Poll on Grapes

Ok, so I've been giving the boys grapes since about 14 months old, but I cut them up since I heard grapes are one of the biggest choking hazards for kids. I used to cut them in 1/4s, but now I cut them in half. Anyways, I'm starting to think they can handle eating a freakin' whole grape and maybe I'm just being too paranoid.

So what do other people do?

(And for all of those who clicked on this thread because they thought it was about eating grapes in the supermarket, you should be ashamed of yourselves :laughing: )

 

My girls are nearly 28 months, and I still cut their Grapes and Hot Dogs. I don't plan on stopping anytime soon.

 

I cut up their grapes into 1/3 or 1/4. I am way too paranoid about choking and grapes just have a slippery skin that scares me! Cherries too and most everything else in my house still gets cut up and probably will for a long time! Your kids are older than mine so I guess I'm not sure how much of a difference their "chewing" ability is to mine!

 

LOL!

I still cut them in half but the super small ones I dont.

 

We stopped cutting them in half after they got really good at eating them. I'd say around 20 or 21 months.

 

My girls are 25 months, but I still cut them in 1/4s.

 

I don't yet..but when I do I will be cutting them. A child in my class one year had a 4 yr old cousin choke on a grape, at a family function with lots of adults around. He did not survive. This was before I was even pregnant, but I will never forget that tragic story.

 

I've fed my guys grapes (1/4 for the small ones, the monster ones we cut into disks, then cut in 1/2) since they were about 13-14 months. I've read that the top food choking hazard for children under 4 are:

Hot dogs
Nuts and seeds
Chunks of meat or cheese
Whole grapes
Hard, sticky candy
Popcorn
Chunks of peanut butter
Raw vegetables
Chewing gum

I even read somewhere that nuts shouldn't be given to any child under 7! :blink:

So for all of the above foods, we either don't give them, or cut them into manageable bits. I'll probably do this until they are 4.

 

I cut them into 1/4 or 1/3 depending on size. They are a huge choking hazard so even if they seem like they can chew them up, all it takes is one going down tube the wrong way. I believe from my CPR class at work I think they are a huge problem bc grapes are about the size of a child's esophagus...same as hot dogs cut into slices. I will be cutting for a long time

 

:lol:


I try to buy the ones that tend to be on the smaller side. As long as they are smaller to normal size and not the huge ones you occasionally see, I dont cut them anymore. I think I stopped cutting them in half at about 2.5 YO (once they started taking them off the vine on their own before I could cut them and tolerating them well.)

 

So I'm starting to think I'm not being too much of a worry wart.

I buy the red ones, which are generally smaller and rounder, if that makes any difference.

 

No Rachel, you are not too much of a worry wart, if you are then you and I can start the Worry Wart Club! Mine are 25 months and if the grapes look large to us, DH & I still cut them in half. If the grapes are on a smaller side, we let them have them whole and that's been since 18-20 months.

I still cut their hot dogs and most of their sandwiches!

 

I still cut the big grapes in half for Lennon - and when I don't cut them in half, I've told him that he needs to bite them in half and not put the entire grape in his mouth. I'm paranoid about choking and honestly, as much as he talks and laughs during a meal time, he could easily suck a grape down the wrong way.

 

I cut them if they are the big grapes. If they are small, like blueberries, I have stopped cutting them. I still cut hot dogs, unless they are the skinny ones.

 

Mine are almost 3 and I still cut them in half. I also cut hot dogs length wise, and I even cut the round cooked carrots in half. But lately they seem to be fine with the carrots (since they are mushy), so I will probably stop doing that soon. I'm kinda nuts about choking though so I might not be normal :wacko:

 

I didn't know how to vote. For Eleanor and Ethan I give them grapes cut up, 1/4s for Ethan and at least 1/2s for Eleanor (depending on the grape size). I'm trying to remember when I stopped cutting grapes for the older kids, for normal sized grapes it was sometime between 2 and 3 years old, I really can't remember more specifically than that.

:acute: :hush: :lol:

 

Ditto! ...well except, I have boys

 

:rotflmbo:

Yeah, I am a bit of a worry wart when it comes to choking too. I still cut grapes. Anything that size really. Mine love the small grape tomatoes and I cut those up or make them bite it in half.

 

I totally did!!

Store bought grapes we ALWAYS cut in half... Mine are those kids that choke on things like that so I don't take any chances. However we have a couple grape vines and they LOVE those and know right where they are during the summer and eat the crud out of them LOL. They are little though and because it's usually warm they are softer so I don't worry as much.

 

I'm also so paranoid about choking, my girls were at least 4 before they had whole grapes

 

I bet you're not the only one. I've never read the famous grapes thread, but it is legendary.

 

What a relief! I'm not alone. I still cut a lot of things up including grapes and hot dogs. I'm paranoid about choking and only recently let them have popcorn. I think I'll continue to cut up and be vigilent for a couple more years.

 

Yup, we still cut grapes, hotdogs, grape tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and fruit leather.

 

I thought about this thread yesterday afternoon while at a birthday party another mom gave Meara whole grapes to eat. She did fine with it and she was eating them while dancing around (I didn't realize it was whole grapes until the mom said to me "Remember when we were paranoid about cutting these up? Glad those days are over." She has a kid the same age as mine). So um I guess I don't *need* to cut them up now that my girls are 3, but for big ones I probably still would.

 

You think you worry? I still cut blueberries in half! Guess I can lighten up a bit, huh? They both have a full set of teeth, molars and all, but I cut grapes into quarters or thirds usually unless they are small, then in half. DH just cuts them in half and if I'm home I hover when he feeds them :blush:

 

Last year when my girls were just 4, I had to cut grapes and carrots for their school lunch. I got a bad mommy notice home in their lunch box one day for not cutting the grapes and carrots.

 

I'm just starting to not become paranoid when grandma gives them whole grapes at 4.5. I do still cut their hot dogs in half just because it is easy.

 

Shoe-string budget in the family right now, so I only feed my boys raisins instead of grapes. *sigh*

 

well hand me the horrible mother trophy! I've never cut their grapes up...my mom started feeding them grapes around 18 months and since I wasn't there she didn't cut them...so I fed it to them the same way...same with baby carrots..

the only reason I cut up hot dogs is because they don't eat the bun and a giant hot dog hanging out of a kids mouth is kind of obscene! :lol:

 

You know if they are on sale, you can actually get the grapes cheaper. I got them for a $1.49 a lb a few weeks ago and 99 cents a pound last week. But if they aren't on sale, you'll pay a pretty penny in these parts.

 

ditto!

 

My poor son, it is obvious that the one thing he really, really wants to do is hold something of at least his hand's size and eat it but mean old mom cuts everything (literally, everything) into miniscule pieces! I have tried to see if I could stop, just last night in fact I gave them a grilled ham and cheese cut into like eighths and ds shoved the whole thing in his mouth so I proceeded to cut it into tiny pieces again :FIFblush: ! We don't do grapes that often, they are fruitaholics but I don't know if it counts since it is always fruit cups, but when we do not only do I cut them but I de-skin them too :rotflmbo: !

 

My twins are almost 22 months and I still cut anything that is round or they can't easily bite in half. I have been giving them grapes since about 12 months but cut them in 1/4. Now I cut them in half unless they are huge. I don't plan to stop cutting grapes up for a while.

 

Oh. My. God. I am the mom who answered that she doesn't cut up grapes for her 15 month olds!!!!! If they eat fresh grapes, then I only feed them the really small ones (just a tad bigger than a blueberry), but mostly they eat canned fruit cocktail and the grapes in that are really mushy. Now I feel like the WORST mom ever and will start to cut up their grapes!!!! Holy Catfish.