Nursery - Food in the baby room

[EleanorF98]

I am a first time mum and my little girl is starting nursery in January at 9 months old.

She is EBF and although eats porridge for breakfast and lumpy/mashed foods for lunch, she’s still not very good with actual pieces of food, like finger foods. She shoves a lot in her mouth, hasn’t quite worked out how to ‘chew’ and then ends up gagging/choking and then vomits.

This may be a very silly question and I appreciate all nurseries are different but do nurseries in the baby room tend to offer food mashed/as you request or is it actual pieces of food? I’m absolutely terrified that she’s going to be given food along with all of her peers that is abit advanced for her and she ends up choking/being missed needing help as there are other children needing attention too.

This probably sounds so stupid but the closer I get to her starting nursery the more I am panicking about everything.

I used two different nurseries when mine were small and they both asked for my preference and fed them how I wanted. Both mine had safely chopped food from 6mo but the staff were happy with either way. Just have a chat with them.

Ask them? Even if we all give our experiences, you won't be reassured until you know what your nursery does.

Until age 1 our nursery does what you ask and will feed them mushed up food if you like. But from 1 onwards they get given standard food as that’s what’s expected at that age, unless any extra needs or anything in which case it'll be on their plan to do them different food.

Saying that though in the baby room snacks were the same for all kids and things like toast or veg sticks obviously wouldn’t be mushed up.

Yes, we ask your preferences and go completely by baby’s routine whether that means chopped, mashed or puréed foods.
id be wary of any nursery that says different.

I don't know about nurseries but there's a bit in the baby led weaning book that might put your mind at rest about choking/gagging. Basically babies have a gag reflex much further down their tongues than adults, it's a healthy (if upsetting sounding) defense mechanism.

A choking baby doesn't make sound. A gagging baby is clearing food from being too far back on their tongue.

Feed her how you like, but I think you can relax a little bit!

When DD1 started nursery they asked whether she had food pureed, mashed or cut up, so suspect it'll just be whatever you want.

@Squamata it's true that gagging isn't necessarily harmful but OP has said it leads to vomiting and it's reasonable for OP not to want her daughter vomiting regularly at nursery (p.s. love the username, I have snakes!)

Our nursery said they would go along with whatever they preferred. My lo started at 6 months so was obviously very fresh to weaning and so they pretty much did it for us! Started him with first tastes and worked up with lumpier textures before introducing finger foods about a month later. In fact they said it was quite nice for them to do the more traditional weaning for once as most babies there are BLW. He’s now 9 months and they still spoon feed him his main meal and weetabix but now regularly give him fingers foods for snacks which he is great with. I’m sure any good nursery will be happy to go with whatever you prefer.

Also all nursery staff will likely be trained in how to serve food for the appropriate age and skill so try not to worry about them giving her anything that is “too advanced”.
One of the ladies at my nursery even said she’s only recently started buying grapes for her 14 year old because she’s scared of the choking risk 😂 They care about the babies and will want what’s best for them.
they will also have first aid qualifications to deal with anything that might happen.