finger foods - choking!!

[Sophie1205]

please helppp. everytime i give leo finger foods such as toast or rusks or anything he chokes. it scares me so much as he proper choonkes then after like 30 secs he spits out whatever it is. this is really putting me off giving him anything other than his purees but i know he should be getting different textures and so on. im on my own 90% of the time so if he chokes i panic n dont know what to do. ive just bought him those organix carrot sticks can he choke on them? they seem to soften up enough. what can i do to stop him from choking?? and in the event of him choking again.. what do i do?? any advice would be great thanks xx

 

[Sophie1205]

also he has 2 teeth at the bottom so he bites large pieces off `x

 

[alice&bump]

does he proper choke or does he just gag? babies have an over active gag reflex so they gag before an adult would, but they just bring the food straight back up...they're dead clever!xx

 

[XKatX]

It's the tongue thrust reflex kicking in! Babies around this age start to loose this, but if they haven't, they automatically push the food forward and expel the food. He isn't actually choking, he just looks like it! It can be quite stressful to start with, but stick with it and don't panic. If you do, you will only scare LO into not eating.
Stick with the finger foods hun, you'll soon both get used to it!

 

[Sophie1205]

awww thanks so much ladies. thats made me feel so much better. its soo scarythough, esp with being on my own. what can i do when he does it just wait for him to spit it out? xx

 

[XKatX]

Yes hun, it wil come out eventually!

 

[Sophie1205]

ok thanks soo much xx

 

[alice&bump]

he should bring it up pretty quickly. obv if he's coughing and stuff then give him a pat on the back. i was really scared of finger foods with katie, but i'm getting better!! they get better at it too!!

 

[Sophie1205]

thanks yeah im terrified with giving things to him! but ill be brave lol x

 

[alice&bump]

iw as great with giving katie things, then i gave her some pear that wasnt cooked and she proper choked on it! it made me so scared! but the ladies on here advised me to stick with it and i was like, sat on my hands giving her toast, but it went really well!!

 

[Blah11]

You can usually tell if it's a proper choking episode. If he's still breathing and just gagging then he can get over it himself. Amelie had a real choke on a piece of ricecake the other day had to turn her almost upside down and pat her back.

 

[Sophie1205]

awww that must have been scary! x

 

[CamoQueen]

It's normal, like the other ladies have said. I've given David peach slices and avocado and while he loves to suck/gum it and manages to eat some and loves it, in his enthusiasm he bites off pieces that are too big for him to swallow, so he gags. And yes, it is pretty nervewracking! But as long as they're not choking, they're fine.

 

[Jade--x]

Have you tried the munchkin fresh food feeder pouch? They teach them to eat finger foods without choking, because they cant choke on it.

https://www.toysrus.co.uk/Babies-R-...and-Bowls/Munchkin-Fresh-Food-Feeder(0023632)

I have one and recommend them

My HV told me its good for them to gag a little though, because it teaches them to eat properly
x

 

[ryder]

he may just be too young... I didnt start finger foods until almost 7 months,,, I dontr see anything beneficial to a baby choking... they should enjoy their food.

 

[alice&bump]

its not proper choking tho ryder, its just gagging. it is beneficial to them cos it helps them learn how everything works. katie eats really well, but she still sometimes gags, and thats at 7 months, she just puts too much in, so its teaching her to put a bit less in!

 

[XKatX]

he may just be too young... I didnt start finger foods until almost 7 months,,, I dontr see anything beneficial to a baby choking... they should enjoy their food.

It's isn't proper choking though. It's just them learning how to manipulate the food in their mouth and how much food too bite off in one go. It's part of the learning process and is extremely beneficial. It certainly doesn't scare them - they spit it out and promptly put another mouthful in! It just looks scary to us.

 

[XKatX]

Have you tried the munchkin fresh food feeder pouch? They teach them to eat finger foods without choking, because they cant choke on it.

https://www.toysrus.co.uk/Babies-R-...and-Bowls/Munchkin-Fresh-Food-Feeder(0023632)

I have one and recommend them

My HV told me its good for them to gag a little though, because it teaches them to eat properly
x

These are great for yonger babies, but at 6 months, a baby should be starting to learn finger foods and proper solids.

 

[Sophie1205]

well hes 6 months so i dont really think hes too young and he was weaned from 4 and a half months so personally i think he is ready for finger foods and he does enjoy it. and as Kat said once hes gagged and spat it out he does put another mouthful in lollll, bless him. thanks soo much for the advice ladies. I really appreciate it x

 

[daisyday]

Im glad i read this. My LO is 6 months and i didnt realise i can give him finger food now.

He started weaning just before 4 months on HV advice as his a big boy.

Whats best to start with then for finger food?? No idea where to start.