Weaning 7.5mo

[TwinMummaX]

Weaning my ds & dd and although ds has done really well eating purees, lumpier food i am so scared to try BLW. I fear he would try and ram it all in his mouth quickly and choke. I have such a big fear of choking and i dont know how to move forward with his weaning and i feel like i am holding him back because of my fears. (He has his 2 bottom teeth and 1 top tooth the other is cutting through)
Ds is a little different she doesnt seem to be enjoying weaning much and is still struggling with the puree only taking 4/5 small spoons at a time. Most of it she spits out then keeps her mouth closed and turns away. (She has her 2 bottom teeth the top are not cutting through yet) They are both FF and still consuming roughly 26oz day over the course of 4 feeds. I guess im just looking for some advice/tips/reassurance on how to move him on to the next stage. Thanks for reading

[CadyEastman]

If you are worried about choking I'd make yourself really familiar with what to do if a baby chokes and maybe look to see if there are any Paediatric First Aid courses in your area.

Also have a read of this on the difference between gagging and choking.

I think it's definitely holding them back though, even babies who were weaned years ago on the old fashioned way of having ultra smooth purées from 4 months would be eating things like sandwiches by 7.5 months

[skkyelark]

Definitely brush up on the difference between gagging and choking and on what to do for a choking baby. Gagging is still scary, but very normal as they're learning, so it definitely helps to be clear on the difference.

For early finger foods, things like thin breadsticks or crackers might be good for you, as they break down in the mouth quite easily and it's not that easy for baby to end up with a round lump of food in their mouth. Fusilli pasta are good too (overcook them slightly), easy to pick up, hold sauces well, and can quite easily be gummed to pieces. Things like roasted root veg or steamed apple or pear (or veg like broccoli and cauliflower, again a bit overcooked) are also good – do thin, fairly flat slices or thin fingers, not squarish chunks.

I'd try DD with finger foods as well, some babies prefer them.