02 Jan No choking on my watch!!

There is nothing scarier than watching your child choke on something, am I right?  Wait!  The one thing scarier is watching your grandchild choke when you are on duty!!.

I went to the Jean Talon Market with Mason and my daughter Alex. We love this outing. It makes us feel like we are part of something bigger.  The smell of fresh produce, the taste of freshly cooked buttered corn and tasting all the samples, make grocery shopping a special time for us.

The trouble is when Mason is with us there is a stroller and then bags to carry. Not always easy to manage as you collect your treasures.  Last week, when we had bought all that we could carry, Alex decided to take run to the car to release some of the pressure.  Which left me with Mason at snack time. She was only gone for five minutes and of course by the time she came back both Mason and I were in tears.

Alex gave Mason a melty style baby cookie that admittedly would melt pretty fast when exposed to saliva. So Mason was chomping away with his bottom two teeth.  He has no other teeth yet.  He really does not eat solid foods yet but normally has no issue with this melty cookie.  NOT TODAY!!! He proceeds to choke on said melty cookie.  Not a serious choke but enough of a choke to have me out of my seat along with the lady next to me. His face was red.  I scooped out the piece of cookie that was causing the drama and Mason cried real tears from being scared.  I was not far behind with the tears.

Needless to say, I was traumatized and vowed never to leave the house without the food net. Ever again. What’s a food net you ask?  It is the best thing ever invented since I gave birth 25 years ago.  This little life saver literally saves lives.  It is a little net pocket that you put food in. It has a locking device and a handle so the child can hold it and suck on whatever is in the net.  I thought it was a bit silly when I first saw it.

“We never had nets, why do these kids need nets?” Now I know why.  They are designed for us grandparents who have no interest in teaching a kid how to swallow solid foods.  We prefer to enjoy risk -free fun. Am I right????

So next time your precious munchkin comes over and is still not quite eating solids, put a nice piece of fruit in the net and enjoy!!

I got mine on a visit to Target in the States but they can be found at Toys R Us as well as online at Snugglebugz.  There are few kinds to choose from.  I like the net vs the silicone pocket but it really does not make that much difference.