What age for popcorn?

[mm123]

I know it can be a choking hazard. At what age did you start giving your child popcorn? Could be a really easy, somewhat healthy snack to add to our repertoire.

Thanks!

[liz]

I remember my pediatrician saying 4 years and older.

[amldaley]

Whoa. I thought Liz's answer was extreme. I am a total safety freak especially re: choking hazards, so I Googled it.

Looks like the rec IS 4 years old and many people who say not until 5 or 6 based on there being DEATHS associated with it!

My 3.5 yo DD LOVES popcorn but I sure as heck won't be giving her anymore now!

[maestramommy]

Dora started eating it at 2.5, Arwyn 1.5, Laurel about 1.5. I watched them the first few times though.

[Pennylane]

I think mine were all close to 3 when they had popcorn.

Ann

[JBaxter]

Dora started eating it at 2.5, Arwyn 1.5, Laurel about 1.5. I watched them the first few times though.

When they walk over and steal it from the bowl. All mine were less than 2. An exact age I can't tell you but they were all walking.

[wellyes]

I wait until over 3. Definitely only when supervised. We only have it when DS is napping.

DD's preschool (3 year room) allows popcorn as a snack.

[boogiemomz]

Wow... didn't know this. DD is 2 and loves popcorn. Sometimes I get the bagged popcorn from WF, so it's all popped and fluffy, no kernels. Otherwise we pop it ourselves at home and I only give her the fully popped pieces. Is the concern about kernels? It seems weird to me that it would be such a dangerous choking hazard. :confused:

[Jo..]

Whoa. I thought Liz's answer was extreme. I am a total safety freak especially re: choking hazards, so I Googled it.

Looks like the rec IS 4 years old and many people who say not until 5 or 6 based on there being DEATHS assosciate with it!

My 3.5 yo DD LOVES popcorn but I sure as heck won't be giving her anymore now!

I am not as paranoid about popcorn as I am about grapes and hot dogs. I still cut those up for both kids (3.5 and 5.5).

DD started eating popcorn at around 18 months. We supervise closely and remind them to eat one piece at a time and chew it well.

[Jo..]

I just Googled too and got this:

"The researchers analyzed ten years of injury data from 26 pediatric hospitals in the U.S. and Canada from 1989 to 1998. Hot dogs led in choking fatalities, with a rate of 1.6 deaths per year - followed by candy, at 1 death per year, grapes at 0.8 deaths, meat at 0.7 deaths, peanuts at 0.7, carrots at 0.6, cookies at 0.6, apples at 0.5, popcorn at 0.5, and bread at 0.4".

http://stats.org/stories/2010/choking_hot_dog_feb23_10.html

Choking scares the CRAP out of me, but nothing is safe. We just do what we can to minimize the risk. Note that cookies and bread are pretty much just as dangerous as popcorn. Apples and carrots are worse. :(

[daisymommy]

Boogiemomz: it's actually the light fluffy popcorn itself that is easily aspirated into the lungs by a small child.


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[boogiemomz]

Huh. Well, shows what I know. It just seems like when the fluffy part gets wet with saliva that it just collapses. I still cut up grapes and carrots into tiny pieces and don't plan on stopping, but I'll probably still give her popcorn and just keep a closer eye.

[artvandalay]

A friend of mine's pediatrician told her not until her child can spell popcorn.

I'm really paranoid about choking because my 5 year old has actually choked and gagged on food. He has some problems with texture.

When he was a little over 3 I let him try popcorn, he got the kernels stuck in his mouth and couldn't get them out, and then vomited. I held off another year before letting him try it. He doesn't seem to like it anyway, so that takes away my worry.

[JBaxter]

I'm a horrible mother. Never cut a grape in my life I don't peel apples after a year old and they can have popcorn when they walk over and get it. I don't buy hot dogs because they are GROSS.

[amldaley]

I am not as paranoid about popcorn as I am about grapes and hot dogs. I still cut those up for both kids (3.5 and 5.5).

DD started eating popcorn at around 18 months. We supervise closely and remind them to eat one piece at a time and chew it well.

Grapes, carrots and hot dogs, here, too - except when my mom is watching DD b/c apparently she does not "believe" in choking risks. That's another story though....

[boogiemomz]

Grapes, carrots and hot dogs, here, too - except when my mom is watching DD b/c apparently she does not "believe" in choking risks. That's another story though....

:eek: Oh my, we would have words.

[edurnemk]

DS started having popcorn when he turned 3 or perhaps a couple of months before. However, up to this day I'm ALWAYS sitting beside him when he eats popcorn, it's a snack he only has at home.

Some of the candy he's gotten at parties freaks me out more than popcorn choking-wise, actually.

[roseyloxs]

I don't remember. Probably 18 months or so.

[MSWR0319]

DS is 3 and never had popcorn. I was waiting till at least 4 because that is what I read. I am paranoid about choking though, as I had to call 911 when I was in middle school because my dad was coking on a taco and mom was giving him e hemlich. So I probably over do it. After Jo's stats though, I do give him apples ( peeled) so I'm not sure what I'm really preventing statistically.

[fauve01]

My dd was almost 7 before she got popcorn from me! maybe she tried it at school or at a friend's before that, I don't know. I gave her Pirate Booty and that was good enough for her :) .

there was a mom in DD's first mommy and me class that told me her SIL's kid had died in a movie theater at age 5 from eating popcorn, and that was enough to scare the beejeezus out of me about it!

FWIW, i *still* worry about choking hazaards like hot dogs and grapes (even though DD won't eat these things anyway) and popcorn even though my dd is 8+ .... crazy i know.

[Clarity]

I waited until my dd1 was 4y.o. until she was allowed popcorn. I was pretty neurotic about it and even had a fit on a preschool teacher who gave her popcorn in class one day when she was 3y.o.
Flash forward to dd2 who is now 3y.o. and she has not only had popcorn but because of her food allergies, sometimes I buy it especially FOR her because she can't have what dd1 is eating. :shrug:

[JamiMac]

My sweet cousin choked on popcorn as a toddler and was left permanently brain damaged. That is one food I've always watched closely, but I didn't realize it was four before they were supposed to have it. Mine did around 3 years old.

[bostonsmama]

I started with hull-less popcorn (basically, I ate off the popped kernel pieces or got Pirates Booty-style popped corn) at 12 months. By 14 months, she reached in, grabbed a handful of the real stuff and ate it with ease, so now I just watch her eat it. She does have 10 teeth (including her top molars, but no bottom ones yet). We also did BLW, so DD has been eating myriad textured foods since 8 mos. She still can't eat carrots, but she'll tear up crisp apples and pears. You just have to teach them to chew (either with their front teeth or back gums).

I think what convinced me was when my 17mos-old nephew (Japanese raised in Japan) was eating pistachios & walnuts. It blew my mind! So, now we feed DD whole nuts with supervision. I prefer her to eat pecans and walnuts, but children learn quickly how to eat something if they like the taste.

Ditto Jo...DD chokes more on meat and bread than ANY other food items. Worst incident involved a pepperoni slice she snuck that celophaned to the back of her throat and backlogged a huge wad of bread she was trying to get down. She choked so bad that when we finally got her turned upside and whacked her 4 or 5 times, she vomitted so much and cried so hard that we were shocked what the culprit was!

[legaleagle]

Popcorn (because it's both a choking and aspiration hazard and cannot be heimliched out) is the one thing I do worry about. Never cut up grapes and my kids won't eat hotdogs anyway.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Waited till 3 here. Would have waited till 4 if I heard that recommendation.

[Pear]

We got a really nice theater style popcorn maker for Christmas. DD was 2.75yo and we decided she could have some. We cherry-picked her pieces at first. We also make sure to stay around. She hasn't had any problems.

[Kindra178]

4. Has anyone heard some theory about popcorn expanding in stomachs? A friend won't do popcorn until 6 for that reason.

[maestramommy]

We started out not cutting things like grapes and hotdogs, and now we do. When we can. When we can't, well we can't. I'm not cutting grapes anymore. The only time I've seen my kids choke was on food that was well chewed and already on its way down. They were laughing and being silly, and well, it went down the wrong pipe or something. They've choked on OJ too. Same reason.

Dora was eating whole peanuts at 15 months (Taiwanese diner). The others not til later, because they just didn't chew as well. I think parents can tell when their kids can handle a food, and when they can't.

And FWIW (anecdotal of course), in the last year I've heard of two choking deaths, and both involved adults.

[JoyNChrist]

Around 3 for DS1. Was planning to wait that long with the twins, but caught A feeding E some just a few days ago. Probably still won't give it to them on purpose for another year or so.

[Pyrodjm]

DD1 has loved, loved, loved popcorn since she was 2.5. It's her favorite snack food. I watched her very carefully with it for a month or two. DD2 is 18 months and hasn't had it yet. I had no idea that the recommendation was 4 yo.

[swissair81]

My 3 year old still hasn't had popcorn. I still cut his hotdogs and grapes too. My baby got a hold of a grape that one of my girls dropped the other day. I'm glad she was in my room, because I heard her gagging. It was a perfect illustration of why we need to cut grapes. The grape was entirely blocking her trachea.

[YouAreTheFocus]

My 2yo tried popcorn one time, we were at a little amusement park and they were giving out free bags so there was no way to hide it. He loved it, but there are plenty of other snacks he loves, too, so we'll be waiting on this one. We cut grapes, hot dogs, don't do raw carrots (tried that once and he had trouble). I peel apples b/c he wastes a ton if I don't.

I've always wondered what the danger was with popcorn, so thanks for the explanation.

[cvanbrunt]

I'm a horrible mother. Never cut a grape in my life I don't peel apples after a year old and they can have popcorn when they walk over and get it.

No you aren't. You just don't worry about low base rate accidents. Neither do I and I'm a pretty darn good mother.

[swissair81]

No you aren't. You just don't worry about low base rate accidents. Neither do I and I'm a pretty darn good mother.

I'll admit I do it, because I personally know someone whose child choked on a grape and it didn't end in a happy way. If I didn't, I might not be so paranoid.

[peanut520]

:bag:
i'm in the bad parent camp...by 2 dd ate popcorn(rare in our house), whole grapes, whole cherry tomatoes, pistachios, whole nuts, and whole baby carrots. she isnt allowed to wonderr around with her snacks and is well supervised. as for hotdogs, she prefers to have her hotdogs cut up.

[Seitvonzu]

i can't remember , but i'm sure it was early as DH is a popcorn FREAK and lulu loves daddy and daddy is pretty much putty in her hands....so i'm sure he gave her some early on.

we don't cut grapes or hotdogs (well, maybe hotdogs i can't remember the last time we ate them). my child is more likely to choke on liquid than solid for some reason ("it went down the wrong pipe , the air pipe, mommy" is a common refrain around here)