To ask when you are supposed to stop cutting up grapes

[1Veryhungrycaterpillar]

V dumb question really but I still do this for my eldest (5) and my Dzh laughs at me, it's mainly because they are for packed lunch and I can't trust her not to rush her lunch at school

I still cut them in half for ds who's almost 5. No-one else I know does this though.
At a kids party last week the first thing I noticed was a huge bowl of uncut grapes, most of the children there were 1-3 years old, I'm afraid I took them away and cut them up!
Just an unnecessary risk imo.

Life is too short to cut grapes and for the children who have choked and died life was just too short.

I cut them, and cherry tomatoes and cut sausages lengthways for ds3 (6). I don't for ds's 1&2 (17 & 15) so I must have stopped sometime. A five year old near us choked and died on a grape. It's not worth the risk.

Now that is interesting Horry. A 2 year old in a cafe near us recently died choking on a marshmallow, who knew.

Think I stopped around three yrs, but I am hardline about making them sit down while eating.

The truth is you can choke on anything...raisins,breadcrumbs even a drink.
I think the biggest thing is to make children sit down whilst eating.

I think I stopped cutting grapes at about 4 years old.

I'd just my eldest and a few weeks later my baby started eating. So I've had 6 years of cutting them in half now.

I'm pretty laid back about most things but grapes are the perfect size to get stuck. I remember cooking on a boiled sweet when I was a child. Scary.

I'm surprised some people don't cut up grapes. It takes seconds and makes them so much safer.

As a mum of a child who very nearly died of choking I am perhaps understandably more vigilant than most but even so I can't understand not cutting up grapes etc. Sausages should also never be cut into round little circles as these can easily be a choking hazard too.

I did it for awhile but then decided it wasn't worth it.

My son eats sitting down, not dancing around, so there goes that argument.

Life is risk. You analyze your level of comfort with said risk and move on.

I think about 6/7 when Chidren understand the risks more, and are more likely to chew.

Blimey, another parenting fail of mine then. I never chopped grapes for any of mine (though I did tell them to chew!)
I sometimes still chop cherry toms for my 7 year old but only to avoid her dribbling tomato down her front.
I was more careful about marshmallows though.

As far as OP is concerned, if you ate going to stop at some point, surely 5 is old enough to be told to chew?!

I hope she doesn't dance around eating at school butbI know she loves to chat!

I'm a failed parent here, never cut up a grape.

Choking on a grape is higher risk. They've got a round circumference and being smooth, would get stuck very easily. Why is that so hard to understand?

My ds (3) knows he has to crunch the grapes and that he has to cut them up. However I like the popping idea someone mentioned up thread and will now introduce that idea!

A 3yo died near me a few years ago, when I'd just had DS, when he pinched a marshmallow off his mum's drink in a cafe. I am paranoid about grapes, marshmallows etc. I don't see why you wouldn't cut up, really, especially for toddlers.

I didn't know popcorn was a risk though?

loopyluna, thank god you told me that, All these years and I've never taught my child to chew!

It's not hard to understand, we aren't stupid. I, personally, think it's an acceptable risk.

It never occurred to me to cut grapes!
Saying that I don't remember getting them much when the boys were little.
It has only been recentlybwhen we started buying them.

Really there has to be a cut off, anyone can chock on anything be it an adult or a child. When they are 5/6 tey are old enough to understand and should be able to chew their food

Check upthread, Horry says its at 5 when the trachea changes shape.

I can't find anything about the trachea changing shape.
Proof?

it's the texture of the grapes skin which makes them particularly dangerous. It gets stuck in the throat and cannot be dislodged even with the Heimlich manoeuvre.

Ds1 is almost 7 but tends to gulp things so I still cut his, and ds2 as he doesn't have very good oral coordination (oral and verbal dyspraxia).

I haven't cut dds for years but she's a nibbler so I've never been too worried as the likelihood of her swallowing anything whole is remote.

Just going by what was said upthread I'm afraid so shan't be providing proof

I don't think I will be cutting up any grapes at 5/6 year old parties though

Yes it's the skin that makes them dangerous. Cannot BELIEVE the idiocy and arrogance of some people on here today. Last time there was a thread on this there were posters who were or knew paramedics who'd failed to dislodge grapes - it was harrowing.

DD is 12 and I yelled at her yesterday when I caught her throwing grapes in the air and catching them in her mouth. Lectured her on the choking hazard! I told her it's ok to do that with Smarties or peanuts, but not grapes.