Baby choked twice with BLW. Advice please!

[Newmummy0306]

Advice please!!

We’re 2 weeks in and both last night and tonight my baby has choked and I’ve had to do back slaps with success. (beetroot face, no noise/coughing, looking very panicked). Last night it was asparagus and tonight tenderstem broccoli.

I’m a nurse so not too phased by this but my partner is terrified, I think he’d much rather give puréed food!

Before this, he would gag a little but not much. Now the gagging has stopped but seems he’s biting off more than he can chew!

I’m not sure what to do to minimise the risk! Surely he shouldn’t be choking 2 nights in a row?!

Thanks in advance x

Both asparagus and broccolli are quite stringy and hard to break down with just gums. Change the foods, fingers of toast and bananas which go soft when gummed, mashed potato or other veg that DC can feed themselves with their hands (best not do this one if you have somewhere to go though it gets everywhere). Remember it is about exploring texture and taste at this stage so if they don't eat anything its fine.

I was going to ask if he was genuinely choking but it sounds as though you do know what you are doing! (My friends/dh would claim DS was choking when he was actually coughing...) I would persist but make sure that you don’t turn your back while baby is eating (obvs). This is part of the learning process for baby and it should be a short lived phase?

are you on facebook? the baby led weaning uk group is really good for info and advice on things like this

Singleandproud thank you I’ll try that!

Goodbeans yes definitely choking, I’m really hoping it’s a phase! I love seeing him eating different bits and feeding himself, would be gutted if we had to swap to purée.

Orangegrape I am! But I’ve asked this same question with no response :(

NHS advice is to give finger foods from 6 months.

Has your partner done a first aid course and/or seen the videos on YouTube of what do you if your baby is choking?

Try giving foods that turn to mush when gummed, roasted sweet potato sticks, boiled to death carrots, peaches, watermelon etc. Nothing too stringy or hard is best to start with. You can move onto broccoli and asparagus when baby has got used to the chewing action

Chaosofcalm, I’ve shown him videos and explained what to do and now he’s seen me doing back slaps but if anything I think that’s scared him more!

ImDoingLaundry, thanks I’ll try those!

We have a similar problem with our little boy. He’s 6.5 months and we’ve been trying blw for 2 weeks now and every day he gags (I think just gagging rather than choking although he’s silent and can’t seem to breathe for a few seconds each time) then vomits. Every single time. He’s vomited from sweet potato chips (baked and steamed), banana, toast, chicken, pita...basically everything we’ve tried him on! He looks like he’s chewing but as soon as he swallows anything more than a tiny bit he gags and vomits. It’s really distressing me as we’re sitting down 3 or 4 times a day to eat and he’s not eating anything! He won’t take a preloaded spoon and he won’t let me feed him from a spoon. I know ‘food is for fun’ and all that but this isn’t much fun for either of us. Not sure whether to just stop for s few weeks then try again.

Firsttimemama85, I’ve actually made a load of purées up today and have decided to do that for a couple of weeks, then do some lumpy purées and then reintroduce finger foods, I just think maybe some babies are ready for BLW straight away. I really wanted it to work after reading about so many benefits but it isn’t working for us just yet, will try again soon!

There’s no way I’d put myself or my child through this! What’s wrong with lovely homemade purées?

A friend tried to get dd to do this when she was about 8 months and she choked. I wasn't converted to it!!

I always enjoyed making her little mushes and at 4 she likes and eats everything with varied tastes and textures. If it freaks one of you out theirs nothing wrong with deciding it's not for you.

We purée fed our daughter then gradually introduced BLW so she had a little of both. Either try that or yes, try again in a few weeks if you want to exclusively do BLW x

Um. Mash some stuff up and feed with a spoon? Seems safer .

I’d love to just make mash or puree and give it him with a spoon but he just clamps his mouth shut when I try to feed him anything with a spoon. He’s really interested in eating food when it’s put in front of him as finger food but not at all interested in anything that comes near him with a spoon. I might leave it a few days then only offer him puréed/mashed stuff and see if he’ll take anything. Would love to hear how you get on with the purées newmummy!

From a professional point of view - choking episodes can sometimes make children very orally aversive and can develop into food phobias and other issues as time goes on. Just worth thinking about.

Firecracker - would you just keep offering the puréed food and just hope he starts to eat some eventually? At some meals, I’ve only offered food that’s normally spoon fed (porridge, yoghurt, mushy weetabix) as well as trying some purées and he’s not eaten any of it.

I used to put some pureed food on his lip and let him lick it off. He'd then taste it and want more. But alternated with sweet blw every few days.

Firsttimemama85 update: purées are already so much better! Last night he had pea then peach which he loved and has had porridge this morning! I think removing the finger food helped in that he was happy to take the purée as there was nothing else to play with and distract him! He was even taking the spoon off me and putting it in his mouth himself. Give it a try :) xx

Thanks newmummy :) we tried spoon fed weetabix (with enough milk that they were the consistency of porridge) this morning with no finger foods on offer and he refused to take any but I’ll keep persevering!! Going to try mashed banana and yoghurt for lunch. Glad to hear purées are working out better for you! Xx