I tried BLW and was terrified!! How the hell do you do it???

[SlothAttack]

I gave DS a piece of pear and I was so freaked out.

I just grabbed it off him and he was so upset :(

i was just terrified hed swallow the whole thing and choke!

How do you do it?

Think I'm going to puree :(

Did he actually choke? Gagging is a survival instinct and is much more active in babies than adult. Watch what your DS does to handle food in his mouth. He might surprise you. They learn very quickly how small to chew things before they swallow.

give him a whole pear, less chance of choking on that!

i didn't gve him the chance to choke! a whole ear?? really?

im not sure im cut out for this, i have a bit of a choking phobia anyways.

I gave DD wedges of pears with skin on normally.

Babies have to have lumpy foods at some point. Lots of babies gag when lumps are introduced to smooth purees!

Can you do a baby first aid course? I found it really useful.

It is nerve wracking, even when doing it second time round like I am. But I found it was only for those first few times. Once you see how completely amazing they are at learning how to deal with food then it does encourage you and gives you a bit more confidence.

Start with something really soft. A ripe pear is a good idea. I'd chop it in half as it is a bit easier to handle. My boy just gums the life out of it and then spits up the skin [hhmm] This does look like choking the first time round but it honestly isn't. He just is dealing with the skin hitting the back of his throat.

Or if you can't face a pear again try a roasted veg like squash or sweet potato. A tip is to chop the veg into large baton shapes so they can hold it. DS in only a four weeks of weaning had learnt to hold onto the food just tightly enough without squeezing it in his fist and control it into his mouth... though when he is tired it also ends up in ears, nose, eyes etc.

It really is the most incredible thing to watch.

That said if you are really not happy BLW maybe just give him something to hold while you are spoon feeding him eg. toast or breadstick, and you might find that you end up using the spoon less and less as yours and his confidence grows.

Sloth think there is a world of difference in offering a whole pear and a whole ear, don't think anyone recommended the ear [hgrin].

Agree with Rita about the first aid course, check out your local Children's Centre and St Johns Ambulance to see if they are running courses, have a read of the NHS info too or try this book. Have you seen this website too?

Like Rita says though, he's going to be eating foods with lumps in them at some time so it is probably best that he gets used to eating them now. Giving purees is also no guarantee that he won't choke.

I think the first thing you need to do is work on your anxiety, because the baby will pick up on it. A first aid course might help, and even if you can't actually get rid of the anxiety yourself, you need to be able to convinceably hide it. You don't want to be twitching to slap him on the back at the first cough, it will make him nervous around food. DS and I have a thing where if he gags or coughs, I smile at him and say "ooh, a bit of a cough" and it got to be a joke between us, unfortunately he thinks it's hilarious to clear his throat now. He has to eat non-mushed food at some point, and tbh I think BLW babies deal with gagging/choking better as they get to explore their own limits in their own time.