What size food can baby choke on

Choking Prevention | CS Mott Children's Hospital

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), choking rates are highest for babies under the age of 1. The majority of kids’ choking injuries are caused by food. There are three basic steps in keeping kids safe from choking:

Keep a watchful eye on children when eating and playing
Keep dangerous toys, foods, and household items out of reach
Learn how to provide early treatment for children who are choking

Tips to prevent choking among babies

Your baby should sit up while eating, and be supervised at all times.
Don’t hurry your child when eating—allow plenty of time for meals.
Only put a small amount of food on the tray at a time.
Avoid round, firm foods and large chunks (hot dogs, nuts, whole grapes, hard or sticky candy, popcorn, raw carrots).
Hot dogs are not safe for babies. If your toddler likes hot dogs, be sure to cut them lengthwise.
Avoid stringy foods like string beans and celery.
Avoid commercial white bread products—they can form pasty globs in your baby’s mouth.
Offer only a few pieces of food at a time.
Cut meat and poultry across the grain, and into tiny fingertip-sized pieces.
Food pieces should be no larger than one-half inch in any direction. If in doubt, cut food into smaller pieces.

Suggestions for safe and healthy finger foods

O-shaped cereals
Whole-wheat toast
Scrambled eggs
French toast
Cooked peas (no pod)
Very ripe pear slices
Well-cooked apple slices
Cooked pasta pieces (consider using whole-grain pasta)
Bite-size pieces of tofu (again no larger than one-half inch in any direction)
Deli meat or string cheese cut into small pieces
Bite-size pieces of avocado
Soft-cooked beans

Tips to prevent choking among children

Kids of any age can choke on food and small objects. Believe it or not, a lot of the choking prevention advice for babies still holds for children up to 4 to 7 years old!

The American Academy of Pediatrics says that the following foods are highest risk and children under 4 years old should not eat them:

Hot dogs or sausage (if left as is. Cut length wise and again in small pieces to make safer)
Hard, gooey or sticky candy
Peanuts, nuts and seeds
Whole grapes
Marshmallows
Chunks of peanut butter
Popcorn
Chewing gum

Additional tips to prevent choking include:

Children under age 7 should not be given nuts, because they are still at risk for choking.
Make sure your kids eat at the table, or at least while sitting down. No running, walking or lying down while eating.
Mealtime needs to be supervised by adults. Older brothers and sisters are often not aware of what foods may cause a younger sibling to choke. Many choking accidents happen when older siblings give dangerous foods to younger children.
Learn CPR and first aid for choking.

Non-food choking hazards

Latex balloons. Believe it or not, balloons cause more childhood deaths than any other toy. Any substance that can take the shape of a child’s windpipe or airway (like balloons) is a more dangerous choking hazard than a hard, solid object. Children ages 3-8 are still at risk for choking on balloons. Keep uninflated or broken balloons out of kids’ reach, and supervise children when they are around balloons.
Small, loose, or broken toys and parts. A small toy or part can easily become lodged in a child's ear, nose or throat. Children can be seriously injured or killed from inhaling, swallowing, or choking on objects such as marbles, small balls, toys, or parts of toys that can be compressed to fit completely into a child’s mouth.
Other hazardous items. Round, oval, cylinder, or ball-shaped toys, toy parts or other objects. These are the biggest risk when they are the size of the child's windpipe. Some examples are coins, magnets, rubber balls, pen or marker caps, and small button-type batteries (like watch batteries). Small button batteries are especially dangerous because when swallowed they can burn a hole in your child’s esophagus in as quickly as two hours.

How do I childproof my house to prevent choking?

Each time before you set your crawler or toddler loose, get down on the ground and look for dangerous items. Remember to check under furniture and between cushions. If you have older kids, make sure your younger child can’t get to the toys with small parts.

While you are preparing your home for a new baby, start training older children to keep dangerous toys in the designated “small parts” area. Supervise kids when they are playing. Make sure your older kids don’t give dangerous toys or objects to your younger kids. Follow age recommendations on toy packages—they often are based on possible choking hazards.

Be aware also of other kinds of airway obstruction injuries such as suffocation, strangulation, and entrapment and how to prevent them and other injuries.

Additional resources:

How tiny batteries can cause big choking risk for kids (C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital)
Responding to a Choking Emergency (AAP)
Choking prevention tips (AAP)
Video: CPR KiDS – First Aid for the choking child or baby
Video: Conscious Child Choking

Reviewed by Sara Laule, MD
Updated by Sydney Ryckman, MD, January 2022

What You Need to Know

Terrified that baby-led weaning or feeding will cause your child to choke on solid foods? Here’s 8 tips to prevent choking when baby-led weaning, plus a list of foods to avoid.

Want to read this post in a visual way? Check out my Google web story on Top Tips to Prevent Choking when Baby Led Weaning.

Baby-led weaning is a very popular–and now almost mainstream–way to introduce your baby to solids. Essentially, baby-led weaning is skipping purees and spoon feeding altogether and allowing your baby feed herself with finger foods. Your baby eats with you during family meal times–and often even family foods–right from the start, around six months of age.

The potential benefits of baby-led weaning are:

There are many benefits to baby-led weaning listed in my comprehensive guide.

But, won’t my baby choke?

A common concern is that baby will choke on solid foods. Now, choking is serious business, and although it’s very rare, it’s important that you’re aware of common choking hazards and that you are prepared (ie. take infant CPR and First Aid) just in case. But choking gets confused with gagging—which is completely different. Gagging is extremely common when babies are starting solids. The gag reflex keeps larger food pieces out of the wind pipe and near the front of the mouth, only allowing very well-chewed foods to the back to be swallowed. It’s a safety mechanism to prevent choking! And it happens A LOT if you choose the Baby Led Weaning route, especially in the beginning. It’s not a bad thing!

Here’s what you’ll find in this post:

The difference between gagging and choking
Why it’s important to let baby self-feed
Why it’s important to always watch your baby while they’re eating
Why it’s important to use a proper highchair
List of common choking hazards
Month-by-month list of appropriate foods (size, texture, shape)
Avoiding distractions at mealtimes
Why you should take infant First Aid and CPR
This is the number one choking hazard (and might surprise you!)

Yet I hear from many moms who want to try baby-led weaning, but are too terrified that their baby will choke on solid foods. Some good news recently came from a new study of 206 babies, called “A Baby-led Approach to Eating Solids & Risk of Choking.” The study compared a group of baby-led weaners (whose parents were given extra education on how to safely practice baby-led Weaning) to a “control” group.

The control group babies mostly started solids using the standard puree method. While the baby-led weaners did gag more at six months than spoon-fed babies, they gagged less by eight months of age. Because by this time, the baby-led weaners had gotten used to eating solids, and the pureed feeders were just starting! And there was no difference in the number of actual choking episodes reported between the two groups.

Gagging – why it’s nothing to be concerned about

Your baby will gag. A lot! Especially in those first few weeks of solid foods and if you’re letting your baby self-feed with finger foods. The best thing to do is to remain calm and cool and encourage your baby to work it out by staying positive, smiling, and NOT PANICKING. This is hard, but really important. If your baby sees you freak out, they might too, and it may possibly turn a normal experience into a scary one.

One common misconception is that gagging is the same thing as choking. Gagging is extremely common when babies are starting solids. In fact, as mentioned above, gagging is a safety mechanism to prevent choking when baby led weaning. Gagging doesn’t usually bother babies; but it does often bother parents! A potential benefit of introducing real foods sooner, is that the gag reflex is further forward in your baby’s mouth. This reflex moves farther back on your baby’s tongue as he ages.

In contrast to gagging, choking occurs when the air tube is blocked. If your baby bites off a perfectly round shaped piece of hard food, it is possible they will choke. But there’s a lot you can do to prevent it…

Here are my top eight tips to prevent choking when baby-led weaning:

1. Let your baby self-feed

If you put food into your baby’s mouth, it may immediately fall to the back of your baby’s throat, without having a chance to control it with their tongue and chew it. In the study quoted above, a total of three out of 206 babies choked to the degree they required emergency health care assistance. Of these three babies, two choked on milk and the third choked when food was placed in its mouth. Moral of the story? Never put a piece of food into your baby’s mouth.

Your baby might enjoy experimenting with a self-feeding spoon. It’s also going to be a messy learning experience, so you may want to stock up on bibs!

2. Watch your baby while they eat

While you can hear your baby gagging, you can’t hear them choking. Choking is often silent, which is why it’s so important that you sit down and eat with your baby. Don’t continue preparing food, do the dishes or go put a load of laundry in. I know that it’s tempting to multitask (I really do!), but when baby is learning how to eat, it’s important to be there to supervise and facilitate a positive and safe experience.

3. Use a proper high chair

It’s important to make sure that your baby is comfortable and secure in their highchair (I love this feeding highchair!). Their feet should ideally be resting on a firm surface and their legs should be bent at a 90 degree angle. This helps to make sure that baby is focusing more on eating and less on keeping their bodies upright and balanced (and prevents a very wiggle baby!). And unless there’s a risk of your baby falling or climbing out, I preferred not to buckle the high chair with my babies. That way you can get them out quickly, if needed. Make sure baby is sitting upright, and not in a reclining position.

4. Don’t offer food in choking-hazard size

Your baby’s air pipe is about the width of one of their finger nails, so it’s important to serve thinly sliced foods. Avoid round items like whole grapes, cherries, nuts, berries, cherry tomatoes and wieners. Instead, slice them in halves or quarters.

Things like big gobs of peanut butter, popcorn and stringy fruits and vegetables are also choking hazards. For harder fruits and veggies, I like to cut them in the shape of a potato chips: long enough for a beginner to grasp, but thin so that choking isn’t likely.

Here’s a full list of potential choking hazards:

Hard vegetables raw, such as cut baby carrots or raw beets
Firm fruit with and without peels
Chunks of firm meat or cheese
Fruits with pits or seeds (that haven’t been removed), like a whole plum or peach
Whole grapes
Popcorn
Marshmallows
Whole nuts
Fibrous and stringy foods like celery, pineapple, or asparagus
Hard candies, mints, or cough drops
Fish with bones
Snacks with toothpicks or skewers
Whole hotdogs or sausages

Alternative ways of serving:

Steam vegetables and fruit.
Peel and grate hard vegetables and fruit like carrots, parsnips, apples, and zucchini.
Grate cheese.
Always remove pits and seeds from fruit.
Slice grapes into lengthwise halves or quarters.
Thinly spread peanut butter or any other nut or seed butter on toast.
Debone fish.
Serve fresh, frozen, or canned (rinsed) corn instead of popcorn.

5. Offer appropriate size, texture and shape of food

Through the ages of 6 to 12 months, you can expand the textures and sizes of foods that are suitable to serve. As babies grow, they slowly develop more mature chewing and swallowing skills, as well as better finger dexterity and fine motor skills. This helps them handle firmer, smaller pieces of food. As you watch your baby eat, you will notice changes in the size of pieces that they can pick up.

In terms of texture, it’s important to steam fruits and veggies and test the foods to make sure you can mash them with your tongue on the roof of your mouth, especially in the beginning. It’s much easier to cough up a piece of soft food, than hard food!

Every baby develops at a slightly different rate, and that’s okay! While one baby might be ready to pick up small peas and blueberries by 9 months, another might not be ready until 11 months. These suggestions are just a loose guideline of which textures and sizes of food to offer at each age and stage. Of course, pay close attention to your own baby to know what’s right for them.

As your baby becomes a more confident feeder, move to the next stage. By the time they turn one, your baby will be self-feeding like a pro—you got this!

6 TO 7 MONTHS

Protein/iron-rich:

Meat and poultry: Minced; pureed; slow-cooked and shredded; or meatballs or patties
Low-mercury fish: Deboned, then soft-cooked or pureed fish
Eggs: Hard-boiled and mashed; omelets cut into strips; or scrambled
Legumes: Cooked and mashed or pureed beans, lentils and chickpeas. Silken or mashed firm tofu
Cheese: Thinly sliced or grated
Nut butter: thinly spread on toast strips; or stirred into infant cereal

Fruits and vegetables:

Soft fruits: Peeled and cut into large strips – try avocado or ripe pear.
Bananas: Leave half the peel on to help baby’s grip
Hard fruits and vegetables: peeled and steamed until soft, then mashed or pureed, or cut in large strips as finger food. Try green beans, carrots, zucchini or apples

Grains:

Whole grains: Cooked and spoon-fed quinoa or oats.
Whole grain bread: Toasted and cut into strips.
Iron-fortified infant cereals: Mashed with breastmilk or formula .

8 TO 9 MONTHS

Continue to serve any of the foods from 6-7 months, and progress to these textures when your baby seems ready:

Protein/iron-rich:

Meat, poultry and fish: Medium-sized, soft-cooked pieces.
Legumes: Lentil or bean patties (see my homemade lentil patties here).

Fruits and vegetables:

Soft fruits: Medium pieces of soft or steamed options such as raspberries , kiwi, or peach
Raw vegetables and fruits: peeled and grated apple or carrot

Grains:

Large-flake or steel-cut oats: Thicker than baby’s first iron-fortified baby cereals
Pasta: Bite-size cooked shapes, such as penne or macaroni
Firmer grains: Farro or barley

10 TO 12 MONTHS

Continue to serve the foods above, and progress to these textures when your baby seems ready. Now that baby has better dexterity, pieces can be smaller.

Protein/iron-rich:

Meat, poultry and fish: Smaller pieces of pulled roast chicken
Legumes: Cooked whole beans or lentils and cubed firm tofu.
Dairy: Cheese cubes.

Fruits and vegetables:

Hard vegetables: smaller pieces of raw peeled cucumber or steamed carrot coins
Dried fruit: Cut apricots or whole raisins.
Fruits: Raw small pieces, such as sliced grapes and small whole blueberries

Grains:

Pasta: Offer as part of mixed meals, such as ravioli, spaghetti and meatballs, or soup.

6. Don’t let your baby play with toys or watch TV during meals

Your baby needs to focus on learning the new skill of eating. And a distracted baby is more likely to choke! Remove all distractions, including toys and screens.

7. Take an infant CPR class

Chances are, your baby will be fine and not have a choking episode, especially if you’re following the tips above! Despite this, before anything else, this is priority number one. Make sure you take a baby first aid and CPR training course. Find one through your local hospital, public health center, or community center. It’s so important to be confident and knowledgeable about how to react in an emergency like choking way, you are confident in dealing with choking if it does happen.

8. Be careful with this one food, in particular

The #1 most common food that Baby-led Weaners choke on is full apples. I suggest serving apples peeled, sliced thinly and steamed for beginners. Once your baby is older, you can use a cheese grater to grate hard foods like apples. Here’s a great Flourless Oatmeal Apple Muffin recipe to try too!

I hope that these tips to prevent choking help you feel more confident in using Baby led Weaning!

Commonly Asked Questions About Choking and Baby-Led Weaning

How can I help a choking baby?

Prepare yourself by taking an infant CPR and first aid training course. Find one through your local hospital, public health center, or community center.

What are the benefits of baby-led weaning?

It’s important to know that there is no single “right way” to introduce solids to your baby, whether you want to start with traditional spoon-feeding or try baby-led weaning). There are many potential benefits to baby-led weaning, including improved dexterity, early oral-motor skill development, self-regulation, ease for parents, decreased picky eating and more.

What are the best baby-led weaning foods?

Safe finger foods include: pieces of soft-cooked vegetables and fruits; soft, ripe fruit such as banana; finely minced, ground or mashed cooked meat, deboned fish, and poultry; grated cheese; and whole grain toast strips with a thin layer of butter or nut butter. More baby-led weaning tips.

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Laid out in an easy-to-navigate question and answer style, this book provides practical advice and support from Sarah Remmer and Cara Rosenbloom, two trusted registered dietitians (and moms). Food to Grow On is packed with hard-earned parenting wisdom and the very latest research in pediatric nutrition, so you will feel supported, understood, and ready to help your child thrive.

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*This is a guest post was originally written by guest dietitian and writer Jennifer House, RD and then revised by Sarah Remmer, RD

Union of Pediatricians of Russia

Nutrition for children from 1 to 3 years of age

The period from 1 to 3 years of life is a crucial stage in the transition to an adult type of nutrition, which has certain features. In order to ensure that all the necessary nutrients enter the child's body and at the same time prevent an excess of individual nutrients, nutrition should be balanced and varied. nine0003

The daily amount of food for children aged 1 to 1.5 years should be 1000-1200 g, from 1.5 to 3 years - 1200-1500 g, the amount of food in one feeding should not exceed 300-350 ml. The diet consists of three main meals per day and two snacks. It is considered optimal when breakfast is 25% of the total energy density of the diet, lunch is 30–35%, dinner is 20%, and additional meals are about 10%. In general, the child can eat the same food as the rest of the family. nine0003

In the diet of a child of 1–3 years of age , must be present daily: meat of animals or poultry, dairy and sour-milk products, vegetables, fruits, bread, cereals, vegetable and butter; fish and eggs are included in the diet 2-3 times a week.

Cereal products: bread - 2-3 servings per day, cereals and side dishes - 1 time per day
Fruit and/or vegetables: at least 5 times a day
Dairy products: at least 3 servings per day (including those used to make cereals, yoghurts, fermented milk drinks, cottage cheese, infant formula or breast milk). nine0003

Domestic pediatricians recommend, when compiling a diet for children aged 1–3 years, preference should be given to specialized children's dairy products of industrial production that meet high quality requirements and safety indicators for this age. Most children's dairy products are additionally enriched with vitamins and/or minerals and other biologically active components, taking into account the physiological needs of children of this age. At the same time, in foreign recommendations, children over 1 year old are offered the gradual introduction of whole cow's milk, which is rich in fats necessary for proper growth and development, the absorption of vitamins A and D, the development of the child's brain and nervous system. nine0003

Meat dishes: 2-3 times a day
Fish dishes: 2-3 servings per week
Eggs: 2-3 per week
Dietary fats: 3-4 teaspoons of butter and/or vegetable oils per day

When cooking, use the minimum amount of salt and sugar, and do not add them to industrial products.

Offer your child a variety of foods and let them choose for themselves. Children love to eat on their own, so if possible, offer food that the child can eat with their hands. nine0003

It is important to remember that a baby can choke on pieces of food, so whatever you give your baby should be crushed or cut into small pieces that can be easily chewed.

Do not give to a small child: nuts, whole grapes, cherry tomatoes (unless quartered), whole carrots, seeds (such as pumpkin or sunflower seeds), round candies, legumes, raisins, because a child can eat them choke.

Also in the diet of children of the first 3 years of life should not be present:

Mushrooms; canned snacks, pickled vegetables and fruits
Home canned food
Dry concentrates for side dishes
Hot sauces, mustard, horseradish, pepper, vinegar, mayonnaise
Natural coffee
Juices and drinks in the form of dry concentrates; sweet carbonated drinks
Products containing food additives (flavorings, dyes of artificial origin, including chewing gum), popcorn
Combined fats; cakes and pastries

It is important to remember that children of this age should not be given too spicy and spicy foods.

WARNING! SMALL ITEMS! - MADOU "Kindergarten No. 19 of the city of Blagoveshchensk"

Elena Orlova, pediatrician:

Every year a huge number of children end up in emergency departments with various injuries, poisoning that happened to them at home. Unfortunately, fatal outcomes of such events persist. nine0003

This prompts doctors to create numerous recommendations for parents on the safety of various aspects of the baby's life. Doctors from emergency departments are very actively involved in their creation. After all, they are the ones who face tragic situations every day and know that it is easier to prevent a disaster than to eliminate its consequences.

These tips are not designed to scare parents. Against! After all, as they say, it is better to know the enemy in person. And the threat to the health of the baby is not some mythical things, but banal small objects scattered on the floor, with which he can choke. nine0003

For those who have not experienced so-called domestic injuries, it may seem that doctors are exaggerating the situation and frightening parents with something that happens very rarely. And there are always many own examples of how children grew up in a dangerous environment and nothing happened. Alas, there are many counter-examples that both doctors and parents themselves can share. At the same time, it does not matter at all what and how your child is treated, what doctors you visit, what education system you follow. The consequences of a child choking, falling from a height, drinking a cleaning agent are the same for everyone and are treated the same way, in a hospital, sometimes even in an intensive care unit. Leaving a child with an emergency without medical care is extremely dangerous! nine0003

Alas, during my work I have already seen children choking on food or small objects, sent for bronchoscopy. As well as those who were not sent to this study after a similar episode and later ended up in the pulmonology department due to chronic lung disease. Many children daily end up in the toxicology department with poisoning of varying severity. I was just amazed at how many of these kids! "Leaders" among toxic substances among drugs are grandmother's tablets from the phenazepam series, drugs for arterial hypertension, as well as vasoconstrictor drops. This in no way means that you need to stop taking these drugs! Like these recommendations in general, they do not call for putting the child in some kind of sterile empty sphere, where he will be completely safe. nine0003

But a reasonable precaution will only benefit your entire family. In English there is a special word for this "childproofing". I don’t even know how best to translate into Russian, something like “checking for compliance with safety standards for a child.” Reminds me of some old Soviet order, doesn't it? Therefore, I prefer the foreign version.

A large percentage of accidents are the result of a child's interaction with small objects. It can be parts of his toys, food, small things, pet food, and more. We are talking about the age from 1-1.5 years old, when children begin to actively move around the house, until about 5 years old, when they begin to better understand the prohibitions and are already interested in other things. nine0003

Many psychologists rightly point out that the best way to experience the world and the best toys for young children is what they can find at home. However, even if there is a room full of toys, the baby will not cease to be interested in surrounding objects. This is good for his development, but sometimes poses a threat to his safety. Ideally, a small child should explore the world around him under the supervision of adults. But we all understand that this is not always possible. Therefore, our goal is to secure the house as much as possible, so that in the future there will be less cause for concern. Fortunately, now the children's goods industry is developing in this direction and is ready to help us. nine0003

There are even special gadgets on sale that allow you to determine whether a given item is the right size for a child or not. But you can do without buying extra devices, using the method proposed by the English doctor, expert and popularizer of "childproofing": if a thing goes into the hole of the toilet paper roll, then it is better to keep it away from the baby. What are the dangers of small objects: when it comes to food, the child may choke. Inedible small objects can get into the stomach if the baby swallows them, and into the respiratory tract. nine0003

In case of ingestion, follow-up is required or immediate removal of the foreign body (that is, this small object in medical terms). Tactics depend on the location, size and characteristics of the item. If the child chokes, acute asphyxia may occur if it enters the upper respiratory tract (that is, the lumen of the respiratory tract is blocked and air stops flowing into the lungs), which requires emergency care. Or the object that the baby choked on enters the bronchi with air and remains there, being a source of inflammation. In this case, he can no longer go back, bronchoscopy is necessary. nine0003

How to prevent trouble

What can be done to prevent this from happening? To begin with, remember that putting objects in your mouth is a natural way for a child to explore the world up to 3-4 years old. In addition, causal relationships at this age are not clear to children. Therefore, it is useless to try to forbid the child to try things on the tooth, and even more so to tell him that it is dangerous. They are completely unaware of such truths that are understandable to us that it is disgusting to delve into the garbage or a cat's toilet (a number of children have innate disgust, but this is rather an exception). Just keep that in mind! nine0003

Check the house, especially the floor, for small objects: buttons, jewelry and their elements, pins and needles, coins, pen caps, coin cell batteries. Also remember that a little naturalist can take apart some electronic items and get the notorious batteries out of there. The most convenient way to do this is to go down to the level of the child, that is, squat down and see what the baby can get to. You will learn a lot of interesting things!

Pet food containers and trays should of course also be out of sight of the baby. Consider a safe place to put them. nine0003

Pay attention to the trash can. Ideally, you need to place it out of reach for the child. Remember that trash bags and bins may also be of interest to the little explorer! Please note that deflated balloons and plastic bags, or rather their small fragments, pose a great danger, because. a child can inhale them and not even cough. No one will know about this episode, and it will be extremely difficult to find out the cause of a prolonged cough and recurrent bronchitis. Thus, deflated balloons should be disposed of immediately. And the “package of packages” needed on the farm should either be securely tied or placed higher where the child cannot get them. nine0003

Always choose toys that are appropriate for your child's age. And once again make sure that there are no small parts that the baby can somehow separate.

Now about food: I repeat, for children under 3-4 years old, it is natural to put objects, edible and not very edible, into their mouths. And our warnings from the series “chew well, otherwise you will choke” are completely incomprehensible to them. The child acquires the ability to bite off food as soon as he has teeth, but he can chew it thoroughly only with the appearance of chewing teeth (which occurs later) and after some practice. That is why the choice of food requires your special attention from the moment your baby begins to receive complementary foods, and up to about 4 years. nine0003

The baby receives its first complementary food in the form of puree. If you cook it at home, be sure to keep the dish homogeneous and fairly liquid! As the child grows older, the puree may become thicker and contain small lumps. In any case, it should not contain hard pieces, even small ones! Do not worry that the baby will not learn to chew. With children without severe neurological abnormalities, this cannot happen. But, unfortunately, even a perfectly healthy child can choke! nine0003

At around 9 months, your baby will be able to grasp food with his fingers. This is a very important skill for him! From this time on, he begins to show more independence during feeding: he grabs a spoon, makes something similar to chewing movements with his jaws, he may even try to take a piece from your plate. Western experts recommend giving the child small pieces from this age in order to form the skill of self-feeding, chewing, and improve fine motor skills. Ask your pediatrician what foods to give your baby. nine0003

Remember that these must be very small (about the size of a pea), soft (which can be easily ground with jaws) pieces. In the future, the child can switch to a common table with adults. However, continue to make sure that his food is soft enough, cut into small pieces. The universal safety rule, relevant up to the age indicated above (and possibly later), is that the baby should eat under your (or another adult's) supervision! nine0003

You can't give a baby a bagel or a raw apple, for example, and send him for a walk. He can only “procrastinate” the product, but at some point he accidentally bites off a piece with his front teeth that he cannot chew. It follows from this that, of course, it is also impossible to eat in a car while driving! Generally speaking, the safest and most useful way to form healthy eating habits is to teach children (and all family members!) to eat while sitting at the table.