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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

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Original poster

raisins - when? Won't they be a choking hazard?

15 replies

BikeBug · 06/12/2006 09:08

I'm sure I read somewhere that once your baby has developed pincer grip it is ok to give tiny food like raisins and cheerios.
I was letting DS (9 months) chomp gummily away on some raisins yesterday when I thought that they are pretty much the same size as peanuts (gulp), and I was struck with a vision of my mum, horrified at my uselesness in giving DS such dangerous food.
Have I been an irresponsible parent, or are peanuts a special category of little food? Are raisins and other tiny things less of a choking hazard?

OP posts:

Macdog · 06/12/2006 15:36

I've been giving my dd(10 months) raisins for a month or so.
At first she just played about with them and spat them out after a while, but now is starting to eat them properly.
I find that the raisins go mushy and disintegrate as she chews at them.
She has gagged a few times, but sorts it out for herself.
Obviously she is never unsupervised with them
Hope I've reassured you a bit

fluffyanimal · 06/12/2006 15:55

You could try soaking them in boiled water for a bit to soften them and plump them up, make them easier to gumchew. You can also get jumbo raisins. Peanuts are hard and not chewy, too easy to just swallow, so much more dangerousz.

dublindee · 06/12/2006 15:57

Depends on how many teeth your DS has as well TBH, I gave DS raisins at about 7-8mths as he had started teething at 2.5mths old and had loads. Just make sure you check for stalks and stay with him when he's eating them. he'll be grand!

belgo · 06/12/2006 15:58

Cheerios and raisins are the perfect baby finger foods IMO, my dd has been haing them since about 8 or 9 months. Sweetcorn is another favourite.

Original poster

BikeBug · 06/12/2006 18:56

thank you all: I think I will be soaking raisins from now on as DS, despite being 9 months old, has no teeth at all yet! I just had one of those momentary wobbles where everything I was doing seemed wrong, so thanks for the reassurance and helpful comments. Weaning is such hard work after the simplicity of milk with milk or milk...

OP posts:

PrincessPeaHead · 06/12/2006 18:59

mine went on raisins at about 8.5 months.

and then off them at 9.5 months when she developed an allergy to them (big hives everywhere)

I think JARM had this - or someone else - with raisins, I seem to remember it is something to do with sulphites and I need to get organic ones - must do a search of old threads....

Twiglett · 06/12/2006 19:07

but if you soak raisins don't they rehydrate to more of a size where they would be likely to choke a child

there's no issue with raisins I don't think .. babies just gum 'em to death and they are easily swallowed .. not likely to stick in the throat

PrincessPeaHead · 06/12/2006 19:08

I agree with the marmite flavoured snack.

Don't soak em - grapes unsafe, raisins safe. soaking them would make them more grape-like...

NotQuiteCockney · 06/12/2006 19:12

Raisins are too small to block the windpipe, so don't actually pose a choking risk. Peanuts are bigger, and hard, so more of a problem.

belgo · 06/12/2006 19:31

I agree don't soak the raisins. You can break them in half to help your DS eat them.

Chloewhitechristmas · 06/12/2006 19:43

I gave raisins and other finger foods at 6mths! Ds is 9mths now and more or less eats everything. I sometimes got a bit panicky when ds gagged a little but always kept my HVs voice in the back of my head saying "he has to learn to eat, gagging is a learning mechanism, don't worry you will know when he is choking!" And tbh she is right - once I'd got over my choking fear meal times became much more fun. I live him grapes too but I cut them in half first.

Also, he loves to gum a slice of melon to death, keep the skin on - it will give him something to grab hold of.

whensantagotstuckupAITCHimney · 07/12/2006 00:00

i used to kind of squash the raisins between my thumb and fingers, just to flatten them and break the skin. i thought that would make it easier for her in the beginning of she got into trouble. that lasted for a few weeks and i was more confident that she was more confident, iykwim?

fluffyanimal · 07/12/2006 11:13

Sorry if the soaking was bad advice.

Original poster

BikeBug · 07/12/2006 21:24

ok, I won't soak them (promise!). TBH, it's my mum who has this massive fear of DS choking - she's stuck her fingers in his mouth before when the poor chap was just gagging a bit... Maybe I'll just feed him purees in front of mum and keep the finger foods for home.

OP posts:

handlemecarefully · 07/12/2006 21:27

"Raisins are too small to block the windpipe, so don't actually pose a choking risk. Peanuts are bigger, and hard, so more of a problem."

NQC that is almost verbatim what I was going to post!

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