Baby struggling with food!! :(

[Mumma2be7727]

My daughter is 7months old coming onto 8 months.
She was doing brilliantly on food untill it was coming onto the soild parts. She struggles with the 7mnths + food, she gags, and sometimes chokes on it and starts having coughing fits. Not all the time just seems every other dinner she does.
Even the 6mnth + baby snacks, she seems to struggle with too, it seems as though they are too hard for her or she's just not quite getting to grips with this whole soild food part.
For example she even struggles to eat the rice paper snacks or rusks.
I'm just worried about why it's taking her so long to get on board with it all, especially when I have comments from other mums saying "she's behind" or "What she can't handle 6mnths snacks and she nearly 8mnths" which makes me feel awful, kind of like I'm not doing very well at this whole parenting thing :(
So, I come to my trusted place "mumsnet" :) any advice anyone can give that I can help her with I would appreciate it so much, I am a 1st time mum, so bear with me if none of this makes sense or I sound silly but thank you in advance!! :)

Just mix and match I guess, I think every baby is different , my 6 month old homemade purées but has to put the spoon in ... but has got a little more selective he would rather live on natural Yogurt And puréed fruit all day than have the casseroles and lamb dishes I created ( done the veg part ). He self feeds fine but I have noticed after giving him eggy bread to chomp on food gets caught up there ... he seems to have a high pallet and weaning hasn’t solved he wind or reflux it can sometimes make it worse so trying to avoid windy veg and lentils now due to the pain it causes him.
Mum guilt is awful but you sound like you are doing a fab job.
It’s such a minefield we either worry we have done something wrong because they don’t want it or worry that we did something wrong because I fed him something that has put him into a 4 hour screaming fit of windy pain which also ramps up the pure acid vomits .

If you buy the baby food or perhaps download an app/ look at nhs website it recommends food / textures babies can handle at different stages it’s a guide.
It takes into account babies gag reflex / maturity of tummy and also I suppose exhausting experience with food..( from what I can tell )

www.nhs.uk/start4life/weaning/recipes-and-meal-ideas/

Or say you buy baby porridge it starts thinner and the. Goes more like our porridge as it goes up in he range becuse I guess they can handle it.

My 10 month old won't entertain those Ella kitchen 7+ months pouches but loves real food chopped up so that he can feed himself, he also eats my textured purées.

My eldest son was like this. He seemed to have a really strong gag reflex so lumpy or hard things would make him gag or be sick. I was worried about him being ‘behind’ too and I used to look at other mums feeding their babies real food and feel like I was doing something wrong.

My advice would be to let her eat smooth things and don’t worry about her being behind. You can add texture gradually. I found that when I persevered with the lumpy stuff he just kept being sick and started to get scared of eating. He grew out of it eventually and has just turned 2 and eats like any other toddler.

I'm really glad to have found this thread. My 8 month old refused anything other than milk until 7 months. He was eating veg purées but has decided that very smooth fruit purées and yogurt are all that he will eat now. Its good to know there are others in the same situation and to read the tips. It's been worrying me particularly as he hasn't gained any weight in two months so have no been referred to a paediatrician but the appointment isn't until the middle of August.

@niclw - this sounds so much like my DS and I’m so worried. How long did it take ur little one to get the hang of eating? X