scared to give my 10 month old baby finger food for fear of choking :(

[knighty29]

i have post natal depression/anxiety. one of my fears is my baby dying of choking to the point im struggling to give him food to chew etc. i tries giving him biscotti biscuits a while back and he choked a bit and freaked himself out so i havent given him anymore. its really getting me down now as its me thats stopping him from progressing . he eats very well on baby food but i know he should be eating more things now. what can i do? any help would be grateful if anyone else has gone thru this?

 

[Maviyildiz]

I haven't dealt with this from a postnatal anxiety perspective...but I think all moms have this fear to a certain extent. I really, really did. To the point where I could barely stop myself from digging food out of her mouth when she took a big bite, even though I know that digging the food out is actually more dangerous...
My only tip is try some really, really easy foods to get you started and get you comfortable. No more biscotti..how about very ripe avocado, banana, and small bits that he can pick up with his pincer grip? Things like peas? Oh, and then there is my LO's favorite: very very over-cooked cauliflower. It is completely mush and it falls apart, but it is very easy for her to swallow and she loves it! After this you can very, very slowly give slightly more challenging foods again, and it will get easier for both of you!

 

[shellyob]

Have a read about the gag reflex in babies, I used to panic when feeding my niece bit understanding the difference between gagging and choking really helped me to relax about food. You'll find lists of finger foods and information on the baby led weaning website. Like previous poster said, no harm in sticking to soft foods, lightly toasted bread, banana, cheese or you could try mash with veggies mixed and and load up a spoon for your LO to try feeding himself xx

 

[Sonnenshein_]

I'm exactly the same as you, but my daughter now chomps her way through organix and Heinz finger foods biscuits and vegetable crisps. We gave her an apple slice about three weeks before we tried her on those and she choked. It was heart wrenching and not only did it make my anxiety a thousand times worse but I felt like it was my fault because I was the one that suggested trying her with it. So when DH suggested we try her on the biscuits, I near had a heart attack. I shouldn't have worried though, she ate it like a champ and now it's part of her favourite foods! I'm totally confident with the crisps and biscuits now. The Organix and Heinz biscuits are really soft, and they practically dissolve on the tongue. I tried them about a hundred times before I could give one to DD, but now I know I really shouldn't have worried.

 

[snowfia]

Every mum I know has felt like this at some point.
I gave my LO some of those baby biscuit things and she chocked on them both times I gave her one but she was fine with other things. So I just never gave her them again.

Try things like those baby finger food that melt in their mouth, it put my mind at ease a lot. Cheese is good too, even if it's grated, so he can pick it up with his fingers but won't choke on it.

My LO loves mixed veg mixed in with mash. So it's not finger foods but it's also not baby food and she feeds herself with the spoon.