Finger foods and gagging/choking - advice & reassurance please!

[jenc]

Is anyone out there as paranoid as me about this?! I started weaning my son (7m now) about 6 weeks ago and the mush side of things is largely going well, but I'm really concerned about finger foods and choking. I'm probably being completely neurotic, and I've even been to a baby first aid session so I know what to do if he does choke, but I'm worried about finger foods - I do give them but then sit there and watch him like a hawk - somewhat off putting for him I would imagine. I've started with some toast, some toasted pitta bread and some carrots, but does anyone have any advice as to how long or wide the pieces should be and also how well cooked veg should be? Any advice or reassurance gladly received - thanks!

[Moos]

Someone more experienced than me will probably offer some good advice soon, but in the meanwhile, I'll just say that my son when a baby used to regularly choke on his food, and make the most revolting gagging noises, which never meant anything serious was happening - he was just getting used to solid food in his gullet.

Not that I'm saying you shouldn't keep a careful eye on him, but they do eat very noisily which can cause anxiety, but it's normal.

[bumpy]

I haven't started weaning my baby yet but have just bought this book which is only about giving finger foods - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Baby-led-Weaning-Helping-Your-Baby/dp/0091923808/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275061768&sr=8-1-spell

[Belle]

I did baby-led weaning with my baby and can't recall him ever choking, though yes occasional gagging like Moos mentions. In hte book bumpy is getting, it tells you that babies' gag reflex is v developed so you shouldn't be too alarmed by the gagging noise. The very first things he ate, if I remember right, were some banana, then some of my tuna sandwich (grabbed off me on flight to edinburgh) and then some bits of avocado my husband gave him - so all semi-solid stuff and he was fine with it. At the start they don't really swallow much, it's more pushing around their mouth while they work it out, so don't worry if you think it's not going down - it will one day!

[snowboarder]

Make sure baby is sat really upright - some highchairs seem to make them slump and that does not help! Ikea basic with the blow up insert is perfect.

[The Nappy Lady]

If you go to you tube and search for baby led weaning or baby choking you should find some good/reassuring films.

I think it is natural to feel nervous about it but they do cope very well in general.

Molly

[jam]

I am not too keen on the feeding baby finger food before a year old, and I would rather not have any child gagging, and just do it from the slow but gradual purees, lump, solids/finger food stage as food before one is just about tastes and textures.

I find that the baby mesh feeder a great way of getting babies to learn to chew instead of inhaling chunks of food and gagging

:FOOD MESH Safety Food Mesh

[Belle]

It's funny - i really never thought about it too much (though I guess having read that book did reassure me) - and I do know loads of people who went down the puree route and there's no difference really in how the kids eat (except poss mine is much messier!) but I found it much easier this way for a multitude of reasons. One quite important one being that he was and is a 'challenging' little boy and he was always going to want to do it his way - and I found post weaning, the fact I could just hand him some food as a distraction and let him get on with it, helped us both no end!

I think that finger foods are encouraged even if going down the more conventional weaning route? There's some common sense involved obviously - halving things like grapes, don't try hard stuff like apples to begin with. There's some interesting theory about purees being a hangover from when babies were weaned much earlier (3/4 months in my own babyhood) so couldn't handle chewing etc.

[crystal7]

Agree with belle. The baby led book is great- she takes time to explain the difference between choking and gagging which reassured me. My little one used to gag a lot especially on raw carrot. Stopped as she got more used to foods. And it's so much easier to give baby a bit of sandwich for lunch when out and about than mess around heating pots of puree!

[missd]

We did a mix of both - think I would do it that way again as I was reassured that my son was eating (because of the spoon fed meals) and then some part of the meal would be/is finger food -so cut a banana in half, peel down and cut off the skin around the banana so you're left with a handle of banana skin at the bottom and the banana poking out at the top if you see what i mean. Makes it much easier for the baby to hold the banana him/herself and eat it.

Quite large chunks of food are best ie toast, buttered and cut into three lengthways. I would then give one of those pieces to him and he would suck on the bread mainly but progressed to biting bits off.

So lunch would tend to be spoon fed and tea a mix of stuff -roasted veg is great -but keep them quite large, they should be like a handle that the baby can hold. pitta and hummus, avocado is great too

As they get a bit older blueberries are great -i squish them a bit so that they are not swallowing a whole round blueberry (likely to gag on that!). Raspberries again - all these are good for developing their pincer grip too

[apenn]

The baby led weaning book is really good for describing the developmental theory and biology behind using finger foods straight from the start. My son is 10 months and entirely self-fed and has never choked. It is important to note the difference between gagging and choking - gagging is NOT choking! And your baby will gag on food. It's fine and normal and part of the process of them learning how to handle foods of different textures and shapes.

My son gagged a lot in the beginning, but as he became more experienced I noticed that he really only gagged on new foods. He gagged on his own hands all the time before I even started weaning!

The book isn't too hot though when it comes to practical tips and advise on what to actually feed. In the beginning, just use foods and shapes that your baby can actually handle easily. Toast and pittas are definitely good ones and fruit that isn't slimey. I found that banana and avocado were too slippery in the beginning, but you can mash them and put them on toast. As far as vegetables, you can give raw ones to suck and teeth, but they will have better luck with well cooked vegetables. I found broccoli florets, finger shaped pieces of carrot and courgette good to start off with. Raw tomatoes - cut into large chunks or cherry tomatoes cut in half are great because they can suck out all of the gooey middle and then spit out the skin. Cucumbers cut into rings or half moon shapes are also good for their soft middle.

As far as watching them eat, I eat with mine so although I am watching the whole time, it's not the only thing I am doing. It also teaches them how to eat as they watch you.

I felt exactly the same way as you describe when I started, but you'll build confidence as you go along. Just trust your instincts and don't be afraid to have fun and experiment. If it's not appropriate it will be rejected or spat out! Of course, there are foods that do pose choking hazards like nuts etc.

Hope this is helpful/reassuring!

-A

[ClaireClaire]

Hi jency

Yes, I was the same as you the first time around, totally paranoid every time I gave dd anything solid, and would whip her out of her chair and start whacking her on the back anytime she started gagging! But actually, as other people have already said above, the babies are surprisingly clever and just learn to cope with it themselves. Now with number 2, I am much more relaxed, and when he starts gagging on food, I'm able to just stand there and wait while he deals with it. (Btw, for me it was reassuring to realise that you never hear in the news about a baby dying because they've choked on their own finger food!)

But despite knowing all this, it is still hard the first time round, and all the anxiety will add grey hairs to your head!

Good luck

Claire x

[jenc]

thanks everyone for the advice - I've read the BLW book and know that gagging is a safety mechanism, not that that makes me any less nervous! Mine has never choked and probably never been anywhere close to choking, I'm just totally paranoid about it - and gagging sounds like a prelude to choking sometimes but obviously is actually them avoiding swallowing the food isn't it? I also am reassured by the fact that you rarely hear of a chid dying by choking. I'll forge ahead with the finger food and be brave!

[craigy]

Isn't tha whole thing behind baby led that if they can pick the food up themselves with their pincer grip then they are sufficiently evolved to be able to handle the size of the food??? I weaned at 5 months due to having a 22lb hungry baby so started on puree but they were pretty lumpy from the begining as I couldn't be bothered with the blender then moved onto finger foods at 6 mths along with spoon feeding to make sure the calories got in.. I know friends who were slow to move onto finger foods and now have children who struggle with textures.. Personally I HATED weaning..