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Foods to avoid giving your baby - Choking
As children begin to try their first foods, it is important to be aware of several types of food that should be avoided during the first year (and sometimes beyond) because of their potential to cause choking, allergic reactions, or infection.
The AAP recommends feeding babies only breast milk or formula for the first six months.
Solid Food for Infants 6-9 Months – at first babies should only have finely pureed foods, gradually moving to mashing and then offering lumpier textures.
From Around 9 Months
Some foods are more likely than others to cause choking. Your baby is too young for foods that are hard, chunky or need to be chewed. Save these foods until your baby is three or four years old, then there will be less danger of choking.
Choking
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), choking is a very common cause of accidental injury or death in children under age one. Food is responsible for most choking incidents, so it is important to avoid the following types of foods during the first year of a child’s life:The AAP recommends feeding babies only breast milk or formula for the first six months.
Solid Food for Infants 6-9 Months – at first babies should only have finely pureed foods, gradually moving to mashing and then offering lumpier textures.
From Around 9 Months
Some foods are more likely than others to cause choking. Your baby is too young for foods that are hard, chunky or need to be chewed. Save these foods until your baby is three or four years old, then there will be less danger of choking.
Choking hazards
- Large Chunks of Food. Pea-size pieces of food are safest since they will not get stuck in your child's throat. Hard vegetables like carrots and green beans should be cooked, and then cut up. Fruits like grapes and cherry tomatoes should be cut into quarters. Avoid chunks of apple or cookies. Meats and cheeses should be cut into very small pieces or shredded.
- Small, Hard Foods. Do not feed your child small, hard foods—such as raw vegetables, nuts, seeds, popcorn, hard candies, raisins, and other small dried fruit—these need to be chewed with a grinding motion, a skill that children do not master until about age four.
- Round, Firm Foods. Foods like hot dogs and carrot sticks are dangerous, and should be chopped into bite-size pieces (no larger than ½ inch or 1.27 cm).
- Soft, Sticky Foods. Foods like marshmallows and jelly candies can get lodged in your child's throat and cause breathing problems.
- Peanut Butter. The stickiness of nut butters can be difficult for young children to swallow.
- Chewing Gum. Chewing gum can also get stuck in a child’s throat.
Next:Foods that can cause food poisoning and infection?
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