Gagging vs Choking

Why is knowing the difference before starting solids with your baby important?

I want to start with this slogan I really like:

Loud and red, let them go ahead!

Silent and blue, they need help from you!

Gagging (normal and safe):

- Can be very noisy and can look and sound quite dramatic (baby might gag, cough, or vomit)

- Helps baby to learn to understand what size and shape that food should have to swallow safely

- Safety mechanism for baby, to help eject something quickly if needed (it's actually the brain that has deemed the food as harmful)

Choking (intervention required):

- Completely silent, which happens when something is entirely blocking the airway (not able to cough or breath)

- Very unlikely if baby is offered foods with proper shape (finger length), and texture (food can be squashed between fingers)

What can you do to create a safe eating environment?

- Never put your finger in baby's mouth and try to remove food if they are gagging, eat a piece that is too big for them or put too much food in their mouth (your finger in their mouth could potentially push the food further back, past their gag reflex and increase the risk of choking)

- If necessary, baby's natural gag reflex should push food out

- Baby should have all the control of food that goes in and out of their mouth

- Baby should be sitting upright (not reclined or lying down)

Top choking hazard foods for babies and toddlers:

- Whole nuts

- Sausages / hot dogs

- Raw carrots

- Hard candies

- Popcorn

- Grapes

- Cherry tomatoes

- Raw apples

- Fruit pits/stones

So please be extra careful when and how to offer these foods to your little one.

Also, choking is the number one reason why caregivers don't start baby-led weaning. And before I did my research, I also thought it would be more 'dangerous' for our baby than spoon-feeding. But this should not be the reason, as studies have shown no differences in choking incidences between baby-led weaning and spoon-feeding.

Your baby will sense if mealtime is not a relaxing experience for you and will not help them to create a healthy relationship with food. So to gain more confidence and to help create a relaxed experience, you could do a CPR course, ensuring you know what to do if baby eats something or picks something up from the floor that could block their airway. Here is a recommendation for a CPR course: https://tinyhearts.com.