9 month old gagging and vomiting with solids

[singingpinkmonkey]

Hello,

I'm going to see my GP this afternoon but am desperate for help so hoped I could try and post on MN.

My 9 month old was doing well with weaning up until he got a nasty cough and cold from nursery. For the past few days he has been really struggling with any form of solid food and starts gagging, coughing and vomiting.

He is taking his milk fine and I have increased his milk feeds to make up for the calories lost through him rejecting solids. I feel like we have regressed massively and I have no idea how I can help him.
The only thing he seems to take his ultra smooth food like yoghurt but he can't just eat yoghurt??

Has anyone been through anything like this?

His cough is awful and kept him up all night but I don't know what I can do to ease it. I have tried putting Vicks on his feet and putting socks on but that doesn't seem to help either.

I'm so worried and to make it worse he's at nursery and they ahve just phoned me to say he has thrown up his lunch!

Kids do go off their food when they have a cold. As long as he is taking his milk then don't worry. He will be fine! Don't force the solids just give him some nice smooth things that he can eat easily. Like yogurts and fruit pouches. He will get all the nutrients he needs from his milk and should get back to normal with his eating when he's feeling better.

I would just offer him what you usually would (ideally allowing him to feed himself) and carry on as usual. It will pass, but it's normal for them to go off food when sick and for several weeks after. I would offer everything you usually wouldn't, but don't stress if he only eats certain things.

Mine ate a really varied diet (we did blw, so she fed herself) from 6 months, but still fairly small quantities. At 9 months, she got bronchiolitis and was horribly sick for a month, on antibiotics, a trip to hospital for observation, etc. She was really miserable. For at least a month or a little more, she literally would only eat yogurt or porridge. I offered a varied of things from what we were eating anyway, but fed her whatever she would eat. After about 4-5 weeks, she suddenly just snapped out of it and in one sitting ate (no kidding) about half a 6 inch vegetable quiche. After that, she was back to having an appetite and ate so much more and so many different things that she ate before.

It happens, but it will pass. I wouldn't stress about it, but I wouldn't force it either. It's a marathon, not a sprint. I'd offer him plenty of things, but let him get on with it and if he gags and won't eat, that's fine. He will eventually again. I found it usually took until after 2 weeks after mine was feeling fine again for her appetite to well and truly come back, so you might have another few weeks of this still. Keep him topped up with milk feeds as you're doing in the meantime.

*everything you usually would

At 9 months it's fine for babies to get most of their calories from milk. I would let him just have milk, yogurt, fruit purees etc till he's feeling better. Babies' stomachs are a lot more sensitive than ours, and a few days on mostly milk won't harm him or set his weaning back. Poor little mite, I hope he gets well soon!

He's probably got a lot of phlegmy stuff in his throat making it hard to eat I expect.

Keep up his normal milk with some extra and dial back on solids for now. I expect he'll get right back into it when he's feeling better.

Thank you so much for your replies. I've since managed to get hold of my HV on the phone and she pretty much said the same thing so I feel a bit better.
I just felt so worried.
We had a rotten night last night so think I'm probably not in the right frame of mind.
I can't tell you what a comfort your posts are. This parenting lark is bloody hard at times.

Thanks again

x