# Do you let your child eat in their carseat?



## Shami (Oct 9, 2007)

If so, what do you feel comfortable letting them eat, and why? I am really torn about this. So far I have let her eat crackers and drink water. I am concerned about her choking and I can't get to her or don't realize it right away. She's two years old.


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## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

yes, only water and nonsticky/nonmelty food. I'm not worried about choking, I can see her in the mirror. Frankly I'm shocked you've made it to two without feeding her in the car.


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## DahliaRW (Apr 16, 2005)

Yes, and I have forever. We are on the go a lot and it's really the only way to get food into my kiddos sometimes. Never had a choking issue. But I do feel better now that ds1 can see ds2 and could tell me if he was choking!


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## Starflower (Sep 25, 2004)

Yes, DD has always eaten in the car. She is 6 now. I have a little mirror attached to my rear view mirror so I can visually monitor. She also talks a lot. I do get a little worried sometimes and insist that she answer me if I ask if she is OK.

When she was in preschool with 4-5 year olds, there was a boy who was late one day because he'd choked on an orange on the way to school. He was OK but did go to the ER to get checked out. So yes, it's always a possibility, but I think it's fairly unlikely.

I think it also kind of depends upon the kid and what they may be eating. My DD has a very intense gag reflex and generally doesn't stuff her mouth full.


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

Absolutely not. Ds is only a year old so maybe I will be ok with it in time but as long as he is rfing I can't see being ok with it. I have a mirror so I could see him but I hate the idea of him eating without me being within arms reach immediately. I'd have to stop the car, get out & get him out if he were to choke.


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## StoriesInTheSoil (May 8, 2008)

He can have water whenever but he can only have food (crackers) occasionally and only if someone is in back with him.


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## Ellp (Nov 18, 2004)

I don't. My kids are 4.5 and 2 and our commutes are usually anywhere from 10 minutes to 2 hours. If they have to eat, we can stop while they have their snacks. I don't mind them eating in the car if I'm there to supervise spills but I don't want to have flying objects in the car if we ever got into an accident. (Yes, everything does go into the trunk or is secured in some way if its in the main part of the car.)


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## zebra15 (Oct 2, 2009)

My DS is 9 now but always did eat in his carseat. I was a single mom from day 1 so as soon as he was able to either hold a bottle or food he was eating on the go.


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## Bea (Apr 6, 2008)

I wouldn't think twice about it but it actually happens very rarely. We're a 1 car family, my husband takes the car to work and on days I 'steal'







it, we're so busy doing short hop errands that there's tons of out the car time to snack out.

Maybe it's because we did baby led solids and my son (almost 2.5) has always fed himself and never choked... I don't remember a single instance of simple gaging either, that I trust him to get his food from hand, to mouth, to stomach without any supervision from me.

Maybe I'm just neglectful? I'm not trying to be facetious but I no more worry about my son choking on a day to day basis than I do my husband and I never monitor his eating.


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## changingseasons (Mar 24, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *snoopy5386* 
yes, only water and nonsticky/nonmelty food. I'm not worried about choking, I can see her in the mirror. Frankly I'm shocked you've made it to two without feeding her in the car.

(this comment isn't directed specifically at you- it's really a question for everyone with this response)

So.... what happens if you're on the highway in rush hour traffic and your LO starts choking? You calmly put on your blinker, merge through 4 lanes of traffic and find a safe spot to pull over.... ??? I'm not really sure how a mirror is going to help you in that situation.

That said, DD has eaten in the car- I would say a handful of times, tops (she just turned 2.) And it's only if we're late for an appointment or something and she woke up late and didn't have time for breakfast, etc... It's definitely not something that I'm comfortable with and I try to make sure I plan ahead so that we aren't forced to eat in the car.


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## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *changingseasons* 
(this comment isn't directed specifically at you- it's really a question for everyone with this response)

So.... what happens if you're on the highway in rush hour traffic and your LO starts choking? You calmly put on your blinker, merge through 4 lanes of traffic and find a safe spot to pull over.... ??? I'm not really sure how a mirror is going to help you in that situation.

That said, DD has eaten in the car- I would say a handful of times, tops (she just turned 2.) And it's only if we're late for an appointment or something and she woke up late and didn't have time for breakfast, etc... It's definitely not something that I'm comfortable with and I try to make sure I plan ahead so that we aren't forced to eat in the car.

If I was stuck in rush hour traffic? I would stop the car and get out and help her. If I was going 70 mph, then I would pull over yeah.


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## just_lily (Feb 29, 2008)

My kid eats in the car almost every time she is in it. When she is resistant to get in her car seat sometimes food is the only thing that will convince her.

We don't have four lanes of traffic anywhere around here, so that is a complete non-issue for us. She is also never in the car during rush hour, because that is when she is at home with me.


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## cschick (Aug 28, 2007)

Not normally, but that's because we don't generally eat in the car--I don't want the mess. Once in a while, on long road trips, we might pull through a McD's drive through and keep going, but that's nowhere near typical. If we're out on the road and need to eat, we generally sit down somewhere.

If the kid doesn't finish his breakfast before we need to be on the road, it gets packaged and he can finish it at school (if we arrive with enough time). They have tables set up for that. Like this morning, he didn't finish one of his waffles, we wrapped it up, we arrived at 8:15 and he had until 8:30 to finish it at school. They'll make him toss the rest of of when it's time to go to the classroom.


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## cschick (Aug 28, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *changingseasons* 
(this comment isn't directed specifically at you- it's really a question for everyone with this response)

So.... what happens if you're on the highway in rush hour traffic and your LO starts choking? You calmly put on your blinker, merge through 4 lanes of traffic and find a safe spot to pull over.... ??? I'm not really sure how a mirror is going to help you in that situation.

At least around here, expressways tend to have wide enough shoulders for a full pull-off on both sides, and our max tends to be 4 lanes each direction (so you're going to be 1 lane away from any shoulder). The only two places in the US I can think of where you might be 4 lanes of traffic away from a shoulder . . . Atlanta and Los Angeles?

I drive at the height of rush hour, and being able to safely/quickly pull off is not really a concern I would have.


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## Peony (Nov 27, 2003)

My kids eat daily in the car. DD2 eats almost time we go anywhere, she is 3. DD1 always gets a snack when I pick her up from school and usually another one after dance or gymnastics.


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## MaterPrimaePuellae (Oct 30, 2007)

Yes.
I have thought about the choking thing, and I do try to give DD foods that seem easy to eat... but if I were super-worried about choking, eating in the car seat is probably not the first thing I would need change about our lifestyle. I'm probably closer to her/paying more attention to her in the car than sometimes when we're at the house.

FWIW, the two most recent choking stories I have heard have been adults, and I certainly "let" my Dh eat in the car


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## JamesMama (Jun 1, 2005)

Yup, quite often actually.

We very rarely drive anywhere with lots of traffic (rural area) so, yes if my DS or DD were choking I'd simply pull over and take care of it. 98% of our driving is done in town (2 lanes of traffic with driveways or parking lots every so many feet) or in the country (2 lane road with a shoulder). On the off chance that we're in the city it's very very very rare that I'm there alone with the kids so DH would pull over while I jumped into the back seat to deal with the choker.


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## dachshundqueen (Dec 17, 2004)

Well I feed my kids in the car. DD once choked on a pretzel. I pulled over, did the heimlich held her for a while and off we went. I've pulled over on road here locally, DS was sounding like he was choking (but wasn't), at a green light in a righthand turn lane. So it's like anything else, if it's a safety violation, I'm pulling over. Same with a carseat issue (unbuckled or something).

I am in Atlanta. In rush hour traffic, the cars aren't moving anyways. So I'd personally just stop. It IS a medical emergency if they're truly choking.
Liz


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

Always. I only give them foods that they have proved that they can eat safely, so no grapes, etc. If they were to choke, I'd just pull over. It's very rare that you can't pull over quickly in the places we go.


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## HappilyEvrAfter (Apr 1, 2009)

Another always have.

We had a minor choking scare, but by the time I pulled over he'd gotten it dislodged.

I guess it didn't overly scare me because in the child CPR class they tell you to give the child a chance to cough it up themselves. Meanin, if it looks like they're still getting air then let them keep couging...to a point.
Most everywhere we've driven there's been a place to pull over in enough time to administer the Heimlich.

If I was in a place I KNEW I would never be able to pull over in time to pull over, pull him out and administer the Heimi then I probably wouldn't give him anything that would pose an issue.


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## mamadelbosque (Feb 6, 2007)

DS drinks water and eats snacks almost every time we're in the car and has for at least a year now (hes 2.5 now). We mostly do annies bunnies, occasionally cheerios, dried cranberries, french fries, chicken nuggets, hash browns, trail mix... I have thought about choking once or twice but, tbh ds has NEVER choked - we did BLW.







I only allow water in the car cause' I'm not OK with cleaning up juice/milk thats spilled (and yeah we do sippies/straw cups but spills still happen on occasion!!)

ETA: and we almost never are on more than 2 lane roads, and I honestly can't remember the last time I was on a more than 4 lane highway (2 lanes each way)


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## JL83 (Aug 7, 2009)

DD is 3 and still RFing.

We commute 45 minutes each way and we've given her water in the car since she was little.

I'd say it's been in the last 4 months or so that we've felt comfortable giving her food to eat. It's normally a cheese stick or granola bar.


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## Shami (Oct 9, 2007)

Hi! OP here...forgot I had asked this question...foggy mama brain.

Some of you said that you feel comfortable just pulling over quickly if you need to. My fear is that with true choking, I thought, and I could be mistaken, that the victim doesn't make any noise.

Hence, the question, what if I don't know she is choking? What if I think she is sleeping? Ew...I don't like to even picture this scenario.

She is still rearfacing and planning to RF for as long as I can get away with it. I suppose I need to get a mirror.

Thanks for all the replies!


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## snoopy5386 (May 6, 2005)

when DD was RFing I had a mirror.


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## riverscout (Dec 22, 2006)

I must need to go to bed because I read the title as "Do you let your child eat their car seat?" and was a bit confused for a second







.

Anyway, I let my daughter, who is FF, eat in the car sometimes, but usually only small things like bunny crackers or O's cereal or something like that. And she always has her water with her.

I'm not sure what I will do when my son, who is RF, gets to the point where he might want a snack too when we are on the road. I do have a mirror and his sister could be a lookout too, but the thought of it makes me a bit nervous.


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## dachshundqueen (Dec 17, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Shami* 
Hi! OP here...forgot I had asked this question...foggy mama brain.

Some of you said that you feel comfortable just pulling over quickly if you need to. My fear is that with true choking, I thought, and I could be mistaken, that the victim doesn't make any noise.

Hence, the question, what if I don't know she is choking? What if I think she is sleeping? Ew...I don't like to even picture this scenario.

She is still rearfacing and planning to RF for as long as I can't get away with it. I suppose I need to get a mirror.

Thanks for all the replies!

That would be drowning - AKA in small kids, "the silent death".

Liz


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## cedoreilly (May 21, 2005)

I am guilty. My DD has dance straight after school two days a week and I have to serve snack in the car or else she will get nothing. If I feed her, I have to feed everyone including the two year old. Long trips, I pull over for them to eat. I so hate serving food in the car. The kids never pick up their wrapper or anything. It drives me NUTS!


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## leighi123 (Nov 14, 2007)

I dont generally allow food in the car, because its messy. He is rearfacing so I cant see him, but Im not really worried about choking, just the mess!


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

True choking (not gagging - which most people refer to as choking) means the item is completely blocking the airway & there is NO air passing through & therefore no sound.

Gagging doesn't really bother me but in the case of a true case of choking I do not feel I could quickly enough pull over safely, get out of the car, run around it & get ds out of his seat to perform the heimlich. I also do not let him eat unless one of is sitting right beside him. I'm sure as he gets older I'll relax on this.


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## Shami (Oct 9, 2007)

lifeguard said:


> True choking (not gagging - which most people refer to as choking) means the item is completely blocking the airway & there is NO air passing through & therefore no sound.
> 
> Gagging doesn't really bother me but in the case of a true case of choking I do not feel I could quickly enough pull over safely, get out of the car, run around it & get ds out of his seat to perform the heimlich. I also do not let him eat unless one of is sitting right beside him. I'm sure as he gets older I'll relax on this.[/QUOTE
> 
> Yes this is what I thought, too.


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## nikkiethridge (May 6, 2008)

Oh yes.
He's almost 2 but has been having snacks in the car seat since i've felt comfortable with him not choking on anything (10 months). He works up an appetite at the park so he gets a snack on the ride home to keep him happy until I can get us to the house to make lunch.


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## kirstenb (Oct 4, 2007)

I let him eat the small pack of crackers they have by the door of daycare every night on the way home. That's really the only thing I let him eat because I don't like to clean up the mess. He is pretty hungry at this point so they are usually finished before we even get to the end of the street. Choking isn't some that really concerns me, though I wouldn't give him foods in the car seat that might have a higher choking hazard. DS talks the whole way home so if there was a moment he was quiet and I was worried all I would have to do is say his name and he would start up again.


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## zippy_francis (Jan 9, 2008)

DD1 is 2 and she on occassion will get goldfish or cheerios. Sometimes chicken nuggets on the go. And water ONLY in her sippy cup. I have never had choking fear because she is FF and I can see her in the mirror. DD2 still RF and no need for her to eat on the go at this point. We nurse before we go on long distances. I think DD1 was almost 18 mo before I would give her anything on the go and she was FF at that time. I honestly have never feared DD1 choking, I can keep a good eye on her and I hand her 'bites' as she requests. I feel I have so many other fears like, crazies on the freeway, that I just cant imagine worring about every possibility. My biggest issue with eating in the car is the mess. My car is not fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but it is my car, and I am still paying for it. I don't want it trashed, and I want my kids to learn to treat their things nice, because hey, it may be our car for a LONG time. I feel the same way about our house, I don't let DD1 take her sippy cup out of the kitchen with anything except water. Milk or juice must be drank at the table.


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## SparklingGemini (Jan 3, 2008)

Yup. DD is rearfacing and eats in the car all the time.

We use a mirror and she's a very good chewer. I think there are more things in this life to worry about.


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## elmh23 (Jul 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lifeguard* 
True choking (not gagging - which most people refer to as choking) means the item is completely blocking the airway & there is NO air passing through & therefore no sound.

Gagging doesn't really bother me but in the case of a true case of choking I do not feel I could quickly enough pull over safely, get out of the car, run around it & get ds out of his seat to perform the heimlich. I also do not let him eat unless one of is sitting right beside him. I'm sure as he gets older I'll relax on this.

Your ds just turned one. At that age, my kids didn't get food in the car (only a sippy cup of water.) By the time they were much older (18m for dd, 2yrs for ds), they had proven they could handle eating without someone right by their side all the time.


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