Feeding Frenzy

Inspired by someone worried about her baby's inability to tackle solid foods without gagging I have decided to explore weaning today.

A gagging baby makes feeding him very stressful indeed. As one of the first rules of weaning is to act casual and make sure nothing is a big deal it cannot be very helpful if you are sat on the edge of your seat ready to perform the emergency eject from highchair that I know so well.

Baby has a tongue thrust reflex that diminishes over time but this is why he pushes the spoon out of his mouth when it first goes in- it is a natural reaction. The less they do this the more ready they probably are for solid foods. BUT if the spoon is persistently rejected try waiting a little longer before trying again (a few weeks maybe?) there is no point trying if you can't succeed.

GAGGING is baby's natural reflex against choking. He is worried that the food will choke him and does not know how to deal with it.
It is very common and very normal and will most likely pass as your baby becomes used to swallowing and dealing with solid food. Gagging is also a sign that your baby could not be hungry- there are only a few ways that he can show you this and if he has let the food into his mouth absent mindedly and then realised he doesn't want it this could explain the gag.
Very smooth foods such as fruit purees etc should not cause gagging like lumpier foods do and a gagging prone baby should be allowed to get thoroughly used to these sorts of 'solid' foods before thicker ones are introduced.

I have often found that this gag can create so much vomiting that the days worth of food and milk comes back up- this is obviously less helpful than if baby had eaten a smaller amount in the first place!

Another thing to try is to get baby used to foods and swallowing and flavours etc is to use a "baby safe feeder"- you pop the finger food into the mesh pocket and baby can safely suck on the food without the risk of a big lump getting stuck in his throat- only problem is that sometimes it can be hard to get anything at all through the mesh!

Finally, if baby really is having trouble with gagging and it is worrying you that he is not eating enough or losing weight etc then you should consult your doctor. The advice above should not be taken as a medical opinion.