6 1/2 month old keeps gagging/choking on ANY food I try to feed her

[Mortish]

I was wondering whether anyone else has been having the problems that I have been having in introducing solids??

My dd is 6 1/2 months old and 2 weeks shy of 6 months I started to introduce her to solids....very runny rice cereal....did this for about a week and ended up stopping because she showed absolutely no interest, no enjoyment and just kept gagging everytime i fed it to her.

So we stopped it for a bit and then over the past 10 days I have tried introducing it again to her...first rice cereal, then prepared food in jars like banana custard, pureed fruit, homecooked pumpkin, sweet potatoe, you name it (incidentally I have only been trying to give her one tasting session a day, just changing the type of foods each time to see whether it would show an improvement)....and basically all she does is when she goes to swallow it starts gagging on it and choking.

I know at this age it really is only an introduction to solids but I can't even get her to have even a teaspoon full....she will either spit it out totally or try and swallow it and start choking, etc, as I said before.

So should I keep doing it or should I just leave it for a bit?  Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.

Thanks
Serina

[em_here]

Hi there, I would say maybe leave for another week or so, but another thing I can think of is putting it on your finger and letting her suck it off, until she is more comfortable with the texture, a little more messy yes, but may help!

Hope that helps x

[Mortish]

Hey thanks for that...I will give that a try!

[em_here]

No problem, hope it works out for you 

[Samuel's mum]

This might sound a bit radical. But I'd also have a look at the baby-led weaning info on the baby-led weaning threads. It sounds as though she is trying to swallow it as she would a liquid and getting in a bit of a muddle. If you go down the baby-led weaning route then it might break the 'liquid' association and she'd be in control. Perhaps a BLW person can say more.

[Freya'sMum]

I'd second the BLW suggestion - check out the thread in the FAQ and the Finger Foods for Young Babies thread in Recipes for info on how los can self-feed from a very early age - if you have the time to check out the BLW Support Thread (sticky) too, you'll see how positive an experience it has been for those who are trying it!

For now tho, try not to feel pressured into getting your lo to eat/swallow anything, as long as she's still having all her milk feeds, she's getting the nutrients she needs, solid foods are for her to learn what they are and what to do with them by the time she needs them for nutrition in about 6 months time, so there's no rush, she's got plenty of time to get the hang of it!

Ax

[Mortish]

Thanks for that Alison and Emma...I will check out the BLW thread too.

[em_here]

Hi there, just wondering if its going any better with the solids 

[Mortish]

I tried introducing food to her on my finger but it still made her gag...even though there was such a tiny amount...

So have been giving her some finger food...like vegemite on toast etc....and she seems to like sucking on that and getting the flavour but have to watch her like a hawk that she doesn't choke on it when the toast starts to break up.

Thanks for asking and will let you know if I make any great success on the mashed food

[em_here]

Ooooh sounds like she will do great on BLW then!  Glad you have found something that works for you

[lib]

Hi there

I just wanted to let you know I went down the baby led weaning route, and it really works!  The motto you need to remember is "food is fun" and let her play with the food, taste it and eventually she'll start swallowing.  But you have to be patient, as it's not an overnight process.  I started with sticks of cucumber, brocolli (steamed but still firm), bananas, prunes - basically anything you can cut into sticks for them to hold.  Very little goes down at first, but then more and more - over the course of weeks.  My DD gagged too - but I didn't worry about it as it didn't bother her.  Gagging is very different to choking - and she hasn't choked once since we started.  Now she is 10.5 months and is eating almost adult food (all with her hands) so it is really worth doing   - I didn't puree a single thing!  She eats a wide variety of foods - she had roast veggies with chicken yesterday, lasagne the other, meatballs in tom sauce another...... eats it with gusto and yes - gets covered in it!!! 

Hope this gives you hope and you decide to go down this route.

If you want more food ideas let me know and I'll be happy to list them for you.
Lib

[Freya'sMum]

Hello Lib,

If you have recipe ideas, why don't you add them to the Finger Foods for Younger Babies thread in the recipes section, created mainly for parents using a BLW/self-feeding approach? New ones always greatly received

There is also a BLW support thread/sticky on the main page, as you've been thru the process I'm sure you could share your experiences with the other parents here having a go, if you're browsing and have the time of course!

Ax

[lib]

Hi Alison

Will do! 

Lib