Grapes at school

[Embarrassment2016]

Part of the free fruit scheme for YR, 1 and 2-often grapes arrive for the children.
These are given out whole in little pots.....it really worries me as they are a choking hazard.
I'm thinking of speaking to the school as I think grapes should be cut in half. I have also seen at lunchtime on the fruit and salad bar mini bunches of whole grapes.

I know volunteers go in to wash the fruit, share things out such as grapes maybe they could cut them in half too? If I was able to volunteer myself id do it but sadly I'm not.

AIBU to bring it to their attention ?

YANBU.
At my dc's old school a mother was a paramedic, she asked school to start cutting up grapes and cherry tomatoes.
She always said that grapes were the worst thing for choking as the skin meant they were more likely to get stuck. She also said a call-out involving a child choking on a grape were particularly tense as they are very difficult to dislodge.

I have choked on a malteaser, bran, frightened the life out of me. I still eat them, but make sure I bite them straight away which has taken away some of the joy tbh...
With the grapes, yes you can ask but then they probably just won't get grapes any more. Could concerned parents just ask that their own DCs aren't given them?

Its standard practiced and policy in our chain of nurseries
The advice comes from our paediatric first aid courses and I think its the st johns ambulance

The school we are attached to does not cut up grapes for their children
We do it for our nursery children who have school lunches
We don't buy grapes but children with packed lunches must have them cut into quarters lenghtways

I avoid sending grapes for this reason but when he asks for them I cut them in half from top to bottom.

A local child died after choking on a grape, I think it could happen to anyone. It takes seconds to cut up grapes and I'd be devastated if it happened to my son so really, I don't think it's precious to cut them up.

Basically, there's a small risk a child will choke on a grape. Cut it into quarters and you've almost eliminated that risk. YANBU.

I would imagine with the ratios for school aged children that there simply wouldn't be enough time to cut them. Though I've not know grapes or cherry tomatoes to be the free fruit choice anywhere in the East Midlands when I've been working on supply. So perhaps they aren't ordered for that reason.

Often the fruit only just makes it to the classroom in time to be handed out anyway. If I'm teaching, there is no way I'd have time to cut up 30 pots of grapes in the middle of the morning and teach.

The problem is that they're eating them not under close supervision. I've taught my DC to "pop" them before they get them properly into their mouths, if they get them whole, but I doubt they always bother.

It's the Change 4 Life fruit that's free at school, isn't it? It always used to be cheap things like apples, pears and carrots, but recently they seem to be getting more glamorous fruit.

I do think it's worth a mention at school, OP. Not necessarily to insist on slicing, but to ask about the risk assessment and whether the children have been taught how to eat them more safely (eg nibbling first instead of gobbling whole).

I still cut them up for myself at 47

Had to have Heimlich manoeuvre when choking on a grape at work, was fucking terrifying and has given me the Heebie jeebies ever since.