Food Safety for Young Children

 

Young children are at high risk for choking due to their poor chewing abilities.  Planning food for young children should not be a difficult task, just be sure to keep the food simple and familiar.  There are many foods that should be avoided to prevent choking and other problems, keep in mind that just because your child may be able to eat some foods with no problem, they may pose a problem for other children and should be eliminated.

 

Some common foods to avoid for the young guests at your party;

·        Popcorn- the kernels found in the popcorn may cause choking.

·        Nuts- should be eliminated due to possible allergy concerns as well as choking hazard.

·        Gum- is just not meant for young children.  Children don’t understand that they shouldn’t swallow gum and furthermore you won’t want to deal with it in your carpet or a guest’s hair, it should just be avoided altogether.

·        Peanut butter- can clog the throat of children and can be very difficult to remove; it is also a common food allergy.

·        Raw produce- may need extra prep to soften for young children, especially for those who don’t have the teeth needed to chew it.  If serving raw produce take extra precaution by cutting in to very small pieces and remove any seeds or pits.  Grapes should not be served whole but first cut lengthwise and then quartered pieces.

·        Hotdogs- classic choking hazard for children. If serving hotdogs take the extra time to cut in to very small pieces, first cutting lengthwise and then quartered.

·        Hard candy- many young children simply do not have the teeth or chewing ability to properly eat hard candy and will instead choke hard candy can become lodged in the throat and should be eliminated altogether.

Children should be seated while eating.  Child size table and chairs work best when possible.  An activity that allows children to calm down before eating is ideal; consider a story or such activity to relax them prior to serving food.

Scalding and burns are common and can be prevented.  When serving hot food it should be cooled enough before serving it to children.  If there will be tea and hot beverages served to the adults it should be out of reach in a place it poses no risk of being knocked over, scalding can easily be prevented.

Do not serve food on picks or skewers to young children.  Young children do not have the capability to eat food off of sticks. If you will be serving food with picks or skewers remove them before serving to children.

 

When serving young children keep the food simple and familiar, if you will be serving a meal you may decide to provide a separate meal for the adults. Choking cannot always be prevented but with preventive measures in place it minimizes the risk.