When is it safe for kids to eat things like chocolate chips and hard candy?

[Anonymous]

When we go for ice cream or eat cookies, I make sure my son doesn’t get sprinkles or chocolate chips or nuts. But I just saw a young toddler eating a chocolate chip ice cream sandwich. Am I too careful? I also watch my son eat bananas to make sure he doesn’t overstuff.

[Anonymous]

It's hard to know if you're overly cautious without knowing the age of your child.

I wouldn't put chocolate chips in the same category as nuts or hard candy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's hard to know if you're overly cautious without knowing the age of your child.

I wouldn't put chocolate chips in the same category as nuts or hard candy.

Both kids are well under two years.

[Anonymous]

Never hard candy but my toddlers routinely eat chocolate chips and nuts.

For choking you have to visualize the whole item, like a hard candy or grape, and you can see how it could easily block the wind pipe.

[Anonymous]

There is no age at which I wouldn’t have given my solids-eating kid sprinkles or chocolate chips for choking reasons.

[Anonymous]

Chocolate chips are pretty soft and easy to eat. Sprinkles too. I don't worry about either of those w my 18 month old and Im generally very cautious about choking hazards. Nuts and hard candy definitely not. I don't even let my 3.5 year old have those yet. Well I guess if it was a small piece of nut baked into a cookie I'd be ok w it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's hard to know if you're overly cautious without knowing the age of your child.

I wouldn't put chocolate chips in the same category as nuts or hard candy.

Both kids are well under two years.

DS wouldn’t have potty trained at 21 months without chocolate chips!

I still wouldn’t give him hard candy and he is three. No hard candy and no whole grapes or cherry tomatoes.

[Anonymous]

I give my kids single choc chips around 18mo. It’s a great motivator when nothing else works.

I just let my 4yr old start eating popcorn when he turned 4. He can have lollipops under close supervision but not hard candy. He could handle candy like starburst and skittles after 3. He had no candy before 2 and then his first Halloween after turning 2, I limited him to chocolate candy I thought he would not choke on.

My now 4yr old has eaten mixed nuts since 18-20mo. He is good at chewing his food. My current toddler won’t get nuts until after 2 and then only soft ones like cashews to start. We can’t even give him chips because he shoves too much food in his mouth at once.

You know your kid and how good he is at chewing carefully, taking bites and sitting at the table without being goofy or running around.

The 4yr

[Anonymous]

My 20mo eats cashews. I no longer remember the time when I worried about bananas.

[Anonymous]

A PP hit on it above - I don’t let my toddler eat anything if he is running around or being silly. He eats only at the table or counter in the kitchen helper.

But no hard candy like round sour balls! Yes to the rest - nuts, choc chips, — yeah, I still cut grapes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A PP hit on it above - I don’t let my toddler eat anything if he is running around or being silly. He eats only at the table or counter in the kitchen helper.

But no hard candy like round sour balls! Yes to the rest - nuts, choc chips, — yeah, I still cut grapes

This. I cut grapes until mine were three, but that was admittedly probably overkill (DH gave them whole grapes earlier than that). They had chocolate chips and softer nuts occasionally pretty early on. Crunchier nuts like almonds were a bit later, probably after two.

We only just started candy with our newly-four-year-old and he's still hit or miss on it--he doesn't choke on it, so there's that, but he does sometimes accidentally swallow it whole.

[Anonymous]

*hard candy

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A PP hit on it above - I don’t let my toddler eat anything if he is running around or being silly. He eats only at the table or counter in the kitchen helper.

But no hard candy like round sour balls! Yes to the rest - nuts, choc chips, — yeah, I still cut grapes

This. I cut grapes until mine were three, but that was admittedly probably overkill (DH gave them whole grapes earlier than that). They had chocolate chips and softer nuts occasionally pretty early on. Crunchier nuts like almonds were a bit later, probably after two.

We only just started candy with our newly-four-year-old and he's still hit or miss on it--he doesn't choke on it, so there's that, but he does sometimes accidentally swallow it whole.

I think the official cutoff for slicing grapes is 5 yo.

[Anonymous]

Official recommendation:

Keep the following foods away from children younger than 4 years:
Hot dogs
Nuts and seeds
Chunks of meat or cheese
Whole grapes
Hard or sticky candy
Popcorn
Chunks of peanut butter
Chunks of raw vegetables
Chewing gum

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/Pages/Choking-Prevention.aspx

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

This. I cut grapes until mine were three, but that was admittedly probably overkill (DH gave them whole grapes earlier than that). They had chocolate chips and softer nuts occasionally pretty early on. Crunchier nuts like almonds were a bit later, probably after two.

We only just started candy with our newly-four-year-old and he's still hit or miss on it--he doesn't choke on it, so there's that, but he does sometimes accidentally swallow it whole.

Your DH should take some parenting courses or read a book or article.