Toddler given marshmallows at nursery

[ginonthebus]

DS (18 months) has returned from nursery this evening with a cake he's 'made'. Was slightly concerned to see that it's decorated with a full size marshmallow on top. His nursery are usually brilliant with safety etc, but aren't these a major choking hazard? Can't tell if I'm being a bit PFB about this or if it's worth saying something to nursery. DH thinks we'll be 'those parents' if we do...

Vegan marshmallows aren’t as much of a risk as non-vegan ones as they melt in the mouth. But this depends on the risk level at your child’s nursery. At 12-18 months my son’s old nursery was giving them whole apples / popcorn / cheese cubes and supervising the hell out of them. They also did ‘whole grape lessons’ where those kids whose parents allowed it were taught how to eat whole grapes properly to avoid choking

@MinnieL - I agree with you, some posters are so rude and aggressive towards anyone daring to ask for advice! It’s so unnecessary.

Isn’t it just?! It really irks me to see these sort of rude and uncalled for replies

You’ve missed the point. OP knows the danger; many parents do not. So they wouldn’t think twice about allowing their toddler to eat something they had made. And it seems pretty clear the nursery doesn’t know either, otherwise they wouldn’t be getting the toddlers to make a treat that they couldn’t eat themselves.

I agree that OP should say something.

I’m always surprised at some people’s laissez-faire attitude to children’s safety. It doesn’t matter that the cake was for home, the nursery thought it was ok to have marshmallows on the premises for young children to use. It obviously hasn’t occurred to them that it’s a potential choking hazard and that would be my concern.

She really isn’t! While you can choke on anything, some things are riskier than others. So we can not only eat but also do our best to mitigate any risks. And nurseries are more experienced in childcare and supposed to have qualified, you’d think they should be more aware than the rest of us.

It’s not a lovely cake. What is the point of a toddler making a cake topped with an item that’s unsuitable for them to eat? Also not sure of the ratio for toddlers that age, but it’s possible that one could already be consumed in nursery.

There's been new guidance in the last month about not allowing under 5's marshmallows as they are a choking hazard. I know this as we had planned to do toasted marshmallows at our Christmas fair and had to cancel due to the change. So although might seem petty, I think you should mention OP. Two nursery's local to me have had serious choking incidents in the last few years.

Why would a nursery assume anything about the parents. OTOH, a parent should be able to assume that qualified childcare staff know about potential risks.

Finding the replies very interesting, clearly a bit of a divisive issue. My concern was partly that DS could easily have eaten one at nursery, as he puts absolutely everything in his mouth at the moment (we’re trying to work on this). Also DH (like many parents, as evidenced on this thread!) didn’t have a clue that they were unsafe, and had just assumed that if it came from nursery it was fine to eat.

You’re totally right to be concerned. This is in direct contravention of the government guidelines for early years settings. I don’t understand why people come on here and have such a go at other parents, it’s becoming a horrible site truly. As a PP has mentioned that guidance has recently changed, maybe the nursery didn’t realise that yet? Definitely worth speaking to them.

If you google 'top 10 foods that are a choking risk to toddlers' marshmallows do not feature.

So I can't see that the nursery have done anything wrong really, and they further coveted themselves by sending it home.

What would any 'quiet word' entail? That your child might have choked on it? Just as they could choke on a piece of raw vegetable or some peanut butter (both in the top 10 and a surprise to me).

Top by a mile is 'hot dog sausage'

If you google 'top 10 foods that are a choking risk to toddlers' marshmallows do not feature.

It’s one of the six hazards specifically mentioned by the Child Accident Prevention Trust which is a British site. In terms of top 10s, they may be based on how often choking happens without reference to how frequently the items are consumed. EG grapes and cherry tomatoes are a staple in most households whereas marshmallows are a very occasional treat

You're quite right. I hadn't looked at that particular site but have now - surprised also by 'white bread'

The thread is not bonkers. What if the child ate it at nursery?

You should be able to drop your small child off to nursery without worrying that the staff may be ignorant of foods that pose a safety risk to a baby. 18 months is still a baby.

I don't understand why people are saying 'the cakes were intended to take home to parents, no issue'.

Marshmallows are intriguing to babies, toddlers and young children. The weird texture, the springiness, the sweetness. It would only take a second for a toddler to get hold of one in the nursery if staff were momentarily distracted. Or on the way from the nursery to the car/home. It's a busy time of year - a parent might not realise what the craft/bake contained, you get caught chatting to another parent/neighbour/nursery staff member etc and don't realise what your child's holding.

I enjoy marshmallows as much as the next person but this happened to a young child in a restaurant in our town and the result was fatal. Not worth the risk, imo.

That's horrific, that poor young woman and her family 😢

I wouldn't be happy with this plus they're just pure sugar.

This. Commonsense is required.

Only sugar is "pure sugar"

Tbh, I was assuming the cake was made for parents’ consumption? And presumably if you have picked a nursery, you will have done your research beforehand, and would have based your decision to send them there on trust. Of course toddler ‘could have’ eaten a marshmallow there, but more likely they didn’t. Best course of action rather than guessing the situation would be to just speak to the nursery informally if worried?

@SoupDragon 🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

My LO sometimes played with what would be considered ‘choking hazard’ but never put it in his mouth- just made things as crafts etc. he didn’t see those things as food/ edible but toys. I don’t see the issue assuming was supervised and then the item was given to you.