How to alter high-risk food to lower its choking risk
Food
Examples
characteristics
Small hard food Pieces of raw carrot,
apple or celery
Small round or Fruit with stones and
oval food large seeds or
large pips like
watermelon
Grapes, large berries,
cherry tomatoes
Raw green peas
Food with skin or Chicken
leaves Lettuce and other raw
salad leaves,
spinach, cabbage
1
’Soft’ means the food can be easily squashed between your thumb and forefinger, or on the roof of your mouth with your tongue.
Choking risk
Difficult for young children to
bite through and break down
enough to swallow safely.
Pieces can become stuck in
children’s airways.
Small round foods can lodge in
children’s airways.
Food skins are difficult to chew
and can completely seal
children’s airways.
Changes to reduce risk
1–3 years old 4–6 years old
Grate raw carrot, apple or celery, Prepare as for 1–3 years.
spiralise to create vegetable or Raw or cooked vegetables or
fruit spirals, slice thinly using a fruit cut into sticks
mandolin. (approximately 4–6 cm long)
Cook until soft1 and cut into strips that can be picked up with
(around 4–6 cm long) that can one hand.
be picked up with one hand.
Remove stones and large seeds or Halve or quarter grapes, berries
large pips. and cherry tomatoes
Quarter or finely chop grapes, Whole cooked green peas are
berries and cherry tomatoes to acceptable.
an 8mm x 8mm size or smaller
(about half the width of a
standard dinner fork).
Cook and squash with a fork.
Remove skin from chicken.
Finely slice or chop salad leaves, spinach and cabbage.
Grate raw carrot, apple or celery, Prepare as for 1–3 years.
spiralise to create vegetable or
 Food Changes to reduce risk
Examples Choking risk
characteristics 1–3 years old 4–6 years old
Stone fruit (eg, plums, fruit spirals, slice thinly using a Raw or cooked vegetables or
peaches, mandolin. fruit cut into sticks (around 4–
nectarines) 2 6 cm long) that can be picked
Cook until soft and cut into strips
Apples and pears up with one hand.
(around 4–6 cm long) that can
Tomatoes be picked up with one hand.

Compressible Pieces of cooked Can fit into the shape of the Cook meat until very tender. Prepare as for 1–3 years; or offer
foods meat airway and get wedged tightly. Choose mince, shred or chop thin strips of meat (around 4–
meat to 8mm x 8mm sized 6 cm long) that can be picked
pieces. up with one hand or with a
fork.

Food with bones Fish Small bones present a choking Remove all bones.
Chicken nibbles risk.

Thick pastes Nut or seed butter Can fit to the shape of a child’s Use smooth thick pastes sparingly, spreading thinly and evenly onto
airway or stick to side of bread.
airway.
Fibrous or stringy Raw pineapple Fibres make it difficult for Peel the skin or strong fibres off where possible.
food children to break up the food Slice these foods thinly across the grain of fibres.
into smaller pieces.

2
’Soft’ means the food can be easily squashed between your thumb and forefinger, or on the roof of your mouth with your tongue.