Reducing food-related choking for babies and young children at early learning services

This publication provides Ministry of Health’s recommendations on reducing the risk of food-related choking in early learning services such as early childhood education services, ngā kōhanga reo and certificated playgroups.

This advice is based on the recommendations at Food and choking in children, but has been adapted for licensed early learning services such as early childhood education services, ngā kōhanga reo and certificated playgroups. The original advice is for parents and caregivers who have a good awareness of a child’s stage of development, and who can closely supervise a child. This close relationship and degree of supervision is not often possible in early learning services, so the advice here is more prescriptive to manage the risk involved.

• Reducing food-related choking for babies and young children at early learning services (English) (Word, 309 KB)
• Reducing food-related choking for babies and young children at early learning services (English) (PDF, 439 KB)
• Reducing food related choking (Arabic) (PDF, 866 KB)
• Reducing food related choking (traditional Chinese) (PDF, 1.4 MB)
• Reducing food related choking (simplified Chinese) (PDF, 1.4 MB)
• Reducing food related choking (Māori) (PDF, 941 KB)
• Reducing food related choking (Samoan) (PDF, 1023 KB)
• Reducing food related choking (Tongan) (PDF, 953 KB)

The Ministry of Education has also published a pamphlet to provide to parents on their website.

Questions and answers

Minimising food-related choking in early learning services

This resource provides answers to commonly asked questions about the Ministry of Health’s recommendations on reducing the risk of food-related choking in early learning services.

• Questions and answers - Minimising food-related choking in early learning services (Word, 32 KB)

Implementing the MOH guidance on reducing food-related choking in early learning services

This second set of questions and answers provides responses to commonly asked questions on interpreting and implementing the guidance Reducing food-related choking for babies and young children at early learning services. This resource is intended to support early learning services to put the guidance into practice and will be updated when new queries are received.

• Questions and answers - Implementing the MOH guidance on reducing food-related choking in early learning services (Word, 26 KB)