Not cutting up DS’ grapes?

[moryn]

I was approached by a member of staff at pick up today, to tell me that the kitchen staff expressed concerns that DS’ grapes were whole and not cut up.

He’s 7.5. He chews properly, sits still to eat etc.

I was under the impression that the guidance is for children aged 5 and below.

AIBU here?

Ah now don’t knock it til you have tried it 🤣🤣

Best comment ever.

If you liquidise your children they can’t choke.

It would dull the blades of my food processor and it cost some money!

They’re delicious why wouldn’t you want them?! My kids would take a bowl of grapes and strawberries over sweets (weird as it sounds, if I hadn’t birthed them I’d wonder how were related!!) - cutting them in half is such a non event; it’s probably taken me longer to write this post than to just chop a couple of grapes in half (and if you want to be really scandalised by my commitment to following medical guidance I used to quarter them until they were about 3!)

I think it would be safer to do this at nursery as they watch the kids so closely and are first aid trained than at 7. I always cut my 3 yo up if I give him a bowl but I’m also teaching him to practice biting if he has a whole one (when I watch him like a halk) so if he gets round good like that without me there I really hope he will remember to bite into it

I might liquidise myself later - there's a dress I fancy but it's only available in smaller sizes...

I personally know a teacher perpetually haunted by a primary age child who choked and died whilst they were present. Just cut them up.

Liquidising grapes is a great idea though - especially if you ferment and bottle it.

Maybe not one for the children.

You're completely right... hmm, there is a bottle of liquidised grapes in the fridge that is probably going to go off if I don't have the little bit that's in the bottom tonight. Good call!

They probably say cut grapes up but gave them mini eggs at Easter!

But yea I'd probably cut them up because I can't trust they'd sit still and calmly to eat them whole at school but I'm a worrier!

I am in complete agreement with you. As is the glass of red I have on the go.

My children are in their 20s now, I had sort of heard about cutting grapes (not sure from where as we didn’t really have internet like we do now) so I cut them width ways instead of length ways! I did not have a clue what it meant to cut grapes 🤦‍♀️

Mini eggs melt and in the event of one getting stuck you dislodge it with warm liquid. Not remotely the same.

It's ridiculous isn't it. My 3.5 year old doesn't always like me cutting his grapes and just wants to grab them out of the pack himself and pop them in his mouth whole. A 7 year old definitely doesn't need them cut up, that's ridiculous

They are the single most common food for older children to choke on.

90% of choking deaths in the UK happen in people over 50. Very young children are at risk but a 7 year old is not very young. ONS data between 2019 and 2024 showed that just 6 children under 5 died of choking over 5 years in the UK. Every one of those is tragic, but considering the UK has about 5 million children under 5, I think we can safely say choking is rare even in the most at-risk group of young people. You're better off cutting up grapes for your elderly parents. There's no harm in doing it for children's lunchboxes but there's also no need for school staff to be harassing parents about it either.

I tried to find some data on deaths of 7yr olds by choking and couldnt - but seems to be around 20 children a year die by choking on grapes and most are under 5. Agree completely with cutting for that age group.

But to issue that advice at 7 is wildly disproportionate and allowing anxiety to run the show. I’d expect that car travel comes with a far higher risk of death for 7yr olds, but schools are not taking parents aside to suggest they shouldn’t be bringing them in by car. No one here championing cutting grapes is wringing their hands every time they strap their kid into a car. It’s not proportionate, and not kind to try and spread anxiety when the risks are very low.

How was the OP harassed? It was raised with her once as a valid concern and then she came on here to complain. That doesn't remotely meet the bar for harassment.

Mini eggs are similar in shape and size as a grape which can get stuck in the food pipe and because of their hard shell remains solid and takes longer to break down.

They are generally smaller - maybe I buy bigger grapes? It does take time to break down but you can do it - not so with grapes - any grapes of any size. Also Cadbury say not to give mini eggs to kids under four, I wonder how many people actually pay attention to that?

I too never cut up grapes for my kids.
One of my former colleagues lost his 3 year old who choked to death on a grape.
I cut up my grandkids grapes and totally understand why the school ask for this to be done.

It's nothing like 20 per year for that age group - it's more like 1-3 per year.

Agree that letting anxiety run the show is not healthy, particularly when the risk is so much higher for older adults. 90% of deaths caused by choking on food occur in the over-50s age group.

Wow really, it was earlier I was googling and got caught up before posting. Maybe it was 20 deaths by choking on any item?

20 children too many. And to think they could have been stopped by just taking a minute to cut the grapes.

We mitigate car accidents with seatbelts. Not cutting a grape is akin to not using a seat belt on them. Takes the smallest amount of time, no down side to either and could prevent death.

It’s not ‘anxiety running the show’
I don’t feel anxious when cutting up grapes anymore than I do when using a seatbelt in a car or handling raw chicken.