baby being fed malteasers

[Lottie2611]

Just witnessed a mum putting malteasers in her daughters mouth (about 6 months old). Would you give your baby malteasers? My friend seemed to think it wasn't that dangerous as long as the mum was supervising....

Shiny - interesting stats but would they include situations like this where people are actually dumb enough to give a 6 month old baby completely unsuitable food?

Most children in the 0-4 age group are perfectly capable of putting dangerous objects in their own mouths. Most 6 month olds with older siblings will be exposed to much more hazardous choking risks (those cylindrical bits of Lego for a start), no matter how vigilant their parents. Yet the risk of fatal choking remains very low. And a Malteser would melt anyway - try leaving one in your own mouth for 3 minutes and see how much is left.

Utterly unsuitable for a number of reasons. However, it's very hard for a stranger to say something in a way that doesn't justput someone on the defensive and therefore entrench the behaviour.

If anyone is good at conveying this kind of constructive advice in a way that doesn't enrage the recipient, I'd love to know your secret.

A mum friend of mine always used to order full meals for her tiny DC, when they were aged 1 and 2 etc. I would just get something I could share with DS like a baked potato, and mash up a bit for him. I always wondered why she did it as they never ate it.

Shiny - three mins stuck in a six month olds throat could be fatal though

You should never give a child maltesers. Just to make sure mine don't eat any, I make double sure to eat all the ones I can find. You can't be too careful.

First reply. The famous " Not your business" comes out, next breath. I wouldn't as they're a chocking hazard.
Safe guarding is everyone's business

Safe guarding is everyone's business

Except that the risk is tiny. Are you this pompous challenging to every careless driver? 5000 children a year are killed or seriously on UK roads. By contrast, 3 UK children have been killed by grapes (much riskier than Maltesers) in a decade.

Malteasers aren't grapes though, grapes don't dissolve. Sure a baby could choke on a malteaser, or a bit of bread, or a bite of sausage, or anything else. Has their been any recorded death by malteaser?

You can't really give out to parents for giving their babies things that they could but won't choke on. I wouldn't do it, but its not my business if someone else does.

You can't really give out to parents for giving their babies things that they could but won't choke on. I wouldn't do it, but its not my business if someone else does

This.

There is often a whiff of class snobbery on these threads, disguised as concern: let's all pile in and judge the common person giving their child sugar, not quinoa.

It's not about the sugar for me. It's about the hard ball she put in her babes mouth. Definitely concern

personally no but then I could bite them in half and have half myself - win win lol

My baby boy is 6 months. No I wouldn't feed him malteasers I worry enough about fruit purée

Of all the things I worry about with my children (and the list is long) choking just isn't one of them. They were all weaned at six months and ate family meals with the rest of us by seven / eight months. A Malteaser at that point would be no problem at all.

Was it the choking risk that bothered you or the unhealthy eating?

If the latter I really wouldn't worry. My ten month old is very healthy but he would never have forgiven me if I hadn't shared my chocolate muffin with him earlier. I'm sure the mum doesn't feed her child exclusively on a diet of Malteasers, Lion Bars and Double Deckers.

Is this a mum you know, are you 100% confident that they are around 6ms old?

I only ask this as I have a friend whose daughter is very very small for her age and she gets comments all the time (likewise I have a friend with a very big child for his age and she also gets similar judgments).

No I choked on a Malteser when I was about 1, it didn't melt and mum had to use a spoon to get it out! Would never give something that shape to a dc.

It was the choking hazard not the sugar.

I've never seen the mum before. Even if the child was older than six months it still couldn't confidently sit up.

I must admit I'm needlessly paranoid about choking. I watch my seven year old like a hawk when he has malteasers and I chop his grapes in half for his packed lunch. Which is why I wondered if IABU for thinking this is a stupid thing to do at such a young age.

Magical it's the size of the object and the size of the child's windpipe.
A chocolate muffin is soft.
A maltesers isn't.
Children age 2 choke on grapes.
It's not alarmist, it's about an item getting lodged.
My child was weaned at 6 months too but I use still common sense.

I understand it was the choking hazard that worried you, OP. My point is that MNetters are much more quick to judge parents who are behaving in 'non-middle class' ways than those who aren't, regardless of the relative risks.

No way! Choking hazard as even bitten in half the honeycomb part could still get stuck and sugary chocolate as teeth are coming through.

It's a no in my book!

No! That's shocking. Maybe she didn't realise how much of a choking hazard it is.

Malteasers won't dissolve quick enough to stop choking, it'll just make it harder to get out.
And people saying choking is rare.... I choked as a child, my sibling also choked. My parents saved our lives.

My 5 year old ended up over my knee recently, having his back slapped hard to dislodge a chunk of meat that had got stuck. His quiet coughs had changed to the look of panic in his eyes. First time since he was weaning. Choking does happen. Fortunately not often with serious consequences.

Will I give him meat again? Yes, because it's a nutritious food. Would I give a 6 month old a Malteaser? No, because it's unnecessary, and difficult for a baby to break down with a couple of teeth. Would I say something? That would depend on how well the comment would be likely to be received.

Don't most kids choke on biscuits?

What has class or being judgemental got to do with choking?

A malteser could choke a child of any class.

A malteser could choke a child regardless of whether an MNetter judges it or not.

And what does rarity matter if it's avoidable by simply not doing it?

I would have to move away so I couldn't watch. It would put me too much on edge. Perfect throat sized hard ball.