Eating alone

[noon_child]

I'm not sure I'll ever let my LO eat alone. I'm not sure exactly why but the thought of it makes me feel sad. Mealtimes should be a social occasion IMO. I'm not sure a child is ever old enough to appreciate sitting alone and enjoying food so I'll always stay with him/eat with him.

I don't worry about choking now at one (he was BLW) but I watch him just incase. As he gets older I'll continue to stay around with him - I tend to have him sit in the kitchen and I either have a cup of tea or wash dishes etc.

Not judging btw, I think I'm a bit odd for feeling the way I do!

No you're not odd! We had one highchair in the dining room so we could all eat together and another in the kitchen for snacks or meals that didn't co-incide with our own, but for some reason she started refusing to get in the kitchen one and would only eat in the dining room. I stay with her a lot because I don't want her to feel lonely but sometimes I need to clean-up from what I just made her, or othertimes I'm just really bored because she's chatting away to her food or just scoffing it down and acting like I'm not even there! I suppose I started this thread for those times when I've though the time could be used more productively but I'm not sure if it is safe to do so.

 

[HKateH]

I'm not sure how your house is laid out but could you put her highchair in the doorway or something? When my LO was weaning and mealtimes were more a case of dodge the broccoli than actual eating, I used to sit him in our hallway. That way I could do bits and bobs but still be with him!

 

[bumpbear]

I must be very easy going but I have left my daughter to eat food that has little choking risk on her own for ages and ages now. It might be because I live in such a small space, I would hear her if she started choking from whatever room I am in. She also snacks all day so always has food on her too! When she is eating her dinner, if I have stuff to do such as laundry etc, I will do it whilst chatting to her as she needs company all the time, but I will often be in another room calling out to her if that makes any sense.

 

[noon_child]

I would hear her if she started choking from whatever room I am in.

But choking is silent as there is no air passing in and out to make noise. This is why it is something I worry about.

 

[wannabemomy37]

I would hear her if she started choking from whatever room I am in.

But choking is silent as there is no air passing in and out to make noise. This is why it is something I worry about.

Exactly!! I wouldn't risk it, really. Perhaps if I got up to get a napkin or something but never to use the bathroom or fold laundry...there are other times to do those things IMO.

Things you should watch out for until they are about 5 years old:
Grapes - always cut them in half! The skins on them are a choking hazzard and so making them into non-circular shapes it reduces this risk.
Popcorn - This scares me so much as if anyone (child or adult) gets a piece of popcorn stuck in their throat there is NO way to help get it out of their airway without immediate medical attention.
Cheese/Meats - need to be cut into small pieces as they are chewier than most foods and if swallowed before chewing completely could be a choking risk.
Gum/lollipops, etc - lollipops can fall off the sticks and become dangerous and gum is not only a choking hazzard but is also sticky and can become more trouble than you could imagine while not supervised..
Any new foods as allergies may happen and let me tell you - when you're having an allergic reaction you DON'T always make a noise when your throat swells up..Scary.

 

[jd83]

I would hear her if she started choking from whatever room I am in.

But choking is silent as there is no air passing in and out to make noise. This is why it is something I worry about.

True. If a person is making noise, their airway isn't completely blocked. They will likely be able to swallow or cough it up. If truly choking with a completely blocked airway, they won't make any sound.

I saw this happen when I worked at a Wendy's in high school. A man was choking with a completely blocked airway, came running up to the counter for someone to help him. It took us all a few moments to figure out he was choking, but we did and someone quickly aided him to dislodge the obstruction. It was a completely silent struggle he had, and I will not ever forget it. So scary.

 

[noon_child]

I would hear her if she started choking from whatever room I am in.

But choking is silent as there is no air passing in and out to make noise. This is why it is something I worry about.

Exactly!! I wouldn't risk it, really. Perhaps if I got up to get a napkin or something but never to use the bathroom or fold laundry...there are other times to do those things IMO.

Things you should watch out for until they are about 5 years old:
Grapes - always cut them in half! The skins on them are a choking hazzard and so making them into non-circular shapes it reduces this risk.
Popcorn - This scares me so much as if anyone (child or adult) gets a piece of popcorn stuck in their throat there is NO way to help get it out of their airway without immediate medical attention.
Cheese/Meats - need to be cut into small pieces as they are chewier than most foods and if swallowed before chewing completely could be a choking risk.
Gum/lollipops, etc - lollipops can fall off the sticks and become dangerous and gum is not only a choking hazzard but is also sticky and can become more trouble than you could imagine while not supervised..
Any new foods as allergies may happen and let me tell you - when you're having an allergic reaction you DON'T always make a noise when your throat swells up..Scary.

I'm not sure I agree with all of this. I've seen similar on babycentre but got different weaning advice from other sources. For example my daughter bites chicken and cheese off larger bits. I don't know the 'right' size for her mouth and I'd rather she take a mouthfull and chew it than think it was so small she needn't bother chewing and try to swallow it whole. Also I read that toddlers airways can contract to the diameter of a drinking straw, that is really tiny so I'd be practically shredding food to get it smaller than that.

 

[RaspberryK]

I don't agree with cutting food into small pieces either but I'd never give a Toddler lollipop like that or gum.
Xx

 

[noon_child]

I don't agree with cutting food into small pieces either but I'd never give a Toddler lollipop like that or gum.
Xx

No me either. Hard candy scares me.

 

[HKateH]

I don't cut food into small pieces, except when my LO was obsessed with pincering everything and then I made them minuscule to keep him busy!

The only food I wouldn't give is whole nuts and hard sweets, but then he doesn't eat sweets yet anyway. I'll be loathe to give boiled sweets, lollipops or gum to him until he's a lot older - and I'm talking five or so.

I'm not sure I'd worry about popcorn. Although LO has never had it, it's more because of the salt content than choking risk.

 

[caz_hills]

I always sit with my son when he eats but we are lucky as we have an extension at home where we have our kitchen and dining table so he is always in the room with me. He is nearly three and I never think about choking hazards to be honest anymore but of course the threat is always there.

But I have started to think about giving him more independence and having him eat more on his own as curently he will only eat if I'm sitting with him.

 

[jd83]

I don't cut food into small pieces, except when my LO was obsessed with pincering everything and then I made them minuscule to keep him busy!

The only food I wouldn't give is whole nuts and hard sweets, but then he doesn't eat sweets yet anyway. I'll be loathe to give boiled sweets, lollipops or gum to him until he's a lot older - and I'm talking five or so.

I'm not sure I'd worry about popcorn. Although LO has never had it, it's more because of the salt content than choking risk.

Yeah, I don't worry too much about popcorn either. We have an air popper, so we pop it fresh and don't add any salt on the kids' popcorn. They loooove popcorn; we usually have it as a special snack on a weekend.

 

[liz1985]

Ds is almost 2 and half, and I dont watch over him while he eats but I wouldn't leave him alone for whole meals. If I need toilet etc I will go or sometimes get dressed while he eats breakfast but I call down to him. He usually talks to himself while eating so if he went quiet id check him.