Blw and choking - help!

[Toklastennis]

Ds is nearly 6 months. He can't sit up on his own yet but is otherwise looking ready for food - grabs it out of my hand, fascinated by it, etc.

Just gave him some very well boiled carrot sticks and soft pear. He happily picked both up and ate a bit. But both times he choked. I had to take him out of his chair and hit him in between the collar bone until a piece flew out each time. I have also just found a lump of carrot on his playmat - obviously an unswallowed bit that could have choked him later

Friends are evangelical about Blw but really?????? this is awful. His poor face. So excited at first and then in so much pain. What am I doing wrong? Should I start with purée?

When you say "choking", what do you mean exactly?
I may be wrong here, but I think gagging is the bodies natural reaction to prevent actual choking.
Choking is where the food becomes lodged in the throat, and you can't breath. Gagging is making sure it goes down the right way, IYKWIM?
Info here.
You could give him some food a bit more squished up, and let him smear it on his hand and "eat" that way? He doesn't really need the calories from food at this stage, milk is still his main source of food. It is about trying and enjoying, imo.

I'm fiercely against BLW so I recommend purees and a book called "What should I feed my baby" by Suzannah Olivier.

I used her advice, menus etc with all 6 of our kids and will do so with the next one I'm currently pg with.

you can buy the book from Ebay for about a fiver.

sorry he was choking.

Maybe just wait for him to be six months and able to sit up?

To even it out, I have fed all my kids in different ways, and found the last one I did-BLW, the easiest by far.

I'm pretty sure he was choking, not gagging. I thought Blw sounded easier than traditional weaning but think I will read the Susanna Oliver book now and look into different ways of doing it. Thank you for the recommendation.

He can sit in a high chair but not unsupported. But he is 25 wks (not quite 6 calendar months) and showing a real interest in food so it seems like the right time.

I think you have been a bit unlucky tbh. I never had anything near a choking incidence (so far) with my ds. Plenty of gagging, but no choking. It really is quite unusual and I'm sorry you had such a scary experience.

If it unnerved you and you are not comfortable with doing BLW then don't do it. You should do what you want - as usual with babies, there are lots of different approaches!

Or, as others have suggested, you could maybe try waiting a couple of weeks and then try again. It might be that he wasn't ready for solids at all yet.

No doubt you will get all the blwing people coming along in a second telling you its gagging and they will learn and they have as much chance of choking on puree etc etc....

Well I had a massive choking phobia with both my dc and blw seemed absolutely terrifying to me so I started with puree and gradually worked up to finger food etc. It was less stressful for me and both dc eat a very varied diet now with lots of healthy foods etc. It really doesn't matter how you start or what you do, they all learn eventually.

The first finger foods I gave were promptly choked on which terrified me - I remember the first time he had banana, he just sucked the whole lot in in one go and ended up going purple.
I've found that if I gave 'stickier' foods they went down easier - pasta, bread, parsnip lengths, and I make sure that they are long enough for him to keep hold of one end while chomping on the other.
I'd also agree with the idea of leaving it a bit - if he can't sit up properly he's more likely to have difficulty because he won't be sitting in the optimal way to have a clear airway. I think being fascinated by food isn't a guarantee that they are necessarily physically ready to eat it - they are fascinated because you are their parent and everything you do is fascinating!

I started mine on things that they could stuck to a pulp like bread, crusts off my toast rather than fruit and veg, that way it was so soft by the time they got it in their mouths it slid down no problem. Milk is the main food source until closer to a year anyway, any good at that age is more about exploring and texture than nutrients.
The choking/gagging has to happen to an extent as it's them learning how to swallow food and move if behind their tongue, it happens whatever age you introduce solids.

I don't get the fuss about BLW weaning either...I used to do purees ( or soft food like weetabix) for my two and then just give them finger foods as well. I didn't give finger foods for their very first meals though, sort of let them get the hang of it for a few meals first though.

Also by 6 months they were eating 3 proper meals a day so not a case of 'not needing the calories'.

So if you are not sure about full on BLW just do a bit of both I reckon.

I started on mix of purées & softer finger foods eg toast that could be gummed. Full on blw didn't start until about 8/9 months when DD refused the purées in favour of the finger foods. Tbh she wouldn't have managed carrot or pear until then.

I did blw and it worked brilliantly. If I had had a frightening experience like yours, OP, I would have changed to puree. Babies thrive on either method so do what is right for you and your baby. Obviously you will have to introduce finger foods at some stage so try not to let this panic you too much. But don't feel like you need to continue with blw if you find it stressful.

Sorry you had this experience. My DC2 choked and started to go blue and it was very scary.

I'd wait until your DC is 6 months old and/or able to sit unaided.
Babies this age are interested in everything so him grabbing at food doesn't mean he's ready to eat.
I have 3DC.

The first one hated finger foods and preferred purées and only really ate 'proper food' after 1 year old.
The second loved all food as soon as he was weaned. DC3 has been trying different foods since he was six months (he's 12 months now) but has only just got the hang of chewing/eating properly, even though he has had about 10 teeth for ages.
Don't be in a rush to wean and don't worry about blw/purées/whatever. Just do what suits your baby. Most like a mixture of both approaches.

I was also terrified of DD choking. We started on puree
and gradually introduced finger foods from about 7 months once she'd got the hang of having food in her mouth. I found those Organix carrot/tomato puff things good to start with as they kind of dissolve in the mouth after a while so I was less worried about choking. Went from there to toast and cooked broccoli and gradually progressed. If it's going to stress you out, maybe give it a few more weeks & try again (especially if he can't quite sit up yet). Now (she's 11 months) we do about 70/30 finger food/spoon feed but I would say she was 8 months before I felt confident about her managing finger food.

If it scares your do purée. I really don't get the fuss about having up give it a label. It's weaning , one way isn't superior to another way. It's just feeding your baby food. I always just did a mixture of purée and finger good. Worked fir mine. I don't know why people seem to make out that "traditional weaning" is do much if a faff. It isn't. You shove some food in a blender. Freeze in an ice cube tray and serve as and when. Really no big deal.

I hope you can find what suits you and your baby :)

I too am totally against blw. Think its ridiculous. Moms have been doing puree for years.

My ds (8 months) still gags now on food and at first I thought he was choking.

give puree a go, you won't look back

I did both gave puree and gave small bits of food for dd to feed herself.

I don't think you have to be one or other and neither puree or blw is "new".

Though most babies will look to be chocking on new foods and texture, most of the time it is gagging. Though I appreciate it is very scary to begin with seeing them like it.