Table 1.

Strategies to prevent food choking.

Babies-Toddlers-Children

• Breastfeed as long as possible • Introduce different textures and flavors during weaning, under supervision • Adopt the Baby-Led Weaning strategy when appropriate • Teach children the correct consistency of food well chewed: similar to a blended veggie soup • Cut grapes, olives and cherry tomatoes in half, lengthwise • Teach children it’s ok to spit out pits, seeds, bone fragments etc. • Teach children not to talk with their mouth full • Teach children not to run, laugh, stuff their mouths or play while eating • Provide a quiet, unhurried, environment during meals • Prevent distractions during meals, such as computer games • Be a model for your child: always eat something crunchy to promote better chewing and oral detection of foreign objects • Safety 1st Small Objects Choking Tester, is a simple device to determine how small is too small. Designed by the CPSC, Consumer Product Safety Commission. If an object fits entirely inside this Choking Tester, then it's a choking hazard to a child.

Adults and Elderly

• Eat slowly and let the saliva soak the food until the bolus has a soupy consistency • Practice mindful chewing to identify small changes in texture (seeds, dirt, plastic fragments etc.) • Cut the meat in small bites and chew them thoroughly • Avoid distractions and physical movements during meals (no TV, computers, walking or talking) • Cut hotdogs and sausages lengthwise and not in round thick slices. • Be mindful that dentures reduce the oral sensitivity to find smaller items such as little bones or veggies hard fibers • Excessive alcohol may impair oral sensitivity and motor performance • Chew well foods that are sticky: rice, wafers, peanut butter and avoid hard candies, especially round ones • Supervise the meals of anybody with neurological, psychiatric or neuromuscular issues • Don’t try to answer quickly and avoid laughing with your mouth full