Choking injuries are the leading cause of accidental death in children under one year of age. We all know kids will put anything and everything into their mouths; they’re also inexperienced in chewing properly, thusly children are at risk of choking for much of their young lives. Food or otherwise, the following post will help instill a foundation of knowledge in any new parent who is unaware of common household choking hazards.
Food
When your child is moving away from baby food into more solid, chewable food, be sure to monitor them more diligently. Because they are new to chewing, they will have more of a chance of getting ahead of themselves and biting off more than they can chew, figuratively and literally. When feeding your child, it’s best to avoid round foods as they can easily become lodged in their throat, blocking a maximum amount of airflow in the trachea. In addition to round foods it is best to avoid sticky foods that can clump together once in their mouth. Foods to avoid include:
- cut up hot dogs
- peanut butter
- grapes
- raisins
- popcorn
- raw carrots
- hard or sticky candy
- nuts
Household Items
On many toys that might catch your little one’s eye, there is a printed choking warning if there are small parts included in the packaging. If you have multiple children and the older one(s) have toys that include smaller parts, be sure that those toys don’t fall into your toddler’s hands. Some other common household objects to avoid letting them play with include:
- latex balloons
- coins
- marbles
- pen caps
- pebbles
Here at Crowe Arnold & Majors, LLP, we understand the everyday risks presented to small children; choking hazards may be a result of mislabeled packaging, negligence or defective products. If the unthinkable has happened to your child due to one of these causes, please contact us immediately for legal help!
