Does your toddler eat hot dogs?

[arivecchi]

Is it safe? I thought they were a choking hazard, but a friend feeds them to her toddler who is not even two. These are not small pieces either.

[AlbrightRC]

Our son has been eating them since around 12-13 months old..we just cut them in small pieces and we never leave him alone while he's eating.

[ourbabygirl]

DD has had 1 hotdog and 1 corndog (or at least part of it), but I cut the pieces very small.
ETA she's 13 months.

[TwinFoxes]

Yes. Cut them lengthwise, so they're not cylindrical, and then into bite seized pieces. Organic grass fed no nitrates hot dogs from TJs are a staple. :)

[o_mom]

DS3 is eating one right now. :) I always cut hotdogs lengthwise for all three boys, even for DS1 at age six. If it is on a bun, I still cut lengthwise first, then put it on the bun. DS3 gets his cut lengthwise either once or twice and then in small slices and eats from a plate either with pretzels stuck in them or using a fork.

[arivecchi]

I have never fed DS1 a hot dog. It just scares me too much! Not sure I am brave enough to try...... my friend feeds her DS huge chunks. It always freaks me out so much but I have never said anything.

[carolinamama]

I will let DS1 eat them cut up but he doesn't like them so it really hasn't been an issue. I think I'd give them to DS2 if they were cut in small pieces but since we don't usually have them in the house, he has never had one. It is funny what different people feel comfortable with - a friend always comments that she won't give her kids raisins because of the choking hazard but has been giving them whole hotdogs on a bun since they were 2 or possibly younger. I give raisins but cut grapes pretty small, even for DS1.

[pb&j]

On very rare occasions, with adult supervision.

My mom is an OR nurse and has had to help remove hotdogs from little kids' airways many times.

But oddly enough, I let DS eat whole grapes all the time.

[AnnieW625]

No DD doesn't eat them. We've tried, I think the first time she was about 18 mos. old. I don't think it's unsafe, but I do know of a lady who had never given her 5 yr. old a hot dog a couple of years ago, and her son had barely just had popcorn at 4. I think that's a little overkill. DD has been eating whole grapes probably since around 2, and I can't remember when we started feeding her raisins.

[ett]

Yes. Cut them lengthwise, so they're not cylindrical, and then into bite seized pieces. Organic grass fed no nitrates hot dogs from TJs are a staple. :)

:yeahthat: That's what I get and how I cut it.

[JBaxter]

I think Nathan was about 4 before he had a hot dog. It wasnt the choking factor but was was made of. I only buy organic ones now

[arivecchi]

Maybe it's time for me to re-think hot dogs since DS1 will be 3 next week. I like the idea of the TJ ones. I still cut DS1's grapes in quarters and do not give him raisins (although DH gave him some w/out me knowing). DS1 almost choked on puffs of all things when he was about 7-8 months old so I am a choking hazard maniac.

[happymom]

I have never heard that raisans are a choking hazard!

[arivecchi]

I have never heard that raisans are a choking hazard!

This is a helpful article on the subject:

http://www.babycenter.com/0_foods-that-can-be-unsafe-for-your-baby_9195.bc

Another one:

http://www.babycenter.com/0_choking-hazards_64839.bc

[elektra]

We cut lengthwise too. And then I used to cut both lengthwise and into little bites, but since she turned about 2 we just do the lengthwise thing.
I still cut her meatballs into quarters though.
My neice has been eating corndogs and hotdogs since around 1 though. No cutting. Made me so nervous!

[SnuggleBuggles]

I have offered it to him before in strips but he doesn't really like them. never would I give one without cutting it before age 3.

Beth

[Melaine]

We still usually cut length-wise. Recently stopped cutting into tiny bites as well. We don't have them often though.

[pantrygirl]

I'm sure it's fine with supervision.

Our toddler has never had a hot dog yet but that is because I'm trying to avoid nitrate filled foods. I won't deny her one though if we happen to have one. I'd probably just cut it into tiny pieces for her.

[alexsmommy]

Just gave him a TJ's one for lunch - cut lengthwise then chopped.

[ellies mom]

I'm another length-wise cutter. Although recently (in the last couple of months) I have started letting the 6 year old eat them in uncut in a bun.

I had to laugh though because one morning the oldest got up early and went downstairs to watch TV. When I came down I asked her if she ate anything. She responds "Yeah, I had a hot dog in a bun and I didn't cut it up". OK, Miss Rebel.

[MommyAllison]

DS has had them, cut lengthwise and into smaller pieces, with adult supervision. He much prefers hamburgers though, so he's only had a few (2-3?) hot dogs.

[maestramommy]

Only on special outings. It's not a food I normally buy. We don't cut our hotdogs up into pieces. The girls eat them in the bun like you normally would, so they bite off whatever size they want.

They also eat nuts, whole grapes, etc. But they are always seated, and we are watching them.

[klwa]

Yep! When they're small, I cut them into rounds, and then the rounds into 1/4's. As they get bigger, they get them in rounds cut into semi circles. With DS, I don't have to cut them at all any more.

[vludmilla]

Yes. We just cut them into small pieces and buy the best ones we can find. Always nitrate/ite free and grass fed organic when possible. I am SO jealous that TwinFoxes has grass fed hot dogs at her TJ's. Only my WF's carries them and I don't get there as often as TJ's.

[deborah_r]

I have never fed DS1 a hot dog. It just scares me too much! Not sure I am brave enough to try...... my friend feeds her DS huge chunks. It always freaks me out so much but I have never said anything.

Please suggest to her to cut them lenghtwise. Some people have just never thought of it, but it's not a big deal to cut lengthwise instead of into chunks or "coin slices".

[mommylamb]

Is the sky blue?? DS eats hot dogs, lives hot dogs, dreams hot dogs. Seriously, I have to limit it to one or two a week, but he would eat them daily if given the choice. I always cut them lengthwise and then into bite-size pieces. I buy the nitrait free hot dogs at Trader Joe's, but I still try to limit his hot dog intake because they have soooo much salt.

[crl]

DS did when he was a toddler. (Still does, but at 6 1/2 I let him have them whole if he wants them that way.) I cut them lengthwise and then into small pieces. I was always super careful to cut the ends into really tiny pieces. My understand is that the big hazard with hot dogs is the cylinder shaped end--like grapes, which I also cut up when DS was a toddler.

Catherine

[arivecchi]

Please suggest to her to cut them lenghtwise. Some people have just never thought of it, but it's not a big deal to cut lengthwise instead of into chunks or "coin slices". I think she would bite my head off.......

[brittone2]

I cut them lengthwise and then into small pieces.

:yeahthat:

[deborah_r]

I think she would bite my head off.......

Well, I hope her child never has a problem with them. Ever since there was a poster here who had a friend whose 5 year old died eating a hot dog - and the parents were sitting right there - I can't feed my kids hot dogs without fear unless I know they are cut up properly. I am loosening up with the 6 year old, but I still worry. Somehow to me, putting it in the bun whole seems safer than big chunks. Because I think they will bite off an appropriate amount usually, when it is whole and in a bun, but if you are offering big chunks, they are likely to pop the whole chunk in their mouth.

[boolady]

Well, I hope her child never has a problem with them. Ever since there was a poster here who had a friend whose 5 year old died eating a hot dog - and the parents were sitting right there - I can't feed my kids hot dogs without fear unless I know they are cut up properly. I am loosening up with the 6 year old, but I still worry. Somehow to me, putting it in the bun whole seems safer than big chunks. Because I think they will bite off an appropriate amount usually, when it is whole and in a bun, but if you are offering big chunks, they are likely to pop the whole chunk in their mouth.

This is exactly what I was thinking about when I read this thread. I will never forget her recounting of that tragedy and the time following it. As a result, I still cut DD's hotdog into 1/4s, lengthwise, then into pieces. I know it's probably unnecessary, but I can't not do it.

I also still cut DD's grapes in 1/2...last year, a 5 year old in a neighboring town died after choking on a whole grape. I think people sometimes forget how small a child's windpipe is.

[codex57]

DS is 2. I handed him part of a hot dog yesterday. The rest of it was given to him in small pieces. However, he ate the big chunk too slow so I ended up ripping it into small pieces for him anyways. I'm not too worried he'll choke. Kid takes like TINY bites. Like the size of 3 or 4 rice grains. And he can eat like a teenager so it's just faster for us to make the pieces into sizes we want him to eat.

[MamaMolly]

Yes. Cut them lengthwise, so they're not cylindrical, and then into bite seized pieces. Organic grass fed no nitrates hot dogs from TJs are a staple. :)

:yeahthat: And I'll keep cutting them until she's about 25...

[arivecchi]

This is exactly what I was thinking about when I read this thread. I will never forget her recounting of that tragedy and the time following it. As a result, I still cut DD's hotdog into 1/4s, lengthwise, then into pieces. I know it's probably unnecessary, but I can't not do it.

I also still cut DD's grapes in 1/2...last year, a 5 year old in a neighboring town died after choking on a whole grape. I think people sometimes forget how small a child's windpipe is. I definitely like to err on the side of caution too. The seconds when DS1 was all red from choking on some puffs were the longest of my life. I don't ever want to experience that again and, really, it does not take much time to cut things up.

My friend has given her toddler in front of me huge chunks of hots dogs, pizza, and even a whole marshallow type candy. :eek: She feeds stuff to her 1 year old that I do not feed my almost 3 year old. Maybe I should say something. I just feel like that child will choke on something one day. WWYS?

[crl]

Well, I hope her child never has a problem with them. Ever since there was a poster here who had a friend whose 5 year old died eating a hot dog - and the parents were sitting right there - I can't feed my kids hot dogs without fear unless I know they are cut up properly. I am loosening up with the 6 year old, but I still worry.

Yes, I remember this story well too. The father was even an EMT. I cut DS's hot dogs up for him until he was 6, primarily because of this story. Otherwise I probably would have stopped when he was 4 or so. I still offer and he still usually wants them cut-up, which makes me feel better.

Catherine

[Melaine]

WWYS?

I think I would just mention next time you are feeding your children together that you heard a story about an older child who died from choking and you have become "even more paranoid" about cutting things up.

[arivecchi]

Yes, I remember this story well too. The father was even an EMT. I cut DS's hot dogs up for him until he was 6, primarily because of this story. Otherwise I probably would have stopped when he was 4 or so. I still offer and he still usually wants them cut-up, which makes me feel better.

Catherine How tragic. I cannot think of a worse fate as a parent than seeing one's DC die.

[arivecchi]

I think I would just mention next time you are feeding your children together that you heard a story about an older child who died from choking and you have become "even more paranoid" about cutting things up. Good idea. Thanks.

[crl]

My friend has given her toddler in front of me huge chunks of hots dogs, pizza, and even a whole marshallow type candy. :eek: She feeds stuff to her 1 year old that I do not feed my almost 3 year old. Maybe I should say something. I just feel like that child will choke on something one day. WWYS?


Sometime when the kids aren't eating, I would say omg, I read this horrible story on the internet the other day. This five year old died after choking on a hot dog. His parents were RIGHT THERE and his dad was an EMT and they couldn't save him. I had no idea that could happen to a FIVE year old. I just can't imagine. I'm going to be cutting their food up into tiny pieces until they go away to college.

And then if she still fed huge chunks in front of me, I'd probably bring it up again: "Oh, I just can't do anything but tiny pieces since I read that story I told you about."

I would mean every word of it, so hopefully it would come across as geniune concern more than busybodyness. . . .

Catherine

[boolady]

I definitely like to err on the side of caution too. The seconds when DS1 was all red from choking on some puffs were the longest of my life. I don't ever want to experience that again and, really, it does not take much time to cut things up.

My friend has given her toddler in front of me huge chunks of hots dogs, pizza, and even a whole marshallow type candy. :eek: She feeds stuff to her 1 year old that I do not feed my almost 3 year old. Maybe I should say something. I just feel like that child will choke on something one day. WWYS?

Well, if it was me, I would preface it by saying that I can be a spaz, but that I know of a case where a five-year old choked on a hot dog and passed away and that she should think about cutting it lengthwise, at least, because the circular shape of a hotdog can so easily get lodged in the throat. I would tell her that I just don't want to see anything bad happen to her child. If that ticks her off, at least you've let her know....

[deborah_r]

Here's some info from the AAP website:

What can I do to keep my child from choking?

Do not feed children younger than 4 years round, firm food unless it is chopped completely. Round, firm foods are common choking dangers. When infants and young children do not grind or chew their food well, they may try to swallow it whole. The following foods can be choking hazards:

Hot dogs
Nuts and seeds
Chunks of meat or cheese
Whole grapes
Hard, gooey, or sticky candy
Popcorn
Chunks of peanut butter
Raw vegetables
Fruit chunks, such as apple chunks
Chewing gum

[arivecchi]

Here's some info from the AAP website:

What can I do to keep my child from choking?

Do not feed children younger than 4 years round, firm food unless it is chopped completely. Round, firm foods are common choking dangers. When infants and young children do not grind or chew their food well, they may try to swallow it whole. The following foods can be choking hazards:

Hot dogs
Nuts and seeds
Chunks of meat or cheese
Whole grapes
Hard, gooey, or sticky candy
Popcorn
Chunks of peanut butter
Raw vegetables
Fruit chunks, such as apple chunks
Chewing gum

Thanks for the info. I sent a mass email to some relatives/friends and copied her on it. I recounted the story of the child that died and included the link to the AAP's website. Hope that works.

[AnnieW625]

Here's some info from the AAP website:

What can I do to keep my child from choking?

Do not feed children younger than 4 years round, firm food unless it is chopped completely. Round, firm foods are common choking dangers. When infants and young children do not grind or chew their food well, they may try to swallow it whole. The following foods can be choking hazards:

Hot dogs
Nuts and seeds
Chunks of meat or cheese
Whole grapes
Hard, gooey, or sticky candy
Popcorn
Chunks of peanut butter
Raw vegetables
Fruit chunks, such as apple chunks
Chewing gum

Well according to this I am a bad parent. I have a cousin who died of choking incident just shy of his 2nd birthday in the 70s so I always eat in the same room with my child. But I can tell you my child has had almost everything on this list except for gum. Peanut butter, which is chunky is always spread on something though. Hot dogs we've tried, but DD doesn't like them.

[deborah_r]

Well according to this I am a bad parent. I have a cousin who died of choking incident just shy of his 2nd birthday in the 70s so I always eat in the same room with my child. But I can tell you my child has had almost everything on this list except for gum. Peanut butter, which is chunky is always spread on something though. Hot dogs we've tried, but DD doesn't like them.

Oh, believe me, I wish I could say we avoid all of these things, but I'm not that good of a liar! I think it's just good to keep it in mind to try to reduce the exposure! Second child has eaten things way earlier than first child did, simply because we have the stuff around. My 2 year old has eaten taffy candy. Sigh.

[arivecchi]

Well according to this I am a bad parent. I have a cousin who died of choking incident just shy of his 2nd birthday in the 70s so I always eat in the same room with my child. But I can tell you my child has had almost everything on this list except for gum. Peanut butter, which is chunky is always spread on something though. Hot dogs we've tried, but DD doesn't like them. I don't think that makes you a bad parent at all. It's just good to remember to cut some of these foods and to avoid others if at all possible. I'm so sorry about your cousin. :hug:

[happymom]

NAK
I'm sure Fairy will have something to add to this topic. I'll never forget her post..
http://www.windsorpeak.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=327438&highlight=choking

[smilequeen]

It's not a food we keep in our house, but I am OK with both of my boys eating hotdogs with supervision if we are out. I have to admit I am pretty lax on that though, as long as I am there to watch.

[happymom]

This is a helpful article on the subject:

http://www.babycenter.com/0_foods-that-can-be-unsafe-for-your-baby_9195.bc

Another one:

http://www.babycenter.com/0_choking-hazards_64839.bc

Thanks for the link. I'm still trying to understand why raisans are a choking hazard more than anything else- is it the shape/size or the fact that they are hard to chew? MIL babysits DD and loves to give her raisans- but she tears them in half first. DD loves them! Recently she started giving her these small currants that she doesnt even break in half....now that I'm readind this post, I'm getting nervous! MIL is very laid back and I always feel like the paranoid DIL when I tell her not to do this or that....she raised 8 children quite competently and I feel kinda stupid telling her what to do, YKWIM? I guess I can have DH tell her, but he's kinda laid back himself and probably won't agree with me on this one...

[happymom]

One more thing- how do you all feel about small pieces of chicken- a little bigger than pea size? I was nervous the first time I gave that to DD because it looked like it would be hard to chew, but she seems to do just fine with it. What do you think? DD is almost a year btw.

[arivecchi]

Raisins are a choking hazard because they are sticky and can lodge themselves in the throat/windpipe. I still don't let DS1 have them, much less DS2. Not sure about the chicken. DS2 is not really good at chewing foods yet, so that would be out of the question for him, but I think if they are really small and not hard, it's probably ok.

[maestramommy]

Well according to this I am a bad parent. I have a cousin who died of choking incident just shy of his 2nd birthday in the 70s so I always eat in the same room with my child. But I can tell you my child has had almost everything on this list except for gum. Peanut butter, which is chunky is always spread on something though. Hot dogs we've tried, but DD doesn't like them.

Same here. We only serve the smooth peanut butter (because I don't like spreading the chunky kind), but otherwise they've had everything else. We try to give them the whole food, and let them bite off what they want. I don't know what to say, except that it doesn't feel right to chop apples into pieces for a toddler. We've given them popcorn too. The only thing I can do is watch them eat this food. I think accidents can always happen, and it's unbearably tragic when it does. But I still think the odds are good that my kids will be okay. Of course I know my own kids, and they don't tend to choke or gag, never have. I think this is one of those things where as a parent you have to make your own judgements.

[Seitvonzu]

yes. my toddler loves hotdogs.
at home we try to do the whole nitrate free, all beef business, mostly from tjs... (don't accidently get the turkey ones, YUCK!) BUT my mother has given her the "meat" whatever ones and my kid didn't die :) that was probably her first hotdog come to think of it :)

we do peanut butter and one of her new favorite things is that junky target popcorn that always smells so good when you walk in...*Sigh*

i blame the popcorn on her daddy because he's a junkie and she snuck it one time. we are always right there and she's very good about ONE piece at a time. (dh couldn't believe the night we let her stay up to watch the great pumpkin and she would gingerly pluck one piece of popcorn at a time out of her little bowl of unsalted popcorn :)

[happymom]

Raisins are a choking hazard because they are sticky and can lodge themselves in the throat/windpipe. I still don't let DS1 have them, much less DS2. Not sure about the chicken. DS2 is not really good at chewing foods yet, so that would be out of the question for him, but I think if they are really small and not hard, it's probably ok.

OK, thats it! No more raisans for DD. I will tell DH to tell MIL. Thanks ariveraz!

[egoldber]

FYI, by chunk of peanut butter, they mean a clump of PB on a spoon, not smooth vs chunky. :)

[tnrnchick74]

yep - organic chicken hotdogs...cut in 1/2 then 1/2 again. Never eaten out my an adult's presence.

[arivecchi]

OK, thats it! No more raisans for DD. I will tell DH to tell MIL. Thanks ariveraz! Oh no! Now your MIL is going to hunt me down. :)

[happymom]

Oh no! Now your MIL is going to hunt me down. :)

LOL she just might! I'll tell her she can blame it all on ariveraz from Chicago...better watch out;)

[TwinFoxes]

I still don't get raisins. Even if they stick to your windpipe, they are so small they wouldn't block the windpipe and air would get by. I could see it making someone gag or cough, but not actually choke. Hmm. My SIL is a PICU nurse, I'll run it by her. She's adamant about certain foods, like grapes, popcorn and hot dogs cut into "coins" (as opposed to slivered like I do them). She also is anti-latex balloons because they're a hazard if they pop. She definitely has her reasons though, she's seen a lot of sad cases in the PICU.

[SnuggleBuggles]

OK, thats it! No more raisans for DD. I will tell DH to tell MIL. Thanks ariveraz!

I'll say no more raisins for dental reasons. My dentist said that he would rather kids ate chocolate than raisins or fruit snacks because they get stuck in the molars and cause cavities. We've had to deal with pediatric cavities with ds1 and I have not been giving them to ds2. If you brush their teeth very well after then it isn't bad but the odds of that happening around here are low since raisins are a mid-day kind of snack.

Beth

[TwinFoxes]

FYI, by chunk of peanut butter, they mean a clump of PB on a spoon, not smooth vs chunky. :)

:yeahthat: in fact in a life saving class I took many years ago we were told that eating a big hunk of PB from a spoon is a leading cause of adults choking!

[happymom]

I'll say no more raisins for dental reasons. My dentist said that he would rather kids ate chocolate than raisins or fruit snacks because they get stuck in the molars and cause cavities. We've had to deal with pediatric cavities with ds1 and I have not been giving them to ds2. If you brush their teeth very well after then it isn't bad but the odds of that happening around here are low since raisins are a mid-day kind of snack.

Beth

Does this apply when DC only has 2 tiny little teeth? :)

[DrSally]

Thank you for the list. With regard to the PB, I wonder if they mean gobs of PB, rather than chunky vs. smooth? The chunks in chunky PB are so small, I don't know how they could be a choking hazard. Sometimes we give DD soybutter sandwhiches cut up in small pieces, but I have to remember to spread it thin b/c it can get sticky in their mouths. I held off on popcorn until DS was almost 4 yo b/c of the choking hazard issue, and I don't give sticky candy mostly b/c of the cavity risk. Sometimes I wonder if their beloved cheesesticks could be choking hazards if they take too big a bite. We do give hotdogs to DS sometimes, esp. in the summer at the cabin. I just recently learned about cutting them lengthwise, so that's what we do now, even if in a bun. I used to serve them wo/bun sliced in 1/2 or 1/4 and then cubed, but I just learned about cutting them also for the bun. I prefer to do the nitrate free ones, but I don't say anything if it's just oscar meyer at someone elses house, KWIM?

I'm a big believer in sitting with the kids when they eat for safety as well as social reasons.

[gatorsmom]

There's an very old, local butcher in my hometown that makes the best hotdogs I've ever had. My kids have been eating them for ages and the twins started eating them this summer when they were about 18 months old. BUT I cut the pieces up very small and the skin on the wieners is very, very thin so they can easily chew them.

[Clarity]

Rarely, because I remember Mason's story. And, if she does, I cut them into four strips lengthwise and then slice them into smaller pieces.

[Jo..]

Almost never, and if he does, they get cut into quarters (lenghtwise). Also because of Mason.