Always supervise your baby when they are eating snacks or meals. They cannot cry out to you if they have something stuck in their throat and will not know how to get your attention.

One thing you do need to remember when you are giving your baby finger foods is choking. A concern many parents share is that their baby will choke and they won’t know what to do.

However, it is worth remembering that a baby’s gag reflex is very, very far forward in their mouth. This means that babies will frequently cough, and spit things up, but it doesn’t mean that they’re choking. Rather, it’s just their way of preventing themselves from choking.

To reduce the chance of choking, there are certain ways to cut up your baby’s finger food. For example, cherry tomatoes, blueberries, and grapes should be chopped in half as they are the high choking risk foods.

Avoid whole and chopped nuts until your child is five years old as again they are a high choking risk and can be inhaled.

If your baby chokes on food you will need to perform first aid to clear the blocked food. Please see our lesson on first aid for babies choking to learn how.