Setsubun beans Under 5 years old is dangerous!

Setsubun annual bean maki.

However, the Consumer Affairs Agency is calling on children under the age of 5 not to eat beans from Mamemaki.

“I used to eat it when I was little”, “Isn’t it a little overprotective”?

However, it may have been just luck that I ate it when I was little and was safe.

In fact, there are many accidents, and some children have lost their lives, so it's a dangerous thing.

(Osaka Broadcasting Station reporter Fumi Nakamoto)

age just raised

Until three years ago, Setsubun beans were called caution for children under the age of three.

But February 2020.

A 4-year-old boy in Shimane Prefecture died after choking beans in his respiratory tract during the Setsubun event at a certified children's center.

It means that he ate as many beans as his age and collapsed after the kindergarteners scattered the beans.

In the wake of this accident, the age limit for not feeding children was raised from 3 to 5.

In the 10 years up to 2020, 141 cases of children under the age of 5 choking on food have been reported to the Consumer Affairs Agency from medical institutions nationwide. accounts for about 20% of the total.

It's a familiar and dangerous food that gets stuck in your throat.

Beans Why are they clogged?

Why do beans get stuck even though they are small?

Beans are dried food, so when they absorb moisture from the body, they swell and become larger than they are when eaten.

In the first place, children's airways, called "airways," are narrow and easily blocked.

In addition, young children do not have all the teeth, such as the back teeth, and their chewing power is weak.

In addition, they make various movements such as laughing and crying while eating.

The moment you take a deep breath while smiling, the food in your mouth enters your airway along with the air.

Dr. Masahiko Sakamoto, a pediatrician at the Saku Medical Center, who is working to prevent accidents in children, points out that when food enters the respiratory tract, adults cough to get it out, but children have a dull reaction.

(Dr. Masahiko Sakamoto, Department of Pediatrics, Saku Medical Center)

“Children still have a weak coughing reflex, making it difficult to expel clogged objects.

Stop making it smaller!

Generally, when you give food to children, cut it into small pieces.

We tend to think, “I wonder if the beans should be crushed, too,” but that is also dangerous.

Because the particles are so light, they can also enter the bronchi that lead to the lungs.

This applies not only to Setsubun beans, but also to other nuts.

In 2015, there was an accident in which a 1-year-old child was given crushed peanuts by his father, and his bronchi were clogged with pieces, causing coughing and high fever.

In particular, peanuts are included in various foods as ingredients, and there are many reports of accidents, so please be careful.

Mamemaki What should I do?

If the beans are no good, what should I do with the bean maki?

I think it is important to let them experience traditional events.

However, in order to prevent a sad accident from happening, I would like you to know that there is a risk only when your child is small and take appropriate measures.

(Dr. Sakamoto)

"Children tend to put things in front of them in their mouths. When throwing beans, instead of throwing whole beans, I want them to throw small bags or crumpled newspapers. There is a custom of eating beans according to one's age, but I would like children to refrain from eating them until the age of five."

One of the comments I received on social media was, "I'm careful at home, but I'm going to do soybean throwing at kindergarten and nursery school."

It is becoming more and more common in childcare sites that it is dangerous, but there are still places where the beans are thrown as they are.

Make sure that the kindergarten your child attends is devised.

The target of attention is "up to 5 years old" as a guide only, and the degree of development varies depending on the child.

The important thing is to know that beans are at risk.

Even the manufacturer divides it into small bags and calls attention when eating, but please respond while watching the child's growth.

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