gagging on finger foods

Now that the babies are almost 8 months old, I thought we'd try some finger foods to practice pincer grasp, etc. They are marginal with the pincer, but once the food gets in their mouths, they gag like crazy -- even when it's just in the front of their mouths. I've tried gerber puffs and some very small pieces of banana. What age did your babies start getting the hang of finger feeding without gagging? Is it just too early to try? They eat stage 2 foods from a spoon without a problem....

 

I don't think it's too early to try, but it is too early to be concerned about it. I would just keep on offering them finger foods every few days and then one day they'll surprise you and not gag. My DS had a very sensitive gag reflex and was about 11 months old before he could eat the puffs or cheerios, but now he's fine. Also the stage 2 foods are the same as the stage 1's, just a bigger container, so it's still all mush and no chunk.

 

I think they're the perfect age to start experimenting. I was concerned about the gagging, too, but our pedi said that some gagging was normal as they got the hang of things and nothing to worry about. I'd say by about 9.5 months they'd stopped completely. I guess I'd just be sure to keep an eye on them while they eat!

 

We started giving puffs at around 6m and had a big time gagger...their dr said that moving food to the back of the mouth and swallowing is a developmental skill just like crawling/rolling etc and to just keep at it, that some kids may be slower than others -just like any other skill. dont worry they will catch on fast...and then start to eat u out of ur house!

 

My DD still gags and sometimes throws up when I give her the smallest piece of food. She has reflux issues though.

 

I think gagging is a fairly common occurrence in babies just starting to experiment with chunkier foods. Keep trying, they will get it!

 

We had a slow start too . . . and continue to. My boys have mastered the Gerber puffs and Riley is great at feeding himself but Parker will open his mouth and wait for me to put it in. He can't seem to get his hand to meet his mouth. They gagged a lot at first! I just tried again every couple of days. We tried peas and little bits of sweet potato too--they hate them and gag like crazy. They can't seem to tolerate anything mushy that isn't pureed. It's a slow process for some of us.

 

I don't have time to read the replies, so I apologize if this is redundant. One of my DD's was like this in the beginning. I thought puffs were too big (I was super afraid of them choking though) so I started with half a cheerio and teeny tiny pieces of soft banana (it was really hard for them to pick up though).

I don't think 8 months is too early if they sit up well in their chairs and are getting used to thicker spoon-fed foods. I think we waited a little longer but that was because I took all solids really slow. I think if they are gagging they just need to get used to this new sensation. Follow their lead. One thing that helped my DD to get use to finger food was to make the spoon-fed food more textured so she had to work it around her mouth before swallowing. It took a little time but now she is my little hoover!

 

I have a gagger, too. We started Puffs around 6 mos & he gagged a lot, but now does GREAT with 'most' finger foods. If they're too big, he may gag, but rarely throws up anymore. Of course, I think it helps that he chews things with his 4 front teeth now!

We also haven't been able to master Stage 3 foods yet. We try every few days. If I water it down some, that helps a little, but not always. I almost think they do better with chunked table food than the Stage 3s...it's like they expect what's coming at them on the spoon to be pureed & then BAM...a chunk!

Hang in there, it's taking time with our gagger, but he's vastly improved. If I had a dollar for every time he yarfed on the high chair tray.......

 

This is kinda gross, but I lick Jake's puffs before I give them to him. He's my gagger. If there is a tiny piece of turkey in his smooth sweet potatoes, watch out! Ryan just doesn't like the taste of the puffs, but he loves to play with them.