Foods to avoid – 12 months to 24 months

Kids of age 12 to 24 months are most susceptible to choking hazards. Parents should take special care to make sure kids are not eating any such food that can result in difficulty to breath or any choking problem.

Large chunks of food can get stuck in in child’s throat. Fruits such as grapes, cherry tomatoes, strawberries should cut into small pieces before serving. Vegetables, cheeses should be finely chopped smaller than the size of the pea. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that food for kids should be cut into smaller pieces with size not larger than ½ inch. Raw Vegetables such as carrot, broccoli should be soft cooked and cut into pieces of size smaller than ½ inch. Nuts like almonds, cashew should be finely chopped into smaller pieces or preferable served in grained powder form. Remove seeds from fruits like watermelon, cherries and plums before serving, you should avoid giving sunflower seeds or pumpkin to kids of this age as there is big chance them getting stuck in the air-pipe. Crunchy food items such as popcorn and pretzels should be avoided. Try using syrup instead of hard cough candies. Sticky food items like marshmallows, gummies shouldn’t be given to kids of age 12 – 24 months as they can cause lodging in their throat.