As a parent you want to keep your child as safe and healthy as possible. In addition to providing nutritious food it is important to make sure the food your child eats is safe. You may be surprised at some of the food poisoning risks in the food we eat. Take our quiz to see if you are taking all the necessary precautions.

Do you know which foods are most likely to cause choking? How safe is your water supply? We provide information to help answer these questions. Also check our Links page for internet sources of more information.

• Choking Hazards
• Drinking Water Safety Guidelines

Choking Hazards

Choking on food is a significant hazard for preschool children. Young children do not know how to chew well and don't really use a grinding chewing motion as adults do until about four years of age. Choking can be caused by a food getting lodged in the esophagus and putting pressure on the airway or by being inhaled directly into the windpipe.

The most dangerous foods are those that are hard and do not dissolve easily in saliva. Some of the most common causes of choking in children under the age of four include:

• Hot dogs
• Raw carrots and celery
• Peanut butter
• Hard candies - even jelly beans can be inhaled easily
• Popcorn
• Raisins
• Grapes
• Chunks of meat, boiled potatoes, other firm foods
• Nuts and seeds

Here are some precautions you can take:

1. Cut hotdogs lengthwise, then in slices.
2. Steam raw vegetables lightly.
3. Spread a thin layer of peanut butter when making a sandwich to prevent choking on a large sticky mouthful.
4. Cut up grapes.
5. Teach your child not to talk or laugh with food in his mouth.
6. Have him sit while eating, don't allow running around with food in his mouth.
7. Don't force food on her or try to rush her as that may cause her to gag and choke.
8. Watch that he doesn't stuff too much in his mouth at once.
9. Avoid allowing a toddler to eat in the car, especially if there is not another adult to assist her if she chokes.
10. Make sure foods are in a size and texture your child can handle.
11. Be especially careful if your child is late to get his teeth.
12. If your child has a medical problem such as prematurity, hypotonia, cerebral palsy or developmental delays, she may have a swallowing disorder. If you feel your child chokes excessively easily talk to your physician about having an evaluation of her swallowing ability.
13. Never leave a child unsupervised while he is eating. Listening from the next room is not good enough as a choking child may not be able to make any noise.
14. Don't use teething products that numb the gums before a feeding as they can numb the throat and interfere with swallowing ability.
15. Always have your child in an upright position when feeding.
16. Make sure that older children know not to give a young one a dangerous food.
17. Take a first aid class so you know the emergency measures to take if choking occurs.

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Drinking Water Safety Guidelines

1. If you have water pipes that were soldered with lead or if you aren't sure whether this is the case have your tap water tested for lead.
2. If you are giving bottled or filtered water to a child under age eight ask your pediatrician or dentist for a fluoride supplement to protect their tooth enamel.
3. Don't ever drink water from a stream or pond without properly sterilizing it.
4. Avoid swallowing lake or pool water when swimming.
5. Anyone with a diarrheal illness should avoid swimming in public pools or lakes, sharing baths with others and preparing food for others.
6. Test well water at least once a year for bacteria and other contaminates.
7. Most city water supplies are safe for children of all ages, however, there have been problems in some areas with contamination of the water supply. If you are using tap water to prepare formula for an infant younger than three months of age follow these precautions:

• Use cool water as warm water can carry more minerals such as lead.
• Let the water run for at least two minutes as water sitting in the pipes overnight can contain lead.
• To sterilize the water, bring it to a slow rolling boil for only one minute. Boiling longer than that allows some of the water to evaporate and concentrates the minerals which can be dangerous to infants.
• Turn the heat off and let the water cool at room temperature.
• Bottled water is not necessarily sterile and should also be boiled for infants under 3 months of age.
• Breast feeding or using ready to feed liquid formula avoids this problem entirely.

If you live in a house or apartment building with brass or lead in the plumbing, you should have the water tested for lead. Buildings with plumbing installed before 1930 and buildings less than five years old are at highest risk for lead contamination in the water. Well water should always be tested on a regular basis for impurities such as bacteria and harmful minerals. Contact your local county health department for further information about how to test your water. You can also call the EPA hotline at 1-800-426-4791.

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