Gagging on finger fooods

[Cattia]

I am doing traditional weaning mostly with my DD, but also starting to introduce finger foods. My main reason for doing the purees is that I am terrified about her choking. I was the same with my older two but I guess I must have got past it as they now 4 and 5 and eat normally! However when I give my youngest DD finger foods (she is 6.5 months) she sometimes gags. Is this normal? Will I know if she's properly choking? I went on an infant first aid course so I would know what to do but they were talking about the risks and dangers of choking so it actually made me even more paranoid!

 

[gingmg]

I know it can be hard to watch, but gagging can be quite normal as they learn to chew and move food around their mouth. Maybe not all babies do it, but mine certainty did, probably for about a month. Gagging is what prevents them from choking. The gag reflex of a 6 month old is very far forward on their tongue so it doesn't take much for them to gag when in all actuality the food is pretty far from their airway. As they get older their gag reflex moves further back in their mouth, closer to their airway, so they are actually more at risk of choking the longer you wait to introduce finger foods. I'm not trying to minimize your fear, because I certainly had some moments I thought I was crazy for feeding my baby "real" food, but over and over he proved to me he really could handle it, and I slowly began to trust more.

You will absolutely be able to tell the difference between gagging and choking. My son never seemed all that bothered by the gagging. I mean sometimes his eyes would water, but after a few seconds he would spit out whatever was in his mouth and continue on unphased and go after something else on his tray. A baby who is choking would look panicked. There would be no mistaking a baby that couldn't breathe.

I know the gagging can be scary. If it makes you too uneasy, maybe take some days off from the finger foods and try again. She will get the hang of it soon enough.

 

[SarahBear]

Gagging is completely normal. Leo is about the same age and we're skipping purees. We started offering solids at a week short of 6 months but had to back off because his gag reflex was too strong. He was throwing up and generally not handling things super great. Introducing solids at 6 months is just a minimum age. If your baby isn't ready, there's no need to rush it. We're taking it slow with Leo, but seemed to handle food better today, so we may be branching out soon.

 

[MindUtopia]

Gagging is completely normal and it's to be expected. Just keep doing what you're doing and give her time. If you've been doing purees up til now, she's having to entirely re-learn how to eat, so it's definitely to be expected that she'll gag some. My daughter is 2.5 now and we did BLW from 6 months (she never had a puree). She did gag a bit in the first couple weeks and on rare occasion, she might do it now, but she never once choked on anything.

 

[Cattia]

Thanks ladies. I am persevering with the finger foods and giving her more lumps in her food. It's good to know it's all part of learning to eat.

 

[SarahBear]

This evening, Leo was mad that I wouldn't give him my burrito at dinner. I did offer him tiny pieces of meat and beans. He scarfed them down with no issue. Needless to say, we're going to start giving him a lot more food. The point of this story though, is just the say a lot of the issue with handling solids is developmental and it will become clear at some point that your baby is ready for more.

 

[BabyMamma93]

i was the same, i fed M mushed up food (never puree) and some finger foods, i was terrified of choking too, on a few occasions he did choke, not gag, i mean blue in the face choke, so i did it more slowly, i introduced foods like brocoli, cauliflower, carrots etc. he would manage toast but not bread or crumpets (still struggles now) and i also gave him his own spoon whenever i was feeding him.
im not much help just to let you knwo you are not alone and you will eventually get there, i stopped spoon feeding all together at about 11 months, by this time he could eat alot of food himself, but i do with i didnt let my nerves get the better of me, also learned not to beat your self up about it, IMO every baby is different even with feeding!