Criterion HS213
Children must be seated and supervised while eating. The educator does not need to be seated but must:
have clear visibility of children eating
not be engaged in any other tasks that can take away their focus
be close enough to the children to intervene, if necessary and
know how to respond if a child is choking or has an adverse reaction.
Where food is provided by the service, foods that pose a high choking risk are not to be served unless prepared in accordance with best practice as set out in Ministry of Health's guide: Reducing food-related choking for babies and young children at early learning services.
Where food is provided by parents, the service promotes best practices as set out in the Ministry of Health's guide and must inform all parents at the time of enrolment how to access a copy of the guide: Reducing food-related choking for babies and young children at early learning services.
Guidance
How to show you are complying
The educator must closely oversee children eating, and make sure they are seated. They should be physically close enough to the child(ren) to closely observe their eating intervene immediately, if necessary.
An adverse reaction is wider than choking incidents
The educator must know how to respond to a child who is choking or has an adverse reaction. These might include having a first aid qualification (unit standard 25459, or 6401 and 6402 (or equivalent)) and know how to administer first aid. They should also know your service’s procedures for responding to choking and adverse reactions.
Children must be seated when eating
The educator should make sure that each child supports their weight with their buttocks (not their feet) and keep their back upright. Whenever possible, they should seat children in a chair with their food placed directly in front of them. This setup helps prevent twisting to the side, which can cause them to lose control of the food in their mouth and increases the risk of choking.
Serving appropriate food
If you provide food to children, you should select appropriate food for individual children to minimise the risk of choking. You should not prepare food for children to eat that pose a high choking risk, unless it has been prepared in line with the Ministry of Health’s best practice guide.
This guidance outlines foods that should be excluded from services and how to alter other high-risk foods for different age groups (1 to 3, and 4 to 6 years).
If parents provide food for children at your service, you must promote the Ministry of Health’s best practices guide and give them information on how to access this guidance at enrolment. This could be providing a copy or a link.
When assessing whether you comply with HS213
Questions we are likely to ask
How do you inform parents how to access the Ministry of Health’s guide for reducing food-related choking?
How do you prepare food for children to mitigate risks of choking?
We are likely to look at, measure or count
How mealtimes are supervised if you are serving food.
The tools below are here to support you, but you do not have to use them. You can use other tools or methods that work better for your service.
Appropriate foods for 6-12 months in eating for healthy babies and toddlers – HealthEd
By carefully supervising children while they eat, educators are well placed to support children’s health and safety.
Doing more than the minimum helps make things better for children and easier for you. Below are some ideas you can consider.
Ideally, the educator (supervising adults) would be within arms-reach of children learning to feed themselves.
It’s a good idea to discuss with a parent the foods children can manage safely rather than relying on age alone as the indicator.
Consider using this resource as part of best practice supporting children eating. Eating for healthy babies and toddlers.
Eating for Healthy Babies and Toddlers/Ngā kai tōtika mō te hunga kōhu – HealthEdBe aware of foods that are more likely to cause choking:
small hard foods that are difficult for children to bite or chew (for example, nuts, large seeds, popcorn husks, raw carrot, apple, celery)
small round foods that can get stuck in children’s throats (for example, grapes, berries, raisins, sultanas, peas, watermelon seeds, lollies)
foods with skins or leaves that are difficult to chew (for example, sausages, chicken, lettuce, nectarines)
compressible food which can squash into the shape of a child’s throat and get stuck there (for example, hot dogs, sausages, pieces of cooked meat, popcorn)
thick pastes that can get stuck in children’s throats (for example, chocolate spreads, peanut butter)
fibrous or stringy foods that are difficult for children to chew (for example, celery, rhubarb, raw pineapple).
To reduce the risk of choking on these foods you can:
alter the food texture – grate, cook, finely chop or mash the food
remove the high-risk parts of the food – peel off the skin or remove the strong fibres.
Actions you can take
Minimise distractions at the table (for example no adult reading or unrelated activities).
Encourage children to chew thoroughly and eat slowly.
Create a calm and supportive mealtime environment.
Actively supervise and engage with children during meals.
Use mealtimes as learning opportunities:
practice using utensils
explore food textures and colours
encourage appropriate social interactions.
Checklist: supporting children’s safety during meals
HS116 Centre-based HS116 Supervision while eating checklist DOCX | 60KB