Research-backed
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Nutrition is very important in the early and formative years of childhood. You have to be extra careful about the foods that go into your baby’s tummy. And no matter how much they crave the sugar rush, you know you have to show your hard-hearted side and set a strict limit on sweetmeats to prevent the onset of health issues! After all, a healthy child is a happy child.
So you merrily turn to fruits and veggies to ensure your children get their daily dose of essential nutrients and minerals. And why not? It’s completely safe and healthy! Plus, fruits are so convenient. You don’t have to think twice about concocting a dish that makes them delicious and appetizing for your child’s taste buds. Just washing them and putting on a plate is enough!
Well, if that’s what you think, you might very well find yourself on the wrong side of the fence. At least after you see a horrifying X-ray that’ll make you do a double-take and induce you to seriously consider whether giving fruits to your baby is safe (what?)!
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First, right off the bat, let us tell you that is X-ray is real. No, it’s one of those fake news. This actually happened, and the X-ray is of a little 5-year old boy who had no idea that something like this was about to happen to him (1)!
As you can see from the picture, a small grape is lodged in this boy’s throat. This little tyke had to go through a surgery under general anesthesia to get the grape removed. And if you think that sounds like bad luck, he was still lucky.
The grape was stuck in his throat in such a way that his airway was not entirely blocked and he still could breathe, albeit with some difficulty. However, if the grape had blocked the airway completely, things would’ve gotten quite dangerous for this little one!
Lesson learned?
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It’s not just toddlers who are the risk of getting food stuck in their throat. Your 5-year old is just as likely to suffer from the same predicament. Hence, it’s vital that you give your child fruits and veggies that have been chopped properly into tiny pieces. Even the said fruit or vegetable is as small as a grape!
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Chopping up the fruits and veggies you give to your child is important as it prevents such fatal scenarios from taking place. Not all kids have the habit of chewing before swallowing. So if you feed them un-chopped versions of tiny foods like cherry tomatoes, grapes, strawberries or cherries, these can get lodged in their airways!
Besides, when your child is playing or rushing to school, avoid force-feeding them fruits or any other snack. They will swallow the food in a hurry rather than chew it.
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Moreover, while feeding your kids, make sure that they chew their food at least 10 times before gulping it down. Pay attention to them while they’re eating instead of just leaving them on their own. If it helps, you could also teach them about the importance of chewing food so that they get into the habit of chewing what they eat on their own (2)!
Handling a child is no less a challenge than climbing Mt. Everest! You have to be careful about every move you make as sometimes the smallest of missteps can come with a heavy penalty! However, don’t fret. As long as your children are chewing their food before swallowing, you can be sure that nothing of that sort will happen to them.
