BLW worries

[Cr17]

Hi,
My LO is 7 months old this week and I've been weaning her for 1.5 months.
I've been spoon feeding her and she's been doing great and I'm enjoying feeding her however I've not been BLW as the couple of times I've given her finger sized foods she just rams it in her mouth and I'm worried she will have too much in her mouth and choke 🙈
Shes been having 7+ month food for a couple of weeks now so she is aware of chewing etc but my concern is allowing her to feed herself.
If I give her some toast I tear off the portion size and give it to her which she is fine with this...
I do want to introduce foods to her to eat herself but I just can't sit and watch her try and ram half the portion in her mouth at once!
For example would it be better for me cut the the food up into smaller pieces i know she won't choke on and let her pick it up & eat it this way and over time make the pieces bigger? Or stay as I'm with spoon feeding her?
The main reason I wanted to try more finger foods was for when we go out & about and have picnics etc

The idea of finger food (not the same as BLW, which is pretty much no purees) is for them to learn how to chew and swallow, learn how much they can fit in their mouth and that it makes them gag if they put too much in.

Try the Ella's kitchen melty puff things. They were the only thing that didn't terrify me when we first started weaning. Put one in your own mouth first to reassure yourself that they really do melt. They're like skips, just without the salt content!+

@Toottootdrivers yes I have these, these are about the only thing I dont panic over!

@ChocOrange1 yes, most of the foods she has has lumps in them for her to chew which she is fine with, its just generally when I give her foods to eat herself she rams half of it in, thats what frightens me

Its ok if she rams loads in. Thats how she will learn not to do that, which is part of learning how to eat. Gagging is fine, and not the same as choking.
www.babycentre.co.uk/x25022988/what-is-the-difference-between-gagging-and-choking

They are less likely to choke on larger pieces of food than smaller ones, for example a quarter of a slice of toast is much easier to hold on to.
It's a good idea to familiarise yourself with the difference between gagging and choking, gagging is a normal part of learning to swallow, they tend to be coughing noisily and redfaced. If they are silent and going blue, then that is choking and they need immediate help.
Being confident that you would know what to do in an emergency helps you to be less anxious about weaning. First aid courses are a great idea, St. John ambulance also have some good videos on their website.
As a nanny I find it helpful every now and then to mentally run through exactly what I would do if a child in my care started to choke so it's fresh in my mind. It's only ever happened once in over 25 years but I was able to deal with it calmly and the baby was fine afterwards.

If you're afraid of it then just do what you feel comfortable with. I did a mixture of both.

Also, do look up online what to do if a baby is choking if you haven't already and you can always practice a few times like positions etc.

It’s all part of the learning process - she’ll soon figure out she can’t chew a huge mouthful.

the couple of times I've given her finger sized foods she just rams it in her mouth and I'm worried she will have too much in her mouth and choke

This is completely normal. It is very unlikely that she will choke. She will gag - which is different from choking. Gagging is noisy and its how baby learns to move food around her mouth. Its normal. Choking is different - its silent and must be dealt with immediately. Mine gagged all the time and never choked.

my concern is allowing her to feed herself. If I give her some toast I tear off the portion size and give it to her which she is fine with this...

that is great - sounds like baby is doing well

I just can't sit and watch her try and ram half the portion in her mouth at once!

You need too. It is how she will learn. Its scary for parents but its completely normal. But you need to let your baby learn.

would it be better for me cut the the food up into smaller pieces i know she won't choke on and let her pick it up & eat it this way and over time make the pieces bigger?

No chip sized pieces that she can hold in her hand are the best way to go.

Or stay as I'm with spoon feeding her?

You could but for how long? She needs to learn.

The main reason I wanted to try more finger foods was for when we go out & about and have picnics etc

Definitely the best way to go. Plus it is just much more fun.

My DS did the same when we started BLW and it terrified me. I was so scared that he’d choke. But I learnt that if they do start to gag then they bring everything up immediately. That’s how they learn that they need to bite off smaller pieces and chew them up before they swallow. My DS will still try to shove a whole piece of toast in his gob because he loves it so much but he soon realises it’s not gonna work! Don’t worry about it too much, but always supervise baby when eating so you can intervene if needed.