# Popcorn - Choking



## Domestic Goddess (Nov 20, 2001)

When is popcorn considered ok to give to a child to eat? At what age?

Deb


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## leafylady (Nov 19, 2001)

Dr. Sears says 4 years old. Double check on his website, www.askdrsears.com , to make sure.


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## Peppamint (Oct 19, 2002)

Oops, wow! I've been giving my almost 2y popcorn. Of course, I pop it in a whirleypop and it's not as hard to eat as microwave popcorn.


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## leafylady (Nov 19, 2001)

Well, dh has been giving ds popcorn since sometime in his twos as well. It scares me every time. Ds is supposed to take bites, not hold it in his mouth, eat one at a time, no throwing it in the mouth, and so on....
Dh lets ds watch inappropriate movies too....., so don't use us as an example


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## Peppamint (Oct 19, 2002)

Quote:

_Originally posted by leafylady_
*Well, dh has been giving ds popcorn since sometime in his twos as well. It scares me every time. Ds is supposed to take bites, not hold it in his mouth, eat one at a time, no throwing it in the mouth, and so on....
Dh lets ds watch inappropriate movies too....., so don't use us as an example







*
LOL I know... my dd gets too much TV... a benefit (yeah right) of a dh who grew up on TV.

I guess I'm more worried about raw carrots and stuff than popcorn. I am always cautious though!


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## Domestic Goddess (Nov 20, 2001)

Grapes are dangerouse too. I know first hand when I had to do the heimliche maneuver on my son when he was 1.5 yo.

Very scarey.

Deb


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## Peppamint (Oct 19, 2002)

Quote:

_Originally posted by Domestic Goddess_
*Grapes are dangerouse too. I know first hand when I had to do the heimliche maneuver on my son when he was 1.5 yo.

Very scarey.

Deb*
Wow...







that had to be really scary!!


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## nikirj (Oct 1, 2002)

My 1 year old eats popcorn sometimes already.

I personally am galled by all the age-based guidelines around. This is a kid who has never so much as gagged on anything, I trust him with some popcorn. I hate that so much of our parenting is supposed to be based on what so-and-so says the 'right' age to do something is.

It is one of our almost-3-yo daughter's favorite foods as well.

I honestly don't see the difference between a peice of popcorn and a peice of cereal as a choking risk, unless you aren't watching your kids or aren't taking out the unpopped kernels.

Nicole
WAHM to Becca (2/1/00) and Tony (12/2/01)


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## Domestic Goddess (Nov 20, 2001)

It's not only the unpopped kernels to watch for, I think it's the thin shell of the popcorn (in the middle of the kernel) that can be inhaled into their lungs or get stuck in their throats.

I know that the little thin shell has gotten stuck in my throat a few times over the years and I'm 37!

Also, you could be there watching them eat it and they STILL can choke. So it's not a matter of them being watched or not.

Deb


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## CHEMama (Jul 1, 2002)

We give our 15 month old dd popcorn, but we eat the crunchy kernal part off first and just give her the soft stuff. Its a little bit of a pain but the fluffy part practically melts in your mouth, so there isn't really a chocking hazard.


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## juicylucy (May 20, 2002)

nikirj, I respectfully disagree. I am really glad they have age guidelines for foods. I haven't got the most common sense in the world, so it really helps to know what my 20 month old shouldn't be eating yet. I always watch him, but still, it eases my mind. And it IS only a guideline.


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## nikirj (Oct 1, 2002)

Quote:

_Originally posted by SDmummy_
*And it IS only a guideline.*
I think that what bugs me about it isn't so much that these guidelines exist, it is that they are treated as 'rules' rather than as basic middle-of-the-road suggestions. So if my kids seem ready for something, I'll do it despite whatever the guidelines say. For example, they both have peanut butter cookies, even though peanut butter is supposedly to be avoided for fear of allergies. Nobody on either side of the family has ever been allergic to nuts, so we judged it not to be a risk. The kids LOVE peanut butter. But we STILL get crap about 'you know, you aren't supposed to give them peanut butter until they are X years old, right?'

Anyway, I have to revise what I said; I think it is OK that these guidelines exist, but I think that we take them WAAAY to seriously a lot of the time.

Aloha,

Nicole
mama to Becca (2/1/00) and Tony (12/2/01)


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## oceanmommy (Nov 24, 2001)

Everyone at our playgroup has been giving the kids popcorn since about 1 years old.

When I mentioned that it was on the list of most chokable foods the moms were stunned..... and continued to feed the kids popcorn.

here's a link to dr Sears' chokable food page

http://askdrsears.com/html/3/t030400.asp

HE doesn't specify there or in his baby book (goes to age two) about at what age popcorn is safe to give. He DOES specify at both the site and in the book that it is "popcorn kernals" which are on the list... I don't know if that is unpopped kernals or all parts of the kernal. Certainly I have gotten a popcorn kernal in my throat at times in my life but it has never been life threatening even as it sucked at the time. I guess each mom has got to weigh the potential risk for their own child in terms of age, ability, desire, and potential consequences.

???

DD is almost 2 and she loves popcorn... I take out all the unpopped kernals and only let her have one at a time, in my presence. I am exceedingly careful about what I give dd in terms of chokability, so maybe I'll just discourage the popcorn for a bit. We'll see.


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## LiamnEmma (Nov 20, 2001)

The issue with popcorn is that if the inner portion gets stuck in the throat, it can "fluff up", so to speak, and that's how the child chokes. The age guideline has to do with the general age at which the trachea is large enough to handle such an event without being completely cut off. Grapes, carrots and other round foods are obvious to me, although people are continually surprised when I don't allow my dd to eat whole grapes. Maybe it's unhealthy, but I often operate on the "what if" principal in cases such as this. Boy, if I knew something was unhealthy (along the lines of carseats for example, why are foods any different in terms of safety?) and I did it anyway, and my child was permanently damaged or dead, I'd never forgive myself. Sorry, that got a little dark. Too much wine.


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## dentente (Aug 14, 2002)

Hey, there's always Pirate Booty! All the fun and none of the fear. I love the stuff.

Denny


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## EmeraldStar8 (Nov 12, 2002)

My child health nurse said 3.


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