Hotdogs for toddlers?

Question

My son is 18 months old and I was wondering if it is safe to feed him a hotdog?I would obviously cut it into tiny pieces so he would not choke but I have heard they can cause cancer if children eat them-is this true?Do you feed them to your toddler?

Answer 1

Hotdogs were supposedly one of the great choking foods for small kids a few years ago because they could easily lodge in the throat and windpipe area. Make em' small as you suggest or grind em' up and let the kid enjoy! Its your responsibility to teach your children good eating and "chewing of food" habits. Pass on what you feel is right. All of us have natural parenting instincts. Eat what you have faith for and bless your food before God . If we did everything the scientific wackos say we would starve to death. ENJOY EATING!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

I have been a mom for 27 years and have been a daycare provider in my home for 20 years. I have fed hot dogs to toddlers for years with no incidence of choking and none have developed cancer that I know of. I always cut the hot dog lengthwise in 1/2 and then into 1/4's. Then I cut each long slice into small pieces. Hot dogs are not the healthiest of food choices with their high fat and sodium content, so I limit serving them to only a couple times a month. I often use the fat-free turkey hot dogs made by Ball Park and the kids like those just as well, but they still contain a lot of sodium. I think it is fine to give your 18 month old hot dogs, cut small, in moderation.

Answer 3

i have fed my kids hotdaogs for a long time and i have never had any problems with them i prefer the all beef variety but my kids are allright with all types of hotdogs except chicken, kids like hotdogs its just a fact of life and people that say you shouldnt feed kids hot dogs dont know what they aare talking about when my son was starting on solid foods hot dogs were a favorite of his i would cut them into small enough pieces that he wouldnt choke and he could grab hold of and feed himself, as for the cancer thign i have never heard of that and your child is eightteen months old they need to eat hotdogs its part of being a kid

Answer 4

Our son is 9 months old, and his doctor said he can have hotdogs cut-up. The size of the hotdog is about the size that can choke them. So just cut it up like other foods, into bite-size pieces. Otherwise I wouldn't worry about it.

Answer 5

Ok if hot dogs caused cancer then half the world if not more would be dead. I'd cut them into very small pieces and if possible peel off the outer skin, sometimes they choke on this. But instead of hot dogs why not get the baby sausages? They are designed for babies, you'd till want to cut it up though.

Answer 6

The only thing I have ever heard was that hotdogs are choling hazards because they are the exact width of a childs esophagus. As long as you cut them length wise first and then into pieces it will be fine. I have been giving them to all of my kids since they are like 10 months old.

Answer 7

As long as you you cut them up in very small bites, as you said, it will be OK. My sister cut up a hot dog for her toddler who almost choked to death because she couldn't swallow the pieces. As far as health, I wouldn't make a regular diet of them because they are not very healthy. I never heard of them causing cancer, though. Are you going to use regular hot dogs or chicken/turkey dogs? I still love to have a hot dog that has been cooked on a charcoal grill! Yummm

Answer 8

Hot dogs are considered garbage food. They have no nutritional value at all. They contain sodium nitrates and man made preservatives. Sodium nitrates rob the red blood cells of their oxygen carrying capacity if eaten regularily. Just avoid feeding him them all together and stick to good quality foods. Remember, their brains are growing and need proper nutrition every day.
I did find this site below.

How could hot dogs cause cancer?

A. Hot dogs contain nitrites which are used as preservatives, primarily to combat botulism. During the cooking process, nitrites combine with amines naturally present in meat to form carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. It is also suspected that nitrites can combine with amines in the human stomach to form N-nitroso compounds. These compounds are known carcinogens and have been associated with cancer of the oral cavity, urinary bladder, esophagus, stomach and brain.

Answer 9

Hot dogs are the #1 choking hazard for toddlers, but it sounds like you've got that figured out. Cancer? I look at it like this, if we never ate anything that MIGHT give us cancer, we'd starve to death. If we never did anything that MIGHT cause cancer, we'd be living in a bubble, AND starving to death. I have personally never know anyone who got cancer from a hot dog.

Answer 10

my 12 month old eats them. I cut them up in tiny pieces and dont give him the ends because they are a little harder to chew up. I think they are safe..but buy all beef or turkey ones. Watch him carefully if he tends to choke on things easily.