Not cutting up DS’ grapes?

For anyone who doesn’t want to do as the school have politely requested please go and do a voluntary shift as a meal time assistant. You’ll soon start supporting your school instead of taking issue with their simple requests.
Until you’ve explained a child in your care chocking you can’t imagine how terrifying it is.

It’s not really a fair comparison though because there is a huge benefit to having and driving a car that makes the risk worth it. There is absolutely no benefit to eating grapes whole that I can see. Even the anxiety point you mention, I don’t feel anxious about grapes. We hardly ever have them tbh as I am not a fan of the texture but when we do, I cut them up without a second though. DA has certainly never even questioned why I do it. Literally zero anxiety over here. Just a logical risk mitigation.

Also, does your username refer to a doggo per chance 😂 mine should be barky lab in that case!

Most other good can be reasonably easily dislodge with good manoeuvre.

why are people so resistant to believing grapes are a serious risk due to their size, shake & texture.

why are people so unwilling to just cut the damn things in half?

Nope they're not.

the expertise & equipment hospitals have often isn't enough due to size/shape/texture.

they need cutting in half lengthways.

i have the same in my sons school, he doesn’t like grapes cut up so I just send them whole, he is nearly 8. I only give at lunch when he is sitting down, not as his snack as they eat those in the playground

Knowing & doing are two different things, plus all they have to do is laugh and a grape can get lodged in the airway & it's virtually impossible to get them back out, even in a hospital with knowledge & tools. Which you wouldn't even have the chance of if it happened at school.

Well at least some good has come of the thread. It's good to know someone can take information on board & change their mind 👍🏻😊

I wonder if they'd like to post on here???

The thing that always strikes me as odd is when parents will cut grapes in half but think nothing of their child having access to boiled sweets. It was a chewy sweet that caused my ds to choke. Dsis saved his life.

So while I understand why grapes are routinely cut up for young children, you cannot eliminate all risk, forever. And if you're still cutting up grapes for a 13yo, as a pp is, then you probably need some perspective on risk across various ages. Popcorn lung is far more likely than choking at that age...

Something cut in half doesn't TASTE as nice?

????

Exactly, I don't know why people are acting like it's such a big deal to cut them
up or like it's SO over protective. Makes you wonder what else is too much trouble to stop a 6yo dying??

I didn’t say I don’t teach them to eat safely or ever discuss choking. What I disagree with is the message that ‘until you are an adult, you are at such risk from a particular food that I need to cut it up for you’ - which I believe is anxiety inducing because the level of risk is not proportionate.

Lollipops are the ones that really scare me. I will never understand why people still let children have them!

Yes. Sausage and cherry tomatoes due to size and shape are also a high risk. As are boiled sweets. Like pp said, you can choke on anything at any age, but grapes are almost impossible to dislodge which is why the extra precautions.

Omg I just stopped cutting grapes for my almost 5 year old but after reading this thread I think I'll start cutting them again and possibly also for my 8 year old. I've told them to first bite into grapes before they put them in their mouth but pretty sure they don't do that. I don't either.

However if grapes are particularly dangerous what about other similar food like blueberries, cocktail tomatoes, olives, oval shaped hard sweets, etc?

I feel like there's a collective fear of grapes in today's society, instilled in us by health visitors. So you're probably not unreasonable but the person who asked you to cut them up just has the fear.

You were? Sorry wasn't clear to me and it's late and I am tired and there has been so much nonsense on this thread. Apologies.

I was really referring to my jocular response to your comment.

If you'd read a single other post of mine you'd see I don't think 'it's a joking matter' - we're all allowed to run out of steam and feel frustrated by idiocy.

If you really want your child to develop robustness, surely it is better to acknowledge eating CAN be dangerous and teach them to manage the danger by taking appropriate precautions, rather then denying and hiding the fact choking is a genuine risk. That's not managing anxiety, it's just sustaining ignorance.

Why not? Records show not a single liquidised child has choked on a grape in the last 20 years,

Seriously, it isn't a joking matter: having nearly choked seriously on an almond that went down whole, I can envisage they really could be problematic.

I also heard banana is a problem as it sticks and won't dislodge, as does chewed bread. Sitting still when eating really is important.

Exactly what I was going to write!

Just to say about the mini egg thing, people also say the same about ice cubes. If you or your child chokes on a whole ice cube, yes it will melt, but have you ever waited to see how long an ice cube typically takes to melt? It’s minutes, if not more, and by that time your organs have been starved of oxygen.
I cut up grapes for my 9 year old, out of habit mainly and because I’ve always done it. I don’t care what other people do with their children, if you want to take the (albeit, small) risk then you can explain that to the coroner if something ever does go wrong, same as you would explain to the police if your child wasn’t wearing a seat belt and then went through the window.
Also, some other foods to watch out for, popcorn, marshmallows and jelly 🙂😂

Apart from the fact that if you leave them for more than a few minutes they go manky

I cut my toddlers grapes, but my older children (4yrs+) won't touch them if they're cut up in advance for a lunchbox. I don't usually include them for school anyway, but when I do they're whole.