Yesterday when we asked, tongue in cheek, if redesigning hot dogs to prevent choking was "
just baloney," a reader commented that it certainly was. She suggested that parents take the time to teach their children to eat properly.
That's all well and good but
until they reach age four, children can bite off more than they can chew—meaning they can bite a piece of food with their incisors but they have not developed the ability to chew effectively with their molars.
That's why the American Academy of Pediatrics and other health groups recommend cutting up a variety of foods, including hot dogs, into smaller pieces as well as not giving certain types of food to youngsters at all. The APP also suggests that foods at highest risk to kids carry warning labels. In its
policy statement, the AAP noted that there are "no dedicated resources to protect children against choking on food, yet food is more likely to go into a child's mouth than a toy."
While legislation to prevent choking risks has failed at the federal level, some states have passed their own. Following the death of a 3-year-old girl who choked on a hot dog while on vacation, New York passed "
J.T's Law" three years ago to create a public awareness campaign and to establish a database of food-choking incidents. It also promotes training in lifesaving procedures such as infant and child CPR.
Part of the bill identifies foods that pose a significant choking hazard to youngsters. They include:
- Hot dogs (especially cut into a coin shape), meats, sausages, and fish with bones
- Popcorn, chips, pretzel nuggets, and snack foods
- Candy (especially hard or sticky candy), cough drops, gum, lollipops, marshmallows, caramels, hard candies, and jelly beans
- Whole grapes, raw vegetables, raw peas, raw fruits, fruits with skins, seeds, carrots, celery, and cherries
- Raisins, dried fruits, sunflower seeds, all nuts, including peanuts
- Peanut butter, (especially in spoonfuls or with soft white bread)
- Ice cubes and cheese cubes
- Foods that clump, are sticky or slippery, or dry and hard textured
J.T.'s Law also recommends that children have a "calm, unhurried meal" but parents of small children know how that goes. Still, as we've written before, there are things you can do to reduce your youngster's chance of choking.
—Mary H.J. Farrell
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