24 months old+:
At this age, some toddlers may be ready to learn and practice how to eat single pieces of popcorn with close supervision and coaching. Before introducing high-risk foods like popcorn, make sure the child is ready to be coached in a supervised setting: they should be able to stay seated and focused, follow directions, and have had success managing a variety of other foods. Know that this activity is not intended as a regular snack time, but intended to be an active learning session for the child. Eating popcorn while walking around or while distracted (such as when watching television) increases the choking risk. Popcorn is considered a choking hazard for children under 4 years old by the American Academy of Pediatrics, so consider the risk in the context of each individual child and even after the age of 4 years, do not offer partially popped or unpopped kernels.
Practice with plain (unseasoned) popcorn, as powdery seasonings on popcorn may be inhaled, causing coughing and increasing the chance of an uncoordinated swallow, choking, or aspiration incident. Make sure that all unpopped and partially-popped kernels are removed, pick out and discard any popcorn that is stale, and remove any possible distractions. You may also want to practice eating popcorn immediately following a meal or snack, so that the child isn’t very hungry. There are a couple of additional things you can do to reduce the choking risk early on in teaching a child how to eat popcorn. You can remove the hull (the shiny, translucent piece of the kernel left in the popped popcorn) from each piece of popcorn before offering it to your child. You can also consider offering hull-less popcorn, if it’s available to you. This variety of popcorn is not truly hull-less, but the hull partially disintegrates during popping.
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When teaching a toddler how to chew popcorn, demonstrate by taking one piece and exaggerate moving the popcorn to your molars and chewing. Explain, “I am going to use my big strong teeth to chew this.” Teach the child to check for and remove any unpopped or partially popped kernels. Be deliberate and clear about throwing away the kernels, telling the child that you’re throwing them away because we don’t eat them. Then, offer one piece of popcorn to the child at a time; wait for the child to thoroughly chew the piece and swallow it before handing over another.
When it comes to offering a piece of popcorn without any modifications, or as a regular snack, this comes down to you and your comfort level, whether it is before 4 years of age or after. Know that serving popcorn while a child is walking around, distracted, or playing greatly increases the risk of choking, regardless of the child’s age.
Source: https://t-tees.com
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