Summertime Seeds: Eat Fruit Safely!

Posted July 6, 2017

What better snack to offer up to your little ones than fruit this summer season? It’s refreshing, much healthier than other sweet treats, and it happens to taste amazing! While we certainly have no desire to steer you away from ensuring your kids get their daily intake of fruit, we do want to remind you that there are some possible dangers that you can easily avoid when it comes to the berries, melons, and other snacks you’re handing over. Namely: Seeds! Rest assured, our suggestions are simple and will keep your children’s oral health safe.

Refresh Your Memory

Think through the fruits you love and are planning on sharing with your children and remind yourself that you’re an adult! Now, refresh your memory as you look at fruits through the eyes of a child. Which ones have hard pits in them, obvious seeds, hard-to-find seeds, and even tiny seeds? This will help guide you as you make your selections, since hard seeds and pits can present a choking hazard and may damage oral health.

Prep Foods First

Don’t worry. You don’t need to avoid any and all fruits with seeds or pits (that would make things very difficult). Instead, you may wish to prep fruits for your little ones first, so the worry that a pit will lead to a damaged tooth and oral health concerns is not an issue. Consider the following:

• Cut up apples, peaches, etc. into slices, so the core’s seeds or pit is not an issue
• Check watermelon slices for hard seeds before sharing

Seek Out Seedless Stuff

As you’ve noticed at the grocery store, there are seedless varieties of many of your favorite fruits. While it’s still important to keep an eye out for hard seeds, choosing the seedless watermelon, seedless grapes, etc., will make matters much easier until kids are older!

Protect Growing Smiles With Helpful Advice

Don’t forget that we’re happy to offer advice that can help you ensure your children’s smiles remain safe. Ask for help during visits! Schedule a visit with your Dallas, TX children’s dentist, Dr. Marr at Pediatric Dental Care at Casa Linda by calling 214-321-4880. We proudly welcome patients from Dallas, TX, and all surrounding communities, including Casa Linda, Lakewood, Lake Highlands, Forest Hills, East Dallas, Mesquite, Garland, Richardson, and more.