To ask nursery to cut their grapes into quarters?

[AliceTheCamelHasFiveHumps]

So, DD14m attends nursery.

They give fruit snacks out each day.

They cut grapes in half lengthwise. (I know this for gross reasons 😷)

I tend to do quarters for safety, as per advice.

AIBU to ask them to cut the grapes into quarters??? Or am I being precious 🥺😳

@ridingonaroomba

yabu. Send your own pre quartered grapes if you’re that worried

I do....

But they give out a fruit snack every day.

I am pretty relaxed about most things but I always cut up grapes. A family member works at the primary school in Hull where a boy died a few years ago from choking on a grape.

As PP said, it's not just a case of supervision when eating, grapes are really difficult to dislodge if a child is choking on them so even if you're watching them choke you may not be able to save them.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

I never cut grapes either, mine are adults now. I don't think it was a thing then. As to whether halves or quarters, doesn't it depend on the size, some are twice the size of others!

I cut mine into so many pieces ! They still look huge in halves. Can you speak to the manager, it may not be a big deal for them to quarter them

@Itsamess8456

True at 9 mine could bake cakes and prepare pasta meals from scratch. As I trusted them with sharp knives and boiling water, I think grapes were the last of their worries. They made it to adulthood unscathed and able to cook!

I think the 'official advice' is halves, but I always quarter my toddlers grapes, most people I know with children do quarters too. Mention it to them, I'm surprised they don't do quarters just incase

As a florist i have done funeral flowers of two children who have choked on grapes and none for any other type of choking. Why would you risk it?

I never cut grapes either, mine are adults now. I don't think it was a thing then. As to whether halves or quarters, doesn't it depend on the size, some are twice the size of others!

Yes same here.

Halving grapes addresses the (small) risk of a grape getting stuck because they don't squash when the skin is intact. Once halved they can squash down and are less likely to get stuck.

I’m very sorry for everyone who has lost someone to choking- goes without saying you can’t fathom it.
Ok OP yes your child is a little young maybe not to have cut grapes but I’m sure halves is fine and otherwise just say you would rather no grapes until older.
As for older children needing their fruit cut into minuscule pieces, people die from falling down the stairs, I’m not going to hold my child’s hand walking up and down them at 15yrs old!

Crikey I quarter them at 2.6 years if I don’t he asks me to cut them.... I’ve probably made him scared of a whole grape!!!

Everyone here sounds petrified of grapes a and yet continues to provide them. Are they magically nutritious?!

Please don’t make up allergies - those of us with genuine allergies have a hard enough time getting them taken seriously without people using fake allergies as an excuse.

If you’re worried you should say something. Choking is terrifying and grapes are hard to dislodge.

@Ileflottante

Everyone here sounds petrified of grapes a and yet continues to provide them. Are they magically nutritious?!

I'm not petrified of grapes but I am aware of the risks. I give them to my son because he likes them but I make sure I chop them up. I'm not terrified of driving my children around but I make sure they're safely strapped in to reduce the risk of harm.

I go to a small baby group (pre covid) where the leader cuts them in half, but not lengthwise, which is probably worse than leaving them! I made a point of biting them in half again before dd got her hands on them as I was too polite to say anything. No one else seemed to mind.

My 2.5 year old has never even tried a grape, I'm too scared of him choking on them. If I did give him grapes they'd definitely be quartered if not chopped even more. The NHS advice I just checked says to cut them lengthways but nothing about quartering them surprisingly.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/baby/first-aid-and-safety/safety/baby-and-toddler-safety/

You could ask the nursery to quarter them if you're worried, or not to give your child grapes at all, I don't think that's overly unreasonable if you do it politely and just say you're worried about choking.

[quote BloodyCovid]@minniemango when you’ve got 12 toddles in a room, they’re going to pick up and eat all sorts of grossness - they’re children!

In my nursery the kids would eat each other’s half sucked rice cakes, pick up each other’s bottles and every toy goes in and out of their mouths constantly - it’s how they explore the world and build their immune system.[/quote]
I’ve worked in a couple of nurseries and have been a baby room leader, and would never allow this!
Sharing toys is inevitable but haven’t you ever had babies with allergies?
Cups should be individually named.
Adults should be supervising meals so food isn’t shared.
There should never even be an opportunity for bottles to be shared!

@Sapho47

I never even knew this was a thing

I think I need to get my mum a much better mothers day present this year

It has only recently been a thing to do after some awful cases where children choked to death on grapes. Probably bigger grapes. Their shape means they act like ''Plugs'' , and very hard to dislodge.

Much as carrots are sliced lengthways for horses rather than disks, and balls for dogs.

They cut them lengthways so they don't choke as being cut that way means it slips down the throat rather than getting lodged.
You can ask for quarters but cut in half lengthwise is actually safest.

I think halves are fine TBH. I was a Nursery School Teacher, and this was the advice we had .As someone else says though ,why not just request LO doesnt have grapes ? Or send some in ready quartered if you are worried.

Halves lengthways is fine - it's much more about changing the shape than making them a certain size.

Surely the nursery know what should or shouldn’t be done? The staff get lots of training in childcare, so I’m sure they know how to care for your DCs. And if you don’t trust them to look after them, then it sounds like alternative childcare arrangements may be needed.

RoSPA advise quartering them but IMHO halving lengthwise is fine. I didn't want my children to get accustomed to the idea that grapes can just be swallowed without chewing. I avoided the really massive, spherical varieties, cut them lengthwise, and taught the children to crunch down on them straightaway so that once they started eating whole grapes they never held them in their mouth without biting down on them.

SandysMam I agree! Loads of other fruits/veggies.Why are grapes still avaliable I wonder?

Yabu half is as per advice, quarters are an extra over for babies weening.

I suck the skin off and then halve them or quarter them.

I wouldn't give them to a non relative. There is lots of other fruit that easier to prepare.