Surestart centre giving whole grapes to babies and toddlers

[delicioso]

I've been to my local surestart centre a few times and they often have a snack table.

Sometimes there's a formal snack time and other times the table is just left ouf for children to help themselves.

They often serve whole grapes as a snack - I know they maybe don't have time to cut the grapes up but I have a friend who is a paediatric nurse and has seen more than one fatality in children who have choked on grapes

I'm probably going to be told IABU because it's the parents responsibility to cut them up. I do bite them half for my 15 month old, but today as I was sitting with her distracted talking to someone the surestart lady held out the bowl of grapes to her and she took one and started eating it and I had to fish it out of her mouth.

Lots of the parents don't sit up with the children at snack time and I guess I just think it's a bit dangerous if one of the little ones chokes on one. I just wonder why they don't serve something else instead if they aren't going to cut up the grapes.

why don't you offer to cut them up?

What's the got to do with anything hecate? I go there once a month, they do this every day.

I'm waiting to be flamed for biting grapes in half too now.

The children's centre I work at does cut up grapes!
Sadly we lost a little girl in the community because she choked on a meatball at school and died

Have you raised this with them at all?

Offered to help out at the group?

Again, how is that relevant RitaMorgan?

Do you think they should be giving whole grapes to babies and toddlers, or not?

Have you mentioned it?

If you offered to do it, then maybe this would prompt them into wondering about the safety aspects fo this, and then starting routinely cutting tehm up?

gosh not cutting grapes is awful, so dangerous

I think you ought to contact the manager to flag up - it shouldn't be the parents responsibility to cut grapes, who carries scissors routinely in their bag?

I'll bet the manager would be HORRIFIED, and yes, if it's a timing/staffing issue then they ought to select something else to offer

I'm pretty sure all it would take to change the situation is for you to say to the person running the group "By the way, did you realise whole grapes are a choking risk?"

If you have identified a risk to the children attending, then it is a bit irresponsible of you not to act upon it imo.

i mentioned this to my local centre and they happily responded by cut them.i had minor wobble over sesame breadsticks as one mine anaphylactic[older child but bin told keep little ones away til 5yo].they pretty accomadating you just sometimes have to ask.i used to panic wiv blueberries too!

Just tell them.

531800000008 - we have quite a few surestart centres in our area, and I've seen this in more than one of them, run by different managers so I don't know if it should maybe be the council I should contact, rather than the individual centres, do you think?

Have you raised your concerns with anyone or do you just want the collective wrath of the entire world to make them do it via telepathy?

That's right, a whole grape stranded - the kind of which can cause fatalities like the one my friend has witnessed.

Hilarious, eh?

Contact the council? That won't do it! Straight to the European Courts and no messing!

They might not be aware of the risks, just tell someone.

you're lucky you have a sure start centre to go to that has the funding for fresh fruit

I think it's fine to ask if they know that grapes should be cut, explain why, then offer to do it. They will then probably do it for subsequent groups.

I'm not sure why you didn't say anything when you first saw?

This thread is bonkers, what is wrong with a grape?

Why would you contact the council rather than having a gentle word with the person on the ground at the centre?

I am really preplexed by this attitude.

Hardboiled - who said I didn't say anything when I saw?

Just mention it to them.