfect shape/size/texture to catch in a pediatric windpipe. Not worth it. |
Anonymous
| I still cut up grapes for my 2.5yo, but the problem is that he will shove a mouthful of grape halves into his mouth...like a guy at a bar eating popcorn. Still, I keep cutting them up, it just feels safer. He eats hot dogs all the time, and just started insisting on eating them whole like his older brother. I don't mind, since he was eating handfuls of those as well. I keep all popcorn out of the house after reading that this is a major toddler choking hazard. With my first, I think I was probably less cognizant of these potential hazards. |
Anonymous
| I truly had no idea. DD is 22 months old and has been eating whole grapes for quite awhile. I guess back to cutting them up. I feel stupid and am glad I read this thread. |
Anonymous
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We stopped cutting them up by 3.
It really depends on the child and your own comfort level. |
Anonymous
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There was an article in a medical journal about a family that gave grapes to their 5-year old daughter in her carseat while they were on a car trip. They never knew that she was choking because they couldn't see her. I feel sick just thinking about this, it's so sad, and I feel terrible for that family.
Probably a good idea to cut up grapes for a long time, and definitely not to give anything like this while in a car. |
Anonymous
I sat in the backseat with my rear-facing 2 yo for two 13 hour each way car trips this summer for that exact reason. It's so hard when they are rear-facing on a long trip. |