Sausages in school

[Janebloom]

DS is 4 and started reception. We have been booking him in for dinners which he has enjoyed. Next week they are to have hot dogs and I'm a bit nervous as he has told me the school didn't cut up his sausages the week before. I am aware of a child in our area who died after choking on a sausage a few years ago so I'm always sure to cut DS sausages length ways if we are home or out. Should I speak to the school about whether they do this or not, I'm assuming they don't. If they don't would you still let your child have hot dogs in school or send a packed lunch that day? DS has never choked on a sausage but then I've always cut them up for him

Some people are absolute twats and missed the bit about a kid who died choking on a sausage, a rare and entirely avoidable risk.

Would they be so blasé to the parents of that child?

If it will worry you, just send in packed lunch that day. The sausages are likely to be rubbish quality anyway.

You won’t be around to cut up his food forever so it’s a good time to start teaching him to take small bites and chew well.

Absolutely this

My take on the first few posters wasn't that they were saying that sausages etc shouldn't be cut up, but rather that by 4, best practise is that the child do it themselves.

@Janebloom I know. Solid starts suggests whole sausages are safer than rounds but that rounds can be introduced between 24-36 months. https://solidstarts.com/foods/sausage/

I find my DMs attitude to me not allowing my preschool aged children to eat popcorn the same as some of these responses.

Maybe its an age thing.

OP it's a shame some people respond so weirdly and rude.

Most schools will serve the sausages whole. The MDAs will try and get around all the children to help them cut up their food, but they may have to wait their turn.

I would probably start to teach your child how to cut up his own food, maybe concentrate on telling him about length ways sausage cutting. On the flip side, worst comes to worst schools should have a trained 1st aider in the food hall for any emergencies, but I'm sure he will be fine.

Honesty though if it will worry you, pack lunch him that day and keep practicing at home.

To the PP I am the same about rubbish processed food, our DSs school meals are all home cooked by the chef, bar 2 dishes, so I do worry when I see some school menus, although I think they are only allowed about a pound a head to budget a meal.

A four or five year old cannot cut sausages lengthwise
In My experience as a mother of three young children they tend to hack them into round chunks which are definitely a choking risk

i completely understand the OP’s concern
same with whole cherry tomatoes and large blueberries not just the dreaded grapes

not a personal attack on you btw 😊

I disagree with people saying to just send a packed lunch that day. Trying to control your own anxiety through stopping your child from doing normal things is a really bad habit to get into.

Why don't you do packed lunches for a few weeks, while teaching him to cut his own food, and reiterating chewing at home?

My smallest is 3. Quite often we would be at birthday parties for older children with her big siblings, and there would be whole grapes on the table, and I realised that it's not possible to supervise them every single second, so every time we had grapes at home I would give them to her whole and say "Bite and chew! Bite and chew!" And she would repeat this over and over.

It's second nature for her now - whole grape in her hands, bites it in half, straight away to the side of her mouth to chew. It means I'm less anxious about her being places without me where I can't supervise.

It’s not weird or rude that some people might expect that someone parent their child to eat slowly and sensibly… how many millions of sausages have been eaten since that incident? Even at age 4 children are surprisingly capable! We’ve survived for 1000s of years…. Just by chewing! Maybe the FFS respondents are just fed up of seeing children infantilised? They aren’t even on the top 10 most risky foods!

Presumably a hot dog will be in a bun where they can only bite off a small amount anyway?

Agree

Your child will be fine. Don't fret.

Yanbu OP, sausages are a big choking risk if not served correctly. I would send a packed lunch that day but start teaching your LO to cut them in the correct way and practice lots so in time, you'll be more comfortable with him having things like this at school (although I would still worry he would forget, or wouldn't want to if his friends weren't, so I do get it!)

OP, in the kindess possible way, your ds is at school now. Gradually he's going to do things that are new experiences for him and may be outside your comfort zone.

You have to learn to let them happen.

Sounds like it is time for your child to learn to cut food for himself - which is after all life skill. Does he still drink out a baby bottle too? Time to cut the apron strings a bit!

I would be worried about this too OP, I fastidiously cut up sausages for my three year old as she has a history of choking and is not yet dexterous enough to use a knife properly. My five year old is only just getting the hang of it now, different children develop different skills at different rates so all those posting who have children with fantastic knife skills it’s not the case for everybody.

I was shocked when I first joined - MN is very much the be vile forum

@Myneighboursarewankers

When I was at primary school hot dog day was given without any cutlery

Therefore cutting up wasn't an option 🙂

Like some others, I'd also be concerned about the poor quality of hotdog sausages.

There are three things you can do:

1. consider whether you might need to seek help for you anxiety. it’s really not usual to ask your child if and how their school dinner was served to them and cut up.
2. teach your child how to deal with foods - how to cut things up, when to ask for help before eating anything, etc.
3. speak to the school to ask what their procedures are for managing known choking risks at lunchtime (which may well reassure you).

But, ultimately, you are going to need to relax a bit. Loads of stuff is going to happen in your child’s life that won’t meet your idea of ‘safe enough’. It’s in your interests (and your child’s) to be able to be less anxious about it.

My kids choking on foods is one of my biggest worries! At my DD's school, we have a couple of choices each day for her school dinner - are you able to pick something else for him that day? Otherwise, you could have a quiet word to someone in the office and explain how nervous you are about it, I'm sure none of the lunchtime supervisors would object to cutting a sausage lengthways if they're happy to cut it anyway!

In the long run, teaching him to cut his sausage into rounds and then to chop the round in half might be the easiest way for him to cut them safely (though very much not an easy option, despite some opinions on here)

I agree with you. These foods are a choking hazard even to adults
Never mind small children who fidget and talk whilst eating
I would speak to the school too or ask him not to have them.
Ignore all the others. Your looking out for your childs safety

God some people on here really are uneducated twats. Hot dogs are a huge choking hazard, it doesn’t matter how soft they are, they are round and the same size as your child’s airway.

A child of a colleague a few years ago choked and almost died on a flump, super soft and squishy, perfect to get lodged in their airway.

Send a packed lunch OP