My son is 8 1/2 months old and I think he is ready to be eating finger foods like Gerber puffs, but I am TERRIFIED of him choking. He meets all the criteria that they list on the back (ie he has been crawling since six months, tries to feed himself, is working on the pincer grasp, pulls himself to standing) but I am still not sure about it. He is also eating the level two foods and I bought him some level three today to start on. I make his cereal pretty lumpy as well. I think the reason for my fear is that he choked the first time I gave him mashed potatoes that I boiled myself. They were very mushy and I am still not sure why he choked, but it really scared me. He had been eating those biter biscuits as well, but now that he has his fifth tooth coming in he can break big pieces off and has choked on that once as well.
I am so scared that I have to sit right in front of him watching every move while I make sure my husband has the phone ready to call 911 just in case. I am not this paranoid about anything else, just this and I am not sure why!
Does anyone have any suggestions for a way to make this transition easier? Is there a step I am missing? Is there something out there that they can practice chewing on but can't swallow? I really want him to starting eating finger foods, but I also want to be comfortable with it.
Thanks!
Thanks for all of the help! We have started with the puffs and those are easy to eat so he is doing well with those. (He even bites them into smaller pieces, I think he does that just to make sure I don't stick my fingers in his mouth anymore!) And we also got the mesh bags to put other fruits and stuff in and he has done well with those too! I am starting to relax! Thanks for the help!
The graduate puffs totally dissolve quickly. My son chokes on other bigger things (the graduate apples in the jar)but cheerios an the puffs he has never choked on. he is now almost 11 months. he has been eating the puffs for at least two months. he loves them. Hope this helps.
I would go with cheerios and things like that. He can chew a little on them, but if they slip down without being chewed, they'll just dissolve and not cause a problem. And, sounds like an infant CPR class would make you feel more comfortable, as it would prepare you, in that emergency situation, God forbid. Maybe call the family center in durango or Red Cross.
I cut everything into the tiniest pieces with my daughter and she still managed to gag on something. In contrast, my son had all his teeth by 1 year old and was eating mini-versions of our family dinner. Both also gagged on biter biscuits too. It may help to enroll in an infant CPR/first aid course. Arming yourself with the knowledge of what to do in a choking situation could help lessen your fear.
Puffs are great because they practically melt in their mouths. My son doesn't have any teeth, he's almost 9 months and he's been eating puffs for a little over a month now. Just make sure he gets one at a time and he should be fine! I put them on his high chair tray and it's great for him to practice picking them up by myself. He got the pincher grasp w/i 5 days of me doing this. I also give him a little bit of plain white rice to do this with also. He keeps him busy while we're trying to finish our dinner.
You can also try those mesh feeders. (I'm not sure if that's the real name though.) It's a mesh bag attached to handle. My friend puts frozen peaches in her's and lets her 5 month old chew away. Because it's frozen it helps her sore gums and the mesh keeps her from getting any pieces off and into her mouth. I used it with my first son with bananas, but he didn't really care for it and it was kind of a pain to wash. I'm going to try it again with my second son when he starts teething and use the frozen fruit idea! Good luck! I'm pretty paranoid when it comes to my kids also! Take the infant CPR class and that will help put your mind at ease a little bit. Watch him, but don't be so nervous!
I was SUPER paranoid about my son choking and for good reason. The first time I gave my son a biter biscuit he decided that even though he didn't have teeth he would bite the thing in two. He choked, started turning all different shades of red, then purple and then I got it out. After that I didn't give my son anything to eat unless it was in the mesh feeder. That thing SAVED my life and perhaps a few grey hairs on my head!
I didn't give my son cheerios or puffs until he was about eight months old. I was still extremely paranoid and even crushed each cheerio and put it in his mouth for him. Crazy, huh? Then, I took an infant CPR and First Aid class and it changed my life!!!! A month later my son was eating cheerios by the spoonful in a bowl with milk! Not joking! Once I was confident about saving my son's life in any given situation, my paranoia went away!!! I strongly suggest taking a class!
My son choked once more when he was 14 months old and I was able to get it out within seconds. Education is key. Please don't live your life in fear-I say, go for the puffs and take a CPR and First aid class. Best wishes! It also gets better with each child-hehe! I can't believe the things I let my daughter eat at a very young age!
L. -
I wouldn't call yourself "paranoid", but you do seem overly anxious about this. I think all new mothers experience some anxiety, but you sound as though you are taking all the right precautions. I'll just be repeating what some of the others have said, but cut things into ridiculously small pieces to start, put them onto their tray just a couple or few at a time to prevent them from stuffing their mouth, and keep close to them while they are eating. I loved the Gerber puffs, too, because they melt down so easily. Cheerios are a good starter food, too. You're doing everything right, Mom, try to enjoy this time of discovery for your little one!
If you are really worried about this, you may want to check into taking an infant CPR class. We took one and I feel at least somewhat prepared if my 9 month old chokes on something. I don't think anyone is ever fully prepared, but at least learning some basics give you a little confidence for the inevitable!
Hi L.,
I think it's absolutely normal that your little one gags. My 18 month old son did the same thing and like you I was extremely paranoid. He would not choke but he'd gag, which was bad enough. I started feeding him small chunks of soft foods like pastas and he got used to them but I always kept my eyes on him while he was eating. Just give your liitle one some time to get used to new textured and I also encourage using the net. Good luck!
My now 4 year old used to gag on the level 3 baby foods, she just didn't like the texture and I wonder if that's why your son "choked" on the mashed potatoes you made. Although my daughter never could swallow the level 3 baby food she had no problem what so ever with finger foods.
Just make sure the pieces are small, about the size of a pea to begin with and if you are really worried only give him one or two pieces at a time. Pea-size is too small to block his windpipe and if you make sure he swallows each one before he gets another than he can't choke on a mouthful of food. Hopefully, after a couple feedings like this you can feel more at ease with this transition.
Another thing I did was make sure I could eat whatever I gave my daughter without using my teeth. Sounds kind of silly, but I liked to test things out that way, figuring that if I could mash it with just my tongue than my daughter could certainly eat it with her gums and tongue :)
Some great things to try are avocados, and really soft cooked cubes of carrots. Keep the pieces small, control the amount your son gets and try to relax. He will be fine.
Hi L., my son is almost 8 months old and has choked (more like gagged) on some pretty weird things....like pureed sweet potatoes, but he does fine with the puffs. The first one or two he kinda gagged but I gave him a sip of water and he was fine...the thing about the puffs is that they are made to dissolve quickly so that even if they get caught in his throat, a quick swig of water will wash them away. I also recommend the teething net. They can't get any chunks of food out, but it gives them something to chew/suck on. Another dissolvable snack that we use are Brothers-All-Natural Fruit Crisps. They are freeze dried fruits and are about the same texture as the puffs so they dissolve really quickly. You can buy a big box of them (they're individually packaged) at Costco...I'm not sure if you can buy smaller packs at someplace like Whole Foods/Trader Joe's. Try not to stress too much. Give him pieces of food that are the size of a pea to start with, watch him while he eats, and have a sippy cup handy. Also, if you're that concerned, make sure both you and your husband know how to do the heimlich on an infant. We never give finger foods when we're on the go, only when we're sitting down and he can take his time to eat and we can watch him. Finger foods are an essential part of development--they will help your son learn hand-eye coordination and help all 5 of his senses develop....just keep reminding yourself that the benefits outweigh the risk!
My kids are 6 and 3 and I still worry about the choking. It never ends. However, when my kids were young, I always made sure that every food I gave them was in bite size pieces. I never gave then anything big that they could take bites out of until they were at least two. I even cut up bananas and crackers and we know how soft those are. Just make sure that your child is always sitting with you when he eats and isn't eating "on the run" so you can watch him. Remind him to chew and take small bites. Cut up everything in small pieces so that he can't take a bite of anyting too big. Hang in there and good luck.
DOn't worry ( I know- easier said than done) about some things. The potatoes were probabally just new and that alone can cause a chocking reaction, even though your child probabally wasn't really chocking, just unfamiliar with what was happening. My boys did the same thing with several 'new' foods for the first few times. For them it was just that it was something different.
As for the Gerber Puffs- they are fantastic. Those things dissolve all on their own. Try eating one if you are concerned about them. If your son does ok with the biter biskets, the puffs will be no problem. Walmart has a much cheaper version and many more flavors to try too.
Good luck, and don't stress yourself out about the potatoes, or anything else for that matter.
Have you tried one of the baby food nets? My son is 7 months old and today I gave him little pieces of apple in the food net. The net is so small (tightly woven) that he can gnaw on the food and get the taste without any chunks getting through. You can find them at Babies R Us, Wal-Mart and Target. Good luck!
I think you're doing fine. Relax (easier said than done I know) with the phone ready for 911 bit, smile.
One thing I liked to do was test out food for my toddler by putting it in my mouth and seeing if I could mash it with my tongue without using my teeth. Usually I could. (stuff like cooked potatoes, carrots, I wanted to be sure it was soft enough. Also test Cheerios or baby puffs, see how that dissolves being rolled around your tongue. It helps to reassure you it's not life-threatening.)
Also remember that choking/gagging reflex is actually protective as it brings food back from the throat to the mouth where he can then mash it up more or reduce the amount he's sending down his throat. It is how he learns, how we all learned how much to chew/swallow at once. Perfectly normal.
