To still be cutting up my 4 year old's grapes?

[surreygirl1987]

Was at a party this afternoon. The host had an amazing fruit platter prepared for the kids in the village hall. Grapes weren't cut up. Most parents plonked grapes on their kids' places without cutting them, or let the kids help themselves. These are 3-4 years olds. I plucked a bunch off and tore them into smaller pieces for my 4 year old (as I know grapes are a choking hazard). Am I the one being unreasonable here or are the other parents? I do think I was the only one that was bothered but I thought grapes can still be risky at 4...? What do other parents do??

Heyheyitsanotherday · Today 20:21

YDNBU. I cut up my almost 8 year olds still! Think il do it until they’re at secondary school. Don’t care what anyone thinks. I just wouldn’t risk it. I’m super careful with sausage too! They’re also not allowed hard lollipops. I am that paranoid mother!

Brilliant. I feel the same - I chop sausages, don't allow popcorn, don't allow lollipops etc. Probably won't for many years!

Not unreasonable at all. Even adults can choke on a grape, there's not an age where they're not a risk.

I know that sounds daft/over cautious, but a paramedic friend told me of being unable to get a grape out of an adults throat and they died. Apparently tiny have tiny burrs/hairs and stick like Velcro. Even someone well trained in heimlich is unlikely to be able to shift one. It's not a risk worth taking imo when they taste just the same cut!

When we were kids we used to play with DM truing to see who could fit the most grapes in their mouth without chewing. Makes me come over all hot and cold just thinking about it.

I cut up my own now after reading a thread about the risks on here

Our nursery has a big poster outside about foods that shouldn't be given to young children. The bit about grapes says 'many places will recommend chopping grapes until a child is five, but based on our hospital admission data we recommend doubling this to 10' or something along those lines. It was written by the local hospital. Also learned that giving children peanut butter on a spoon is dangerous and I have now stopped giving my son a dollop of peanut butter since reading this.

My 3.5 year old usually asks for her grapes to be cut up if she's given them whole! Think she is just so used to them being presented that way.
However, I have been following Solid Starts on Instagram since weaning my 2nd DD recently and they talk about that at around this age, it is important to actually teach them how to eat and chew higher risk foods such as grapes etc. Actually showing them yourself and teaching them how to take a bite and chew it rather than eating it whole because one day and likely when you may not be around e.g. a party, school or playdate, they will be offered a whole grape etc and should know how to eat it.
So now I have shown my DD to how eat a whole grape/cashew nut etc and do offer things whole sometimes (obv when I am right next to her the whole time) so she knows how to eat them. So a mixture of whole and cut up.

My DD is almost 5.5yr and it hasn't even dawned on me that I would stop cutting them lengthways.

I tell my 4 year old to bite them before putting them in his mouth. No whole grapes in the mouth.

I still chop them and cut sausages into strips and mine are much older

I'm still traumatised by seeing xrays of grapes / sausages and cherry Tom's stuck in people's throats when i was training as a nurse

Meatballs and marshmallows are other choking hazards

Mine are 5 and 7. I cut their grapes.

I still half grapes for my 12 year old. Probably being a bit OTT, but it takes less than a minute to chop up a bowl of grapes and I'd never forgive myself if the worst happened and it was totally avoidable.

My youngest is 4 and I still cut up his. I’m very paranoid about choking so I will carry on until he’s a teenager!

My 4yo can scarf half a punnet of grapes in a single sitting. No way he's waiting for me to cut them up

YANBU. Grapes terrify me. I still cut them for my 9yo. I don't do this with anything else!

I don’t cut them anymore for my 7 year old, but I only stopped in the last year. And I still remind him every time to bite them. At 4, I was definitely still cutting them up.

My son is 11.. I still cut up grapes. Possibly me being ridiculous, he knows how to chew.

YANBU, not worth the risk.

Most people I know don’t cut grapes but I’m fairly risk-adverse when it comes to my DS.

Blueberries are much smaller though. And if an olive was while wouldn’t it have a stone in? I wouldn’t be giving that to a four year old because of the stone.

Oh god, you're so not being unreasonable. We were at a 4th birthday party a few months ago and they had big bunches of grapes on the table and kids were picking them up and eating them while running around. Such an unnecessary risk to take.

I was the only parent to make him sit down to eat them.

One of my children is old enough to have children herself - I still cut grapes in half! I’ve heard enough horror stories that I do it on auto pilot now

I still cut them for DD2 (Obviously) and DD5. Won't be stopping for a long time.
I allow popcorn for the oldest, cut hotdogs, cut cherry toms, don't cut blueberries, don't allow hard lollipops.

I still cut them for Ds. He’s in Year 7!

Well I didn't, but after reading this I will. Thank you!

I cut up my 7 yr olds grapes.

They are....and cherry tomatoes, sausages, carrot rings, small cucumbers all should be cot in strips or quarters not half like many are saying.

😵‍💫
How does he access them without you?