Gag reflex

Colt couldn’t eat anything solid until he was around 16 months. I thought we would never be able to do solids but just one day he could eat them. I think its just trial and error with every baby.

Myles had an absolutely horrendous gag reflex for a long, long time. At 12 months he still couldn’t even eat a cheerio without gagging and throwing up. I was so worried about it but he gradually outgrew it between 12 and 13 months. He almost never gags now and he can eat table foods (if he chooses to).

Ditto, the last two comments, Brodie was still eating purees at 12 months. I even took him for feeding therapy and he had no oral problems, they said just to practice more, and give him soft pieces of soup carrots, noodles, puffs – meltable type stuff like that. By 13 months he was doing so much better I had him eating the Gerber graduates. He never did well with Stage 3 baby foods, too much going on with half puree and half chunks of stuff. I was told that it is very common for reflux babies to have a very sensitive gag reflex, but they do outgrow it. I never thought Brodie would, but he can eat anything now!!!

Shelby,
Bryce’s situation is a little different because of all his issues. He still gets most of his food by feeding tube. Between surgeries & hospital stays and his horrible reflux & spitting up, he’s just never been able to learn to eat yet. He’ll usually take about 2 oz. by mouth, and then we’ll give him the rest by tube. (Although lately it’s even less because he’s teething, I think).

Anyway, we’ve started practicing with solids, and he’s definitely interested. He’ll lean in toward the spoon, etc. But he still doesn’t know what to do with it once it’s in his mouth, and most of the time he ends up gagging & spitting up. So we’re just taking it really slow for now.

I think if the food with more texture is causing Justice to gag & spit up, then it might be worth waiting. I think it’s good to practice and get them used to new textures, but you have to be careful too, because you don’t want a feeding aversion to develop.

Bryce’sMom2006-12-6 11:55:19

shane will puke out of no where as well! we are always like, what just happened?! sometimes he gags and chokes on his own drool…. i have to keep an eye on him a lot!