New Blog Post re Choking Guidelines

[TheresaWalls]

I think a lot is the fear my son had about her not having teeth and choking. He lost his wife when my granddaughter was only 2 months old, so he's doing this all on his own. He didn't give her a lot of solid foods cause she would choke, which scared him. Now she puts the food in her cheeks and sucks on it but when she goes to swallow she chokes. We put her in the high chair, put food on the tray, she puts some in her mouth, then goes to swallow and chokes. She's then done and throws the rest on the floor.

[StJuniper]

Are you sure she's choking and not gagging? Learning the difference and then learning to sit on your hands and feign relaxation while they gag is part of the BLW process. Also, taking an infant resus course so you know what to do in case of choking case do a lot to set your mind at ease.

[Michaelcoleman]

Thank you for your guideline information. You did great work here. It will help any people to get information very easy.

[Drew2016]

My son is 6 months old and we just started BLW. He loves it. Although every meal, he gags and then will gag up a lot of mucus. After he does his gag mucus thing, he is happily back to his food. I've given him spears of food all soft for the most part, sweet potatoes, potatoe, carrots, pear. And he even managed to bite off part of a bell pepper (oh and a banana too) last night and gag. Any recommendations??? I think I am mostly looking for support that I am not alone and any tips from people that have experienced this same thing. Will he just learn and stop making himself gag??
Thanks!!!

[StJuniper]

Yes, totally normal! Some babies quickly learn not to gag, some take a while, but they all need to get through the gagging phase. You might try some different textures, though; sometimes too soft a texture can actually be more baggy than something a bit sturdier.

[Drew2016]

So helpful!!! He is eating now and just did it again. I needed this post!! Thank you for the response!!

[ladybugdancer55]

Hi there. I purchased the book a few months ago. I was a few chapters in so I understood the concept and benefits but I hadn't gotten to the parts that go into detail about what foods to start with and how to prepare them. Therefore I have been giving my 8 month old daughter a few things here and there and pureed pouches that i let her control herself. Yesterday I finally had time to get farther in the book so this morning I gave her toast cut into fingers with cream cheese spread on it. She really liked it and was doing great getting it to her mouth and taking bites. She has been doing really well with moving food around with her tongue and chewing. But she started putting a lot into her mouth and gagging. I know we're not supposed to interfere and its part of the process and she DID get it up/out each time but it is SO hard to watch. I don't want to put my finger in her mouth and risk pushing it farther back, or pull big pieces out of her mouth when she gets too much. I know she needs to learn but I'm so afraid that i wont know when she is choking, when to interfere and what to do. Thanks!
New to this & hopeful!

[Lily]

Gagging is noisy, but choking is silent, because the airways are blocked. So if she goes silent then you know to take action.

[ladybugdancer55]

thank you. I just need to get used to it the same way she will. And I will take advice from a previous post and brush up on a CPR/First aid course just in case.

[mahmud2016]

Thanks

[Kitcameron]

That is so useful, just what I e been looking for, thanks mahmud.

[HermanusSmith]

Hi! BLW in South Africa is still new but exited to investigate and see how my 6 month old baby girl will enjoy her finger food.

[katimum]

Yes, totally normal! Some babies quickly learn not to gag, some take a while, but they all need to get through the gagging phase. You might try some different textures, though; sometimes too soft a texture can actually be more baggy than something a bit sturdier.

Thanks for the advise. I'll be sure to check the BLW threads for good starter foods with different textures.

[Momster1989]

Great post, extremely helpful.

[Momster1989]

thanks for the links