Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Weaning

Find weaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Weaning forum. Use our child development calendar for more information.

Flip

Original poster

Baby gagging at solids!

24 replies

MoooCow · 15/01/2009 19:08

My LO is 6 1/2 months old now and really dosnt like solids! Ive tried BLW and purees of all descpiptions. I mentioned it to the HV today and she suggested refering her to a speach therapist? Im not too sure why....can anyone shed any light on what the ST may be able to find? May it be a problem with the toungue or throat? I not too worried, but just wondered if anyone else may have had similar thing happen. Thanks!

OP posts:

pispirispis · 15/01/2009 19:24

Hi, I'm no expert, but 6 1/2 months is very young. I know and have heard about lots of babies who are not at all interested in solids at that age. Is your baby pushing everything out of his/her mouth? Maybe your lo still has the tongue thrust reflex?

gillythekid · 16/01/2009 21:01

We're having the same problem! What is the tongue thrust reflex and how do we overcome it?

poppy34 · 16/01/2009 21:05

can you wait a little - dd had this and seemed to grow out of it. that said she was very funny about everything but the smoothest purees (basically had to resort to some stuff out of a tin at first or make something that was akin to milk she sucked off a sppon)... but sounds like you've tried that.

Isaidno · 16/01/2009 21:10

The gag reflex is a safety mechanism to prevent the baby swallowing stuff.
When you feed a baby purees he slurps it to the back of the throst, if it is runny enough it goes down.
If it is lumpy he will gag.
BLW babies generally do not attempt to swallow anything at this age - their tongue thrust reflex makes the food come back out.

My dd is just about 7 months and only just started swallowing stuff. She does gag a little sometimes - esp on bread, but this is just nature's way of ensuring her throat does not get blocked.

Isaidno · 16/01/2009 21:11

gilly - the tongue thrust reflex moves further back along the tongue as the baby gets older.

cashmeremafia · 18/01/2009 10:38

does your LO poke the bottle teat out with his tongue? that's the tongue thrust reflex. it's clearly visible, my dd swirls and swivels her tongue around when she's done drinking.

FiveGoMadInDorset · 18/01/2009 10:41

My 7 month old gags alot even with smooth purees.

raisingrrrl · 18/01/2009 10:47

Hi - just thought I would add my experience. My ds gagged on everything until he was nearly 9 months, when he suddenly "got" solids. We pretty much BLW'd (although we did try a few jars which he rejected totally) and I now know it's not unusual at all for babies to not get solids until much later than 6 months!

I took the guidelines to mean that you could start solids at 6 months, but it's not an absolute.

The ST will be able to check for tongue tie and make sure that everything's as it should be, so I think the appointment will definitely be worthwhile for you. I wouldn't worry about it (easier said than done, I know!) just relax and let your baby set his own pace with solids.

nappyaddict · 18/01/2009 11:37

What do you need to order?

All you need to begin with is moses basket/crib/cot, chest of drawers and maybe a wardrobe. Lime green with jungle animals sounds fab for a nursery to me.

nappyaddict · 18/01/2009 11:40

Continue with the BLW and she will eventually learn to eat without gagging. FWIW DS was 8 months old before he ate a singlwe thing.

CantSleepWontSleep · 18/01/2009 11:46

'I've tried blw' - clearly not, as that's about letting the baby eat in their own time when they are good and ready.

Original poster

MoooCow · 18/01/2009 12:13

Thankyou for your experiences/advice. Cantsleepwontsleep, clearly you are after a row, you won't get one from me. By BLW I mean I have tried finger foods and letting her do it herself. Unhelpful comments not appreciated.

OP posts:

seeker · 18/01/2009 12:17

My dd wasn't really intersted in solids until she was 8 months or so. She was fine - I would just keep offering solid food but don't stress about it. Remember,she should be getting practically all her nourishment form milk until she's one anyway.

CantSleepWontSleep · 18/01/2009 18:11

Not at all MoooCow. I'd have expanded if I'd had more time, but I was literally on my way out of the door.

My point is that your dd was only old enough to start eating at all 2 weeks ago, and yet in your OP you claim that you've tried everything, including a method that can take months before a baby starts eating well. BLW has specific methodology which couldn't possibly have been followed here, and I was simply pointing this out.

If you meant just that she'd tried finger foods as well as purees then this is really what you should have said, as it's a completely different thing from blw.

Original poster

MoooCow · 18/01/2009 23:13

Fair play CSWS, but in my original post, I didnt feel the need to really elaborate on too much, I was just asking for advice as a slightly worried mum. Dont need the BLW/BF gang on my back
I have chatted with a few RL freinds today and got some really good advice too, so, am not too worried, will just see how things pan out.

OP posts:

serant · 18/01/2009 23:26

blw /bf gang, you sound charming, mcow

Aitch · 18/01/2009 23:31

i think that's a bit unfair on CSWS tbh. the whole point of BLW is letting them dictate the pace, you really can't have done that if you're stopping it after two weeks, so you must have misunderstood what it actually is.

i did BLW, btw, and am a rubbish bfer. the two things needn't be linked. glad you're going to see how things pan out, two weeks is no time at all, some babies really don't seem to want solids until a lot later than six months.

Original poster

MoooCow · 19/01/2009 00:03

serant, I am very charming thanks. MN seems to bring out the worst in me though when I get unhelpful, unrelated advice though. I beleive I asked a very important question about something Im worried about, ie HV has said there may be a problem with my baby. I have come onto MN for reasuarance and advice, not to be shot down.

OP posts:

Aitch · 19/01/2009 00:14

okay, the advice you've been given is helpful tbh. that's real support imo. and what reason does your HV have for suspecting a problem? if it's merely that your child has an active gag reflex at 6 and a half months then she should be ashamed of herself for panicking you for no reason.

Original poster

MoooCow · 20/01/2009 23:11

My HV came round to my house today to observe me feeding, which was good! She got to view LO being spoonfed my me. And then finger foods. Her conclusion was that my LO hates to be spoonfed, and is v independant, and to give finger food a bit more of a go. Any imput for FF welcomed!! She still gags at anythin g that hits her throat, but apparantly thats normal?

OP posts:

pigleychez · 21/01/2009 10:13

my DD has just hit 6mths and we have started BLW this week.
She too gags on everything and is sometimes sick after a gag.

Obivously her toungue thrust is still there and I know that over time it will disappear and she will swallow the food.

I dont think theres any rush for her to be eating solids, Shes enjoying the exploration at the mo. Like someone said earlier, The guidlines are from 6mths... this doesnt mean she must eat solids at 6mths.
Just relax about it and she will get it in her own time.

My DD was FF from about 2mths so it doesnt need to be a BF thing at all.

Id prob keep the appointment and go along to see whats said but to me its pretty normal

pispirispis · 21/01/2009 13:56

Hi, don't worry about doing blw and having a ff baby - lots of people do, myself included. My dd didn't like being spoonfed - a lot don't. Just keep up all your bottles as normal and don't drop any until your lo starts to drink less herself and finally refuses the bottle. Offer finger foods preferably when you're eating and when she's not hungry or tired and try not to worry when she gags (smile through it)! The other important thing with ff blw babies is make sure you offer her plenty of water especially after her food as formula is thicker and less thirst quenching than bm, and finger food doesn't have as much water as purees do.

MauriceDancer · 21/01/2009 15:07

but equally, don't panic if she doesn't drink the water. she will if she's thirsty. it's really hot day advice tbh, formula is mostly water.

raisingrrrl · 21/01/2009 15:17

Finger food ideas:

Breakfast - fingers of buttered toast, dry cereal (when they get the pincher grip thing, my ds didn't get this till he was nearly 10 months!), breadsticks dipped in yoghurt, porridge pancakes.

Lunch - stuffed pitta pockets cut into "chip" shapes (i used to stuff them with tuna and cheese, tomato slices, cucumber, leftover bolognaise, baked beans etc) sandwiches, tortilla wraps, bread dipped into soup.

Dinner - we used to give ds whatever we were having. He loved pasta and noodles! If I was making a chilli or curry, I'd just take some of the main meal out of the pan before I put the spices in and make a milder version for ds.

Snacks - breadsticks, Organix crisps things, raisins, dried apricots, rich tea fingers.

I also wouldn't worry too much about set meals - babies don't really "get" it. I used to leave bowls of dry cereal (Cow & Gate do a "toddler balance" cereal which are like Cheerios but not Nestle! ) around the place like cat biscuits and ds would pick at it when he felt like it. The only problem is if you actually have a cat, and then the baby and the cat share their meals!

Flip