Pediatricians Want Redesign of Hot Dogs, Candy to Curb Kids' Choking

[Equilibrium]

I picked up a little opossum from the road. When I went to buy pedialyte and applesauce for the little thingie, I'm pretty sure I saw toddler hot dogs for sale in the baby food aisle. I don't know what brand they were... don't ask... this was last year but they came in glass baby food jars so somebody has started marketing them to "parents in the know". Adding a warning to hot dog labels probably won't do much... how many parents will bother reading the label> ??? Adding vitamin c to hot dogs to help prevent sodium nitrite from becoming carcinogenic was a good move... hot dogs are cheap and some parents won't stop using them as a staple no matter what their pediatricians tell them about the importance of a healthy diet. And then there's good old gerber telling parents "hot dogs are an option in the meat/poultry food group", My toddler loves hot dogs. Is this a problem? | All Stages | Gerber. And for really responsible parents... forget about all that childhood obesity and diabetes talk and buy one of these, Toddler Bites Hot Dog Slicer - One Step Ahead Baby. Manufacturers of hot dogs probably have looked into marketing square hot dogs... their bean counters probably figured they'd go over about as well as the mock ritz cracker apple pies did... so where's the return on their investment in new plants and equipment to sell redesigned hot dogs that will cost more when most Americans would continue buying the good old traditional ball park frank? Redesigning hot dogs does zip nadda nothing to educate all parents on choking hazards and even less to educate parents on what to do if their kid... or somebody else's kid is choking. Hot dogs and tootsie pops being choking hazards were "common sense" to me but peanut butter wasn't "common sense" until... I took those compulsory classes. Matter of fact... the only prospective parents in those classes that had the "common sense" to know that there was a different Heimlich maneuver for toddlers than there was for adults were the parents that had already taken first aid class and cpr classes. What's common sense to me now... wasn't always common sense...

[biigblueyes]

Originally Posted by Calliandra

In reality Flatdogs wouldn't save any lives though, since the families that would buy them are mincing the dogs anyway.

You are absolutely correct. And it's unlikely that someone who is oblivious to the danger round foods present to toddlers is likely to read the label of any food. It's the hoopla and complaining about the required warning labels that will actually get the attention of some who didn't know.

[biigblueyes]

Originally Posted by Equilibrium

I'm pretty sure I saw toddler hot dogs for sale in the baby food aisle. I don't know what brand they were... don't ask... this was last year but they came in glass baby food jars

I remember seeing these, thinking they look like Vienna Sausage.

[Stoloniferous]

You know what gets me cranky? It takes a community to raise a child. But when someone puts their nose in the air and says “they’re your kids, so they are entirely your responsibility”, that tells me that they are not a member of my community. If my child were lost in a crowd, I know I couldn’t rely on them to help them get back to me.

[Gloria]

Warnings and shape changes will not rid the world of the old shaped hot dog. But even if it did something else would cause a choking haszard. Sometimes children put stuff in their mouths that choke when swallowed. Knowing what to do then is way more important than anything else.
In our family there have been two incidents over many years where real damage could have occured. My nephew swallowed a piece of carrot he took from a tray at a neighbors when he was about 2 maybe.
Another sisters child swallowed a tab from the can of an older sibling. Luckily my sister is a nurse.
When a particular hazard is noticed by those treating a large number of children/people,we should be informed and if it continues steps taken to help make it safer. But it is still up to the individual , even with a village all danger can not be avoided. Not everyone will be as aware or prepared to act even if they are willing to help.

[Prairiefreak]

I don't believe in the "it takes a village" stuff. It takes a parent or parents.

Explain to me how asking for direction, from the parents, on what my babysitting "victims" are allowed to eat while I am babysitting them is untoward? And if the parents don't know about the dangers of choking....I say something about it. And still, if they say "grapes and hot dogs are okay", after the choking speech or not, you better believe I cut them into really small pieces before serving them to the 'lil cherubs. If the parents say peanut butter is okay for a child less than 10...I ask them for something else, and I say I don't feel comfortable with that. Peanut Butter is a whole 'nother thing, I've seen adults and dogs choke on it. I absolutely will not give kids candy.

I watch the kids when they play with their Legos, since I'm down there playing with them. Happy to say no one has been injured or died on my watch. I hang out with them, diaper them, play with them, feed them if requested, and send them to bed. The parent's way of doing things is the way I follow.

I make a small amount of money babysitting. I don't charge a lot, about $8 an hour. Usually, I do it for free. We barter around here. I babysit the neighbor's kid...she gives me a ride to school. She feeds my cats over a weekend, I pick her kid up from school for a week, or help her paint a bedroom. Works out great.

Fine, put the warnings on hot dogs for people who are too lazy to cut them up. Just make them REALLY expensive. Flatdogs! $15-$20 a pack sounds fair.

[Green Man]

Dang I dont think I could even get these into my mouth Kids have been eating hot dogs for a long time, I think it is the parents that have changed!! Maybe a little to distracted these days

[TheLorax]

(giggle) Those hot dogs would be difficult to eat.

[Equilibrium]

Cute weiner dog costumes. I ran into a blog online that was this Aussie guy visiting NY city. It was sorta funny because it was his take on things we think of as normal. Anywho... he took photos of a Coney Island hot dog eating contest and added some comments that were pretty riotous including only in America and how the contestants needed a police entourage to keep them safe. The contest photos are down toward the bottom... you can't miss em, Different | Goodbye Melbourne, Hello New York | NYC Photography Blog | New York culture and lifestyle