Anyone else irrationally scared of their LO choking?

RunningWife · April 2011

I have no idea where my fear stems from; Logan is super healthy, is handling his food just fine and I've never had an encounter with a baby (mine or anyone else's) choking.

However, we've just started introducing finger foods and I am p.a.r.a.n.o.i.d. about Logan choking. I am hesitant to give him anything that doesn't immediately dissolve or turn to mush and I just can't figure out for the the life of me what size to cut the food. It seriously is almost a paralyzing fear. I can't even imagine handing him a quarter of a grilled cheese sandwich. Ever.

Can anyone else commiserate? And how did you get over the fear?

This is kind of my first crazy new mom issue and it sucks!

shakes · April 2011

Yes! Very! I know it's irrational! I'm just so freaked out something will happen and I'll just stand there screaming! UGH. I hear ya sister!

SimoneSays22 · April 2011

I posted this before. I'm freaked out about D choking. We haven't started finger foods yet.

RunningWife · April 2011

SimoneSays22:
I posted this before. I'm freaked out about D choking. We haven't started finger foods yet.

Sorry! I wasn't meaning to post-copy; I didn't see yours!

But I am kind of glad that I'm not the only crazy mom out there!

Kara5109 · April 2011

I was going to give Hadley a piece of shredded chicken last night but, she almost choked on a puff somehow. I was like, "How in the world can she eat chicken and beef?"

Libby1978 · April 2011

Yes! This is one of my biggest fears as a mom! So much so that I still don't like for my 12 year olds to eat hard candy! Confused

SimoneSays22 · April 2011

RunningWife:
SimoneSays22:
I posted this before. I'm freaked out about D choking. We haven't started finger foods yet.
Sorry! I wasn't meaning to post-copy; I didn't see yours!
But I am kind of glad that I'm not the only crazy mom out there!

No no! I posted it in a thread a while ago. I just mean I've talked about it before and I'm completely freaked as well.

veronicacorningstone · April 2011

Wanna talk irrational? We have C a puff the other day and he made a coughing/choking noise and I freaked. He was fine, of course. I mean, it was a puff. It dissolves, for Pete's sake! But yeah, I haven't given him another one.

drewiekc · April 2011

I am not, DH is. I know that some gagging is a normal part of a baby learning to swallow, but it FREAKS him out and worries him so much. I keep telling him that "see, she is fine, she swallows her food, she doesnt get upset, and she wants to keep eating". But it still worries him.

MSC03 · April 2011

Lilly started bananas this week and I was terrified of her choking I kept telling my DH to keep mashing with the spoon as he went along to double-check for chunks.

So you're not alone, sister.

shakes · April 2011

When DS gags I go into an " it's ok, if he's coughing he's breathing!" chant lol

I gave him a small smushed pieces of banana I was eating on a walk two days ago, and he fully choked on it! I lost it! Wipping off straps, yelling "James, James Omg, JAMES ARE YOU OK?!" He was fine and apprently it was funny to see mama spaz out! The crap that ran through my mind was crazy lol.

People driving by must have assumed I need to admitted somewhere!

samanthat09 · April 2011

oddly enough I'm not at all. DS1 would choke on things here and there and I always got it out and he was fine. DS2 sometimes will get something stuck but he always manages to get it himself. But I have to sit right next time while he eats. I can't walk from the table to the stove and do something because I'm scared he might need me and I won't notice but he pretty much eats anything and everything I give him and my first thought isn't he's going to choke. Idk why this doesn't really worry.

MotuCat · April 2011

Yes, it scares the heck out of me. I need to take a CPR/choking class or something because I honestly have no idea what I would do if one of them started to choke on something. I know you can put them over your knee and tap them on the back but what if that doesn't work? I don't know the Heimlich (sp?) and I'd be afraid of really hurting them.

kita09 · April 2011

my pedi said 9 months but i want to give her a puff. i've printed out red cross guides for myself and my mom about what to do in case of choking. i'm paranoid also.

driveshorses · April 2011

I have the same fear. BUT....I don't think it is irrational, if that helps any? I think them choking is a very legitimate fear. I guess it's best to be on guard than just la-de-dah about it. At least, IMO, for whatever that is worth. LOL

It does get easier though, Lord knows I don't worry about the 9 y/o choking...I just worry about when he'll quit eating me out of house and home!

Brian'sWifey · April 2011

I'm extremely paranoid about starting finger foods. I bought a CPR/choking DVD to watch and I let my parents watch it as well because they are our DCP's while we work.

The DVD freaked my mom out because she's scared she won't remember the steps if LO chokes but I keep telling her she has to do it. I will ask them to watch the DVD every month as a refresher if I have to.

She's afraid she'll be so panicked she won't remember 5 hard pats on the back and 5 pumps to the chest (cpr) then 5 pats on the back again if item isn't dislodged.

TAMLVSCARL · April 2011

I'm scared of the same thing! I haven't started any finger food cuz I'm scared of my DS choking.

write2nicole · April 2011

It's normal to have choking and gagging as they learn to swallow. Coughing, too. But it's good to know the heimlich.

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/presentations/100221_1.htm

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000048.htm

You also might feel better if you take a class on Infant First Aid.

wonkatalia · April 2011

write2nicole:
It's normal to have choking and gagging as they learn to swallow. Coughing, too. But it's good to know the heimlich.
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/presentations/100221_1.htm
https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000048.htm
You also might feel better if you take a class on Infant First Aid.

Thank you so much for posting this! It's great to have a refresher available all the time!

To the OP, yes, I freak out about it all the time! I want to try other finger foods, but it just freaks me out too bad. I hear about people giving carrots all the time but I can't figure out how to offer them as finger food without making them complete mush? Apparently, I only either undercook or overcook them?

JuberP · April 2011

I was rationally scared of LO choking when I started giving him solids. He would gag and make faces and I didn't know what to do.

My DH and I took an Infant CPR and First Aid class last week and I am now MUCH calmer. I've learned to recognize what real choking looks like, and now feel confident that if he did actually choke, I would know how to help him.

I highly, highly recommend going to an in-person class.

katie277s · April 2011

Even though DS likes to try to self feed, I find with the puffs if I physically put them in his mouth right where his teeth are, he'll chew them. Otherwise, he grabs a handful and shoves them all in his mouth, which scares the crap out of me.

lizard2850 · April 2011

Yes! I have this fear too, and also even though DH and I have taken and infant CPR class I'm afraid that I'll freak out and not know what to do if DD is really choking. I'm sure my mama bear instincts will kick in (i hope!!) but just thinking about it makes me cringe.

Crystal318 · April 2011

Yes! I tried to give him a puff and then I changed my mind and had to dig it out of his mouth! I know that I probably could have shoved it down there even farther by mistake but I couldnt help it. It was like a huge panic came over me ! He screamed bloody murder, he was pissed I took his puff away. Now I put puffs in his mesh feeder thing. I think I will still be feeding him steak dinners out of that thing until he is like 15 years old!

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