Did You Know?!
In the European Union each year, an estimated 2,000 children (14 years or younger) choke on a toy.[Ref:34]
Grapes, Cherry Tomatoes, etc.
Foreign Body
Until children are at least 5 years old (and able to chew and swallow most foods without choking), grapes, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes and large blueberries should be cut into small pieces.
Please see Family Stories for a father’s account (and advice), ten years after his two-year old son nearly choked to death on a grape.
Both grapes and blueberries were recently cited as choking hazards, in a recent UK new story.
Below may be the first English-language written account of someone choking to death:
“Of things that endanger stopping of the breath in swallowing, some are Sharp, and some Blunt… I have heard of a Child in Woodstreet strangled with a Grape.”
– Stephen Bradwell (1633, London)