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Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Blw question-some encouragement needed!

14 replies

Lizbertnobacon · 09/12/2010 17:58

I have been trying to do 50/50 with blw and some spoon feeding of roughly mashed food.
The blw part frightens me to be honest because dd seems to suck on whatever food she is eating and breaks a bit off then sort of sucks it to the back of her mouth without chewing and gags. I just gave her a slice of cooked pear and I was helping her to hold it because it was so slippy, she sucked it like mad because it was so juicy and she was really enjoying it. She then broke a bit off, didn't chew, tried to swallow and started gagging. It left me shaking because it was her first proper gag. She did cough it back up but is this normal for them not to chew at first when they are sucking on things and will the gagging reflex still kick in??
She enjoys it so much and laughed when the pear came back up but I just need some reassurance that dd knows what she is doing, or at least her reflexes do!!!!
Thanks

OP posts:
TondelayoSchwarzkopf · 09/12/2010 18:06

Gagging is good. Gag reflex is much further up in baby's mouth than ours - shows she is managing her food. Do you know what the difference between gagging and choking is and do you know what to do in the event of the latter? Really recommend doing a half-day course in infant first aid to give you confidence.

She will learn to chew and you will learn to relax. Smile

I would also let her do the holding as that means she is in control of what she is eating.

Lizbertnobacon · 09/12/2010 19:07

Thanks for your reply!
I'm guessing that if she was truly choking there would be no sound and that gagging is more like coughing, but when she was coughing up this pear it was more like a silent heave rather than a cough which I think is what shook me. Will a gag always be noisy or can they silently gag too? Its all so confusing!
I have just found a sja course in early Jan, think I will sign myself up!!

OP posts:
Jojay · 09/12/2010 19:20

It sounds like a perfectly normal reaction.

The 'problem' (not really a problem as such, just a learning curve) with doing a bit of both types of feeding it that they learn to suck purees off off the spoon without chewing them, and then try to do the same with solid food, hence the gag.

But the gag reflex is very effective and completely normal, and is she is sitting upright and left to her own devices, she'll be fine.

As said before, it's best not to help her as she is not in full control of what she is doing then. If she's finding food slippy, give her bigger chunks with some skin left on- I used to just slice a ripe pear lengthways and give it to Ds2 at this stage - much easier than little strips.

Other ideas for non slippy but easy to eat foods are roast potatoes, or roast butternut squash. In fact most roast veg is easier to handle than fruit. Slices of melon with the skin on is also good - they're known as melon smiles in our house!

She sounds like she's having a lovely time. Give her well cooked food in sizeable chunks, make sure she's sitting upright, not reclined in a bouncy chair or carseat, and be brave and let her get on with it Smile

BLW is much a brilliant way to introduce babies to food. They have such fun with it, nad progress in their own time. Keep the faith!

Tigresswoods · 09/12/2010 20:35

It does get easier. One day you will just go, "ah, she's got it" Try a few different textures and sized pieces of food. I like all the organix stuff as they are easy to hold and it gives them a chance to explore. Also toast is good as its not slippery.

kalo12 · 09/12/2010 20:43

lay off mini rice cakes for a while. the gagging is scary, but you have to feel comfortable with what you are doing. although they recommend blw from 6 months doesn't mean they have to get it straight away. my ds didn't really eat anything till he was ten months, just wanted milk. i tried blw and he did some gagging which scared me, i did a mix of spoon and let him blw when he wanted which wasn't often. spoons are not a crime you know - even for the middle classes Wink and i am a co sleeping extended bfer and i thank heavens for oven chips!

AitchTwoOh · 09/12/2010 20:45

you know it's possibly because of the spooning that she is doing that sucking thing... may be an idea just to let her do one or the other for a while? nothing against spoons, but it does sound like you would be a bit happier if she had more practice at chewing and managing her own food for a while.

kalo12 · 09/12/2010 21:37

oh i see. I was very keen on it at first but did get really freaked out with the gagging and the worry sent me round the twist. of course now at 2.9 i want him to use a fork but ds just crams everything in with his hands!

AitchTwoOh · 09/12/2010 21:50

no no, i agree with you, spoons are no crime, but it's just that the OP mentioned that sucking action in particular, and that is what they do with spoons, but shouldn't do when self-feeding. not all kids do it, but the OP specifically mentioned it. Smile

Lizbertnobacon · 09/12/2010 22:00

I did think about doing one or the other tbh because like you say she sucks food the same was as she sucks her spoon and it kind of shoots to the back if her mouth! My dp is away until sat so will spoon feed until then and then crack on with blw. For some reason I'm much braver when its not just me in the house. I am enrolling on a sja infant first aid course in Jan too so hopefully that will make
me more confident.

I so want to be brave for dd because I gave her a sheet if my lasagna tonight and she went mental for it and both really enjoyed it, but then the gagging on the pear shook me again. I need focus on how much she enjoys it and not the occasional hiccup.

Am kind of not liking this weaning thing. I miss when I could just whip my boob out and not have to worry!!

Thanks very much for your advice everyone.

OP posts:
AitchTwoOh · 09/12/2010 22:06

you could let her have the spoon herself, she probably won't suck then? a heave is a good thing, but if the whole idea frightens you just wait awhile. most important thing is to do what you are comfortable with, imo. Smile

RibenaBerry · 09/12/2010 22:10

The most important thing is that you are happy, and I agree with the comments that doing both may have confused things for her slightly (two different processes to take on board at once) so it might be an idea to stick with one for a while.

But just to stress what others have said about gagging. Her gagging is not like you would feel if you gagged. The reflex is waaaay forward on her tongue at this age. The food is probably nowhere need the back of her throat. DD used to sound like a cat with a hairball, but she never actually choked.

Lizbertnobacon · 09/12/2010 22:12

Good idea aitch - She is great at spoon feeding herself if i load them for her so will keep doing that, it feels like a good compromise at the moment until I feel a little more comfortable.

OP posts:
AitchTwoOh · 09/12/2010 22:24

lol at hairball. good plan, liz. when you do your course, make sure you quiz the nurse/doctor on how many kids they get in who have choked. the puzzled look on the face of the midwife who ran our course comforted me immensely.

Jojay · 09/12/2010 23:06

I did a paediatric first aid course recently and the woman who look it had worked as a midwife and nurse on A&E over 30 years.

She'd seen only two kids seriously choke - ie a wallop on the back or Heimlich (sp?) manouevre didn't clear it. One choked on a pen lid and the other a coin.

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