At times it can be challenging to not worry too much about whether the foods we feed our children are nutritious. While I advise against overthinking it too much, paying special attention to foods which could pose as potential choking hazards can help relieve some stress at meal times and avoid potential issues later.
At my house, we adopted the baby-led weaning method, so I always felt pretty at ease allowing my girls to try new foods. From day one though it became evident to me that certain textures or foods might be difficult for toddlers to cope with; when my oldest turned three however she got stuck eating some tortilla chips without chewing properly and was left extremely distressed and scared by this experience; that event inspired me to be much stricter when it came to potential choking hazards for toddlers.
Foods That May be Choking Hazards for Toddlers
Here is a run-through of common toddler-choking hazards; many can often be served safely through alternative means.
At my preschool, the following foods are of particular focus for children under 4 years of age; however, when selecting other options please keep their chewing abilities and tendencies in mind when serving any other meals to your children. For instance if they tend to stuff large quantities into their mouths at one time it could help teach them the value of gradually eating small portions at a time in order to help learn to pace themselves more successfully.
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- Hot dogs
To reduce any chance of them getting stuck in your throat, be sure to cut hot dogs lengthwise in half and then chop into smaller pieces for easier consumption. - Whole Nuts
Almonds, peanuts and cashews can be hard to chew with sharp edges that could cut you. Instead opt for safer versions such as nut or seed butter spread on lightly-toasted bread or added into smoothies or oatmeal as safe options. - Whole Grapes
Grapes can become easily lodged in toddler throats; to reduce this risk, cut whole grapes vertically in half or quarters for very large ones so the pieces remain long and slim for easier chewing.
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- Popcorn
Popped popcorn kernels can be difficult for toddlers to completely chew due to its dry consistency, making swallowing more of an ordeal than usual. Rice cakes might make more suitable options for older toddlers who enjoy crunching textures. - Crunchy snack foods
This one requires using your best judgment; but in my experience with toddlers under two, they may experience difficulty chewing foods with hard edges such as pretzels and crackers that might contain hard edges like pretzels and some crackers; when in doubt opt for soft versions or simply chew one yourself as part of testing the waters yourself first if necessary – I suggest waiting four years to introduce tortilla chips based on personal experience!
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- Sticky Foods Gummy candy, some gummy vitamins, taffy and gum should all be avoided due to being hard for toddlers to chew on. Straight spoonfuls of nut butter might also fall under this category since these may require them moving around their mouth more freely in their mouths – try water thinning it if your toddler loves eating nut butter straight from a spoon!
- Raw Vegetables
Little kids often struggle with chewing raw fruits and vegetables such as carrot sticks, celery sticks, apple slices and cucumber slices, making it hard for them to consume raw foods such as carrots. You could try shredding carrots closer to 18 months or 2 years old), choosing soft varieties (Gala apples work great!) when cutting super thin slices for apple slicing purposes or opting for cooked versions such as steaming. Peeled cucumber slices also work – try long sticks for younger toddlers to chew upon or cubes when feeding older toddlers chew on cucumber slices! - Chunks of Meat
Chewing chunks or thin slices of steak or poultry is hard enough, let alone trying to chew through thin-slices of steak and poultry! For an easier mealtime experience try shredding or grinding and cooking meat beforehand instead.
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- Chunks of Cheese
I learned quickly when raising two children who love cheese that the easiest form is usually either shredded cheese (great for babies!), crumbled cheese or cubes roughly the size of pea. - Bread From birth through 2 years old, cubes or sticks of bread may cause trouble when placed directly onto their mouths. Lightly toast and slice it up into very small pieces if possible for easier sucking; similarly cut food items like pancakes and muffins into cubes for easier eating along with offering beverages to supplement these meal times.
Avoid Choking during Meals for Toddlers Sit with them during meals to reduce risk.
Toddlers still require your presence when eating–both to teach proper table manners, and in case they experience any difficulty swallowing something. Eating while sitting down is also one way of decreasing choking risks.
Test out a new food at home before sending it off to daycare.
As first priority, ensure they adjust well while you closely supervise them.
Avoid giving toddlers food that could become a potential choking hazard in the car.
Stick with soft foods you know they can manage easily or, ideally, refrain from giving food in the car at all.
Before your toddler reaches three to four years of age, try delaying feeding them super crunchy foods such as nuts.
Toddlers tend to do everything quickly, which means that they may not always chew food thoroughly. Furthermore, toddlers like to copy what adults and older siblings are doing so it can be helpful to provide alternatives (we love Snap Pea Crisps as an option instead of crunchy chips!). We suggest offering your toddler Snap Pea Crisps.
Follow your intuition
If something seems off to you when feeding toddlers, take extra steps to serve it in an inoffensive manner. This doesn’t need to be time-consuming – simple precautions could go far!