# PSA: Peel apples for your toddler!



## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

So, my ped has always harped on me about peeling apples for DS. He has four molars and is super good about chewing so I never really worried about it. Sure, I peel them most of the time and give him slices that are peel and core free, but I also don't hesitate to give him a whole apple to chew on occasionally too as I thought it was good practice for eating food in it's more normal form.

Well last night I was in the grocery store with DS in the cart. He was extremely hungry, but we were on our way home and I didn't want to waste a trip so I dashed in for a minute to pick up some things for dinner. We got a big bag of apples and he was begging for one, so I handed him one (please no flames for eating in the grocery store...).

He was happily munching away when he suddenly started gagging, then throwing up, then turning purple and then blood started coming out of his mouth. I had no idea what to do. I tried putting my fingers in his mouth to pull out the apple piece, but he just bit down. He gagged a ton more, started crying and the bleeding stopped, thankfully. I nursed him for a bit, but he was so upset and stressed out that he clung to me for the rest of the night. We didn't sleep much last night as he would only sleep laying directly on top of me all night long and even then wanted to nuzzle into my breast or my neck constantly. Today he is hoarse and still a bit clingy, so I am pretty sure his throat still hurts.

I can't quite figure out how his mouth/throat ended up cut, but it was definitely a super scary moment for me. I was in the middle of the frozen foods aisle and everyone was just sort of turning the other way while I completely freaked out. Noone even approached us or asked if he was ok. I absolutely will not let him have an apple with the skin on for a good long time now. So scary...


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## ledzepplon (Jun 28, 2004)

Oh how scary! I'm so glad he's okay.


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## lactivist (Jun 14, 2005)

Wow! I am so glad he is okay. My dd choked yesterday too but it was much less traumatic and quick, but super scary. Big 







for you mama! Thanks for the reminder about apple peels.
Wendi


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## kirstenb (Oct 4, 2007)

I'm glad he's alright! Thanks for sharing...


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## KJoslyn78 (Jun 3, 2007)

oh my!







I am so glad he's ok now

and how rude/mean/etc for others to jsut, turn away... at the very least they could have offered to go to the front and get help :headshake:


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## thatblondegirl (Jan 16, 2008)

so scary! i am very leery of giving my 19mo anything with skin on it for just that reason. i would have froze, if i were you! L has choked a few times and thank god his dad was there cuz i am useless when it comes to that stuff!

i'm glad your son is ok!


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## lovemyfamily6 (Dec 27, 2006)

Oh my goodness! How scary!







I'm sorry that happened, and also that people turned the other way.







I'm glad he's okay today.


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## St. Margaret (May 19, 2006)

Pumpkin Pie! That must have been so scary. I hope people just thought they were giving you privacy during a tantrum or something, and didn't realize he was choking! Someone should have called for help, in case more was needed!

I'm so glad your little guy is okay. Be gentle to yourself and him today-- lots of snuggles for both of you!

And thank you for the reminder. I've gotten complacent about this, mostly b/c DD spits out the peel immediately, and I usually do a quick thing where I eat off the peel so she'll actually eat some apple, but I am going to be more careful.


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## milkybean (Mar 19, 2008)

"We got a big bag of apples and he was begging for one, so I handed him one (please no flames for eating in the grocery store...).

Eh, a bag is usually weighed already, right? So you're not necessarily skewing weights. We let DS have a banana at Trader Joes b/c they aren't charged per pound, but per banana there, and just show them the skin.









I'm kinda one of the most anti-MD people around, but the idea of something being CUT after eating something in the store is freaking me out. I think I would head to a doctor for that.

Maybe it's the era I was a kid in, but Halloween+apple+mysteriously cut mouth is scaring the blankety blank out of me right now.


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## Mama Poot (Jun 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *milkybean* 
"We got a big bag of apples and he was begging for one, so I handed him one (please no flames for eating in the grocery store...).

Eh, a bag is usually weighed already, right? So you're not necessarily skewing weights. We let DS have a banana at Trader Joes b/c they aren't charged per pound, but per banana there, and just show them the skin.









I'm kinda one of the most anti-MD people around, but the idea of something being CUT after eating something in the store is freaking me out. I think I would head to a doctor for that.

Maybe it's the era I was a kid in, but Halloween+apple+mysteriously cut mouth is scaring the blankety blank out of me right now.


oooh yeah i remember that. my mom told me people put needles or razors in apples, so i wasnt allowed to eat any i got trick-or-treating.

it is more possible a child would eat and choke on the stem rather than the peel. i always makesure the stem is removed.


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## veganf (Dec 12, 2005)

Sounds very scary!
However, I'll still give my kids food with peels, just not super tough peels; I don't want them to get used to eating just the insides of fruits and veggies.

It's a good idea to keep current on infant/child CPR and first aid.


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## KerriAZ (Oct 27, 2005)

Oh GOSH how scary!







, Momma!!! I'm so glad he's okay!


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## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

He is doing ok today. He is a bit clingy still and still begging for apples.







I hadn't thought of the old "razor blades and needles in apples" stories from my childhood. Eek! I think he is in the clear though. I am pretty sure it was a piece of the peel though. He spit out a chunk of apple with peel all around the edges and immediately stopped choking. He was still crying and coughing, but not choking. It is just so scary that something as soft as an apple skin can be so sharp.

Veganf, not to argue, but that is exactly why I was giving DS apples with the peel occasionally. I wanted him to eat foods in their real form and get used to eating and chewing peels. I didn't think that apple peel was all that brutal, and totally didn't expect this to happen. Seeing him having a hard time breathing, turning purple and seeing blood coming out of his mouth is a sight I will never forget for as long as I live.


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## njbeachgirl (Oct 8, 2006)

Yikes, that is scary.

my toddler ate a whole apple once. Core and all. I couldn't believe it. (bad mama moment)


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## Ruthla (Jun 2, 2004)

I'm glad he's OK. That must have been so scary!


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## veganf (Dec 12, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *njbeachgirl* 
my toddler ate a whole apple once. Core and all. I couldn't believe it. (bad mama moment)

LOL, my 2yo does this maybe once a week. I have a photo shoot documenting the process even. Apparently my mother did the same thing as a kid.
Me personally, I can't stand the texture as I near the core.


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## Miss 1928 (Nov 12, 2007)

Wow! How scary for you both!







You poor things!

Our LOs are a month and a half apart.
I haven't peeled an apple for Eloisa in a really long time. (Unless the skin was just too tough.) I wouldn't've thought about it being a choking hazard at this age. You're making me think twice about that now.


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## MaterPrimaePuellae (Oct 30, 2007)

I am not sure I understand how the peel is related to the bleeding? Did you actually see the cut? It seems more likely that he bit his lip/tongue/gum, reacted to the pain by inhaling bits of the apple, and choked on those. I don't know, though-- maybe I'm misunderstanding?


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## chick (Sep 12, 2007)

Glad he is ok.

Never peeled an apple for dd and no intention to tbh. Just like I don't cut grapes in half.

She's gagged before but never choked.


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## angelachristin (Apr 13, 2007)

I really don't understand how the apple peel could possibly have cut him? My DS eats whole apples all the time. He won't eat them at all if I cut them up or peel them. He spits out the skins he doesn't want, and he's gagged on some every once in a while, but usually just for a split second.

I'm glad your LO is feeling better, though; that must have been so frightening for both of you


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## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

He definitely did not bite his tongue. His mouth was wide open as he was gagging and choking. He only bit down when I put my finger in his mouth, so the only thing I could think of was the apple skin must have cut him somehow. I know it sounds strange, and maybe that wasn't what caused the bleeding, but there was definitely blood in his drool and around the corners of his mouth. The blood wasn't there for the first part of his choking either. He was gagging and drooling pretty hard and there was no blood, but then it suddenly was there while his mouth was completely wide open.

I have noticed throughout the day today that he is gagging more than usual. He seems to be very sensitive to things in his mouth, and is still pretty clingy. Poor guy.

Anyway, thanks for the support mamas. To the mamas who are posting saying that they won't ever peel an apple, I am glad you are so confident, and I pray your little ones never have this happen.


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## netgyks (Aug 5, 2007)

I'm totally peeling from now on, I didn't even know I was supposed to after he got a lot of teeth. Thank goodness he was okay, and you too, if I had been in the store I would've helped. Hope he continues to do better.


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## lovemyfamily6 (Dec 27, 2006)

I'm glad he's still doing okay (and not scarred for life from apples







). I actually just wondered about apples on Sunday. I sliced some up for my bigger boys and their friends for a snack and I couldn't remember how old little ones could safely (in general) eat the peel. I looked in Super Baby Food and she says not until 3 years old, before that it is a choking hazard. My guy is 17 months and I'm sure I would have let him try well before 3 without reading that!

I wonder if it cut him sort of how a tiny hair can act like a splinter if you step on it? Maybe it turned just right and it nicked the really soft part back there? In any case, it had to be one of the most terrifying moments of your life!

Quote:


Originally Posted by *chick* 
Glad he is ok.

Never peeled an apple for dd and no intention to tbh. Just like I don't cut grapes in half.

She's gagged before but never choked.

Really? I'm kind of surprised that someone would give a little one something that is obviously a choking hazard. I'm glad that all she did was gag, but the whole round object, tiny child learning to chew didn't worry you? It just seems like a safety thing to me, like using a car seat. Chances are good that everything will be okay, but why take the chance?


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## Zuzu822 (Oct 5, 2006)

How scary! My older son gagged on apple peels occasionally when he was younger too! Nothing so bad, though, and I'm relieved your little one is recovering!









He also has eaten the entire core too! I've never peeled apples for him, but I do still occasionally cut them into bite size pieces since if I just slice it, he'll shove an entire piece in his mouth rather than take bites. He's fine with whole apples, though, so go figure!


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## Viola (Feb 1, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Pumpkin_Pie* 
He only bit down when I put my finger in his mouth, so the only thing I could think of was the apple skin must have cut him somehow.

Yeah, some apples have sharp skin when they are cut, so I imagine it was like a paper cut in the soft tissue at the back of his throat.

That sounds quite frightening, and I'm sorry no one tried to assist you.


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## muttmom92 (Mar 20, 2005)

I'm glad he's ok. How scary!

If he chokes on something again (hopefully not), don't stick your finger in his mouth. It can push whatever is in there back even more. Turn him over with his head down so gravity is working with you and hit him on the back between the shoulder blades.


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## Pumpkin_Pie (Oct 10, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *muttmom92* 
I'm glad he's ok. How scary!

If he chokes on something again (hopefully not), don't stick your finger in his mouth. It can push whatever is in there back even more. Turn him over with his head down so gravity is working with you and hit him on the back between the shoulder blades.

Thanks so much for this reminder. I remember this from a class long ago, but totally didn't think about it at the time. I am so mad at myself for sticking my fingers in his mouth. I am so glad I didn't make things worse.


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## mamamarley (Jul 24, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *muttmom92* 
If he chokes on something again (hopefully not), don't stick your finger in his mouth. It can push whatever is in there back even more. Turn him over with his head down so gravity is working with you and hit him on the back between the shoulder blades.

I'm really glad for this reminder, too. Thwomp the back, THEN finger sweep? It's been quite a while since I took infant CPR & first aid, it seems like "finger sweep" was in there somewhere, but please refresh my memory!


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## ecoteat (Mar 3, 2006)

DH and I talk about this a lot--do we leave the apple intact because that's how we eat them or do we peel them because dd likes them better that way because they're easier to eat? I've never even thought about the skin being a choking hazard; I just know she'll eat more of the apple if it's peeled!


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