BLWer's- a question

Re: BLWer's- a question

• giraffe54

  January 2013

  After about a week or so, LO got over the gagging. Gagging is a very good thing because your baby is learning to push food out from the back of his mouth. Chances are he's just experimenting with food and textures and chewing rather than actually having trouble with it. Chances are the lunch meat got stuck to the top of his mouth and he was learning to get it out by gagging. It may be that he's having some trouble going back and forth between swallowing purees and chewing real food. That's not a dealbreaker, though, he'll learn eventually! If we do liquidy foods, I tend to add chunkier bits to it, like quinoa, and load the spoon and let LO feed herself. It's messy but it works well. My LO loves steak, too. It's a bit expensive to feed her on a regular basis, but I'm enjoying having the excuse to eat more of it!

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• henrytviii member

  January 2013

  Gagging was really bad for us for the first two weeks and then it just stopped.   He must have figured how to to move the food around and avoid anything to large moving to the back of his mouth.  You say tiny pieces, could that be the issue?  I generally give large pieces or fingers of everything.  Then he can bite or scrap off what he wants to and only put what he wants in his mouth.  Often this just means mushing the end until its soft enough for him. I think if he had a small solid bit he might be more likely to gag but I don't know? I am new  to this and have just been following the BLW book.

  For the little steak lovers  issue we've found that slow cooker stew is a huge hit.  The cheap meats get soft and easy to eat.  Fat is a choking hazard so you need to pick out the lean pieces.  He loves the potatoes and carrots cooked this way.

  

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• khill86 member

  January 2013

  I agree, I'm thinking it's the tiny pieces that are the issue. I also probably wouldn't give DS lunch meat. That's because we do big piece of things like the PP, so I can't really imagine DS being able to manage lunch meat. It doesn't break up the same as real meat, kwim? It's not fibrous, so I imagine it requires some more work to get good sized pieces. I don't give lettuce or spinach for the same reason. I totally don't believe you need teeth to chew, but for things like those I do.
  
  Anyway, DS rarely gags unless he gets a piece that's to big or stuck to the roof of his mouth. They're still learning, but they need the opportunity to figure it out!

  

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• thatoneredhead member

  January 2013

  Yes- they are tiny pieces. I guess I need to get brave and let him have a little bit bigger pieces. He bit off a bite of banana this morning and that went well. Im getting there...

  And thank you! I didnt even think about it getting stuck for some reason.

  
  

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• henrytviii member

  January 2013

  Hang in there with it and just keep trying things.  I can finally can sit back and watch in amazement while he eats.  Very worth the initial stress this caused me.  I almost gave up because I was so nervous.  Now I am just in awe of his progress.  It took 2 weeks for me to stop jumping up at every noise and 2 more weeks for him to suddenly just be able to manage almost everything. 

  

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