Little Pippins Preschool & Wrap around care

Choking Advice

 

How to reduce the risk of choking

Food preparation:

• remove any stones and pips from fruit before serving

• cut small round foods, like grapes, strawberries and cherry tomatoes, lengthways and into quarters

• cut large fruits like melon, and hard fruit or vegetables like raw apple and carrot into slices instead of small chunks

• do not offer raisins as a snack to children under 12 months – although these can be chopped up as part of a meal

• soften hard fruit and vegetables (such as carrot and apple) and remove the skins when first given to babies from around 6 months

• sausages should be avoided due to their high salt content, but if offered to children these should be cut into thin strips rather than chunks and remove the skins

• remove bones from meat or fish

• do not give whole nuts to children under five years old

• do not give whole seeds to children under five years old

• cut cheese into strips rather than chunks

• do not give popcorn as a snack

• do not give children marshmallows or jelly cubes from a packet either to eat or as part of messy play activities as they can get stuck in the throat

• do not give children hard sweets

(Ofsted, 2023)