Grapes cut in half/school dinners!

[Yepyep333]

I am a worrier when it comes to choking, my children are primary school age and have school dinners, I was scared to find out that bowls of grapes were left out for them to help themselves too, aibu to insist that they are cut in half? Of course I know that they can choke on any food and when I went and asked the office they suggested I give my dcs a lunch box instead, am I the only one that cuts them in half?

Grapes are easier to choke on than,say a crisp. Boiled sweets are similar

Cutting them in half makes it safer. I'd rather no grapes at all tbh.

YANBU

A SIX year old died after choking on a meatball at school

I have only recently stopped cutting my son's grapes in half and with big ones I still do. I don't care what anyone else thinks. It isn't them that would lose a son if he choked to death.

Pots irrelevant what statistics say if your child is that one.

LittleBairn it is choking not chocking. If you are going to be so vocal at least spell the main word right.

Alice thank you for your very helpful post.

Obviously you can't remove all risks from life but why take unnecessary ones.

Wow, i've totally changed my mind on this from my first post! How awful to hear all of these horrific incidents I think i'm going to carry on cutting up my DS' grapes until he's significantly older now. Terrifying.

A child in our city choked and died eating a cherry tomato at primary school a couple of years ago.
My own ds 2.5 choked on a small ice cube this summer. Thankfully I dislodged it in time. So scary.

I still cut them up for DS (who's almost 3). I have only just started leaving them whole for my girls (almost 7 and 5.5) but that's only when they are under my supervision, and most definitely not whilst in the car.

A friend of mine lost her first DS when he was 18mths old - from choking on a grape. It has made me so paranoid

Excuse my ignorance (not a parent) but if grapes are so risky, would it not be better to just not give them to young children at all?

I remember choking as a child and it was horrible, so thoughts go out to those who have experienced it as parents. Must have been terrifying.

A few years ago a 5 year old died at school from choking on a grape, and a six year old died from choking on a piece of sausage. I nearly died age 8 from choking on a piece of pineapple. You are NOT being unreasonable.

I cut mine in my dc's packed lunches and they're 10 and 9.

Having done paed first aid courses and knowing how kids talk constantly during lunchtime without chewing properly I'll continue to do so.

Probably tip, I dont know who gave ds3 his first grape but he loves them and asks for them when we go shopping so I just keep them out of reach and just cut them up

Findo, you might be able to choke on anything but some things are more of a choking hazzard and are harder to dislodge, grapes due to shape/size are incredibly difficult to get out if you do end up getting one stuck, sausage, boiled sweets, meatballs and marshmellows are also foods children are more likely to choke on

And yes, it is silent if you get something wedged you cant breath or talk. Not everyone is aware how silent it is, the same as drowning

My niece nearly died chocking on a banana. She took too bigger bite and it slipped down. It was horrific. I am a child minder and all bananas are sliced thinly and grapes halved (even quartered for some).

My 6 year old DS still has his grapes cut in half. I probably am a little paranoid but he nearly choked to death on a piece of apple when he was 19 months old and I still can't get over the panic of that day.
I know you can choke on anything ( a man I knew growing up died choking on a ham sandwich ) but grapes are just the right size/shape to get stuck in a little throat so it's not a risk I feel comfortable taking right now.

I realise since my first post that this obviously isn't a joke. I'd honestly never thought of a grape as a potential hazard any more than any other foodstuff. Sorry for doubting your intentions, op.

shatners, very good of you to come back and say that. Everyday you learn something on here and Hopefully someone has learned something that may save a childs life.

shatners up until a few weeks ago if have had exactly the same reaction. The 6 year old girl I referred to up thread had a loose family connection to me and I think about it so often. I think what has jolted me is that I wouldn't have thought twice about giving a 6 year old a bowl of grapes.