Redesign hot dogs to be chokeproof?
The American Academy of Pediatrics is waging war against the hot dog – not because of its terrible nutrition value, but because of its potential to choke small kids.
The Academy would like to see a choking hazard label placed on hot dog packaging. Or even better, it would like to see foods like hot dogs redesigned so their size, shape and texture would be less likely to catch in a child’s throat.
According to an article in USA Today:
“More than 10,000 children under 14 go to the emergency room each year after choking on food, and up to 77 die, says the new policy statement, published online today in Pediatrics. About 17% of food-related asphyxiations are caused by hot dogs.”
” ‘If you were to take the best engineers in the world and try to design the perfect plug for a child’s airway, it would be a hot dog,’ says statement author Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. ‘I’m a pediatric emergency doctor, and to try to get them out once they’re wedged in, it’s almost impossible.’ “
Smith points out The Consumer Product Safety Commission requires labels on toys that are potential choking hazards but there’s no equivalent for food.
Janet Riley, president of the National Hot Dog & Sausage Council, says she supports more education for parents but:
“… Riley questions whether warning labels are needed. She notes that more than half of hot dogs sold in stores already have choking-prevention tips on their packages, advising parents to cut them into small pieces. ‘As a mother who has fed toddlers cylindrical foods like grapes, bananas, hot dogs and carrots, I ‘redesigned’ them in my kitchen by cutting them with a paring knife until my children were old enough to manage on their own,’ Riley says.”
Here is a gallery of top choking hazards for kids.
So what do you think: Should there be choking warning labels on hot dogs or other similar foods like grapes or carrots? Should the hot dogs be redesigned? (What would you do with it?)
Should it just be up to the parents to take the time to prepare the food in such a way to make it less dangerous to their kids? (Or up to the parents to just not buy it?)
Have you ever had a child choke on a hot dog? Did you/do you cut them up? Up until what age?
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104 comments Add your comment
5!!!
February 22nd, 2010
9:05 am
There was an article about 5 years ago in this paper about a boy (around 4 or 5 I think) that died at the movie theatre after choking on popcorn. I don’t remember all of the details, but I do remember that the mother took the child out to the lobby and tried to dislodge the popcorn and that several others tried to help but the child choked and died right there in the lobby.
At the time, my son was just a toddler and I had already given him popcorn. After that, I did not give him any more popcorn for years.
I guess that parents just need to be further educated about it.
JJ
February 22nd, 2010
9:31 am
This is crazy. Cut the damn things up before you give them to your kid. Common sense……
A
February 22nd, 2010
9:36 am
Yes, cut them up, or maybe even better don’t give hot dogs to kids under the age of 3 period. I’ve been buying the organic hot dogs made without nitrates, antibiotics, etc. but most hot dogs out there are basically junk in tube form. Your kids are probably better off with other food choices until they are a bit older. Better to be safe than take a chance!
Jeff
February 22nd, 2010
9:38 am
“The Academy would like to see a choking hazard label placed on hot dog packaging. Or even better, it would like to see foods like hot dogs redesigned so their size, shape and texture would be less likely to catch in a child’s throat.”
You cannot be serious! Sorry, Theresa, but you know as well as I do that a label doesn’t change anything. If you redesign a hotdog, then it isn’t a hotdog anymore. Did Cynthia Tucker sneak in and write your blog for you this morning?
Theresa Walsh Giarrusso
February 22nd, 2010
9:40 am
Jeff – I’m not promoting anything — just posing questions.
Jane
February 22nd, 2010
9:46 am
Warning labels?
How about teaching your child how to take a bite of food properly?
RJ
February 22nd, 2010
9:46 am
Placing a label on a hotdog package could be helpful, however once that’s done will parent actually heed the warning?
Dave
February 22nd, 2010
9:47 am
Jeff- no, Cynthia Tucker didn’t write her blog today: there are certain identifiable elements missing that would be there (I think you know what they are) about who’s fault this stuff is.
Nicole
February 22nd, 2010
9:48 am
Parents….pay attention to your kids…don’t expect the government or other companies to pay attention.
cld
February 22nd, 2010
9:51 am
I agree that labels don’t change behavior. (How many people have stopped smoking because of labels on cigarette boxes? Maybe they’ve stopped because of larger-scale efforts to educate, but probably not because the package says it’s bad.)
I also don’t think hot dogs can or should be redesigned. I mean, would they start making them in shapes, like chicken nuggets? Seems a little silly . . .
I do let my toddler have the occasional hot dog. But I slice it and then quarter the slices. At what age is it safe to stop doing that? My aunt once told me a story about a kindergartener (she works at an elementary school) who choked on a hot dog and died. I wouldn’t have thought it’s still a choking hazard for 5-6 year olds. But I guess when you’ve got one adult to 20 (or more – do the elem teachers monitor their classes at lunch these days?) children to an adult, maybe there just isn’t enough oversight to feed borderline unsafe foods? (And I’m talking choking safety, not nutritional safety.)
momtoAlex&Max
February 22nd, 2010
9:55 am
Good grief!!! What’s so hard about cutting the damn hot dog yourself??? I did that for years, along with bananas, grapes, and everything else I fed my kids.
I think there are some people out there that need a warning label themselves for being too dumb to reproduce.
Jeff
February 22nd, 2010
9:58 am
OK, ok, ok. sorry for the Cynthia Tucker comment. LOL. I over-exagerated a tinsy winsy bit.
HB
February 22nd, 2010
10:00 am
It surprises me that choking worries people more than the kids actually ingesting the hot dog. Those things are scary. Cld, I knew a daycare owner who stopped serving hot dogs after an older child (6, I think) choked on one and she had to Heimlich them. She had never served them to toddlers and thought older kids were ok, but then realized as you pointed out, we don’t watch older kids as closely, plus they tend to be less focused on eating than tiny kids as they’re laughing and joking around with their friends.
Parents could teach kids to eat them like one little boy I knew did — across the top like corn on the cob. :)
Sarah H
February 22nd, 2010
10:05 am
Good grief! Cut it up!
Jesse's Girl
February 22nd, 2010
10:08 am
Um…how bout NOT giving your kid a hot dog? Or puree it if you’re that concerned and let them drink the juice….OR..and I know this is radical…just cut it up? Been traveling and lurking lately….visit more later!
YUKI
February 22nd, 2010
10:09 am
I knew well before my kid had teeth that hot dogs were a known choking hazard…I read it a bunch in articles, books, etc…I just make sure to cut them up into pretty small pieces. It’s not really that difficult. I guess a warning label wouldn’t hurt but if that is the only way some people will realize they need to make sure certain food is cut up for a toddler/young child they probably need more help than that…..
DB
February 22nd, 2010
10:12 am
Why pick on hot dogs? What about the 70% of choking deaths that are as a result of toys? Should we ban toys? What about the most prevalent food deaths: gum and candy? Do Skittles get a warning label, too? And, along with hot dogs, including nuts, vegetables and fruit pieces? Should we genetically redesign nuts?
Children’s molars are not developed, and as a result, they do not chew as well as adults. Until the age of 4 or even 5, parents should be serving food in small pieces.
This is not a hot dog problem. This is a parenting problem.
Lori
February 22nd, 2010
10:12 am
If you are too dumb to cut up for toddlers food, then you shouldn’t have kids. Making manufacuters put so many labels on things is idiotic. People aren’t going to read them anyway, and the abulance chasers will still be out for blood. People just need to actually be parents and protect their kids.
5!!!
February 22nd, 2010
10:14 am
Surprised at all the insensitive comments here. As if none of your children have ever eaten anything that is hazardous.
I mean, I am 33 years old and jjust last year I almost choked on a piece of radish in a salad.
I had to heimlich a 65 year old client in the middle of a restaurant. He choked on a piece of steak.
Anyway, I thought I was a well informed parent, but until I read that article I gave my toddler popcorn. I just never had thought about it.
5!!!
February 22nd, 2010
10:15 am
Oh, my son also swallowed a penny when he was 3. Scared me pretty bad, but ended up with a great XRay pic. You can actually see Abraham Lincoln’s face in there.
Michelle
February 22nd, 2010
10:16 am
Honestly, I don’t think a label would make a difference. Some parents just don’t know! They were given hot dogs as kids, etc. There needs to be education from the pediatrician (assuming they go) and the nurses! I used to cut mine up until he had all of his teeth! Once he got all of his teeth, I quit cutting them up (grapes too). Now he is old enough to know how big of a bite to take!
Jesse's Girl
February 22nd, 2010
10:28 am
My oldest would stick pieces of apple in her nose…she was 2 at the time…but still. You don’t see me advocating cutting up fruit for toddlers….she was being silly…ok, maybe stupid:)
Lisa
February 22nd, 2010
10:37 am
5!!! – so then, you’re in favor of what – dicing or pureeing all of your child’s food until s/he’s a teenager?
whatsthedealwith....
February 22nd, 2010
10:39 am
Is it just me or does it seem like parents today are relying on everyone else but themselves to raise their kids? Schools, television after school, babysitters, coaches, labels, more labels, etc… At some point it has to stop and you have to take responsibility for your own child! Stop hovering over your kids school, turn off Hanah Montanna, leave their soccer coach alone and either cut up the stupid hot dog or teach your kid how to chew! if you still find yourself needing labels, stop giving birth!!!
DB
February 22nd, 2010
10:46 am
@Jesse’s Girl: I remember being 4 years old and playing with a tiny game piece from a Parcheesi game. Don’t ask me why, but one night, after I had gone to bed with it clutched in my hand, for some reason, I thought it would be a good idea to stick it up my nose. Whoops — lost it! After about 15 minutes of fruitless attempts at extraction (which only resulted in it being pushed up further), I crept out of bed and told my mom what happened. My dad was out of town, and after spending about a half hour basically trying to blow my nose until my brains came out, Mom was scared, gave up and we went to the emergency room. THAT was scary — a big city ER, no kids hospitals, so there were gunshot wounds, people moaning and screaming — eek! I was terrified! We waited for an hour, and a nice doctor peered up my nose, picked up a VERY long pair of forceps, and two seconds later, extracted the game piece. We got home about 11:30 pm — my mother was exhausted and wrung out.
CDD
February 22nd, 2010
10:46 am
Kids will be kids & parents just need to do *their* job and be as vigilant as possible about protecting them from themselves – or at least their seeming ability to get into all sorts of trouble. That goes for food that might get stuck in their throats as well as other things, like fences around pools, or teaching them not to talk to strangers. It’s all part of parenting and it should be tailored to how old (mature) the child is as to what they should be allowed to do on their own. Unfortunately the flip-side is that it’s impossible to keep all dangerous things away from children and accidents do happen. I can’t tell you how many times my kids have gotten bruises or scrapes just from playing outside, or the time when my baby fell down some steps because the baby gate wasn’t properly latched. (She’s 100% fine BTW.) No government is going to do that by slapping a label on something as “dangerous” or whatever. Just cut the food up or don’t serve it.
Janice
February 22nd, 2010
10:48 am
Oooooo, FCM’s gonna be mad. This blog wasn’t posted until 8:58.
Rod
February 22nd, 2010
10:50 am
My son is 35 months old (almost 3). Yesterday we were at a friend’s house for a cookout. Gave my son a hotdog (in a bun). I cut it in half and gave it to him. He did what he was supposed to do – take a bite, chew, swallow, repeat.
We were there with him. Is this really that big a deal? I assume most of the chokers are younger than that?
FCM
February 22nd, 2010
10:52 am
Janice I am not the one who gives a rat’s tail when the blog posts. If your going to throw stones aim correctly.
There is a Surgeon General warning on every pack of cigarettes sold. There is also a warning lable on a bottle of beer. Does that stop the person from consuming either?
FCM
February 22nd, 2010
10:59 am
“About 3000 adults die each year from choking on food” (Googled it). Obviously we all need pureed food (LOL — JG I luv your comments girl).
Jeff in Roswell
February 22nd, 2010
11:00 am
Enter your comments here
Tiger needs me on his PR team
February 22nd, 2010
11:01 am
Stats from the CDC in case anyone is interested…if we’re going to make the suggestion that hot dogs be redesigned, perhaps we should consider getting the US Treasury to redesign coins too.
Quick Facts
•In 2000, 160 children ages 14 years or younger died from an obstruction of the respiratory tract due to inhaled or ingested foreign bodies. Of these, 41% were caused by food items and 59% by nonfood objects (CDC, unpublished data).
•For every choking-related death, there are more than 100 visits to U.S. emergency departments. In 2001, an estimated 17,537 children 14 years or younger were treated in U.S. emergency departments for choking episodes.
◦Sixty percent of nonfatal choking episodes treated in emergency departments were associated with food items; 31% were associated with nonfood objects including coins; and in 9% of the episodes the substance was unknown or unrecorded.
◦Candy was associated with 19% of all choking-related emergency department visits by children ages 14 years or younger; 65% were related to hard candy; and 12.5% were related to other specified types of candy (chocolate candy, gummy bears, gum, etc.). The type of candy was not specified in the remaining 22.5% of the cases. Candy was associated with 5% of all choking-related visits for infants less than one year of age; 25% of visits for children ages 1 to 4 years; and 28% of visits for children ages 5 to 14 years.
◦Coins were involved in 18% of all choking-related emergency department visits for children ages 1 to 4 years.
◦In 2001, 10.5% of children treated in the emergency department for choking episodes were admitted to the hospital or transferred to a facility with a higher level of care.
Van Jones
February 22nd, 2010
11:01 am
Until each of our kids reached the appropriate age to eat an intact hotdog, we redesigned hotdogs just before we served them… with a knife.
Jeff in Roswell
February 22nd, 2010
11:04 am
I think putting a label on the package makes good business sense in today’s society. Look at the McDonalds coffee lawsuit. With that being said, it’s absolutely up to the parents to do what they need to do to limit choking hazards.
Now, from another business stand point, Oscar Meyer would make a killing on a redesigned hotdog that lessened the chance of choking. Freaked out scared parents would flock to those things. You could charge double and they would buy them.
Jeff in Roswell
February 22nd, 2010
11:07 am
Hmmm, the old gears are turning…
How about extrude the goo into a case the size of a number 2 pencil? You could braid 6 or seven of them into the size of a normal hotdog – kids would love them! I’m on to something now!
FCM
February 22nd, 2010
11:08 am
JG my brother shoved a Barbie doll outfit belt buckle up his nose. He was 4. My mom banned all Barbie doll accessories (shoes, buckles etc but not brushes) from the house until he was 7. She told me why. Fast forward to my darling daughters…when they started getting barbies I took all the accessories out too–and told them why…this year (8 & 10) they were told that could keep them but if I found them in noses etc they were in the trash. So far so good, but last night the 8 yo put a Trivia pursuit triangle in her mouth–she was told to remove it and if it happened again the game was getting locked up.
She stopped
Becky
February 22nd, 2010
11:11 am
Kids can choke on milk also, should we stop that for them?
Jeff in Roswell
February 22nd, 2010
11:15 am
My son is in kindergarten and they serve hot dogs at school. I’m positive that they don’t cut them up for the kiddies. With the exception of a few back yard bbq’s during the summer, school is the only place he eats them. I love hotdogs… but they are so filled with crap that we don’t buy them much at all.
JATL
February 22nd, 2010
11:28 am
Good lord! Cut up things you’re worried about or don’t feed them to your kid! My 16 month old ate a box of popcorn almost as big as he is at the circus yesterday. I thought, hmmm -I know this is a choking hazard, but he’s only eating one piece at a time, and he’s chewing it -so I let him enjoy it. I cannot BELIEVE the pediatric association is wasting time on this. Why don’t we all puree everything and never let the kids go outdoors where we can REALLY hurt ourselves (oh, wait, then they get fat -but maybe they won’t on all that pureed food….)
TnT's Mom
February 22nd, 2010
11:32 am
Why can’t the Academy of Pediatrics aim their efforts at parents? We parents are the ones responsible for what our kids eat, not the government or even the manufacturers. They have valid points that the hot dog can be a hazard if not cut up properly. So use the time and money to teach parents how to cut up and serve foods. The pediatricians give us all sorts of other advice why not this advice?
Theresa Walsh Giarrusso
February 22nd, 2010
11:40 am
but jeff what would happen tot he buns =— now the bun manufacturer’s have to get involved!!!!
new mom
February 22nd, 2010
11:50 am
Agreed with most–parents need to be educated and it’s their responsibility for their child’s safety.
When our oldest daughter was between a 8 mths to a year or maybe older (can’t really remember exactly!) I had to do the back thrusts on three different occasions with her. Her food was tiny (shredded cheese, halves of cheerios!) but she’d still get choked. She’d chew and all, then it would get backed up in her throat. Had we not taken a baby safety and first aid class before she was born, I would not have automatically known what to do and been able to save her life. (and please, I don’t want to hear how I could have explained to her at that age to swallow her food all the way!) Also, it’s important to watch them while they eat. They don’t exactly say ‘I’m choking…please help’.
I think the emphasis should be on encouraging parents to take safety and first aid classes. You never know when it will save your child’s life.
Theresa Walsh Giarrusso
February 22nd, 2010
11:53 am
We had a choking incident on pork when Rose was probably 3 — had to call out the ambulance — we had gotten it out of her throat by the time they arrived but it was very scary —- they paramedics were fantastic with her —
Walsh shoved a pomegranite (sp) seed up his nose and we had to take him to the hospital for that — they can suck things from their noses down into their lungs and aspirate on it — who would have thought he would stick the seed up his nose — that was less scary than the choking -
Jeff in Roswell
February 22nd, 2010
11:53 am
I forgot about the buns! Pepperidge Farms has the small “Slider” buns for hamburgers, maybe they can do something with the hot dog buns. Hmmm, more brainstorming is needed!
Jeff in Roswell
February 22nd, 2010
11:59 am
My son choked on an a segment of orange last week. It had the pulpy white stuff on it and he did not want to chew the pulp, so instead of spitting it out he decided to swallow it. It got caught in his throat. It is scary to see your kids choking.
5!!!
February 22nd, 2010
12:17 pm
“5!!! – so then, you’re in favor of what – dicing or pureeing all of your child’s food until s/he’s a teenager?”
Its not that I am advocating anything, I just think its insensitive to judge people whose children choked on a hotdog (some to death) as bad parents or stupid. I mean, I wouldn’t have known and I am not dumb.
These kids don’t come with instruction manuals. Its not all common sense either. I am sure that every parent has learned some little lesson the hard way. Maybe it was a small lesson like boys tend to pee on you when you remove their diaper. Until I was pee’d on (lesson learned the hard way) I was unaware of that fact. Maybe I missed that class somewhere along the way.
Unfortunately, some people have learned in the hardest ways that hotdogs are choking hazards. I wouldn’t have known. My son doesn’t eat any meat (his choice, not mine, I eat meat) but if he had wanted a hotdog, I don’t know if I would have thought to cut it up at say age 3.
Valstake
February 22nd, 2010
12:25 pm
I understand the issue here, kids choking on hot dogs, but what about adults who happen to like bratwurst, weisswurst, etc? They are not “hot dogs,” but they’re the same shape. So because some kids might choke, adults have to change their food likes or submit to a redesigned wurst? I’ll bet street vendors, ballpark vendors, etc. will really like any changes that come down the pike. There are many unsafe situations in life… you can’t always prevent accidents, but vigilance will keep you safer. Just cut the hotdog up into pieces… or give them pork and beans. Oh, better not do that, they might choke on the beans!
Theresa Walsh Giarrusso
February 22nd, 2010
12:42 pm
A shot of what is going on at my house —- starting to pack up 166 boxes of Girl Scout Cookies for delivery!!!! I’m so hungry and want to eat the cookies!!!
http://blogs.ajc.com/momania/2010/02/22/stop-tempting-me-girl-scout-cookies/
Dirtman
February 22nd, 2010
1:38 pm
Has anyone ever heard of parental responsibility? Watch your damn kids, and don’t expect the world to do it for you. You had the fun spreading legs and making the kid, now have the responsibility to take care of it. Don’t stick it in front of the tv and walk away. My God, I’m sick of an ignorant society that believes every business and everyone else must take care of the kid because the parents are too damn lazy to do what they are responsible for.
LibraryJim
February 22nd, 2010
1:53 pm
This reminds me of the scene in “Tough Guys” (1986), where Burt Lancaster’s character, Harry Doyle is released from prison but because of his age is sent to live in a retirement home run by Jake (of “Body by Jake” fame). Well, he goes to complain about the quality of the food — everything is pureed! He wants a steak! But Jake is firm: everyone has false teeth and can’t handle steak. Whereupon Doyle snaps his pearly whites at him and says, I could cut bricks with these babies, I want a steak!
He never did get one and had to ‘escape’ from the home before he finally got one.
Some people want the government to run our lives like Jake ran that retirement home — do everything for us, including cutting our food into safe, bite-sized pieces that don’t require any effort.
Not me. Give me a T-Bone Steak, medium rare. NOW.
Becky
February 22nd, 2010
1:54 pm
@Dirtman..That would be nice if some people would do that..But in the real world it doesn’t happen..
@Jeff in Roswell..The McDonalds lawsuit was someone being just out and out STUPID..I know thats my opinion..
julia
February 22nd, 2010
2:04 pm
This again is stupid people should not reproduce… Some of the stuff they recall or have to put warning labels on there because some one did it.. Like the blind strings.. Really why in the world would some one put the crib in reach???
joel rosser
February 22nd, 2010
2:08 pm
I am so sorry the child choked, but I am having a hard time figuring out what the Government is supposed to do to to prevent it from happening again. Should it require lables stating: Before serving to small children cut into 1/4 inch bites not to exceed 1/4 inch in diameter? Not to sound harsh, but perhaps the parents of small children need to assume a little responsibility and think about these things in advance. I am in my seventies and remember my mother cutting my food into little bitty bites before she served it to me. Again, I am sorry, but at some point people are going to have to take personal responsibilty and let the government govern matters it was set up to do.
Mopsy
February 22nd, 2010
2:11 pm
Many years ago I world in a large ob/gyn office. We actually had two patients that had toddlers choke to death on hotdogs. The problem is usually the casing is so tough they are not always able to chew it sufficiently, much like if an adult takes to large a bite of tough meat or happens to get fat or gristle and get choked. Hotdogs are so easy for children to eat and they tend to love them but cutting them where they are not round or even peeling the casing off is a life saver.
Thera
February 22nd, 2010
2:17 pm
Even with five adults sitting around her my niece (about 5 at the time) put an entire shoestring french fry into her mouth and nobody noticed. With a distressed look on her face she stood up and basically regurgitated the whole thing onto her plate! Sometimes children don’t chew properly. Sometimes adults don’t chew properly, either. We all get in a hurry or aren’t paying attention and accidents happen. We can’t change these foods because a small precentage of people die every year. It is tragic but we should slow down when we eat and pay attention to our little ones (and not so little ones) when they eat. Alter the size and shape yourself. Don’t expect the government to do it.
New Stepmom
February 22nd, 2010
2:21 pm
With a baby due in May, this is good information to know because I hate hotdogs and have not eaten one in probably 25 years and would not really think about it. However, the gov’t getting involved is absurd. The AAP should use PR to get this message out. Because I am about to be a first time mom to an infant, I talk a lot to other moms and go to blogs/websites like this to get this type of information. If the gov’t gets involved I am much more likely to ignore it as bureaucratic BS than if the information is disseminated through the mommy network.
LibraryJim
February 22nd, 2010
2:22 pm
Mopsy, there are a number of Hot Dog brands that do not have casings, or use no fillers. They might be more money, but often one can get them on B.O.G.O. sales and freeze them (they last quite a long time). That would solve the problem in your scenarios without government intervention.
Tiger needs me on his PR team
February 22nd, 2010
2:22 pm
I may be out on a limb out here, but somehow I doubt that every choking incident is because of a stupid or negligent parent. I doubt even most would go under that category. They’re accidents, and accidents happen. I get the expressions of dismay at suggesting the hot dog industry should re-design hot dogs, but to extend that to some kind of assumption that when choking does happen, the parents were stupid, irresponsible people seems a bit harsh if you ask me.
mike
February 22nd, 2010
2:36 pm
Redesign the hot dog? I have an idea! Make the hot dog super jumbo sized so it can be cut into slices and made into a sandwich… oh wait, that’s bologna.
Darwin
February 22nd, 2010
2:39 pm
Put simply, parents who can’t teach their children to chew properly before swallowing, should not be allowed to have their gene pool continued. In the same sense, children who choke on bites that big are obviously not smart enough to live. Natural selection people, natural selection.
julia
February 22nd, 2010
2:41 pm
My bologna has a first name, its OSCAR. My bologna has a second name its Mayer. How does the rest of that go???
Tiger needs me on his PR team
February 22nd, 2010
2:49 pm
@Darwin….kids who choke deserve to die. Nice. I love cutting edge humor…just wish your statement contained some.
HB
February 22nd, 2010
3:05 pm
I agree with those that say warnings labels are not the only way of getting the word out, and sure spreading information through doctor visits and blogs are great additional measures to take. But here’s the thing — you can’t make all doctors tell their patients’ parents and you can’t be sure that all moms are reading blogs (or even have access to the internet). Here’s a pretty safe bet, though — people consuming the hot dogs (or preparing them for their children) at some point have the packaging in their hands! A redesign may be asking too much, but why not warn about the risk and/or include choking prevention tips on the package? Same with venetian blinds. Clearly, since a significant number of kids are getting hurt, not everyone knows these things, and the packaging is an ideal place for that information. That’s not blaming the company for accidents that involve their products — it’s just giving parents the heads-up to keep an eye out for something they might not have thought of that has harmed many other children.
Becky
February 22nd, 2010
3:21 pm
@Julia..Oh, I love to eat it everyday and if you ask me why, I’ll say, cause Oscar Mayer has a way with B O L O G N A..
julia
February 22nd, 2010
3:42 pm
HB, I guess it just comes down to common sense… No one told me I had to not put the crib in reach of the blind…
I guess common sense is a gift that has died..
The reason they have these warning labels is because some moron as done it…. Hmm dry your hair in the tub or the shower…….. dont put the garbage bag on your head………………….
Tiger needs me on his PR team
February 22nd, 2010
3:46 pm
@julia…left the childs door open resulting in death by smoke inhalation……
mike
February 22nd, 2010
3:48 pm
I know! We can start putting the hot dogs behind the meat counter/deli and have those buying read and sign a warning disclaimer before the hot dogs are released. Maybe even be given “frequent hot dog consumer cards” for those that don’t want to have to go through the hassle of reading and signing the release document before getting their “danger dogs” BOOM! problem solved!! lol
julia
February 22nd, 2010
3:48 pm
every time I think about the water / hair dryer thing I go back to the movie What Women Want :)
Tiger, Me?? yep I did and would do it again
julia
February 22nd, 2010
3:50 pm
Mike before you can buy them you have to sign a disclaimer saying you take full responsibility of eating it properly
Tiger needs me on his PR team
February 22nd, 2010
3:51 pm
@julia…..just agreeing with you that common sense is a lost gift.
julia
February 22nd, 2010
3:52 pm
DB hand them a pack of zots and a soda!! :)
Jeff in Roswell
February 22nd, 2010
3:52 pm
Huh haaa! Err Der.. Comma cents? What dat?
julia
February 22nd, 2010
3:57 pm
Tiger if I shut his door now he flips out…. :)
Becky
February 22nd, 2010
3:58 pm
@Julia..Common sense isn’t so common anymore..
Tiger needs me on his PR team
February 22nd, 2010
4:04 pm
We pick and choose our common sense. Common sense to one may not seem so common or sensical to the other.
what the?
February 22nd, 2010
4:14 pm
hot dogs are only a choking hazard if you don’t chew. that’s pretty much the case with every food ever. I guess we need warning labels on everything.
Overit
February 22nd, 2010
4:23 pm
Rather than depending on the governemnt to do something about it how about parents actually do it themselves. If the kids are small cut it up to smaller pieces with a knife. If your kid can’t chew peoperly, teach them. Our governemtn has bigger issues to worry about than making food companies change their products shape. Common sense must not exist any more. I have two kids in their teens, and the both survived hot dogs, grapes, carrots, and any other food that may be a choking hazard.
george washington
February 22nd, 2010
4:24 pm
This country is just one big wus train.
LibraryJim
February 22nd, 2010
4:29 pm
HOT DOGS, Ar-mour HOT DOGS
What kind of kids love Ar-mour HOT DOGS?
Big kids, lit-tle kids, kids who climb on rocks
fat kids, skin-ny kids, ev-en kids with chicken pox
love HOT DOGS, Ar-mour HOT DOGS
The dogs kids love to bite!
Oh I wish I were an Os-car Mayer Wie – ner
That is what I’d tru-ly like to be
’cause if I were an Os-car May-er Wie – ner
Ev-ery one would be in love with me.
Oh, I’m glad I’m not an Oscar Mayer Wiener
That is what I never want to be
‘Cause if I were an Oscar Mayer Wiener
There would be nothing left of me!
CT Hill
February 22nd, 2010
4:29 pm
Where’s Doc Graham when you need him?
julia
February 22nd, 2010
4:36 pm
Here is a LACK of common sense for you… My ex husband had the boy this weekend. He just turned 14 and this is not 1960. He let him drive his car… My first thought was too bad a cop did not see you because you could have been hauled off to jail, but you better freaking thank your maker he did not some how wreck the car and kill you both. This was done on a road and not a parking lot…. Sue me, I am an over protective mom on somethings…. I will also say that next year he will NOT be getting his learners premit!
Jeff
February 22nd, 2010
4:43 pm
EVERY FOOD IS A CHOKING HAZARD!!!
RJ
February 22nd, 2010
4:53 pm
I would like to know how many adults choked on hot dogs during the same time period analyzed for the children that did so. I’m pretty sure the number would surpass the childrens. I know I have choked several times on various foods. Reminds me of my mother always saying chew with your mouth closed … I assumed it was for proper etiquette, but now I wonder if it wasn’t really to stop me from taking the big breaths in through my mouth with it was full of food :) lol.
FCM
February 22nd, 2010
5:05 pm
Is it nostalgia commecial day?
“The world looks mighty good to me
‘cause Tootsie Rolls are all I see
Whatever it is I think I see
Becomes a Tootsie Roll to me
Tootsie Roll how I love your chocolatey chew
Tootsie Roll I think I’m in love with you
Whatever it is I think I see
Becomes a Tootsie Roll to me”
I’ll betcha dollars to donuts that Tootsies are choking hazards too!
FCM
February 22nd, 2010
5:07 pm
RJ–adults are more likely to choke due to inappropriate behaviors (laughing or talking) while eating than just normal consumption. Children are more likely than adults to choke from just swallowing but I did not find figures as to how much is just swallowing. My guess (assumption?) is that the inappropriate behaviors are higher among kids than adults. Ergo children choking is not so much from what they eat but what they are doing while they eat.
Leigh
February 22nd, 2010
5:13 pm
Umm, isn’t anything that is meant to be eaten a choking hazard? I mean…you put it in your mouth and swallow it, hopefully with some chewing thrown in there. If you can swallow it you can choke on it. Duh.
Teach your kids how to take appropriately sized bites and to actually chew their food. Safer for them in the long run and it’s just good manners anyways.
JAM
February 22nd, 2010
5:55 pm
So it’s come to this has it? Sad…so, so, sad.
Pi$$onaDawg
February 22nd, 2010
6:30 pm
If girls and guy boy can’t eat a hotdog then how can they learn to give good HEAD? SWALLOW don’t Spit.
Pi$$onaDawg
February 22nd, 2010
6:32 pm
Sorry GAY boys. I guess Bananna’s and cucumbers are dangerous too.
Seriously?
February 22nd, 2010
7:07 pm
This is just plain stupid and thats all there is to it. Leave hot dogs alone, theyre deliscious and dont need to be changed
Edwin
February 22nd, 2010
7:38 pm
Sure! Let’s redesign the hotdog … and while were at it let’s re-engineer bananas, carrots, grapes, cucumbers, & eggplants. Let’s not forget lollipops, gumballs, marshmallows. Why don’t we shove these things down the throats of these pediatricians and shut them up for good!
motherjanegoose
February 22nd, 2010
7:42 pm
I think they should ban pennies…..LOL…When my son was 2 he found a stray penny and popped it in his mouth. I was on the phone with my 70 year old neighbor and glanced at him to see that he was turning blue. I knew something was lodged in there but not sure what it was. I performed the Heimlich on him and the penny shot out like a bullet. Scary and true story!
Perhaps make parents watch a video, in the pediatrician’s office about safe procedures with children. Also require First Aid and CPR.
When I share my insect program, I tell the children that if they have a can of Coke/ Sprite and leave it on the picnic table while playing outside or swimming in the pool, to press it to their belly button and blow hard into the can before they take a drink. Insects such as bees have been known to crawl into sweet soda cans and if a child takes a drink they can sting the child in the mouth or be swallowed. We practice not blowing close to your mouth as the bee will crawl right onto your lip.
One thing about having kids…just when you think you have seen it all…something else happens!
motherjanegoose
February 22nd, 2010
7:44 pm
FYI…if you blow into the soda can this will stir the insect up and it will try to fly out. Blow and put the can away from your face….to make sure the can is empty.
What
February 22nd, 2010
7:45 pm
What’s to be sympathetic toward? That the child died, yes. But not this “cause”. Children can choke on anything. They will be able to choke on whatever form hot dogs take. Instead of dealing with the issue (the parents’ education and the prohibitive costs and scheduling obstacles of child first aid classes, which around here are almost $100 and scheduled maybe once a month), they go for the course that only appears to deal with the issue. Even though it doesn’t. But it acts as a security blanket to soothe their fears, so they don’t really care if it’s not truly effective or reasonable.
LB
February 22nd, 2010
7:47 pm
I had a serious choking incident with a hotdog when I was six. Fortunately my mom saved me. Lot of ignorant comments here (surprise surprise) discounting the opinion of pediatricians who know what they’re talking about. Many pediatricians will also correctly point out that your shouldn’t be feeding your kids (or anybody for that matter) packaged meats. I’m not saying be vegetarian, I’m saying stop eating garbage.
clearvoice
February 22nd, 2010
8:22 pm
They should be redesigned in the shape of a dairy-air. This way when the group who proposed the change and the dumb illiterate parents who don’t understand will know the new package is meant for them.
Semler
February 22nd, 2010
8:57 pm
Children should be breast fed until the age of 35.
Steve
February 23rd, 2010
12:31 am
More of the Wussification of America. What will the Gov’t want next, all food diced/chopped/pureed for everyone?
Parents – use some g**d*** common sense!! We taught our 9-year-old from the time he started getting solids to CHEW HIS FOOD!!!!!!!!!! Geez, what next?? What we need warning labels on is knee-jerk “watchdogs” who are out to serve their personal agendas.
Two hot dogs please. Extra chili and mustard, hold the onions. Varsity, here I come!!!
Scared
February 23rd, 2010
1:12 am
It is human nature when we hear of a tragedy to begin constructing reasons why it could never happen to us. “I teach my kids to chew,” “if you’re kid can’t chew it’s natural selection,” etc. Sadly, by doing so we often lose opportunities to improve our attention to potential dangers like choking on a particular food. More helpful would be to say, “Wow, that’s tragic, I’ll make sure I don’t give small kids whole hot dogs from now on to avoid future tragedies” but that type of critical thinking is unfortunately in short supply around these parts, if these comments are indicative of anything…
Fred
February 23rd, 2010
4:06 am
Natural selection at work……………..
HollywoodDon
February 23rd, 2010
5:49 am
Keep your filthy hands off our hot dogs!!!….is nothing sacred any more……get a life
shaggy
February 23rd, 2010
6:31 am
There is simply one solution to this dangerous activity: Ban all food for children until they are 18 and can vote. They can be hooked up to IVs for proper, safe nutrition. Sure, it’s a last resort to protect kids from the food menace that stalks them through their learning years, but the horrible image of a smart, caring parent missing the WARNING on the package and feeding the child a yea gads…HOTDOG, is just too much for mothers to bear. BAN FOOD FOR CHILDREN! That’s “BFFC for America”, so send your cash donation to this address marked “Attention: shaggy”. It’s too important not to send money, lots of money.
FCM
February 23rd, 2010
8:48 am
shaggy your cracking me up!
Martin
March 13th, 2010
1:40 pm
I have raised 5 kids to adulthood. I fed them hot dogs, uncut. No choking. I fed them bananas that they had to peel themselves. I also bought them assault rifles and taught them to think for themselves, and somehow they all became right-wing extremists rather than entitlement mentality, blame someone else, leftist, liberal weenies.