What food consistency for 9 month old?

tessajd

I have a 9 month old with only two top teeth, and I worry that I am too slow in giving her table food.  I still mash her food with a fork.  The major reason is that I have huge fear of choking and lack of confidence that I'd be able to save her even though I know the procedure to take.  The other reason is that she has gagged on avocado and cheerios, which made me dizzy and ready to panic!  She won't pick up food and feed herself yet, so she hasn't even ever had finger foods.  She'll only eat from a spoon.  Please let me know your opinion of what I should do, or whether I'm okay doing what I'm doing.  TIA!

mben1119

Every child is going to develop at their own rate. I can say that by 9 months, DS was doing cheerios, puffs, yogurt melts, cheese, chicken, avocado, banana...and this is all self-feeding. Have you tried melts and puffs that dissolve in LO's mouth?  That way she can't choke? 

tessajd

Thanks for replying.  Is it normal for them to stick their tongue out and gag when they start harder foods, or a sign that I should wait?  I can't tell if it's a gag reflex or potential choking.  I have puffs, but she won't let me put them in her mouth directly.  Maybe I'll start them with a spoon?  She's my first, so I feel a little clueless.   

mben1119

tessajd:

Thanks for replying.  Is it normal for them to stick their tongue out and gag when they start harder foods, or a sign that I should wait?  I can't tell if it's a gag reflex or potential choking.  I have puffs, but she won't let me put them in her mouth directly.  Maybe I'll start them with a spoon?  She's my first, so I feel a little clueless.   

If your LO still has a strong tongue thrust, then they aren't really ready for solids. Did your pedi clear your LO?  Is your doctor aware of her tongue thrust?  Gagging is good, it is a sign they are learning their limits, but the tongue concerns me. I started puffs by putting them in DS's mouth, then letting him practice his pincer grip by putting a bunch on his high chair tray. I think most of us FTMs feel clueless most of the time! 

tessajd

We see the pediatrician at the end of the month, and I'll check up on it.  She's able to swallow chunky purees without a problem, so I'm hoping it's not tongue thrust.  She gagged and stuck her tongue out only twice.  Thank you!  You sound very knowledgeable!

brewcitybride

If you are mashing the food, you shouldn't be too concerned about choking. If a baby gags at a taste, that is different than outright choking, like on a piece of hard candy. Babies need to learn how to eat real food, it's part of growing up!

However, your timeframe is fine. I would be more concerned if your baby was over 12 months and still had never had finger foods. Between now and 12 months, you have plenty of time to introduce more table foods. Don't be afraid!

smilelari

mabenner1:

tessajd:

Thanks for replying.  Is it normal for them to stick their tongue out and gag when they start harder foods, or a sign that I should wait?  I can't tell if it's a gag reflex or potential choking.  I have puffs, but she won't let me put them in her mouth directly.  Maybe I'll start them with a spoon?  She's my first, so I feel a little clueless.   

If your LO still has a strong tongue thrust, then they aren't really ready for solids. Did your pedi clear your LO?  Is your doctor aware of her tongue thrust?  Gagging is good, it is a sign they are learning their limits, but the tongue concerns me. I started puffs by putting them in DS's mouth, then letting him practice his pincer grip by putting a bunch on his high chair tray. I think most of us FTMs feel clueless most of the time! 

This.  Presence of the tongue thrust reflex is a pretty sure sign to keep holding off on solids, even purees.

We skipped purees and went right to finger foods, so DD was eating pretty much everything under the sun at 9 months 

bridein08

Ds is the same age and gets as much table food as he can put down. They don't need teeth to be able to eat normal table food- their gums are mighty tough. He eats broccoli, avocados, steamed carrots, squash, all fruits, bread, chicken, homemade goldfish crackers, cheerios, puffs, etc.

 

The tongue thing you are describing just sounds like LO manipulating the food or showing that she is having an aversion to a food. In my experience as a pedi RN, I would not be concerned  and would continue to introduce foods as tolerated. LO will gag and may even throw up, but if she is moving air (coughing) then she is not choking. It is concerning when they are not moving any air and are silent- color change would occur. We started LO on finger foods at 6 months, and that has never happened with him good luck!

blu-eyedwife

bridein08:

Ds is the same age and gets as much table food as he can put down. They don't need teeth to be able to eat normal table food- their gums are mighty tough. He eats broccoli, avocados, steamed carrots, squash, all fruits, bread, chicken, homemade goldfish crackers, cheerios, puffs, etc.

 

The tongue thing you are describing just sounds like LO manipulating the food or showing that she is having an aversion to a food. In my experience as a pedi RN, I would not be concerned  and would continue to introduce foods as tolerated. LO will gag and may even throw up, but if she is moving air (coughing) then she is not choking. It is concerning when they are not moving any air and are silent- color change would occur. We started LO on finger foods at 6 months, and that has never happened with him good luck!

I totally agree with everything here.  My guy is 11 months, but at 9 he had no teeth and was eating anything you put in front of him (ribs, chicken, broccoli, mango, watermelon, etc.)  The teeth we use for chewing are the molars and most babies don't get those until they're much older than 9 months.

I would agree that the tongue you're seeing is probably more food manipulation/recognition of having a tongue than tongue thrust.  And if she's making noise, she's not choking, she's gagging, which is good since it pushes the food up and away from her airway.

Since you've been giving her purees, she hasn't learned how to manipulate food well, which is why she's gagging and moving her tongue around.  Up until now, you've taught her that all she has to do is swallow and she'll get food (between the breast/bottle/and spoon feeding - all of which puts food at the back of her mouth, past her gag reflex)

Obviously you have to do whatever you're comfortable with, but if it were me, I'd just start giving her table food and let her play with it/learn to eat it now before it becomes her primary source of nutrition.

HisKonstantine

Babies have a much stronger gag reflex than adults have. If a piece of food gets even just the slightest bit near the gag reflex, you'll see the reaction you've described. It's not choking, it's actually the opposite.

I was really afraid of Charlotte choking for a long time and I was really holding her back. Now I give her pretty much everything, just broken apart or cut up into smaller bites.

Try hand-feeding her table food and see what happens. Babies have to learn how to pick things up and bring it to their mouths. It's a skill that uses the pincer-grip (using the pointer finger and thumb together) and gross hand-eye coordination. It's a learned skill that doesn't just come to them, they have to practice.

But don't worry. Teaching someone how to eat is not an easy thing to do. You're learning right along with her.

tessajd

Thanks again, everyone!  I've just accepted that this will take awhile, and that I'll have to watch her do that awful gagging thing as she learns.  Right now she will only accept food with a spoon, not my hands.  During each spooned meal from now on I will also put table food on her tray.  Right now she just flings it around and plays with it, but hopefully she'll learn to put it in her mouth.

jenb_99

DS was pretty much done with purees and mashes by 9 mo. I am determined not to raise a child hooked on fatty mush like mac & cheese and mashed potatoes, so I started early. I let him try Mum Mums and puffs right before 5 mo, and he'd sampled several table foods by 6 mo. He quit gagging when I let him put his food into his own mouth. He's only choked once (actually choked, where he couldn't breathe), but fortunately that was a yogurt drop, so it dissolved quickly.

He will let me feed him yogurt, grown-up oatmeal, and Malt O Meal for breakfast, but otherwise he prefers to feed himself table foods.

He is a stuffer, so I still have to cut any non-quick-dissolving food into very small pieces (half-inch cubes at the largest) and not put too much on his tray at once. I make his veggies soft but not mushy. He'll even eat crunchy raw fruits and veggies like apples and carrots if I cut them into julienne-type strips that he can hold in his fist.

He will still cough and sputter occasionally, but that's just part of learning to eat, and I can keep my own anxiety down by controlling the size of the food and the amount he puts into his mouth at once.