Little kids tend to put everything in to their mouths and if you have one of your own, you’ll know what I’m talking about. Toddlers especially also have this habit of eating too fast and if their food involves bite sized morsels like crackers or grapes, then they just stuff their mouths with their little cheeks puffed out making chewing difficult. This makes them just gulp or swallow down food. This mother shared a shocking X-ray of a grape lodged in a toddler’s windpipe proving why supervised eating in kids makes a difference. It’s a common occurrence at every family dinner where mom shouts’ ‘’chew your food, chew your food’’. But you think they’d listen?? This is when you have to be careful because even though kids love to eat in silly ways, it could cause a problem especially when kids are allowed to eat unsupervised.
An Australian blogger Angela Henderson recently shared a story on Facebook describing the dangers of unsupervised eating in kids. Foods like cherry tomatoes, cherries and grapes especially could cause serious choking problems. Angela is a mother and a mental health clinician and shares her experiences on her blog which deals mainly with kids and food. Backed by degrees in sociology and psychology she is an authority on parenting and its problems. This is the photo that Angela posted and it immediately went viral with over 24,000 shares.
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Angela addressed parents drawing attention to the X-ray of a grape lodged in the airway of a 5 year old. She described how the child had to be operated upon under general anesthesia to remove the grape. The little boy was extremely lucky that the grape had lodged in an area which was still open or else it could have ended in a serious incident. She urges parents to realize that not all kids chew their food. They are always in a rush at school where they could be swallowing their lunch or Tiffin just to get to the playground. The best advice is either cut the grapes and cherry tomatoes or leave them out entirely. “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”
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According to the WEBMD, the fourth leading cause of accidental death in children under 5 is CHOKING. Unlike toys which come with choking hazards and warnings, FOODS DON’T! Children choke more on foods than toys. For children under 5, the ideal thing to do is to cut a child’s food into smaller bits and pieces. Mashing up the food is also a good idea to prevent any untoward incident happen. Children should always be supervised while eating and should be encouraged to sit upright at the table. Do not allow them to eat while walking around and vice versa. Do not even allow children to eat while they are in a car.
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In case of any untoward incident, it is imperative that every parent learns CPR even if you don’t need to use it. According to the WEBMD, children below 4 should avoid being given the following foods. In case you allow your toddler to eat the foods mentioned below, always do it under supervision. By making a note of the foods mentioned you could even add to the list foods of a similar nature that may invite a risk of choking. Watch them and make sure they chew their food.
Hot dogs, Gum, Seeds and nuts, Peanut butter, Raw vegetables chunks, Whole grapes, Hard or sticky candy Popcorn The X-ray of a grape lodged in a child’s airway was provided by a pediatrician and a child’s mother to generate awareness. You can do the same by sharing this article.
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