Happy (and Safe) 4th of July!

July is one of my favorite months – early sunrises, long beach days, and family vacations. July is also National Blueberry and National Hotdog Month - perfect timing for Fourth of July celebrations and picnics!

As a parent educator, I’ve been researching how to serve food safely to young children. You might be surprised to learn that both whole large blueberries and hotdogs are choking risks for children. Infants, toddlers, and young children lack the anatomy and  developmental skills to safely chew many foods, especially those that are round, dense, or cylindrical. Hotdogs are the number biggest child choking offender so think twice before handing your toddler a hotdog. Other meat products like chicken nuggets are also risky for young children as they are dense and can potentially block a child’s small airway.

There are ways to make consuming these foods safer or provide healthier alternatives. If you must serve a hotdog to an older child (with molars), follow the “slice and dice” advice: slice lengthwise into four long strips and then dice into small pieces. Do not cut the hotdog into coin-sized pieces as they are the same size as a child’s airway. Instead of handing your child a whole blueberry, (Big Box Store’s blueberries are HUGE compared to those found in the wild), cut it into pieces first. Always supervise your child while they are eating. *Seek your pediatrician’s advice on when it’s appropriate to serve complementary foods, as hotdogs or large blueberries are not appropriate for infants or young toddlers.

You can find more resources on child choking prevention at https://www.facebook.com/JTsLaw. If you are interested in supporting child choking prevention legislation, please contact us at hello@bevgillen.com.

Photo by Reba Spike on Unsplash