Food Safety for Children Under 5
Keeping children safe when eating
Young children can choke on any food. At Wrockwardine Wood Infant School and Oakengates Nursery School, children’s safety is our priority.
We follow national guidance to reduce the risk of choking and ask parents and carers to prepare all food safely, including snacks and packed lunches.
Preparing food safely
Please:
- Remove stones and pips from fruit.
- Cut small, round foods such as grapes, cherry tomatoes and strawberries into quarters lengthways.
- Cut larger fruits, such as melon, into slices.
- Cut hard foods, including apples and carrots, into thin slices or narrow batons.
- Cook, steam or grate hard foods where appropriate.
- Remove skins where needed for younger children.
Use safer shapes
Food for young children should be long, thin and soft, rather than round or chunky.
- Sausages: cut lengthways into thin strips, not rounds or chunks.
- Cheese: cut into narrow strips.
- Bread: cut into strips.
- Vegetables: grate or cut into thin batons.
Wraps and sandwiches
Wraps and sandwiches can be suitable for lunchboxes, but they must be prepared carefully.
Please:
- Cut them into small, manageable pieces.
- Avoid large, thick or tightly rolled portions.
- Use soft fillings and spread them thinly.
- Grate or finely slice harder fillings, such as carrots and cucumber.
White bread and wraps can form a dough-like ball in the throat when they are not chewed properly. Consider lightly toasting white bread or using brown bread instead.
Foods that must not be included
Please do not include the following foods in snacks or lunchboxes for children under five:
- Whole nuts or whole seeds
- Popcorn
- Marshmallows
- Jelly cubes
- Hard sweets
Safe eating habits
At school and nursery, children are:
- Seated while eating.
- Supervised at all times.
- Supported to eat in a calm and safe environment.
- Encouraged to take small bites and chew their food properly.
Parents and carers can support these routines at home by encouraging children to sit while eating, take small bites and chew carefully.
Allergies and dietary requirements
Please ensure that the school or nursery is informed of any diagnosed allergy, intolerance, medical condition or dietary requirement.
Food should not be shared between children, and parents should follow any additional guidance provided by the school or nursery.
Read our guidance
Please read our full Keeping Your Child Safe When Eating: Food Preparation Guidance for Under 5s leaflet.
Further information
Further guidance is available from:
- NHS Start for Life — Preparing food safely for babies and young children
- Department for Education — Help for early years providers: food safety
- Food Standards Agency — Food safety advice for young children