It is really important that babies and children are safe while they are eating. The most common thing infants choke on is food. Below is information for how Early Years Settings and families can make sure that their children remain safe while eating. Remembering the 3 S’s will help – Seated, Supervised and Small bites (amounts).
Staying Safe While Feeding:
- Always supervise children while they are eating or drinking
- If the food is hot, allow it to cool before offering
- Sit facing children whilst feeding
- Encourage children to feed themselves, either with finger foods or with their own spoon so that they improve confidence and independence and learn to take manageable bites
- Allow the children to play and feel their food even though it can be messy this improves food awareness and self-feeding skills
- Keep the chair in an upright position when feeding
- Provide a drink in an un-lidded cup or free flowing beaker to wash away food when needed
Suitable Sitting Positions for Feeding
Babies/children should be in a suitable chair for their age for safe eating and this also helps develop good eating habits from an early stage.
It is important that the babies are able to sit upright with a minimal amount of support before they are placed in a chair. The chair further supports the child in the upright position which is vital when feeding solids. This will reduce the chance of choking and allow the child to swallow more easily. Examples of suitable feeding chairs are highchairs (in an upright position), and feeding chairs that attach to tables or chairs. These would all need to be used according to manufacturer’s guidelines, including any age and weight restrictions.
Unsuitable sitting positions
A baby bouncer isn’t a suitable feeding chair. They are not designed for feeding and the baby is in a reclined position which can increase the risk of choking. Where ever possible babies should also not be fed on an adults lap. This doesn’t encourage independant eating by the baby and the baby cannot see the adults face. In Early Years Settings this should be able to be avoided and an age appropriate chair used.
When families are out of home without a suitable feeding chair, if possible, baby should sit on one adult and another adult sit in front of baby to feed them. This way the baby still gets to interact with the adult that is feeding them and see their facial cues. The adult can also see any signs the baby is struggling with the food.
Choking
- Food is the most common thing children choke on. Choking happens when the airway is partially or fully blocked.
- As already stated babies and children should be sat down to eat. Moving around while eating increases the risk of choking.
- Choking can happen with any foods, but ‘firm foods’, bones and small round foods that can easily get stuck in the throat present a higher risk.
- When preparing food, it is important to avoid round shapes as these are a choking hazard. Cut small fruits lengthways and then halve again (quarters). These fruits include:
– grapes
– raspberries
– strawberries
– cherry tomatoes - It is common for children to gag on new foods and textures and this is different to choking.
- The Food Standards Agency have issued some useful resources in the form of two posters which can be displayed in your setting where food is prepared and served to children, as a helpful reminder of how to minimise the risk of choking.The first poster lists 5 essential steps to take to reduce the risk of choking and can be downloaded from here: https://www.foundationyears.org.uk/files/2021/09/Early-Years-Choking-Hazards-Poster_FINAL-21-Sept-2021.pdf
- The second poster is a table of foods and advice on how to prepare them to reduce the risk of choking. It also lists a number of foods to avoid giving to early years children. It can be downloaded from here: https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/media/document/Early%20Years%20Choking%20Hazards%20Table_English.pdf
- Learn how to deal with choking by visiting nhs.uk/choking-baby or do a paediatric first aid course.
- Best Start in Life also shows visually how to prepare foods safely for babies Preparing food safely for babies – Best Start in Life – NHS
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This is the sixth and final week of our 6 week Startwell summer holiday challenge. Enjoy running and rolling with Sammy Skills and have a go at making lunch with Fay 5 a day. We hope that you have enjoyed all of the activities over the last 6 weeks and have had a great summer. startwellbirmingham.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/6-Week-Summer-Challenge-Poster.pdf
Thanks to those who came along to our Startwell Characters and Messages Training on the 19th August. Take a look at some of the feedback from this training!![]()
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Our training is free and available to early years practitioners within Birmingham. To see what training we have available: startwellbirmingham.co.uk/training-dates/