Scary silent gagging by DD

[mamasaurus]

I have just started weaning my nearly 6mth old baby daughter. First attempt with baby rice was good, she grabbed the spoon and was 'feeding' herself as well as taking from me. However, last two days have been trickier and today she had some pureed carrot (no lumps at all, very smooth) and she silently gagged on the first spoonful, even though the amount on the spoon was less than a pea sized portion. I tapped her on the back and she threw up and was then fine. After a cuddle she did try to grab the spoon and the pot of the puree but wouldn't take anymore. Now really scared about giving her anything tomorrow. Any advice what I should do? She has a bit of a cold (runny nose but no temperature, occasional cough), could that have impacted? Should I wait until the cold clears?

It is scary when they gag, but it is normal, too.
Is she sitting up straight while she eats?

We did Baby Led Weaning, but I think the same applies to spoon fed babies - if she's up straight she should be able to cough/gag before she actually chokes on anything.

Have a look here.

Good luck!

Gagging is normal and part of learning how to chew and swallow. It is different to choking and most babies after gagging will clear their own throats.

The problem with purees is that they aren't 'eaten' they are drunk. They are so soft and liquidy that the baby tends to slurp them and so as the puree reaches the back of the throat they don't quite know what to do with it - it's not liquid but it's not solid!

If she's developmentally able you could give her a cooled steamed stick of soft carrot and watch how differently she eats that compared to 'eating' puree. The technique used is very different.

Thank you for your quick responses! She was sitting upright in her high chair. I'll try the soft carrot stick tomorrow

I was under the impression that if they're gagging there is noise - if it's silent it's choking?

RitaMorgan - That's what I thought and that's why I got so scared about giving more food to her.

It's what sidge says about purees though - they are probably more likely to be choked on if there are any lumps, because the baby learns to swallow first and chew second. With BLW (ie the carrot stick thing) they learn to chew and manipulate food in their mouths before they learn to swallow it.

Not necessarily Rita - true choking is always silent and accompanied by an inability to breathe in or out or speak. Choking occurs when something has blocked the airway and so no air can be moved past the blockage without moving or removing it.

Gagging can be quiet, but the child can breathe as the airway isn't blocked. Gagging occurs when food hits the soft palate which is above the airway; the soft palate contracts to push the food back to the front of the mouth. It looks far more alarming than it is. It can be followed by vomiting as a strong gag reflex causes the stomach to contract.

If you 'leave' a child to gag (ie not leave them alone but don't slap them on the back or put your fingers in their mouth) then they will manage to move the food back into the front of the mouth and deal with it. Or the puree will slip past the soft palate and slide down the oesophagus to the stomach.