How can a pea be a choking hazard?

[suribear]

DS gagged on a pea the other day. Now I squash them before feeding them to him.

Kris

[lmariana]

That's SO cute! I love your garden!

Mariana
Mother of Gabriel, 08/14/2003

[lisams]

Thanks Mary and Mariana :)

Lisa

[lag555]

I always thought the issue was that if a round object gets lodged in the throat, there isn't any room for air to pass around it. So even if you ordinarily feed your child larger objects, if it is irregular shaped and gets caught in the throat, it will allow air to pass around it and the child will still be able to breathe. (Meaning, it won't block the entire airway.) It is like stuffing a rubber ball into the drain as opposed to an action figure. One will allow some water to pass through and one will block everything completely. That's why grapes and frankfurters are so dangerous.

I also think the problem is compounded when it is a hard, round object. That's why nuts and popcorn are considered choking hazards -- they aren't likely to get chewed and they have round/oblong shapes.