If you've ever been around a little kid when they're eating, you know that they often throw caution to the wind and stuff as much food in their tiny little mouths as possible.
Children, especially when they're toddlers, are huge fans of eating as quickly as they can.
If the food comes in bite-sized morsels (like a grape or animal cracker), they're going to fit as many as they can between their cheeks before chewing.
This behavior is why you often hear parents telling their little ones "Chew your food, then swallow it."
It's not that kids don't know how to eat — chewing and swallowing is a natural behavior that we don't need to be taught. However, it's possible that they think it's fun to eat in silly ways.
Recently, an Australian blogger shared a photo on Facebook revealing the danger of letting your kids eat this way unsupervised, especially foods like grapes and cherry tomatoes.
[H/T: WebMD]
Angela Henderson, an Australian blogger, likes to combine motherhood with her experience as a mental health clinician.
She has degrees in social work, sociology, and psychology, and although her blog primarily focuses on her kids, she also sometimes writes about the tougher parts of parenthood.
Recently, she posted this photo on her Facebook page. The photo immediately went viral, with over 24,000 shares.
Angela wrote:
Attention Parents!
Do you know what this X-ray is of?
A grape!
A grape that was lodged in the top of a 5-year-old's airway today.
This sweet soul had to be operated on under general anesthesia to remove the grape.
He is VERY lucky that part of his airway was open or else this could have ended badly.
So please be mindful that not all kids chew their food, are in a rush at school to get in the playground, etc.
Please be careful.
And when in doubt, just cut the damn grapes, baby tomatoes, etc.
I'm thankful to the pediatrician that shared this and even more grateful to the Mother who gave the consent for this to be shared in order to bring awareness to our community.
WebMD explains that choking is the fourth leading cause of accidental death in children under 5.
Although a lot of toys come with choking-hazard warnings, foods don't, meaning that children actually choke on food more than toys.
It's a good idea to cut foods into small pieces for kids under the age of 5, and to mash up food for kids under 2.
You should always supervise your children when they eat, but WebMD also recommends that you make sure your children eat upright at a table, don't eat while they're walking around, and don't eat in the car.
They also say you should learn CPR in case you ever need to use it.
According to WebMD, children under age 4 shouldn't eat the following foods:
- gum
- hot dogs
- seeds and nuts
- chunks of raw vegetables
- peanut butter, meat, or cheese
- whole grapes
- popcorn
- hard or sticky candy
If you choose to give your toddler these foods, just make sure to watch them closely to ensure they’re chewing adequately.
Please SHARE this article with your friends and family — everyone needs to know about dangerous choking hazards!
