Suffocation includes choking on small toys and food, and is the leading cause of death in infants under one year old. Children as young as six months can put things in their mouth. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends holding off on giving children peanuts until they are seven years old. Children, the academy says, do not develop the grinding motion for chewing foods like peanuts until they are at least four. Balloons can cause choking because children may inhale the rubber as they try to blow them up.
Baby powder can also cause a child to choke.
Beware of dog food, too. Keep toys belonging to older children, such as blocks and doll accessories, away from the little ones. Then there is always the freak accident. Mr. Miro recalled how he was playing with his daughter when she was just one year old. He leaned forward to tickle her and a penny dropped out of his pocket, right into her mouth and obstructed her airway.