How can you prevent choking in small children?

Preventing choking on food

To help prevent your child from choking on food, follow these basic food safety tips.

• Teach your child to eat only in the kitchen or dining room. Be sure your child sits down while eating and that they chew carefully. Don't allow your child to eat while walking, running, playing, or riding in a car.
• Don't force your child to eat when they aren't hungry.
• Know the kinds of foods that can be choking hazards. These include foods like hot dogs, grapes, nuts, popcorn, and raisins.
• Prepare food for your children to reduce the risk of choking.
  • Fruit with skins or pits, such as apples or apricots. Remove pits and peel fruits before you give them to your child. Fruits can also be diced or cooked and mashed.
  • Grapes. Peel and mash grapes before you serve them.
  • Hot dogs and sausages. Slice and dice these meats. You may want to remove the skin before you cut them.
  • Fish or chicken with bones. Carefully cut the meat off the bone and then into small pieces. Check meat thoroughly for any signs of bones.
  • Peanut butter. A spoonful of peanut butter can block the windpipe. Peanut butter can also stick to the lining of the throat and windpipe, making a child unable to breathe. Only allow peanut butter that is spread thinly on a slice of bread or a cracker.
  • Beans (green, string, lima, kidney, and others the size of a marble or larger). Mash beans before you serve them.
  • Peas. Each single pea is small. But a child who eats more than one pea at a time may choke.
  • Whole carrots. A child may break off too big a bite and choke. Cook carrots and cut them into smaller pieces. Or cut raw carrots into thin slices.

Preventing choking on toys and other objects

You can help prevent your child from choking by following basic safety tips.

• Teach your child not to put objects in their mouth. Test small objects by passing them through a toilet-paper tube. If small objects fit inside, they could become stuck in the throat of a young child.
• Know what things a child is likely to choke on. Choking hazards include:
  • Toys such as marble-sized balls, balloons, or toys with small parts that can come off.
  • Household objects such as coins, buttons, and even jewelry.
  • Kitchen objects such as bottle caps and eggshells.
• Look for age guidelines when selecting toys.
  • Do not let your child play with a toy if they are younger than the recommended age for the toy.
  • The safest toys for small children are at least 1.25 in. (3 cm) around or 2.25 in. (6 cm) in length.