Moms of young children are often terrified of choking -- and with good reason. It's one of the scariest and yet most realistic ways a parent could lose a child. But usually, by the age of 8, most parents think that fear has passed.
Now, a story out of Pennsylvania should have us all rethinking that confidence. Eight-year-old Aizeya Mattocks died on Tuesday after choking on a hot dog at school. As a parent, my heart goes out to her family in every way. But I am also terrified.
As a mom of a 5-year-old and a 3.5-year-old, I am well-versed in choking hazards. I don't ever feed my children (tofu) hot dogs without cutting them in half length wise and then slicing them to minimize choking risk. The same goes for carrots and just about any other food (like grapes) that feels scary to me. But I have become more lax with my older child. This adds a whole different layer of fear.
My number one fear with my kids, next to drowning, is choking. The idea that my child could eat something in front of me and get it lodged in her throat, and that somehow I might be powerless to save him or her.
But like SIDS and baby-proofing, I thought this kind of fear should start to dissipate as my kids get older. Now I am less sure. Obviously, I know this was a fluke. But if this could happen to one little girl, it could happen to another. And another. And another.
Sadly, this is the risk we run as parents. My daughter right now has never had a tofu hot dog that wasn't cut into pieces. In fact when her school served turkey dogs recently, she didn't even know what it was.
"I have never seen a whole one," she said. I laughed, but she is right. I have been cutting them for her since she was little and I will continue to do so. By the age of 8, I would assume we will have moved on, though. The fact is, one news story does not make a trend.
This story is tragic and moving and I feel for these parents more than I can even explain. But it isn't an example of a reason we need to make any changes. It's just a tragic and terrifying fluke. It could have happened to anyone, anywhere. Even an adult.
Does this story make you want to make any changes?
Image via dinnercraft/Flickr
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Comments 17
I never cut my older kids' hot dogs or grapes- they are 4 and 6 and do just fine (my baby isn't at that yet). A person of any age can choke on food so this isn't going to make me start frantically slicing everything my older kids eat into little pieces.
OMG! Maybe school should puree the lunches. Or better yet--Homeschool will solve it.
No such thing as an accident.
While it's undoubtedly a terrible thing that happened -- you simply cannot foresee every accident. An accident is just that. It's unfortunate. And no one should have to bury their baby.
But I just don't subscribe to the mindframe that every accident warrants new measures. Someone choking to death on a food does not make me rethink much. Maybe reminding my kid not to talk with food in their mouth, and try to stay seated while eating, and using this story as a good reason why. But it does not make me feel afraid. People have been eating for as long as there have been people!!
Anybody supervising the lunch? Where are the people that look into the bagged lunches to make sure the kid is getting all the required nutrients?
People choke. I was rushed to the hospital when I was little for swallowing a marble and again for swallowing hard candy. It didn't stop my parents from feeding me. A girl I grew up that got hit by a car in college, running on the sidewalk. I suppose walks are out too, right? Things happen. My heart goes out to the parents and family. People die. It's sad and tragic. We do things to keep them safe like car seats and such but we can't go overboard. We just need to make each day worth it while we're here.
Rather than slicing your middle schoolers food for them, I think a better tactic would be to become ertified and well-versed in all aspects of first-aid and CPR techniques. All parents should. You can't prevent every accident, and 8 year olds shouldn't need their food cut up for them. But observing and knowing how to deal with a crisis is paramount.
Unfortunately a lot of schools don't have an adult in the room during lunch, they have student supervisors. My son's school does this. Two children from Grade 4 or 5 come in during lunch, and the Teacher leaves...I guess to have her lunch in the staff room. I'm guessing if this was the case, it was the 1-3 minutes it took to find an adult / the teacher to intervene that probably cost the life.
I agree...learn CPR. Take a class, but even just watch a couple videos on youtube...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOWwyJEFiPo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7BubI6peCc