She's choking on some solids...

Jeanette - posted on 09/05/2009

Yes. My son is 6 and he still can't eat raviolis. Same issue.

Rosalind - posted on 08/31/2009

I would not give her any thing with chunks, she is having a hard time, try some finger food,cherrios,and see how she does..sounds like she is not ready to go to that stage yet...

Katrina - posted on 08/30/2009

Hi Michelle. Gagging is good to a degree because this is how babies learn about food in their mouth and to develope their gag-reflex. Although, that said, obviously this is within reason. My son is 10 months and he chokes on things from time to time also. I would suggest that if you're overly concerned, go and see your GP or child health clinic. Softer textures and melt-in-your-mouth foods can be good (things that soften with moisture ie-biscuits). A speach therapist may also be able to help. Sounds silly, but they actually deal with long-term hospitalised children in a similar situation.Good luck sifting through all the suggestions and finding a solution. All the best, Katrina.

Jennifer - posted on 08/30/2009

My daughter did the same thing with the stage 3 foods. Our pediatrician actually said that one, stage 3 foods have less nutrients in them than doing the foods separately so suggested not even using stage 3, but if you think about it... your baby is used to puree and then you mix something in their puree.. their first instinct is to just swallow it. It takes time for them to learn .. Oh hey, there's something in this, lol. So I would just start mashing some table food, carrots, green beans, etc... Hope this works.

Nikki - posted on 08/29/2009

Quoting Elyse:

I have a few things to say about this.

1) You're daughter is probably not ready for foods with chunks in them. try making her cereal a little thicker and see if she does any better.

2) I don't mean to scare you but you should really be talking to your pediatrician about this because there may be an underlying problem that would need to be medically supervised or treated. Don't wait and make the call.

 

My daughter used to gag on everything we fed her. Our pediatrician didn't know what to do.

we took her off anything with dairy and she has had no problems. also if you are nursing you should try going off dairy for a while too.

Michelle - posted on 08/28/2009

Quoting Cathralynn:

I think we might be getting a lil off topic here. I believe you think its a teething thing right? And otherwise she dose well with solids, and you wanted to know how people handle it? Its normal for babies to take a step back in eating when teething. My daughter either refuses to eat and drinks more or eats softer foods. If I know she's teething I give tylenol and oragel and wait like half an hour and then try meals. Sometimes she does better eating. Just do what works, if she doesn't eat certain things just wait. It will pass when the tooth pops out and she will eat normally again. Make sure you offer more fluids and soft foods to compensate

Cathralynn,

At first I wasen't sure what was going on as we didn't realize that her tooth was coming in.  She has always eaten banana and arrowroot cookies and other things like that.  Then all of a sudden when we tried a stage 3 food she started to gag and then choke on it.  When I took her to the doctor he said that it looked like she was pushing her food away from the spot that the tooth was coming in and moving it towards the back of her mouth.  Which in turn was causing the choking.  Her tooth popped through last night and we are going to attempt to give her some chunky stuff for dinner tonight to see how she does.  She does seem to step back when she is teething so that's what we're thinking it could be.  Thanks for your help:0)

Cathralynn - posted on 08/28/2009

I think we might be getting a lil off topic here. I believe you think its a teething thing right? And otherwise she dose well with solids, and you wanted to know how people handle it? Its normal for babies to take a step back in eating when teething. My daughter either refuses to eat and drinks more or eats softer foods. If I know she's teething I give tylenol and oragel and wait like half an hour and then try meals. Sometimes she does better eating. Just do what works, if she doesn't eat certain things just wait. It will pass when the tooth pops out and she will eat normally again. Make sure you offer more fluids and soft foods to compensate

Lydia - posted on 08/28/2009

My daughter did that with mashed foods for a while coz she didnt like the texture. Just go back to what she likes, introduce finger foods and try again later - or at least that worked for me :)

Lydia - posted on 08/28/2009

She may not be ready yet. My son was the same, he wasnt ready to have that texture in his mouth. try to keep things as smooth as possible and start very slow, whilst feeding. once in a while give smaller chunks... it seemed to work for him, now his eating anything :)
hope that helped.

Corrina - posted on 08/28/2009

hi ya my 7 month old daughter had the same reaction when i introduced her to more textured food. At first she gagged then she had a screaming fit. I left it until the next day then when feeding her i pretended to have 1 spoonful me and showed her the chewing motion then 1 spoonful for her. This went on the whole meal but i've found she's more interested in food if i have it aswell. It sounds silly but after about the third spoonful she was eating it and swallowing it properly without any gagging. Hope this helps.

Michelle - posted on 08/27/2009

She will eat some solids and not gag. Just depends on what it is. And as I stated above I did talk to her doctor and he told me that he thinks it may be caused by her tooth that was coming in. She was pushing everything away from that spot in her mouth and it ended up in the back of her mouth. She eats chunks of banana, arrowroot cookies, plus other stuff. It's just certain things, which is why I asked- to see if anyone else had the issue and what they did. As for her cereal it is thick and she loves it.

Elyse - posted on 08/27/2009

I have a few things to say about this.

1) You're daughter is probably not ready for foods with chunks in them. try making her cereal a little thicker and see if she does any better.

2) I don't mean to scare you but you should really be talking to your pediatrician about this because there may be an underlying problem that would need to be medically supervised or treated. Don't wait and make the call.

Cayla - posted on 08/27/2009

My daughter still does the same thing and shes 9 months but is a lot better!

I find that using the baby foods with solids mixed she gagged on but regular food like bread etc. she was fine with, obviously i still tried the baby food and now that shes older she does soo much better, it just comes with learning how to eat solids :)

Samantha - posted on 08/27/2009

I have a similar story. We were having a terrible time switching to solids from baby foods. My son would just start to gag and then throw everything up. We took him to a gastrointestinal doctor & even did a scope where they put a tube down his throat to check for blockage. But he was fine. He's now almost 2 and still is very picky with what he eats, but he is finally eating! It just depends on the kid. My son takes forever with eveything. They get it, just in their own time. Hang in there.

Jessica - posted on 08/27/2009

my son wouldnt take a teething ring or nothing i tried everything

i was evern told to wet a rag and put it in frezzer and give that to him i tried it but it didnt work...

Michelle - posted on 08/27/2009

My son also gagged on A LOT of different solid foods, the stage 3 stuff some was ok but some was not. We just had to keep trying things and then eventually went to real solids.Even after he could eat some softer adult foods he would still gag on some of the stage 3 stuff. So I would suggest just keep trying the stage 2 stuff and offer the real soft adult foods...green beans, mashed potatoes, etc. See how she does with that.

Michelle - posted on 08/27/2009

Quoting Gemma:

I have just read most of these discussions, and i wanted to say thanks becuase i am having the same problems i have a 9.5 month old and she wont let me feed her sandviches she has to do it her self and she ends up choking beucase she puts to much in her mouth but she knows how to gag it back up but it can be scary. Also i just dont know what i can and should be feeding her she is still having mashed veges for dinner and i am not sure if i should be trying to give her other food any ideas???

I give my daughter meats (mushed up in the food processor), veggies, mashed potatoes, fruits.  Most of her stuff is still pretty mashed up (as we're having this problem) but she LOVES big chunks of banana that she can eat by herself.  She eats all stage 2 foods and we are trying with the stage 3 stuff, plus sometimes she'll eat whatever we're having.  Good luck:0)

Gemma - posted on 08/27/2009

I have just read most of these discussions, and i wanted to say thanks becuase i am having the same problems i have a 9.5 month old and she wont let me feed her sandviches she has to do it her self and she ends up choking beucase she puts to much in her mouth but she knows how to gag it back up but it can be scary. Also i just dont know what i can and should be feeding her she is still having mashed veges for dinner and i am not sure if i should be trying to give her other food any ideas???

Helen - posted on 08/26/2009

Hya my son was like this so i just kept trying him every other day, and when i tired him on day last week he just ate it and has done since. just keep trying she will take them eventually xx

Kay - posted on 08/26/2009

I keep my granddaughter who is 9 months old and has 4 teeth. She hated the stage 3 foods so I started giving her real food but in tiny pieces. She choked a little at first but is now eating almost anything that is well cooked and in small pieces. I think the key is to make sure it is really well cooked and introduce very small pieces along with stage 2 or 3 foods. The small jars of Graduates carrots and apples are good to start with. I also keep a bottle or cup of water for her to sip after she quits choking. She rarely chokes any more unless the food is not well cooked.

Michelle - posted on 08/26/2009

I have one of the net things for her, but she's not to impressed with it!! As for the CPR stuff, I have my infant/child CPR course (I work in a daycare and it's required). Thanks for you input though:0)

Amy - posted on 08/26/2009

They sell little net looking things that you can put fruit in (for example) so that the baby can't choke on it. Sometimes they may get a little overexcited when eating. If it seems like she's gagging or choking make sure to lean her forward, if she's sitting down, and give her firm back blows between the shoulder blades. That should help loosen the obstruction if she can't do it herself.



For Melanie---if ever your friend has another issue with her daughter make sure that they hold her in a football hold at a 90 degree angle and give her 5 firm back blows. Hopefully with the back blows and gravity it should help loosen the object and avoid another ambulance call!



Hope this helps ladies! :o)

Melanie - posted on 08/26/2009

One of my friends had this problem - it actually resulted in an ambulance ride because she was choking and they couldn't help her. After a few tests, they found out that she didn't know how to chew. She was just mashing things with her tongue and continuing to choke. She has gone to occupational therapy to help her learn to use her tongue to push food to her teeth so she is able to chew. This was a rare problem, but it's something not to look past. Take care!

Elaina - posted on 08/26/2009

My daughter did the same thing. She eventually just grew out of it I think because she stopped doing it a few weeks later. I would just try again in a few and see if anything changes .

Crystal - posted on 08/26/2009

My son is two now but he did the same thing and I am thinking its because he was so use to the smooth food that when I introduced food with chucks he was not use to that. Give her time to get use to the food.

Amy - posted on 08/26/2009

I started my daughter on things like pureed fruit and fromage frais at 4 1/2 months as she was so hungry and progressed onto solid foods over the next few weeks, then by 6 months she was on stage 2 solids, she gagged a little bit for the first week or so while she was getting used to the new texture then she was fine.Shes 9 months now and sometimes she still gags if she has had enough to eat, I think thats her way of letting me know shes full! she also gags if shes had enough of her milk!

Michelle - posted on 08/26/2009

Quoting Mary:

Man could I write a book on this . . . my daughter, a year and a half does this and has done that since she was that age. We have gone through a battery of tests to see if there is a bigger deal--food allergy testing, upper GI, swallow study to watch how she chews and swallows, and an endoscopy/EGD. After all that, this is what we have found for our daughter: 1--she has MANY food allergies 2--she has severe acid reflux (with no signs of acid reflux really besides the choking on solids). Put her on medication--and it helped her sleep through the night--was waking 1 to 2X screaming, but still chokes on solids though. 3. The swallow study person said to come back when she is 2, if she still is choking--when she has a full/fuller mouth of teeth (still at her age she only has seven) so to see if its just a "does not have enough teeth to chew well" 4--egd is checking to see if she has something called EE--esophagus problem.

Other than that--we were told to NOT do anything/give her anything that made her choke--bad food memories are not good for little kids--so no level 3 baby foods, crunchy things that don't dissolve easy and to just continue baby cereal, level 1 or 2 baby foods, juices/breastmilk/formula etc.

I would talk to your pediatrician for sure--he or she could recommend a great GI dr. Might be nothing but might be something. who knows. God bless, Mary

Feel free to e-mail me if you want mnelsonwlc@hotmail.com

Mary,

She just seems to react this way with certain foods.  As I type this she is munching on an arrowroot cookie and chunks of banana. 

Did your daughter do this with all foods or just certain ones?  It seemed to be the chunks of potato that got her!  She's fine with mashed potatoes but these one didn't agree with her mouth:0).

Her family doctor told me he thought it may be due to her front tooth that is coming in.  She seems to be pushing everything back away from that area on that side of her mouth.  I guess it might be a waiting game!

Thanks so much for you help:0)

Michelle

Mary - posted on 08/26/2009

Man could I write a book on this . . . my daughter, a year and a half does this and has done that since she was that age. We have gone through a battery of tests to see if there is a bigger deal--food allergy testing, upper GI, swallow study to watch how she chews and swallows, and an endoscopy/EGD. After all that, this is what we have found for our daughter: 1--she has MANY food allergies 2--she has severe acid reflux (with no signs of acid reflux really besides the choking on solids). Put her on medication--and it helped her sleep through the night--was waking 1 to 2X screaming, but still chokes on solids though. 3. The swallow study person said to come back when she is 2, if she still is choking--when she has a full/fuller mouth of teeth (still at her age she only has seven) so to see if its just a "does not have enough teeth to chew well" 4--egd is checking to see if she has something called EE--esophagus problem.



Other than that--we were told to NOT do anything/give her anything that made her choke--bad food memories are not good for little kids--so no level 3 baby foods, crunchy things that don't dissolve easy and to just continue baby cereal, level 1 or 2 baby foods, juices/breastmilk/formula etc.



I would talk to your pediatrician for sure--he or she could recommend a great GI dr. Might be nothing but might be something. who knows. God bless, Mary



Feel free to e-mail me if you want mnelsonwlc@hotmail.com

Adrienne - posted on 08/26/2009

Start with adding rice to smooth textured food then slowly add few chunks every other week.

Michelle - posted on 08/26/2009

She refuses to chew her toothbrush and won't take a soother or teathing ring. She likes my finger, but that hurts after awhile!! Plus she hates really cold things right now too! I think it may just be her teeth and her doctor is with me on that right now. We'll keep trying and hope for the best:0)

Lee Ann - posted on 08/26/2009

My son has a very strong gag reflex and couldn't handle a lot of foods. I got some help from an occupational therapist. We have very slowly added textured foods to soft foods such as yogurt. He is 18 month old and still we are working at it. It can take a long time for the gag reflex to be desensitized. Also, having her chew on toothbrush and nuby help desensitize.

Cathralynn - posted on 08/26/2009

You sound like you have a handle on the situation now but I just wanted to add that a little gagging and coughing is good. It teaches them to clear their own throats and move food around in their mouths. If she is coughing or making noise she is fine and let her clear it herself. It helps in future food stages for her to learn this now. By all means feel free to chop food smaller but I wouldn't stop feeding her chunky things altogether or overreact when she coughs. Its normal. Try giving her a sip of water to help her swallow. And good luck with the teething!

Michelle - posted on 08/26/2009

Most of the time she is just gagging on stuff, but we tried chicken stew with her and she kept pushing the potatoes away from the spot her new tooth is coming in and towards the back of her mouth. She is even having a hard time with me brushing that spot on her mouth. She does eat cut up banana, mashed potatoes, arrowroot cookies and some other stuff and is normally fine. This just started happening recently. Thanks for all your help ladies:0) And Marina, my daughter LOVES her food as well. She did seem to like the taste of the new foods, so maybe she was just attmpting to get it into her faster then she could handle.

Marina - posted on 08/26/2009

My daughter is 15 1/2 months now and she STILL chokes on some stuff! Pepperidge Farm Goldfish are usually the culprit, but for other foods I think it is because she tries to eat TOO MUCH... TOO FAST! She is a real go-getter when it comes to food. She will yell at me if her plate is empty and she is still hungry. She tends to try to swallow things whole right now since she is getting her molar/wisdom teeth in. I think that also plays a BIG part in why she chokes. Like Melissa said.. don't worry about gagging or a little choking unless they can't breathe & are turning blue. Yesterday my daughter was choking on her nemesis (the Goldfish) and threw up what was making her choke/gag. It is a normal function.
Good Luck to you!

Mel - posted on 08/26/2009

yes the professionals just say baby's choke, unless they are turning blue and not makign noise then let them sort it out for themselve. my daughter chokes on everything and she is 16 months

Jill - posted on 08/26/2009

Hiya! Just going to say 'breathe' dont panic! It is all part of eating! She needs to learn how to gag, before she swallows. If it seems like she cant move the food from teh back of her throat forward on her own, then ease up on the chunky bits for a few days and try again. Just remember to be relaxed. The little ones will sense your apprehension and might become anxious at meal time.



What sort of foods have you tried? Cut up banana? Peas? Over-steamed broccoli? those worked well on my little one. He also liked a spoonful of rice added to his baby food.



Just sit close by, and be ready to scoop with your finger if she is having difficulty. With my son, we let him decide (baby led weaning) on when he was ready for stuff. Some babies keep their own timetable for getting things done.



Remember Einstein didnt talk until he was 4! So, if your little one wants mushy food a little longer, No worries! :)

Leda - posted on 08/26/2009

My son Bruce had a problem with solids at first too... He would gag and usually throw up. What we did was try a little solids at a time. (not the stage 3 foods)- My Dr. said that sometimes the smooth combined with the chunky texture can be confusing. I tried chopping up soft foods that she could "practice" chewing. We did this once a day...after a few weeks he got the hang of it and the gagging stopped. It was very hard at the time to watch it. But it's a matter of practice....he's 15 mo. now and eats like a champ. I also stood in front of him and kept saying "chew chew chew", and made exaggerated chewing motions...he wold copy me, sounds silly but it helped.

Tamara - posted on 08/26/2009

I started my daughter on real food from 6 months, eg vegies, pasta, cheese, bits of meat etc, initially stuff she could easily hold in her hand. The first couple of months she gagged a lot, but never choked. Gagging is ok, it's normal for babies of that age and nothing to panic about. They have a really strong gag reflex plus they have to learn how to deal with food of different textures/chunkiness etc. Gagging didn't seem to put her off eating. By 9 months she was hardly ever gagging and absolutely chomping through her food. She is now coming up to 11 months and I feel really confident in her ability to handle a wide variety of foods.
On the other hand, it does sound like that tooth was putting her off and if she gets distressed or put off by chunky food I'd go slow like other people are saying.

Bree - posted on 08/25/2009

My 9 month old is doing the same thing when it come's to 8 month baby food his doc said to stay with 6 month food and try the 8 month food once a week.Its kinda working for me but it's up to you i hope it help's

Sacha - posted on 08/25/2009

My daughter hated the texture of the chunky foods, but loved regular food, cut in small pieces. Try skipping 3rd foods, and supplement with real food and stage 2

Zaheera - posted on 08/25/2009

Yes, I too-am interested in your thoughts on this. And my son has 8 teeth and he is just past 8 months old now.

Michelle - posted on 08/24/2009

that is excatly what I said I was doing... I ran it through the food processor for a bit to mush it down.

Stefanie - posted on 08/24/2009

Stop giving her that kind of food then. She's not ready for it. Stick with mushy foods for a few more months and try again.

September - posted on 08/24/2009

Oh little sweet pea. The teething stage can be hard on our little ones. Good luck with that :)

Michelle - posted on 08/24/2009

She has one of her top lateral incisors on the way through (one is in already). We have noticed that anytime she bites on it she gets upset. I'm wondering if she's biting on stuff and it hurts so she pushes it to the back of her mouth and it just goes to far... humm! She has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, so I'll ask him as well! Thanks ladies:0)

September - posted on 08/24/2009

Oh that's good to hear Michelle :) Yummy!

Jessica - posted on 08/24/2009

yea sometime the new texters scare them and they forget to chew...

Michelle - posted on 08/24/2009

I just ran her food through the food processor for a bit and she seems to be doing better! Maybe she's just not ready yet! We'll see!!

Jessica - posted on 08/24/2009

my son is almost three and he is still gagging and choking on some solid foods .. ive ask doctors why and all they tell me is that its the different texters and to just take it easier like maybe tring to cut those chunks in smaller pieces thats why i did with my son when he was still on chunky baby food and it helped some... just try different things thats why i done and i found that some thinngs work better then others

Michelle - posted on 08/24/2009

Thanks ladies! And thanks Sharon! I don't know what happened there!!