Ball Parks everywhere balk as The American Academy of Pediatrics has officially recommended that hot dogs be redesigned in a policy statement released this week. The reason: a choking hazard.
The classic American hot dog, along with its similarly shaped variants has been responsible for about 17% of food-related choking deaths of up to 77 children, and the emergency treatment of 15,000, yearly in the
I once had a close encounter while babysitting a toddler who was eating a, for lack of better comparison, Lego-shaped graham cracker, and she began to choke. Luckily, a swift intervention with the index finger averted the catastrophe, but it scared us all just the same. I decided then and there that these snacks were no longer to be had while I was at watch, and I think a similar decision should be made in this case.
If your child is at a questionable choking age, or any age for that matter, do they really need the nutritional value that a hotdog offers? I understand the compulsion to indulge at a ball game or a video arcade if you must, which is why I would like to recommend my own version of the great American hot dog redesign: The KidDog.
The KidDog is a hot dog redesigned into any shape these American Pediatricians well please, and can be offered alongside the traditional hot dog. Parents should be free to order whichever hot dogs they think their children are capable of handling, and perhaps this one decision will give them the moment to ask themselves if a much less potentially harmful snack, like yogurt, might be a healthier choice.
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