How To Know When Its Safe for Babies to Eat Popcorn

Who doesn’t love curling up on the couch with a big bowl of buttery popcorn for movie night? Although popcorn is a nutritious and delicious snack, it’s also a choking hazard for babies and kids. Here’s everything you need to know about when and how popcorn can be safely introduced to your child, what to do if your child chokes on popcorn, and good popcorn alternatives for kids!

What the Experts Recommend 

The Top Food Choking Hazards for Babies and Kids

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Prevention strongly recommend avoiding popcorn until your child is 4 years old. Babies and kids under 4 years should not have popcorn due to its high choking risk. Other top serious choking hazards for kids and babies which should be avoided until 4 years of age are:

• Hot dogs
• Chopped or whole nuts & large seeds
• Tough chunks of meat or cheese
• Whole grapes and cherry tomatoes
• Sticky or hard candy
• Popcorn 
• Crunchy foods (crackers, potato chips, pretzels)
• Raw, hard kernels of corn 
• Globs of peanut butter
• Large chunks of raw vegetables and fruit
• Chewing gum
• Bones in meat or fish
• Dried fruit
• Marshmallows

Why is Popcorn a Choking Hazard?

Popcorn is considered a major choking hazard due to a few of its properties. Popcorn has kernel flakes that have sharp edges once the popcorn kernels are popped. These sharp edges can get caught in your child’s throat, causing them to cough, gag, and possibly choke. 

Popcorn is also dry and requires mature chewing and swallowing skills. All these properties of popcorn contribute to it being a choking hazard.

When small pieces of popcorn get stuck in a child’s airway, they can choke. It’s also possible for popcorn to be aspirated into the lungs like Nicole Goddard’s toddler who underwent surgery after aspirating 7 pieces into his lungs. Aspiration happens when small objects are breathed into the lungs. 

Why Does My Kid Have to Avoid Popcorn Until 4 Years?

Popcorn is a healthy snack for adults and older children. But it’s important to avoid the choking risk that popcorn poses to young children under 4 years old. 

Four years of age is about the time the risk of choking decreases and kids are no longer immature chewers. Older children have chewing and swallowing skills that have improved to the point where they can often safely eat popcorn.

Some children may be ready to practice eating popcorn, one piece at a time, in a safe environment by 3 years old. 

How to Safely Serve Popcorn to Kids

To safely introduce your child to popcorn, follow these steps:

1. Be sure your child has mature eating skills (can take manageable bites, does not shove food in their mouth, can chew food thoroughly, and follow directions)
2. Have your child sit at the table with no distractions (distractions like watching TV increases the choking risk)
3. Remove all unpopped and partially-popped kernels
4. Teach your child to throw away any unpopped kernels and that you don’t try to eat them
5. Role model safely eating the popcorn by putting one piece in your mouth and exaggerate chewing the popcorn with your molars
6. You can say “I’m going to use my strong teeth on the sides of my mouth to chew popcorn”
7. Offer one piece of popcorn to your child and wait for them to chew and swallow before offering another 

What to Do If My Baby Chokes on Popcorn

If your baby (12 months of age and under) is choking follow these steps: 

1. Hold your baby face down on your thigh with their head lower than their butt
2. Firmly hit them on their back, between the shoulder blades up to 5 times
3. If the back blows do not dislodge the foreign object, turn your baby over so they are face up
4. Place two fingers in the middle of their chest, just below their nipples
5. Push sharply downwards up to five times

If you are able, or preferably have someone else, call 911 for assistance. It’s a good idea to take a first aid course and CPR training so you feel prepared in a choking event. Check out the Red Cross’s videos on first aid choking for babies.

What to Do if My Child is Choking?

These are the steps to help a child (1 year up to puberty) who is choking:

1. Hit the child 5 times firmly on the back between the shoulder blades. This often dislodges the object.
2. Hold the child around the waist and give up to 5 abdominal thrusts by pulling inwards and upwards above their belly button.

 Check out the Red Cross’s videos on first aid choking for children and their baby and child first aid training courses. 

Is Popcorn Healthy for Kids?

Popcorn is a fun and nutritious finger food with health benefits for older kids and adults. However, it’s strongly recommended to avoid giving popcorn to younger kids (under 4 years). 

Air-popped popcorn or popcorn made on the stove-top is a great way to serve your child popcorn. Homemade popcorn allows you to control the amount of sodium and fat compared to flavored microwavable popcorn.

The nutrition profile can vary greatly depending on how you prepare popcorn and which popcorn you buy. Most microwavable popcorn will be high in sodium but can be a part of a balanced diet. Read the nutrition facts label and choose a popcorn without added salt and sugar and add toppings at home if you’d like.

Popcorn is made from corn which is a good source of energy and carbohydrates. Popcorn is rich in fiber which helps support a healthy digestive system and balance blood sugar. It also contains zinc and vitamin B6 which provide energy for growth, strengthens the immune system, and helps build a healthy gut microbiome. Corn contains antioxidants (polyphenols) which help fight stress responses in the body.

Popcorn makes a great addition to a snack mix for older children. Be aware most contain top choking hazards like marshmallows, pretzels, hard candy, and popcorn. Supervise closely when children are eating foods that are top choking hazards. 

Try this easy trail mix for older children (4+ years of age):

1. Mix 1/4 cup dried fruit, 1/4 cup pepitas, 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, 4 cups popcorn, and 2 cups pretzels for a sweet and salty trail mix!

Trail mixes are a good choice for snack time at home or on the go!

Is Popcorn a Common Allergen?

No, popcorn is not a top allergen. Corn food allergies are not common but a few allergies have been reported. 

However, most store-bought microwavable popcorn contains top allergens like dairy and soy so just be sure to check the labels if your child does have a food allergy. Butter, which is a dairy product and a top allergen, is often added to homemade popcorn.

Read up on the signs of an allergic reaction before starting solid foods with your baby. Learn how to safely introduce the top 9 allergens to your baby to help reduce the risk of your child developing food allergies.

Snack Alternatives to Popcorn for Kids

Here are some safe snacks and crunchy alternatives to popcorn for little kids:

• corn puffs
• peanut puffs
• snap pea crisps
• whole grain, easily crumbled crackers
• puffed snacks
• chickpea puffs

Best Tips for Kids and Popcorn

The bottom line when it comes to kids and popcorn are:

• Avoid popcorn until kids are 4 years of age or 3 years if your child shows mature chewing and swallowing skills
• Kids need mature chewing and swallowing skills before trying popcorn
• The first time you serve your child popcorn make sure they are sitting down without distractions and serve one piece at a time
• Popcorn is a healthy snack for older kids and can be a great addition to trail mixes
• For children under 4, try alternative safe snack foods listed above 

Looking for more recommended baby-led weaning supplies? I have it all laid out for you in this baby-led weaning supply guide. Follow our baby-led weaning journey on instagram @mydietitian.friend!