I have a 10 month old boy who has been eating pureed baby food since he was a little over 6 months old. I have tried several times to give him some soft mashed bananas( a little on the chunky side) but he doesn't do well and has choked/gaged every time. I am looking for suggestions on how to help him move from pureed food to eventually eating table food. Would appreciate any help/ideas with that process. Thank you!
It sounds like he isn't ready. Keep trying with soft foods just like you have been, but maybe once a week. You don't want to push him too fast, because he might start thinking that eating solids is unpleasant.
Don't worry, he'll get there.
Hi L.:
My daughter had the same issue and it took her until she was 16 mos. old before she was off of baby food. Every child is different and in my daughter's case, she wasn't able to handle the chunkier food until she was a bit older. I didn't stress over it. I felt she was getting all the nutrients she needed with baby food and I kept trying to give her chunkier foods until one day she didn't gag and the rest is history. She's now 10 and has a great appetite.
Good luck!
I think you already got some great advice (bananas are awful sticky maybe try cut up avocado or kiwi(1 cm chunks) or cheerios instead) , but I would just add: he isn't necessarily not ready just because he gags. Of course you have to make the decision based on how severe/how often, but my daughter is the same age and gags sometimes. If you think about it, they have to learn how to chew/swallow and that takes practice. of course they are going to gag until they figure out, "hey if I get a piece of food too far back in my mouth before it gets mashed, I gag." My daughter gagged on cheerios for about a week but man she did learn quick and doesn't gag and she now can quickly move the food to the front of her mouth if it gets too far back. Remember if the food is small enough, they aren't in great danger of severely choking to death, usually they will gag until it causes them to throw it up (which is more disturbing than dangerous-- and only happens a few fimes until they learn). Always watch them while eating and give tiny pieces (but not too tiny like sand or they will have a hard time manipulating it in their mouth) until they learn.
Hi L.,
I had the same issue with my son, now 11 1/2 months old. I kept trying to introduce chunkier foods like you, with the same gagging result. What finally worked for me was giving him little finger foods, like Gerber Puffs. They're about the size of a Cheerio, but very melt-in-your-mouth-able. Another thing that worked was Rice Krispies - I know, they're totally nutritionally vacant, but they're so tiny that a few at a time on his high chair tray will keep him occupied for a few minutes...also great for increasing eye-hand coordination! :o) After he gets the hang of it, you can move on to Cheerios, little pieces of cooked vegetables, small pasta pieces, litle chunks of cheese, or black beans (squish the beans before you give them to him so they're not a choking hazard). It really helped my son not to gag when he was able to put the chunkier items in his mouth by himself.
Don't worry - it's never too late. He'll get there!
Good luck!
I'd try something less sticky than banana. It may be a texture thing. Maybe chuncky apple sauce. Also, try cheerios. At first you can get them a little wet. Careful because they get soggy fast. Put just a drop of water on your finger and touch to the cheerio. My daughter loved that.
That is a completely normal process and it only gets better with practice and time. it took my son a while to get used to whole foods, but now that is all he wants. Don't worry... it will happen. Just keep things soft and somewhat small (small enough to no obstruct airways, but large enough for them to grab a hold of) and go from there. most people will start with cheerios because they are the right size, fun to crunch and they dissolve in the mouth.
Move to gerber stage 3 foods. In the glass jar they are 48 cents a jar. It is lumpier and has texture, it is a nice transition to table food.
Hi L.,
Well, your son sounds normal, but you've waited a little late to introduce chunkier foods, so he's going to have a harder time. The trick? Well, there is none. You just have to keep shoving those spoonfuls of #2 or #3 stage foods in his mouth and let him gag for a bit. Eventually he'll get the idea that he'll need to chew and swallow because that's what food is all about. Also, get him some biter biscuits that he can gnaw on and that will help with the gag factor when you go to feed him food. Good luck and stick with it!
