A grape that was lodged in the top of a 5 year olds…
Posted by Finlee and Me on Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Despite having to undergo general anesthetic and surgery to remove the grape, Henderson says the boy is “VERY lucky” that part of his airway remained open or this situation “could have ended badly.”
According to pediatricians, not only should grapes and other small fruits like cherry tomatoes be sliced in half when serving them to children, but there’s a proper way to do so to prevent kids from choking on their food.
A harrowing reminder of this is two-year-old Ayyan Umar, who choked to death last summer after swiping two grapes from a package while sitting in his mom’s grocer cart.
Not only is it important to always slice grapes in halves (or quarters for younger children), but remember to always slice the grape vertically rather than horizontally. This will effectively prevent the fruit from blocking a child’s airway when swallowing.
In her post, which has now been shared nearly 40,000 times, Henderson reminds parents that it’s not all kids chew their food, or chew it completely—especially if they’re in a rush at school to finish lunch and get to the playground.
“When in doubt,” she says, “just cut the grapes.”
