Toddlers: 12 - 24 Months
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Hyperactive Gag Reflux?
DS is a pretty picky eater, most days its a fight to get him to eat anything good. He is still on a bottle for this reason, and he only has 6 teeth. I think he has a very strong gag reflux because he spits a lot of foods out or gags on them if he doesnt like the texture. He will eat goldfish and blueberries all day long but give him meat or even mashed potatoes and he will spit them out or puke everywhere. I am going to talk to his pedi about this next month for sure I was jw if anyone elses LO is like this? I looked it up on the internet which of corse came up with all kinds things that make me worry.
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Re: Hyperactive Gag Reflux?
I would think he has an oral aversion to texture before he has a hypersensitive gag reflex.
If he doesn't like the texture he's going to spit it out and make himself gag it up because he doesn't want it.
He could also have an oral motor skill problem that it makes it difficult for him to move certain foods around his mouth (such as low tone or poor coordination between his tongue and jaw) that just make it too much work so he spits it out and gags on it.
You can also get a referral to Early Intervention for an evaluation. Sometimes kids just learn the wrong way to do something and need some help figuring it out. They can help with feeding problems like texture aversions or oral motor skills.
This is my DD exactly. She started to have panic attacks at the sight of food and was still on 3 bottles a day at 18 months!
We did occupational therapy with someone who specializes in food and it worked wonders! She still doesn't eat mashed potatoes or yogurt (but will drink thinner drinkable yogurt). Talk to your ped right away and get an evaluation.