I’m all about food. And I even indulge myself with a good hot dog every few years. I fed my children hot dogs not infrequently. I am now changing my mind when it comes to this particular food and kids. It presents an unnecessary risk. What I’m going to share is pretty scary. Last week we had a nanny with a child who choked on a piece of hot dog. She was told to make the hot dog and cut it up into small pieces which she did. Unfortunately, this child who was only one-shoved more than one little piece in his mouth and proceeded to choke. Fortunately, this nanny was CPR trained and knew what to do. It was still a terrifying experience for her. The only time in 20 years of childcare where she actually had to use her CPR training.  So what’s the take away? We have been very busy reading articles on what food to avoid for babies and toddlers. I have linked to a few. Here are my two simple pieces of advice:

1. Make sure your babysitters/nannies have current CPR and First Aid training and know what to do if there is a chocking incident.

2. Avoid hot dogs (and grapes) in young children’s diets.