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[Laughter]
Dad
Oh, you smiling now!
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Babies and children can choke on food at any age but those under 5 are at higher risk, and especially children and babies under 3.
Textures and shapes of some foods mean they're more likely to cause choking. You can make some of these foods safer by changing the texture or removing the parts that can cause choking.
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Try finely grating carrot and apple or you can cook them until they're soft. Take pips and stones out. Mash or chop and add to other foods. Take stringy bits out of vegetables like silverbeet.
Some foods to avoid are whole nuts and large seeds like pumpkin and sunflower seeds, and popcorn.
Be aware of foods that are more likely to cause choking.
Small hard foods
Small hard foods that are difficult for tamariki to bite or chew (such as nuts, large seeds, popcorn husks, raw apple, carrot and celery)
Small round foods
Small round foods that can get stuck in children's throats (such as grapes, berries, raisins, sultanas, peas, watermelon seeds, lollies)
Foods with skins or leaves
Foods with skins or leaves that are difficult to chew (such as sausages, chicken, lettuce, nectarines)
Foods that can squash down
Food that can squash down into the shape of your baby's throat and get stuck (such as hot dogs, sausages, pieces of cooked meat, popcorn)
Thick pastes
Thick pastes that can get stuck in children's throats (such as chocolate spreads, peanut butter)
Fibrous or stringy foods
Fibrous or stringy foods that are difficult for children to chew (such as celery, raw pineapple)
Some tips for reducing choking risk
To reduce the risk of choking on these foods, you can:
Alter the food texture
Remove the high-risk parts of the food – peel off the skin or remove the strong fibres
Avoid giving small hard foods, such as whole nuts and large seeds until tamariki are at least 5 years old
Call PlunketLine for parenting advice, including advice about feeding your baby.
PlunketLine is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, on 0800 933 922 for advice and support for you, your baby and your whānau. Calls are free from cell phones. You do not need to be registered with Plunket to use this service.
