“Choking and Kids: Prevention is the Key”

 

The facts are sobering. According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, airway obstruction – or choking – is the leading cause of accidental death among children under one year of age. But it’s not just infants who are at risk. Figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that over 2,800 people die each year from choking. Of these, the vast majority are children aged 4 or younger.

 

As anyone who takes care of children can tell you, kids will put just about anything in their mouths – and quickly – often without anyone even noticing. Young children are especially vulnerable to choking because they have small airways. An object or a piece of food either can become lodged in the airway itself of can compress the airway, leading to choking. Because of this, prevention is clearly the best strategy to use to avoid airway obstruction in children.

 

Keeping Mealtime Safe

 

While most parents and caregivers can quickly name the usual non-food cause of choking in children (marbles and latex balloons, for example), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the most common cause of nonfatal choking incidents is food. Proper food selection, proper food preparation, and proper serving practices will help minimize the risk of choking on food

 

Choose foods appropriate for your child’s age

 

Babies who are just beginning to eat table foods and who may have only a couple of teeth are simply unable to chew many foods. For them, offering cooked, softer foods is important, as is making sure that everything is cut into tiny pieces (think pea-sized!). As a child ages and gets more teeth, he or she can handle larger pieces of foods, buts seeds, fruit skins, and very sticky foods should be avoided. Meat is frequently difficult for children to chew properly because of its texture. Always cut meat into small pieces or slice it thinly and then cut it up. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children don’t learn to chew with a grinding motion until about age 4. Until then, certain foods will present more of a risk and should be avoided.

Supervise your child during mealtimes

 

As tempting as it is to use your child’s lunchtime to catch up on chores around the house, don’t do it. Children need to be watched and assisted at all times when they’re eating. A child whose airway becomes obstructed with a piece of food often isn’t able to cry or call out for help, so keep your child in sight the entire time that he or she is eating.

 

Teach children proper eating behavior

 

When it comes to choking, how a child is eating is as important as what she’s eating. A child who is eating wile lying on the couch or a child who grams giant bites of food into his mouth is at risk for choking. Learning to sit up straight, eat at a table (or in a high chair), take small bites, chew thoroughly, and not rush through the meal isn’t thrilling to a child; but these are all important rules to learn for safety reasons. In addition, young children should never be allowed to run or walk when eating. The earlier a child gets used to these rules, the faster they will become second nature, thereby eliminating some of the mealtime choking risk.

 

International Food Information Council Foundation, May 1, 2004