baby food (gags)

Bridget - posted on 04/10/2009

Gagging is normal! He's never had to deal with "solid" food before. Don't worry, just make his food a tiny bit runnier if it worries you, but make sure you thicken it gradually over the course of a week or 2.

Katie - posted on 04/10/2009

Try giving him real food - read things about baby led weaning - if you are feeding him baby rice he is sucking it off the spoon straight to the back of his throat. We have skipped rice and purees etc, our 7 month old eats pretty much what we do minus any sauces or seasoning (too much salt) last night it was pork chops, brocoli, cauliflower and potatoes just cut food into hand hold size - like toast soldiers - baby can hold food and they generally suck at it untill it is gone. They sometimes appear to be gagging but this is a natural instinct to move food back to the front of the mouth to avoid choking - after the first few times you stop panicking when you see it happe, the trick is not to panic as this can panic baby and cause them to choke.

I strongly recommend baby led weaning as going from puree to next stage puree with added lumps doesn't teach baby to eat just suck mush off a spoon and when food is all pureed together they don't learn about flavours.

Baby led weaning is also a great compliment to breastfeeding as baby remians in control of what, when and how often they eat just like with breastfeeding.

Eleanor - posted on 04/10/2009

I waited until my guy started grabbing food from my plate.  Then I did baby led weaning, no purees, just real food.  It's been great. he loves it, there is no fighting to make him eat, and he eats what he wants at his own pace.  If you type it inot the web there are some good sites out there.  There is also a great book by gill Rapley by the same name, baby led weaning.

Monica - posted on 04/09/2009

sounds like he is not ready. I exclusivly nursed my son till he was 6 months and then started to try rice cereal he was about 8 months before he ate that welll and then we started baby food. Your son is still little. try again in a few weeks.

Sezy - posted on 04/09/2009

My bub is 5 months and he gags when he eats sweet potato. Everything else i have tried like apple, pumpkin, grapes he hasn't gaged so for my bub i think he gags when he doesn't like something.

Ashley - posted on 04/08/2009

i made my own baby food from the food we were eating.  Before I seasoned our food I would take 1/4 cup out and blend in blender until desired consistency then pour into ice cube tray (one cube = approximately one ounce) and store in freezer.  It has more flavor than jarred prepared baby food and that helped my children.

Rebecca - posted on 04/08/2009

He may just not enjoy the bland taste anymore. My daughter stopped liking cereal after she tried veggies and fruit. Do you mix his cereal with breast milk? You can also try adding pureed apple or pear to the cereal, that kept my little one interested for a little while longer. I then went onto weet-bix and pureed fruits.

Alison - posted on 04/08/2009

he seems to do it with his cereal, first rice then oatmeal, but he hasnt always gagged to it. he doesnt seem to do it with his veggies until he has had enough

Rebecca - posted on 04/08/2009

They can gag for many reasons, If he seems upset while eating or vomits his food back up then he might not be ready for solids. Babies also gag when learning to swallow properly its a natural reflex. What are you feeding him? Try making the food a smoother, runnier texture. I was told by my Doctor to keep persisting if they gag as long as bubs isnt getting too upset or vomiting etc.

Ashley - posted on 04/08/2009

1st  - what kind of solid food are you doing?  If you are just starting make sure that the rice cereal is very thin!  It's hard to keep on the spoon that way but initially it will help and feel more familiar to him.  Secondly, take a look at your schedule - that's probably not enough time for him to feel hungry again.  As an SLP, I tell families to do one full feeding with breastmilk, then at the next feeding start with solids and then end with nursing.  Then alternate every feeding this way so that the little one is getting about 3 "solid" meals a day.  With that said you want to work up to this to ensure allergies are not a problem.  Start with one meal a day for about a week then you can increase to 2  for about a week then to 3.  Once you have gotten to 3 meals, you can introduce jarred or homemade foods.

I hope this helps.

Martha - posted on 04/08/2009

He might not be ready for solid food yet. My daughter kept her gag reflex for quite a while. 5 1/2 months is still on the early side of eating solid food anyway. I'd put it away and try again in a couple weeks.