Topics
Browse by age

Browse

By age

Safe Feeding Practices to Prevent Choking

1 August 2024

From the moment babies begin to be breastfed and eat, safe eating is critically important in several aspects: type and quantity of feeds, the way food is eaten, how the baby sits and the types of food that should not be eaten until a certain age.

Choking is the third most common cause of mortality in children, with the majority of choking incidents caused by food. To prevent this and to protect babies’ health and safety, the safety rules when feeding babies should be followed.

Birth to six months of age

  • When bottle feeding, always hold the babies in your hands.
  • Do not feed babies from a bottle when they are lying fully down.
  • It is important to maintain eye contact during the entire feed.

From six months old

  • Babies who are capable of sitting independently: feed while sitting on an age-appropriate chair that is safe and provides support. Make sure that the head is stable and that the baby sits upright so that he or she can easily and freely swallow.
  • Babies must always be supervised by a parent or responsible adult and must never be left alone.
  • Feeding time is a good time to bond with babies, to speak with them, to learn the signs of them being full and to protect their safety while eating. This time should be focused solely on the baby and not on any other activity.
  • With the transition to solid food, around the age of six months, the food being served should be thoroughly pureed, including fruit, vegetables, chicken, etc. As their ability to chew and swallow develops, rougher textures can gradually be introduced.

From 9 months of age

The transition to food that can be eaten with fingers can begin. Fruits, vegetables and round food: split lengthwise. It is important to remove any pits from fruits and vegetables and to keep them out of the reach of children.

Foods that are potential choking hazards

  • Dried Fruit: until the age of 5, remove the seed and cut the fruit into small pieces since their texture may cause them to adhere to the trachea.
  • Foods that must not be given under the age of 5: nuts, walnuts, almonds, peanuts and seeds, popcorn. These foods may swell and block the trachea – unless they are ground until completely smooth.

A baby’s diet is based on breastmilk or infant formula or a combination of the two.

Around the age of six months, babies are generally ready to begin trying supplementary food. However, these are generally known as “solid foods” so why do we speak about “supplementary food”? Because the food we begin to offer six-month old babies supplements the breastfeeding or infant formula.

When do we begin offering babies supplementary food? When they show signs that they are ready. For example, they are able to sit with support, hold their head steady, show signs of curiosity and willingness to eat when food is brought near their mouth. They successfully move food in the mouth from side to side and can draw their hands and various objects closer to their mouth.

In this stage, the transition to food that can be eaten with fingers can begin.

  • Hard fruits and vegetables: slice into tiny pieces, puree, grate or grind.
  • Fruits with pits and olives: remove and discard the pit in the trashcan so that it will not be in the reach of the baby, who may put it in his or her mouth.
  • Vegetables, fruits and round food: such as grapes, olives, cherry tomatoes, carrots, cucumber. Until the age of 5, split round fruit and vegetables in half lengthwise and cut into strips or small pieces. Food that are cut into rings may block the trachea.
  • Pieces of meat and chicken, hard cheeses: cut into small pieces, based on their ability to eat.

Foods that are a potential choking hazard

  • Dried fruit: until the age of 5, remove the pit and cut into small pieces since their texture may adhere to the trachea.
  • Foods that must not be given until the age of 5: nuts, walnuts, almonds, peanuts and seeds, popcorn, lollipops, gum, marshmallow, toffee, gel candies. These foods have a tendency to block the trachea and are therefore dangerous. Lollipops, gum, marshmallow, toffee and gel candies are not recommended in terms of health even for children over 5 years.

Rules for safe eating

In order for a baby to enjoy eating and for us to protect their safety and health, follow the following rules:

Feeding method

The baby should sit in an age-appropriate chair that is safe and that supports him or her. Make sure that the head is stable and that the feet are supported, and that the baby can sit upright in a way that allows him or her to easily and freely swallow. If you use a highchair, it is extremely important that you make sure that the baby is secured in the chair with a safety harness that is adapted to it. Never leave babies in highchairs, or other chairs, unsupervised.

Parental presence

Babies must always be closely supervised by a parent or a responsible adult for their own safety. Parental presence has an added value in that feedings are a good time to bond with babies, speak with them, learn to identify signs that they are full. During feeding, it is important to remain focused solely on the baby and not engage in any other activity.

Safe eating

When babies begin to experiment with solid food, they should be allowed to eat independently and use their fingers or a teaspoon. Avoid using any sharp eating utensils such as a fork and knife.

  • In a period in which babies are introduced to supplementary food, they learn to eat new food, and gradually become accustomed to changes in mouth movement: the need to perform various actions with the tongue, synchronize swallowing, and so on. In contrast, eating with a pacifier, net or bag with a cap increases the risk of plaque, impairs the hunger and satiety mechanism, fixates the sucking action and does not allow experience in the transition to normal eating.
  • Food texture: with the transition to supplementary food around the age of 6 months, every type of food served to the baby should be pureed, including fruit, vegetables, chicken, etc. When the baby’s ability to chew and swallow develops, the transition to rougher food can be made.

For more information about the transition to eating supplementary foods - how can we tell the baby is ready and how should the transition be done.

Written with the assistance of the Beterem organization for child safety.

You may be interested in