Child care provider - Grapes

[Lemonteased]

My daughter (4 nearly 5), in reception, attends an after school club twice a week.

I found out from my daughter that she has grapes, fine, but she mentioned taking them off the bunch and eating them. I asked if anyone cuts them up first and she said no.

I questioned it with the child care provider (most communication is via text), she said they do give them whole grapes, I asked for my daughters to be cut up because they are a notorious choking hazard (I work in child health). She said no problem, job done.

A week later, she’s given whole grapes again. I ask about it and am told it was a new member of staff, they apologised and that was that.

Just been told that she’s had them again but that she had to ask for them to be cut up, they were given whole. Honestly I’m now pissed off, I think it’s an issue they are providing child care and not cutting the grapes up just as a normal safety standard. All other providers I’ve come across do this.

I asked a couple of other parents, who happen not to use this provider, they said they would also be annoyed and would never give their children whole grapes. I don’t know any of the parents that do use the provider as we all collect at different times.

Just for info they are on the school site but not run by the school at all, are ofsted registered, etc.

Ive now asked to meet with them face to face but before I do…….

Am I being precious??

This is an interesting read
www.parent.com/blogs/conversations/why-i-stopped-cutting-my-kids-grapes

They’re higher risk because they’re round and the size of them would block a small child’s airway and the texture means it’s hard to shift. Blueberries are smaller. Sausages are a higher risk too and should be cut lengthways. I doubt many childcare providers give out perfectly round boiled sweets but if they do, they shouldn’t.

It’s not a modern myth. It’s not about “just” being a choking hazard. The roundness and size and texture of a grape (or sausage etc) means it could get wedged in a small child’s airway and be extremely hard to shift. You cannot compare it to a piece of bread. It’s the fact that a round, grape could far more easily get stuck and wedged in a toddlers airway (the exact size!) and be far harder to remove than bread or pizza or pasta.

I realise others have said this but I feel it bears repeating: grapes are a particular risk because, in addition to their shape, they are also just soft enough to give and wedge into something, but they won't disintegrate a bit (like a sausage might for example, as it's made from bits of meat) or melt a bit (like a sweet). They have a skin holding it all firmly together and if it hasn't been chewed and happens to be the right size for that esophagus (a rare occurrence but a possible one) it can be tragic.

aaah sorry I've become the person who resurrects dead threads! I think this must've come up under the other 'cutting up grapes' thread and I hit reply to this instead of that one. Sorry!