19/12/2025
⚠️ Festive Food Choking Hazards – Please Read ⚠️
With Christmas parties, family gatherings, and festive treats everywhere 🎄, it’s important to be aware that some traditional festive foods can be choking hazards for babies and young children.
🍇 Common festive foods that can cause choking:
🟢Whole grapes
🟢Cocktail sausages / pigs in blankets
🟢Marshmallows
🟢Nuts (including peanuts and mixed nuts)
🟢Hard sweets and toffees
🟢Cherries and olives (especially with stones)
🟢Popcorn
🟢Chunks of cheese or meat
🟢Raw vegetables (like carrots)
🟢Mince pies or Christmas pudding (due to nuts, dried fruit, or hard pieces)
👶 How to reduce the risk:
👉Cut grapes, cherries, and olives lengthways into quarters
👉Cut sausages lengthways, not into rounds
👉Crush or finely chop nuts for young children
👉Supervise children while eating
👉Encourage children to sit and eat calmly (no running or playing)
🚨 If a child starts choking:
🔴Stay calm but act quickly
🔴Encourage them to cough if they can
If they can’t cough, cry, or breathe:
🔴Give 5 firm back blows between the shoulder blades
🔴If still choking, give 5 chest thrusts (for babies) or abdominal thrusts (for children)
🔴Alternate back blows and thrusts until help arrives
Call emergency services immediately if choking continues or the child becomes unresponsive
Knowing the risks and what to do can save a life ❤️
Please share to help keep children safe this festive season.
