Cutting up food...when to stop?

[Karri]

So when do you or did you stop cutting up certain items like grapes, carrot sticks, and hot dogs?? Today Aidan had some grapes (we were at the park and another kid was sharing w/ him) and they werent cut and I was so freaking paranoid Same with this past weekend...he wanted his tofu dog on a bun like the big kids and I cut it lenghtwise first and that irritated him b/c it wasnt the same as theirs
So when do you stop? When does that choking hazard start to go away?

[Tara]

Great question! I have been wondering this myself!! No answers for ya though

[TtownAnne]

I've heard until 3, but then I was never so paranoid as all the details of the rules - I just commented to DH this weekend that I saw in some magazine where hotdogs/grapes are supposed to be skinned (hello, ever tried to skin a grape??? ) and cut into quarters. Give me a break! When she was little I cut grapes in half, and I slice her hotdog length-wise and then slice each half, but that's it.

[Karri]

yeah - i've never been so paraniod as to skin a grape!

[olcott]

grapes I slice in half...hotdogs I just slice up (not lengthwise though)....and carrot sticks, well I just watch him while he eats them

[Dennis]

We've pretty much stopped cutting things for Joe (he's 2 1/2).

Dennis

[Mandi]

We've pretty much stopped cutting stuff up for Micayla at 2.

[Connie1222]

I always cut everything up for Jack to take to school (it's a rule and a good one). But at home, I really only cut up hot dogs (I choked on one a few years back and Keith had to give me the Heimlech, no way I'm going to chance that with Jack). I haven't cut up grapes in the longest time.

[Dawn]

We've actually started to stop cutting certain things recently. She now prefers to eat peaches and apples as is. I guess she feels like a big girl. On the occassion I'll cut it up in slices, but for the most part she gets the whole thing.

Grapes....I'll only cut up if they are the real big and plump ones..and even so I don't cut them in quarters, I'll cut them in half.

Her sandwiches I now just cut in half (rectangular or triangular) and I don't cut them up in quarters no more.

Meatballs, chicken, and things like that I'll cut up so she can get a decent size in her mouth, but not where it's too big.

With that said: I'm wanting to post this real quick. On my fridge I've had a Children's safety fold-out from a magazine. It's about how to take care of a choking child, etc.

Anyway so this is what it also says:

TODDLERS AND UP: until your child is 4, don't give him:
- popcorn
-nuts
-hard candy
and be careful with:
- hotdogs - slice length-wise twice, then crosswise to make tiny pieces.
- carrots - cook until mushy
-grapes - slice into quarters
- peanut butter - spread thin.

I dunno...I must not be doing something right because we started Alexia on popcorn 2 yrs. early (Well, she's had it twice so far).

And as for the hotdogs....whacking up the hotdog like that until your child is 4...hmmm. I just cut them straight down in thin bite sized pieces width-wise.

Carrots - but she loves them hard and crispy (especially the flat thin cut ones). I haven't cooked them until mushy since she was a little one!

Oh well...I guess to each is own. But I just wanted to post that because I was curious as to how many of us follow that outline until our kids are 4 yrs. old.

[olcott]

Trey has had popcorn quite a few times and he's 16 months I make him sit with me while he eats it though, no running around, and I try to just give him the soft parts...

[bunybomb]

Originally Posted by Dawn

TODDLERS AND UP: until your child is 4, don't give him:
- popcorn
-nuts
-hard candy
and be careful with:
- hotdogs - slice length-wise twice, then crosswise to make tiny pieces.
- carrots - cook until mushy
-grapes - slice into quarters
- peanut butter - spread thin.

He's been eating popcorn for months. He only get a few at a time and and they are the fully popped ones.

Alex loves nuts and I've been letting him eat those forever.

I do cut up hot dogs so he will EAT them and not play with them.

Grapes are a rare treat and I freeze them.

I sometimes give Alex a spoonful of peanut butter (his small spoons) and he loves it. It's always served with a big glass of milk and only at the table.

I also let Alex have those gummy fruit snacks. I'm sure that would make the experts !

[chefkath]

I'm extremely paranoid about choking. Back when Brigit was a baby there was a 2-year-old girl in our state who died from choking on a whole grape (she was grocery shopping with her mom and found the grape on the floor in the produce department, popped it in her mouth and that was it. ) That really drove home for me the reality of the risk at this age.

I cut grapes into halves or quarters, depending on the size. Anything round (carrots, squash, tofu dogs) I cut in half or quarters lengthwise before cutting into chunks. Brigit doesn't eat popcorn, nuts, lollipops or any other hard, chunky things. She does sometimes eat raw carrot, pears and apple but I cut them into small peices and watch her carefully while she eats. I make my own peanut and almond butters and make them pretty thin so I don't worry about that. I even chop up her vitamins into little pieces.

My biggest fear about choking is that she'll trip and fall with food in her mouth and choke that way. So our rule is that anything chokable has to be eaten at the table or while sitting quietly.

[Karri]

Hmn...I guess I will continue to cut them up then. Yeah- it can be a pain, but I would rather play it safe. He LOVES raw carrot sticks (who cooks carrots?!), so I still cut them like skinny matchsticks b/c IMO, otherwise they are the perfect size to choke on. I cut grapes and cherry or grape tomatoes in half or quarters, depending on the size. And the tofu dogs we buy are skinny, so I only cut them lenghtwise once before slicing them up.
Sometimes Aidan tends to shovel it in, so I really cant depend on him doing a good job chewing, KWIM?

[Jillian]

janelle had her first hot dog today (blech! But it was a hormone free free range hot dog with beef, honey, and spices as the only ingredients...which looked a lot better to me after reading the long list on the tofu dogs.) and I cut it into quarters length wise, then sliced it. I also quarter grapes. And I buy salad carrots, which are just match stick carrots for her. I cut her sandwhiches into 4 triangles...but I also cut *my* sandwhiches into 4 triangles . Other than those things, I don't cut her food...she is much more likely to eat a whole waffle then bites of a waffle...

[cimberdog]

Sam is only 18 months but we cut up everything or supervise very closely a the table. We've taught him 'BITE' and so when he's shoveling something in his mouth (like a chicken strip or banana), he's learning to take bites off of it. He hasn't gotten past shoving as much as possible in his mouth yet and that just makes me nervous.

[MtBikeLover]

Cameron is 17 months and I don't really cut much up. I have given him a whole hotdog with the bun and he bites off pieces and chews them up just fine. Same thing with chicken nuggets, grapes, sandwiches (I usually cut those intro strips to make it easier to pick up), strawberries, cucumber sticks, etc. The only time I cut up food is if I am in a hurry - he tends to eat quicker when the food is already cut.

I find that when I do cut things up, he tends to stuff more in his mouth than if I give him the whole thing. so I tend to worry more about choking when I do cut up the pieces.

Regarding popcorn, that is Cameron's favorite snack. He eats it about once a week and has been eating it since 1 year old. I make sure I take all the seeds out of the bowl though before I give it to him and we are usually right there with him.

He has also had M&M's, though this was not my intention! He moved a chair over, climbed up on it, and grabbed a bowl that had been put out for a party!! He had never done that before, but I guess he wanted that candy!!

[Bev]

Mason is 2½. I don't cut up grapes, carrots or hot dogs. I let him eat a whole hot dog and take bites of it. Grapes I stopped cutting in half a long time ago. As for carrots, if they were raw, they were always the baby kind and I would sit with him when he is eating them, gnawing at them really when he was just getting teeth. Patrick lets Mason eat popcorn, but at first he would only give him the really puffy part, then he started giving him a small bowl, but making sure those flaky bits weren't in there. I think that is the real choking hazard of popcorn, those flaky bits that get stuck in your teeth or roof of your mouth or throat.

[Wendy]

I haven't cut anything up for Abby in over a year. She loves grapes, strawberries etc. She is really good about taking bites and chewing things up. She loves pop corn (my mom turned her on to that) and peanut butter. In fact, she loves to lick peanut butter off a spoon for a snack. Sandwiches are usually cut in half only because they are easier for her to handle.