4yr old eating in the car

[itsturtlesallthewaydown]

I'm wondering if MN can help resolve a debate I have with my DH.

I think it's a choking risk for a 4yr old to eat whilst driving and so they should never be given food in a car. If they want a snack you should stop at a service station. My DH says it's OK to give them food whilst driving.

What does everyone else think?

YABU: It's ok for children to eat in a car.
YANBU: It's a choking risk and children should never eat in a car.

Yes it is a major choking hazard, if you had to emergency stop or got crashed into food could easily be lodged in the throat. Also choking is not coughing, it is silent and likely that if you were driving alone you would not realise there was a problem until it was too late.

Also children should not eat in car seats as it can cause damage to the seat itself, suck as crumbs getting stuck in the buckle or the seat becoming mouldy making it less effective in an accident.

There isn’t really any reason children should be eating in the car at all, especially when it’s moving.

You are entitled to your own opinion on the matter but I personally think it's very OTT. You will always hear of worst case scenarios but I personally couldnt live my life based on the worst case scenarios and I wouldnt want to push that anxiety onto my child either. Can you perhaps try yoghurt pouches/jelly pouches as a compromise initially and then see how you feel about it?.

More shocking that you’re letting a four year old drive.

When my daughter was about that age, she DID choke on a snack in the car. Luckily I was sat in the back with her so was able to take action right away. I did always think at the time what would have happened if it was just the two of us in the car and I didn’t notice in time or couldn’t stop safely.
on th me other hand, we also had a choking incident at home when I was sat next to her so it genuinely can happen anywhere

I’m generally cautious about safety (to the extent that I’m on the receiving end of eye rolls fairly often) but I’m a bit more relaxed about this.

DD does sometimes have a snack in the car if we’re on a long journey but I’m quite careful about what she has and avoid anything of the size/shape that’s more likely to block her airway (so no grapes, cherry tomatoes, lollipops etc.)

I agree that a 4 year old shouldn't eat in a car on a journey due to the extra time you would need to get pulled over safely and unstrap them before you can start pats on the back. Plus choking is silent and if they're in the back and you in the front you may not spot it immediately. Anyone who has experienced a choke knows the panic without the added pressure to get pulled over first.

Although I do allow 'safe snacks' to avoid hanger. Basically anything that disolves on the tongue 😂 so pom bears, quavers etc

Obviously it's one of the many reasons I was a neglectful parent (coslept, forward facing car seat and whole grapes, all completely normal then) I lobbed food at regular intervals at my children to keep them quiet

Omg we only manage to go on holiday by doling out snacks all down the motorway!

That said DH family are 10 hours away

I never let my kids eat in the car. Choking is silent and if I'm focussed on the road, chances are I won't see.

I personally wouldn’t let a four year old eat and drive, they’ll need both hands on the wheel 😂

Judging by how disgusting underneath my son’s car seat was when I lifted it out to hoover it today, I think I’m firmly in the ‘eat what you want in the car’ camp.

We wouldn’t be able to do any lengthy journey without snacks, and I’m not stopping at a services every half an hour!

I never let my kids eat in the car. Just didn’t introduce it as an option. They never ask as a result.

Kids eating in the car is definitely higher risk. They don’t know to look out for speed bumps or sudden braking etc. and they can choke.

It’s completely unnecessary to let them eat in the car.

I don’t allow my DD to eat in the car for this reason. She is 8 n t month and has never eaten in the car.

Bought back bad memories, my son was older than 4 when he choked on Malteser. Those minutes of stopping the car safely and getting him out of the seat to thump him on the back were horrendous.never let him have food in the car after that .

4 years old? Did you mean to say 4 months or? I don't get it.

YABU in case you didn't guess

At 4 I think it’s ok, if they are in an upright car seat eg high back booster. I wouldn’t give things like grapes or any of the usual suspects but my three have all eaten in car and not choked yet touches all the wood

Same.
My Dad gave my then 4 year old a boiled sweet on the way to Wales and within seconds he had started to choke on it. I didn't notice as I was in the front but thank god my mum was in the back with him and managed to whack him on the back and gets her fingers in and pull it out. It's a terrible terrible memory. He's 14 now and still quite wary of boiled sweets. He can get through a mountain of crisps in the car these days though!

Ours gets snacks but only certain ones so a banana, pom bear crisps or similar. We have mirrors so can see him at all times but we also do long drives which he is used to.

I know lots of people are saying YABU, but I don't let my daughter eat in the car either for this reason 😬

Surely a more effective way to prevent death by choking is by doing a first aid course so you know how to dislodge stuck food and do cpr? Rather than watching them eat so you can "slap their back or whatever"?

DD was eating a bag of apple pieces from MacDonalds.

She was pretty blue by the time we reached a safe place to pull over (we were on a fast, winding, A road.

I banned in car eating for years. The kids are 16, 13 and 10 now and I still don't like boiled sweets to be eaten in the car (too chokey in my mind) and when we're out having a drive thru, we park up to eat. I do allow eating but stick to safer things like soft sweets. I'd still rather avoid.

To be fair, that scare really stuck with me.

Upside is that there's little mess in the back and the car takes less cleaning out.

I don’t let my DS eat in the car either for this reason. I’d give him snacks on a very long journey but otherwise choking is silent and I have never felt comfortable with it.

At 4?! My DD's been snacking in the back seat without an adult with her in the back, on occasion, since she was about 3. Before then I used to sit in the back with her, not sure what we will do with DS though as no adult in the back with him so would be mindful of it. He's 14m and at the moment would feel uncomfortable with the idea of him eating in the back of the car with us in the front. He sometimes still does gag or choke or struggle with certain difficult to eat foods. Recent examples include garlic bread baguette crusts, crackers, breadsticks and gingerbread men.

I think YABU. By age four children aren’t really that reclined in a car seat and as long as you’re talking to them regularly and check on them with a mirror which we had that let us see dc in the back what’s the problem?

We only had to check if they were watching the tablet. Otherwise there’s no way our dc would have been quiet long enough to worry about silent choking. Is the person that mentioned dry drowning actually for real?! That’s incredibly rare!

Also if dc choked in the car surely you’d just pull over with hazards on?!!

One thing i never allow is kids to run around / walk around while eating. That’s a real choking hazard.

I agree with this. YABU