Problems with gagging in BLW

[pixiequeen38]

We have just started weaning my 7 month old who was born five weeks premature. She's mainly having finger foods with some spoon feeding for things like yoghurt so it's not textbook BLW. I know gagging is normal and it's getting better but she also vomits with it. She's done it a few times now. Does anyone else's baby do the same and when did it get better.

She also doesn't take much notice with the food I put in her tray as she tends to look at me eating. Sometimes I hold the piece of food up so she can see it and she will grab it and out it into her mouth. Any tips on how to get her to notice the food or will it just come with time?

[pixiequeen38]

We have been weaning for just over two weeks now.

[lookbeforeyouleap]

It will come, just keep trying. Gagging can come and go. My ds gagged a lot when teething but hardly at all at other times. I think he didn't chew properly when he had sore teeth. Just keep trying and keep a careful eye. She will get it eventually.

[Doje]

It will come with time! DS2 also did a fair bit of vomiting with the gagging.

Try softer things that will break down in her mouth easier. Banana, soft sweet potato wedges, chunks of potato, avocado, really ripe pear have been good for DS2. Now he's a bit further on (8 mo) he's better and we can do a bit more toast type of textures.

[ChilliMum]

It comes with time. We did blw with ds and really as much went in his hair / ears / dog / furniture / his drink / nappy (direct from hand to nappy not via the standard route ) as went in his mouth. For the first year they are getting what they need from the milk so it is all about exploration, textures and learning to chew. If you can cope with the mess blw is lovely just letting them find their own way.
As for the chocking and gagging ds did that until about 2 years but we got used to it and it never bothered him. He is a fantastic eater now not fussy and loves food.

[NeedQuietNow]

I'm unpopular in that the very idea of BLW does not sit well with me.

We did it with DS for a short while and I found the gagging really unnerving - my instincts said it was a warning sign that he wasn't managing whatever it was he was eating, and a cue to take things back a step.

There's lots of chat on BLW sites about how 'gagging is normal', 'babies' gag reflex is further forward in the mouth' etc. I looked and couldn't see these assertions backed up by independent medical experts/dietitians (that's not to say it doesn't exist, but the info certainly wasn't forthcoming at the time) so the whole thing seemed a little culty to me.

So we just took it slow, went with our instincts. Purées to start, quickly getting lumpier, with the gradual addition of finger foods as his chewing improved. There's a book - dr rana Conway I think - that takes this balanced approach and made us feel we were doing the right thing

[sycamore54321]

I'd echo the post above mine. My baby was simply not a likely candidate for baby led weaning. He vomited copiously - you can see my earlier threads from about a year ago. Not all babies are the same. For us, we went with the smoothly blended purées for a long time and gradually he advanced. I was very worried for a while. I did not however want to continue to push him to vomit the entire contents of his stomach, including milk, when tackling a solid or lumpy food. For me, gagging and vomiting was not the natural result I wanted for my baby.

I also do not believe the "food before one is just for fun" thing that BLW recites. Formula or breast milk does not have sufficient iron or zinc (and for breast milk, vitamin D) for babies over six months. I concentrated on getting these nutrients into my baby during weaning including by through the heavily blended purées and worked on more advanced textures later on.

Best of luck, don't feel you have to follow one ideology on this. Your baby is an individual, do what is best for him and what feels right for you.

[OneTiredMummmyyy]

DD1 did this - vomiting after gagging... I think she did this until around 9 months, when she started getting better. She now eats most things and is fine. The gagging / vomiting really used to freak me out though as I was petrified she would choke.

With DD2 (8 months) I stick to textured purees (Ella's kitchen 7+ pouches) and cow and gate fruit and baby rice pots, and give her a rusk for some hand to mouth co-ordination. She has no teeth yet, but when she has I will introduce some more lumpy foods. However when it comes to letting her feed herself, I will be slower to do this with her than DD1! They all learn eventually, so I'm more relaxed this time round.

[orangebird69]

I tried with BLW when I started weaning my ds at 6mo. Problem was he already had 6 teeth which led him to bite off way more than he could chew. Gagging and vomiting was constant so I've gone back to textured purees and melty finger foods. I'm much more relaxed and he eats anything and everything I give him. And what sycamore said about food before one blah blah blah. I'm still breastfeeding my ds who is now 8mo so I need to make sure he's getting the extra nutrients that he nonlonger has reserves of. I guess if you're ffing you don't need to worry as the formula is fortified. I also know how much he's eating where with BLW you cant really gauge. I'm happy with his progress and he seems to be thriving. I wasn't BLW'd but my tastes in food and fine motor skills are just fine