BLW question on gagging

Sigir

Hi there everyone! I am very much AP and v excited as I begin BLW w my dd 6 mo. I have one question though and need the input of those who have btdt.

My family and dh are all very concerned w the gagging. Personally it does not worry me bc I have read the book and know its just baby's way of getting something out of her mouth that she does not want to or is not ready to swallow. But I have to admit that last night she gagged on a piece of turkey for what seemed like a LONG time, and it even made me nervous.

How long does this gagging phase go on, and is it really nothing to worry about? I wasn't worried up until last night. Thanks so much for your input!

aglenn

Different babies are different on this.  DD hardly ever gagged at all and ate finger foods from 6 mths on.  She hated purees and would not eat off a spoon.  DS, on the other hand, is just now getting the hang of finger feeding at 9 months.  He gagged and spit out anything we gave him at 6 mths.  He does eat purees and enjoys them.

For finger feeding, DS had the easiest time in the beginning with large things he could gum/suck on, like the Mum Mum rice crackers.  We did that type of thing for a while, then moved on to Cheerios and bits of bread, rice, etc.  Now he eats pretty much whatever we are eating (as long as it's soft).  He loves, loves, loves roasted chicken right now.

I think some gagging is to be expected but when DS really seemed to be struggling I did back off.  I know the books say it's no big deal, but I didn't like it and he didn't seem to be enjoying the experience, so I just kept trying here and there until he got the hang of it.

danienross

For me the gagging was no big deal. I BF and have a forceful letdown so my girls were/are choking and gagging while eating from the beginning. Of course after a couple of months that settled but I was accustomed to it and knew as long as I was paying attention to make sure they weren't in distress that it was okay. Definitely made my family nervous though.

neverblushed

Ditto the "every baby is wildly different" on this.

My DD wanted finger foods or purees from the get go, and could handle pretty astonishingly grown up foods at 6 months.  Seriously, it was like the child went from nursing to pizza in just a few weeks.

My DS had to take a much slower, more gradual journey to real food.  He was not as coordinated with his tongue and his swallowing.  New textures always caused gagging at first.  I had a lot of nervous moments.  I found that for foods that could not dissolve, like meat or carrots, small pieces were key.  For foods like crusty bread that would dissolve and break into pieces, pieces that could be gnawed by not fit into his mouth were best.

Just keep trying different things and watch her like a hawk, in case you have to do a finger swipe! 

tjkdlhb

Have you taken an infant first aid course? I found it really helpful,(regardless of the feeding method you choose) but hopefully i'll never have to use it.

DD gagged a few times in the beginning (we started at 5.5 months), but hasn't done much gagging since.

 

boogerbearoriginal

LO didn't really gag much, but he also didn't really eat much until closer to 8-9m. The first few months were weren't even consistent about offering him food every day, it was a very gradual and slow process which I think helped.

He mostly played with the food w/out even trying to eat it initally. Then one day it seemed like a light switched and he started actually eating a lot. 

It's all about exploring the food - taste, feel, sound, etc. sometimes kids shove a lot in their mouth and will gag. Heck, even adults gag sometimes. I do second teh recommendation to take an infant CPR class though, it never hurts to be prepared.

MagickalNarwhal

My son gagged occasionally when we started. Less so now. I got worried once or twice, but I actually got really excited as I saw him gag and then figure out how to move the food around in his mouth!

My partner gets totally freaked out by it. No matter how many times I tell her it's OK and normal, her whole body tenses up and she lunges forward every time he has even a little bit of gagging. I felt like her response actually freaked him out, so I only fed him non-choking-sized pieces when she was around until the gagging stopped. I say this because if the rest of your family is freaked out about it, I would just be aware of how their reaction to him affects him. Just a point to think about!

I also noticed that if he was gagging, it was almost impossible for him to then go to choking. The times when he's been closest to choking is when he used an inhaling or slurping action to consume something that wasn't liquid, and basically inhaled a little solid chunk. That's only happened once or twice, and he coughed it back up or barfed. Not to say that it's impossible for gagging to lead to choking, but the above was how we experienced it.

highlights

This was the reason I had to sit next to my kid the entire time that he ate. The second I would step away (even if DH was sitting on the other side of DS), my parents would swoop in and force his mouth open and take out whatever was in there.

 

blu-eyedwife

Mine gagged with every meal for about 2 weeks.  And then it was just every now and again.  By 7 months he didn't gag at all.