Save the Hotdog

While most of us parents learned what we needed to know about childcare during growing up years with siblings, many graduate to become the “masters” of taking care of children. Safe Sitters is a wonderful program started right here in Indiana years ago by Dr. Pat Keener, a well known pediatrician. I have taught Safe Sitter in the past and truly believe that if all expectant parents would go through the program or a semblance of it, we wouldn’t see and hear about some of the crazy things in the news. I recently read an article about the poor American Hot Dog under attack by an Emergency Room physician that is tired of relieving choking victims of its remnants. I understand his frustrations and thinking of “let’s quit making hot dogs in their present form to prevent this horrible problem”. My question is: If we start with the hot dog and change it then what other foods will we have to alter to make our world safe for everyone? Peanuts, cheerios, fruit loops, bacon, raisins, apples, marshmallows, and any toy like Legos make a very convenient choking tool. If the hotdog was a universal killing machine then we would want to look at this. Do we really want to create a sterile environment that requires no anticipatory thought or responsibility? I have the greatest sympathies toward any parent that has had a horrific choking experience. My concern here is how quick we are to want to legislate or “outlaw” hotdogs when the hotdog isn’t the problem. We implement laws thinking we will get rid of a behavior like bullying. Shouldn’t we be preparing our children by modeling responsible behavior and living with boundaries. My second question is: What happened to the old rule of thumb that you didn’t feed small children hotdogs and if you did, you must cut it up into very small pieces. Where are the parents or child care givers who are supposed to be chopping the hot dogs?
Should we try first to educate the parents to prevent hazardous choking situations? Do the parents know that cheerios can do the same thing or if you put a whole plate of food in front of a baby-toddler and walk away that they can stuff the whole plate in at once and choke? Perhaps we should think about changing the environment to fit the child’s growth and development instead of making the hot dog the bad guy. It is difficult to be a parent and all of us have had a child choke at some point. It is terrifying I can’t imagine anything worse than trying to save a life in a choking situation and being unsuccessful. Let’s educate people to make wise choices so they can model making wise choices to their children. Perhaps we need a program like Safe Sitter that teaches how to relieve obstructed airways and common potential choking foods for all expectant parents. Something to think about.