To avoid
choking, always supervise young children while they are eating and keep small
objects that are potential choking hazards out of their reach.
- Do
not allow children under age 3 to eat small, round or hard foods,
including small pieces of hot dogs, cheese sticks/chunks, hard candy,
nuts, grapes and popcorn. Other hazardous food items include raw
vegetables, jellybeans, raw unpeeled fruit slices, dried fruits, grapes or
chunks of meat.
- Cut
foods into small pieces and give infants soft foods that they do not need
to chew.
- Do
not let your child eat or suck on anything like candy while lying down or
playing. Have children sit in a high chair or at a table while they eat.
- Get
on the floor on your hands and knees, so that you are at your child’s eye
level. Look for and remove small items such as jewellery, coins, buttons,
pins, nails and stones.
- Children
should play with safe and age-appropriate toys, as indicated by choking
hazard safety labels. Toys that are labelled for children 3 years and
older should be kept away from children under age 3. These toys may have
small parts and could cause choking if placed in the mouth.
- Regularly
check toys for damage that may have created loose small parts. Damaged or
dangerous toys should be repaired or thrown away immediately.
- Consider
purchasing a small parts tester to determine whether toys and objects in
your home may present a hazard to young children. If you do not have a
small parts tester, you can use an empty toilet paper roll, which is
slightly larger in diameter than a small parts tester. Do not let young
children play with anything that can fit into these cylinders.
Safekids.org
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