Dumb question. My son is still rear facing and I expect he will be for another year. I handed him a crunchy granola bar today over my shoulder and realized that if we stopped suddenly it could be easily choked on and I wouldn't even know it was happening. Do you avoid your children eating in the car to prevent this risk, or do you only allow certain foods?
(he's never choked before, or even been close, but now it's suddenly weighing on my mind. He kicks down the car mirror so we no longer have any eyes on him.)
Post by countthestars on Oct 4, 2015 20:12:24 GMT -5
I make DD talk to me and I fix the mirror often so I can see her. We also try to mostly do soft foods just in case but sometimes all I have is a granola bar.
I try and sit in the backseat with him when he's eating. If I am alone in the car the most he will usually get is water/pouch or something that dissolves quickly like puffs. If he has to eat a full meal we stop somewhere to eat.
C only eats crackers and stuff that dissolves really easily with his saliva. Basically the minute it hits his mouth it starts dissolving. Not that he COULDN"T choke on it, just that it would be pretty unlikely. He really only gets food in the car if there is a passenger who can hand him something, because I can't/won't do it while I drive. We have the mirror on him. If anything happened, the passenger can lean back there pretty quickly (and direct the driver to pull over, do a sweep of his mouth, etc).
I never really let my kids eat rear facing either. DS moreso towards the end before we switched FF because he wanted what his sister wanted. I'd have DD or myself talk to him. I also have the chattiest kids ever I swear, so it wasn't really too much of an issue.
Post by ilikedonuts on Oct 4, 2015 20:20:28 GMT -5
My youngest has a mirror (I know projectile.) My oldest RF until 3y7m. And at some point we stopped with the mirror and she still ate in the car.
ETA: They get things like cheddar bunnies, crackers. And they end up eating waffles every morning on the way to school because we are always running late.
I have a mirror. She eats back there all the time. I figured I'd just pull over.
Ok. Thanks. I thought I was crazy. DD is always suddenly starving in the car. Also I don't have the kind of job where I can ensure meals are eaten before we have to leave.
She ate a grilled cheese on the way to our cruise this summer. I didn't realize she didn't finish it. I found a piece shoved in between the cushions of her car seat 10 days later. Cooking in the sun the whole time. Blegh. I always said I wouldn't let her have anything but water, but let's be serious. Ain't no one got time for that.
I try to avoid letting dd eat in the car. If we have to get out the door before breakfast I give her a frozen yogurt tube wrapped in a paper towel. With it being frozen it's harder for her to make a mess with it. The paper towel keeps her hands from getting too cold.
The only thing I have allowed the kids to eat in the car is a pouch. Even that I was a bit nervous with but I did let them have one for the first time last week after our music class.
My kids eat in the car often. Road trips, long drives from one side of town to another, being out all AM with DS2 while DS1 is in school, etc. I always choose snacks carefully, but never really thought to worry about it so much.
Thankfully at least DS1 has always been a super neat eater. DS2 isn't as great, but there isn't too much of a mess.
ETA: only water in the car, though...unless we're eating a meal in the car on a road trip. I'm not scared of week old pretzels, but I don't want to find week old milk!
Post by Velar Fricative on Oct 4, 2015 21:06:39 GMT -5
Fortunately DD is not much of a snacker so she never eats in the car. I would feel uncomfortable about it due to the choking hazard since she is RFing anyway since and is somewhat reclined back there.
People let their kids eat in their car seats? . Forget choking, who wants to clean that??
If we get stuck in traffic or are on a long trip, I pick cleaning the carseat/car over my ears bleeding from the whining hungry children. I pick up from daycare right as/right before they serve snack around 3pm, and they finished lunch before noon. The sadz are overwhelming sometimes, especially if we have to go directly from pickup to one of DD1's activities.
To be fair, my kids are probably in the car less often than many kids. DW usually picks them up from daycare on foot. But we do road trip often. I guess I get it, but it's just something I've never let be a possibility.
My kids RF until 4. They eat in the car all the time. In fact DD2 eats lunch in the car almost everyday. It makes my life so much easier. I use a mirror to keep an eye on DS, and can see the girls through the rear view mirror.
If someone chokes, I'll just pull over. The is really low on my safety radar.
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My kid eats in the car all the time. When he was RF I had a mirror so I could see him. Not a big concern of mine.
Yep, it's not a big deal to me. DD is still rear facing in my car and eats. She talks almost non-stop (even between bites) so I can always hear her. I also have a mirror.
Honestly it's not messy letting her eat in her car seat. I mean I don't let her eat waffles with peanut butter on them in the car but goldfish, crackers, dry cereal makes no mess. Maybe she's just a neat eater?
Post by undecidedowl on Oct 4, 2015 22:04:07 GMT -5
We avoid food in the car as much as possible. The kids commute is super short and if it's a long trip we just stop so it's not usually an issue for us.