10 Months and Gagging

Okay, if the second doctor thinks the problem is she can't handle the thin formula because she is used to the cereal, why not try slowly removing the cereal. If you usually put in 2 Tablespoons, try bringing it down to 1 3/4 Tablespoons for a couple of days. Once she gets that down, bring it down another notch. Slowly change her from thick formula to thin.

This is just a suggestion for something to try. I don't know if it will work or not but it sounds like it could be worth trying if you haven't already.

Good luck.

I really don't have too much insight into your problem as my daughter stopped projectile vomiting around 3 or 4 months of age.
I am just trying to think about your situation based on what you wrote.
Would it be possible for you to just give her the formula she needs through a sippy cup? Your Pedi could be right. Maybe your baby is too used to the bottle and drinks too fast, yet is more cautious with the sippy cup and drinks slower.
If she won't take the formula through the sippy cup, have you considered going down a size in nipple so the holes are smaller thus forcing her to slow down?
Just some thoughts.
Things will improve! If she is a happy, animated baby, then you are doing just fine.

Hi H.,

I'm not sure if you are only giving her the formula in the bottle and other fluids in the sippy cup, if that is the case than maybe she still has reflux and the formula is what triggers it. Like the other post said, if she takes formula with out a problem from the sippy cup, just eliminate the bottle and that might solve your problem altogehter. I'm curious though why you think that you can't put baby cereal into whole milk? I used to mix cereal with milk for my son to eat until he reject the "baby" cereal altogether. If the pediatrician advised against it then of course follow the pediatrician's advice, but I can't see that it would cause a problem otherwise.

Hope you figure out what is causing her distress soon. Oh, don't worry about the breath holding. Babies generally don't have the ability to hold their breath long enough to do anything other than freak Mom and Dad out. IF for some crazy reason your little one is determined enough to hold her breath long enough, the brain kicks in and makes her breathe wether she likes it or not!

Hi H. - I too am unsure how to answer your question... but both my boys have AR and were on thickened formula. Both boys are gaggers and I clean up a lot of "spilling" as we call vomiting at our house.

At 10 months, your daughter must be eating some food along with her formula and juice? How is she on that? My oldest had to go to a speach therapist to learn how to eat solid foods - after about 2 1/2 months of weekly therapy he did much better. But at almost 3 years of age, he still sometimes gags and spills.

My youngest, also 10 months, has the gag refelx too. It seems to be most prevalent when it is a food he dislikes, rather than a food with a strange texture. So I have stop giving him the foods that seem to trigger the spilling.

My advice is to try to add less and less formula to each bottle until she learns to like it without. Then when you introduce milk, only use a sippy, not a bottle. Keep giving her other liquids in the sippy so she learns to drink from that as well. I don't do juice with my baby, I think I waited until my older child was closer to 2, but that is my personal choice. I do give my baby water in the sippy at 10 months.

The only other thing I would add is that the gagging seemed to get less and less as my son got older.

Good Luck.

I want to answer this correctly, so you may want to clarify your post. She drinks all other drink from a sippy, but only the milk from the bottle?

Did the projectile vomiting start again after you stopped the medicine? If so, then it's either the formula that's causing the problem, or it's the gas produced from drinking from the bottle. Try switching to straight formula in the sippy and go from there. Also, just because she turns a year doesn't mean she HAS to switch to milk. Go with toddler formula.

Try switching to the sippy and see what happens. From there I would say consider switching the formula, if you haven't tried that already.

Blessings,

Rolinda
Wife, Mother, Friend

Maybe it's time to spoon feed her the cereal and give the formula in the sippy cup. Does she eat any jar foods yet??

i kind of got lost as to what problem you wanted to solve? are you trying to get her to drink the milk from a sippy, but it can't fit through the holes with cereal added? or are you trying to stop adding cereal?

if you want to use a sippy with the cereal... I owuld try the NUBY sippy's... they have a silicone nipple like a bottle, but it's shaped more like a sippy, and it has slits instead of holes so the cereal would fit through.

if you are trying to get her to slow down, then I agree with someone else who said go down a size nipple for the bottle.

Does she eat cereal besides this? .. and veggies? She should be eating.

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/solidfood8to10montholdba...

That is a food chart for babies. If you are not up to this point, perhaps you should ask your ped. why. You will want to introduce foods one at a time, for her stomach to get used to digesting it.
It sounds like she is hungry, and gulping food down so fast, she throws it up. You would know better, because you are with her all of the time, and see how it happens.
If it was acid reflux there would be symptoms of it. Go here to check www.webmd.com
If you are feeding her cows milk, you may want to check out this site. It's not really healthy for babies. www.milksucks.com

I would call your pediatricians office and get some ideas from them. The nurses are usually really helpful with that sort of thing. If they aren't sure of an answer they will ask the doctor(s).

Good luck.