Did you know that popcorn isn’t advised until a child has all of their molars (around the age of four/five)?

I certainly didn’t! Many parents assume that because popcorn tends to be chewable, and gets soft when wet, it isn’t a choking hazard when compared to small foods of a comparable size, like whole grapes for example. Unfortunately, that is not the case – popcorn is a very real, albeit overlooked, choking hazard.

It’s recommended to wait until around the age of 4-5 to introduce popcorn to children – even though popcorn is softer than most other choking hazard foods, it still needs proper chewing and a child without all of their molars won’t be able to effectively break popcorn down, and due to the fact that a child this small doesn’t have the strength to effectively cough up fragments that they accidentally aspirate, it can lead to disaster.

This mummy’s Facebook post about a terrifying popcorn incident went viral…

Of course, it is ultimately your choice when it comes to offering food to your child, but it is also very important to be aware of professional recommendations and real incidents to help you to be as aware as possible. Nicola has told her story below; the popcorn ended up embedded in his lungs causing an infection and leading to two operations!

We hope that this helps you when it comes to knowing what foods are safe to offer to your little one.

Love from Katie & Team BBY. Xx