Another solids question

[jt2378]

Hi Ladies,

I'm sorry to keep bringing this up but I'm still worried about DD and choking. She started eating cheerios like a champ so I was thinking great we can start other things.  Well I give her little bits of pasta last night and she puts it in her mouth and then is making almost choking faces and kind of coughing. I don't think she was choking but I'm wondering why she can't seem to gum it and get it down? I ended up taking it out of her mouth.  She legit did start choking on a shell from a pea so I'm just wondering if she just isn't ready yet? I know there is no rush really just wondering what others are having luck with

[doglover31]

I have heard that gagging and choking are different. Maybe she is gagging on the pasta since it is a new texture? From what I've been told gagging is ok because it keeps them from choking?

I'm totally paranoid too. But you know your baby best! And if you don't feel she is ready, then she might not be.

DS tries to cram everything in his mouth. At first he would gag big time but he has gotten a lot better. This weekend he ate a whole pancake by himself (I broke it up into small pieces).

This post is getting long and kind of pointless lol. Im not sure if I was able to help you at all.

[jt2378]

Thanks doglover31, yes your right maybe it was gagging, she had chicken and avocado pieces tonite and did fine so maybe it was a texture thing.

You were definitely helpful!

Did DS like his pancake? Was it plain or with syrup? LOL

[melw629]

It's scary, and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. DS has only choked on food a couple times (both in the last couple days...oops), and on vomit once. Each time, he had a red face, tears in his eyes, and coughing/gagging repeatedly without taking a breath in between. Gagging, he makes a face, sticks his tongue out/opens his mouth, and makes gagging noises. Definitely still breathing between gagging sounds though.

As far as 'ready' goes, I feel like he gags more frequently when we introduce a new food/texture. Once he figures out how to handle that food, we're good to go. I just watch him closely the first couple times he tries something new texture-wise. What kind of pasta did you try? I feel like DS would have a hard time with something skinny like a spaghetti noodle, but a bigger kind (penne or a piece of lasagna noodle or something) would be easier to move around in his mouth to chew.

[jt2378]

melw629, she definitely didn't have the signs you described so it must have been gagging. I tried small pieces of elbow macaroni so not a spaghetti.

Thanks for your input, its probably just more of her getting used to it.

[judyblume14]

This is going to sound like the WORST thing ever... but I think my girl's "gagging" face is adorable.

Anyway, yes- gagging is ok! It's what babies do to move food around in their mouths once it's it gone too far to the back.

"Gagging, as opposed to choking, is actually a safety response to food travelling too far back into the mouth so when we see our babies gagging they are actually handling the problem and it’s best just to keep calm (or at least look calm) and wait until it passes. I give her a wee drink of water immediately afterwards which she seems to like."

www.babyledweaning.com/features/gagging/the-gagging-thing-v-the-choking-thing/

[doglover31]

May 27, 2015 19:20:32 GMT -5 jt2378 said:

Thanks doglover31, yes your right maybe it was gagging, she had chicken and avocado pieces tonite and did fine so maybe it was a texture thing.

You were definitely helpful!

Did DS like his pancake? Was it plain or with syrup? LOL

I just put a little bit of butter on it. He absolutely loved it. I also tried giving him a little bit of scrambled eggs which he loved. Both were soft that he could eat and he also was able to pick it up and feed himself.

[jt2378]

She did fine last night with chunks of avocado and chicken so it must have been a texture issue with the pasta. Im going to try scrambled eggs soon, glad to hear DS loved them

[doglover31]

Texture are big with DS. He gets the weirdest look on his face when it is something new. But then once he is used to the texture of it he gets excited about eating lol.