help gettin my dd 2 chew!

[sam1984]

my dd is 19m old n will bite a skip in half but will not chew ne food. i've made foods thicker n put small lumps in2 em but if i go ne bigger on d lumps she chokes as she doesn't chew her food. i also demonstrate how 2 chew 2 her but still she doesn't copy. i don't know wot age she should start chewin at but i'm sure she should b chewin by now. she was weaned at 7m n has a very small appetite, she now weighs 18lb8oz. ne suggestions on how 2 get her 2 chew.

she will probably chew when she is ready and given her small size this is why she is not ready.

Are you sick of pureeing?

Have you tried giving finger food instead of purees? Chewing takes practice so she will only learn by being given the opportunity to chew real food. Purees will not teach her to chew imo, they just need swallowing. Maybe try giving steam veg like carrots sticks, broccoli spears or apple/pear wedges.

i'm not bothered by pureeing her foods as i make about 4 meals worth n freeze em. the only finger foods i've tried her with is skips, quavers n wotsits which she doesn't choke from n then i've tried baby biscuits but she still chokes from them. i will try makin her some finger foods with fruits n veg n hopefully she'll b alright with these

if i ave a sandwich (r summit similiar) i break small bits of these off 4 her as she always seems very interested in wot i eat but again, if d pieces get 2 big she chokes. also everytime she chokes she is sick.

You'd be better off giving her bits of real food rather than crisps - otherwise you may find that crisps are the only things she will eat. You can try breadsticks, fruit and veg, rice cakes, fingers of toast and so on to start with and move on from there. Rice cakes are good because they quickly go soft when they're sucked and chewed so won't feel like she's eating something hard.

Are you sure she is choking and not just gagging? If she's gagging then that's OK, it's just the new texture at the back of her throat taking her by surprise.

She will definitely get there with practice on the sticks of veg - even banana would be a good one to try, if it isn't too soft.

By the way, sam, not being critical, but it's hard to read text messaging stuff on the boards (I am sure it's not just me!!)

sorry didn't realise not to use text messaging style, only joined mums net 3 days ago! i'll have to get used to writing properly.

i can't give dd banana as this makes her very constipated and she's already on lactulose and glycerine suposseteries. i will give the other fruits and veg a go. i tried her with toast b4 and she gagged twice but wasn't sick (yeah i realise it is gagging not choking!) so what age do little ones usually start chewing from?

about 8 months to a year normally

its all about avoiding the panic and just letting them get on with it

IMHO by now she should be eating normal food .. so I would follow the advice here to try and get her to that stage .. you will find life much easier when that happens

also if you take a first aid course and learn what to do if (big if) she chokes you will feel much much calmer about it

don't worry you'll get there

I would give her small pieces and accept that she may well gag to begin with. She wont learn withu purees.

Similar subject - 1yr old DS will chew (begrudgingly)if I give him bite-size pieces (toast, biscuits, fruit) but won't bite! Example - will eat bits of broken breadstick, but puts a whole one to his mouth, realises he can't fit it all in and refuses it. Some of his friends are happily nibbling on whole sandwiches, corn on the cob, etc. How can I get him to bite - he has 8 teeth!!!