As Halloween and trick-or-treat season approach, a baby expert is warning against giving young children certain foods due to choking hazards.
Taking to TikTok, Danielle Manton-Kelly, known online as “The Enchanted Nanny,” rattled off a list of foods that shouldn’t be given to kids under the age of 6, as they risk clogging the airways of the children.
The CDC also warns of choking risks from these youth favorites, and the New York State Department of Health states that children age 5 and under are at the highest risk of choking-related injuries or death.
Food, it turns out, is the most common cause, surpassing toys and other objects.
“At least one child dies from choking on food every five days in the U.S., and more than 12,000 children are taken to a hospital emergency room each year for food-choking injuries,” according to the department.
In a clip viewed nearly 375,000 times, Manton-Kelly first rattles off popcorn as the number one snack to avoid for toddlers. Specifically, it’s because kids have a tendency to “sharply inhale” jagged kernels.
“Popcorn, people don’t realize, is actually a massive choking hazard,” Manton-Kelly added about the potential airway blocker. “It’s huge … It’s just not worth the risk; there are other snacks you can give them.”
Next, she warns that marshmallows — even the small kind — are ill-advised to give small children.
Simply put, because “they’re very sticky,” marshmallows are “extremely difficult” to move once lodged in a child’s throat, noting that they are the side of an airway.
Three fruits — grapes, cherry tomatoes and larger blueberries — need to be diced up prior to being served to young kids, according to Manton-Kelly.
“The thing about these foods, especially grapes, is that they don’t dissolve,” she said.
The CDC also advises that “cutting up food into smaller pieces and mashing foods can help prevent choking.”
Small party favors like “cocktail sausages” or similar noshes, like pigs-in-a-blanket, also pose a risk as they can get “compacted in [children’s] cheeks,” making them difficult to swallow.
“It becomes kind of a hardened ball,” she said, while also admitting that her tips may make her a “party pooper.”
Last but not least on the list are lollipops, particularly small ones, warns Manton-Kelly.
The spherical pops themselves are potentially dangerous because of their nonpliable shapes. But a big concern is that their sticks, commonly a cardboard-like material, can become flimsy — and the lollipop can snap off into a child’s throat.
“I just avoid them like the plague,” she said.
The CDC advises to look out for “round or hard candy, jelly beans, caramels, gum drops, or gummy candies” as well.
