Risks of Choking With Babys

As your baby starts to grow big, you may have to start him on some solid foods. This of course raises concerns about food allergies and how to help your baby with that. There is also another concern – about foods that could cause a baby to choke. Let us see what kind of foods could carry the risk of choking a baby.

Experts suggest that the following foods should be avoided to prevent a young baby from choking on them.

·    Whole grapes: whole grapes are just big enough for a small baby to swallow in its entirety and may get caught in the throat.
·    Peanuts and whole nuts: Other than being a main source of worry for food allergies, peanuts also can get stuck in the windpipe causing choking.
·    Hard candy, raisins, whole olives, popcorn – Almost all of these are of the same size and suggest that if eaten wholly they may lodge themselves in the windpipe causing the baby to choke.
·    Cherries with pits, meat and meat bones – These carry small pits or fine bones that could get stuck in the throat.
·    Potato or corn chips, noodles, celery – These are either too dry or so stringy that they may get lodged in the little infants throat.
·    There are many more such foods that one has to be wary of like raisins, hot dogs, gummy bears, granola bars, cheese chunks.

The list above only lists the possible foods that could pose choking hazards to your baby. However, there are some precautions that parents could take to ensure that their baby does not choke even on ordinary, fairly harmless food.

·    Cut your baby’s food into very small pieces. Babies’ throats are still very tender and only if the pieces are small enough, can they pass through their throats without any problem. At times, even food you would have otherwise thought really soft like white bread or some peanut butter can cause problems if the quantity is too big.
·    Many babies just beginning to eat solid foods, have as much fun playing with the food as much as in eating it. Very often babies indulge in what is called ‘chipmunking’. In this, the baby keeps storing food inside the cheeks instead of swallowing it. This is dangerous since it can immediately cause some choking.
·    Both babies and adults have to be sitting up while eating. Never let a child lie down and eat his food. Even if the child is in a reclining bouncer, remove her from there and make sure she is well and truly sitting up. Also, do not let your baby crawl around when she is eating – this too can cause choking if what the baby is eating gets stuck in her throat.
·    Undertake a course in infant CPR so that you can help your baby if need be.

By knowing what food items to avoid and by keeping a watchful eye on your baby, you can certainly minimize the risks of choking from various baby foods.