The Top 10 Food Choking Hazards for Kids Under 4 Years

As your child gets older and starts to explore a variety of foods, be mindful of the size and texture of the foods that you offer them. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics (the AAP) specifically wants kids to steer clear of the following (food) choking hazards until they’re 4 years old.

1. Whole Grapes and Grape Tomatoes: It’s best to cut the grapes and the grape tomatoes into tiny pieces or mash them up. The skin is a choking hazard too, so if you peel the grapes & the tomatoes, that’s even better. If it’s too much of a hassle to do all of this, avoid them entirely.

2. Hot Dog Rounds: Cut hot dogs lengthwise (instead of across) before cutting them into smaller pieces. Hot dogs aren’t the healthiest, so purchase the nitrate-free kind or avoid them altogether.

3. Chewing Gum: Avoid it.

Why? Because it can mold together and get stuck in the throat.

4. Taffy and Hard Candy: Taffy, like chewing gum, can form a ball and get lodged in the airway. Hard candy can also get stuck in the airway because young kids don’t know how to suck on it to make it smaller.

5. Nuts and Seeds: Avoid them.

6. Thick Globs of Peanut Butter or Nut Butter: Even though the AAP encourages the early introduction of “allergenic” foods like peanut butter, kids can choke on big globs of it. It’s best, therefore, to dilute the peanut butter (or nut butter) with warm water before giving it to infants OR to offer it in small bites to toddlers (with a cup of water to wash it down).

7. Raisins and Other Dried Fruits: Avoid them or cut them into tiny pieces when your child is ready for finger foods.

8. Popcorn: Avoid it.

9. Fish With Bones in Them: Avoid them.

10. Big Pieces of Raw Veggies and Chunks of Cheese or Meat: Cut veggies, meats, and cheeses into small pieces before serving them.

Keep non-food choking hazards out of reach too, particularly items that are small enough to fit inside the cardboard tube of a toilet paper roll. Examples include (but aren’t limited to): popped or deflated balloons, coins, magnets, button batteries, regular buttons, and small toys.