My son will eat but then it seems if he doesnt like a food he will start gagging until he throws up. I dont know how to stop him from doing this. And sometimes he likes the food and other times he doesnt. He is 10 months old and very skinny for his age and i'm concerned that he isnt gaining enough weight.
How do I get him to eat his food with out gagging. Sometime he does gag and other times he doesnt. He also wont eat stage three foods
It turned out to be texture...he just doesnt like things that are chunky or too thick...so we took him back to stage two foods and he is very happy with those
My son does the same thing. Usually it is over something he doesn't like or if he has way too much food in his mouth. My doc said that he just has a sensitive gag reflex and as long as he is thriving, not to worry. Hope this helps!
From Grandma L. - take him to a doctor. This is not normal. It probably isn't anything serious or lets hope not. But, I think he needs to see a doctor.
You should contact Early Childhood Intervention. If you are still in Kerrville, here's the one in your area.
Home Spun Early
Childhood Intervention
313 Leslie Dr.
Kerrville, TX 78029
###-###-####
They will do a free assessment and make sure your tell them your primary concern is his eating problems. also tell them he has sleep issues and ask to be assessed by their occupational therapist who does sensory integration therapy. He might have a PHYSICAL problem with eating but since he doesn't always gag my guess is that it's sensory related (especially since he's having trouble sleeping.)
My girls have sensory integration dysfunction and my oldest is the worst. Since doing daily sensory activities with her she's improved a lot. They don't have oral issues, though, so I can't tell you much in oral sensory therapy. I know some people swipe the mouths with things like http://tinyurl.com/6r5wxz and http://tinyurl.com/6n8g7s and http://tinyurl.com/5q2pvv These spoons are great to feed with the food he WILL eat to get him used to various textures. You can also swipe the inside of his mouth and tongue with these and let him chew on them when not eating.
My daughters have teething blankets and toys (check out Walmart's baby toy aisle) that have various textures molded on rubber.
I hope this helps! I was amazed at the changes in my girls after a few months of sensory therapy, and it's relatively simple to do at home on your own.
S., mom to four girls on the autism spectrum
The first thing that popped into my head was some kind of issue going on in his digestive tract. I'm not in the medical field, so it's just a hunch...
But Young Living Oils has a peppermint oil, if you mix half with olive oil, and rub on his belly area, might help with his digestion. It's great for that.
I'll be praying for wisdom for you and healing for him.
Good luck,
C.
My daughter had the same problem(occasionally still does). They just have a weak gag reflex. It will strengthen in time. You just have to give him food and clean up when he spits up/vomits. It is frustrating and incredibly scary when they start gagging and it looks like they're choking. I skipped all baby foods b/c my daughter didn't like them. Try your food instead of stage 3. If you are concerned about weight gain, talk to his doctor. You'll find out his percentile which will hopefully put your mind at ease. Stay strong!
My kids did this too. He is old enough now to eat just about anything he can chew. Give him some cheerios and see how he does. Gagging is a natural way for kids to prevent themselves from choking. Maybe he is not ready and you need to back up the texture to softer foods...or it can be the opposite, he needs to go to harder foods. Try mac and cheese, cut up peeled grapes. Give him some pediasure if you think he needs some extra nourishment. Just keep trying different things...once you finally get it, it will change all over again.
My son did the same thing at that age. If you find out that it is nothing medical try adjusting the temp of the food. My son liked things warmer than you would think appropriate for a baby. That is what finally worked for us. If the food was luke warm he gagged and he wouldn't eat stage three foods until he was almost 12 months old. I think some people are just born with a more sensitive gag reflex. Good luck!
F.,
It may likely be nothing so I don't want to scare you. He may just be learning all that is involved with eating. Is it specific foods he "reacts" to? What about formula/breast mikl? Is he generally a gagger/vomiter? If so you may investigate allegies or other disorders.
Let your son feed himself. That way he won't overeat and won't develop a negative attitude about food and being force fed. Read Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. It is a wonderful resource and will help you regarding all aspects of feeding. If your son is gagging, it sounds like maybe the spoon size is too large or the texture is too rough. How many teeth does your baby have. My first child didn't eat any solid foods until she was 13 months old. My second and third ate mostly pureed fruits and vegetables and porridge at 10 months. Try making some of your son's baby food. It tastes much better, is much healthier, and is a lot less expensive. And you will feel better about what food you are giving your son.
Hi --
I know this is painful to witness over and over. I have a nephew who has had this problem, and by age 8 he finally seems to be outgrowing it.
However, I have had a terrible gagging reflex before and my son has suffered from it on and off as well. I think it could be related to a nutrient deficiency.
My gagging reflex was due to extreme anxiety -- my adrenals were shot and I was very low in B12 at the time -- probably in all minerals as well.
I was never sure why my son was doing it, but he seems to have had across the board nutrient deficiencies including same as mine -- adrenal deficiency, mineral deficiencies, B12 & B complex deficicies, Vitamin A & Vitamin D.
Keep reading and researching as to why your son has this. Maybe consult with a alternative health practioner (I doubt a regular M.D. would have the answer for this -- they'd probably want to do some tests and then say they can't find anything).
Good luck. I hope you can find some answers.
M.
My daughter did the exact same thing and I was VERY concerned! I never found out what it was but she did outgrow it. She is 16 months old now and has not done it in awhile! It was scary and frustrating so I feel your pains! Good luck!
i think that is a question for his DR. and the sooner the better
L.
My son, who is now nearly 5, has done that since he was an infant. He has a thing with the textures of foods. I haven't been able to find a way to make him stop but if I get him to take a drink after taking a bit of food he doesn't think he will like he tends to do better. Also, he has that problem when he takes to big of a bite. Wish I could be more help.
Offer him the food and if he starts gagging, just put him down from the table. Don't give him snacks between meals and when he gets hungry, he will eat without any problems. I raised my 4 children and had no problems. Maybe he is skinny, but it could be because you insist on him eating things that cause him to gag and throw up.
Our motto was "Eat now or do without later", which meant that no snacks between meals unless you have eaten your meals at mealtime.
It may not be a taste issue. It may be a texture issue since he will not eat stage 3's. A sensory disorder can manifest like this. It may not be a disorder, but just and area that needs improvement. Don't rush him through the food stages. If he will eat stage one or two, stick with that for awhile. I would bring this up to your ped if you are concerned. Does he take a pacifier? They have different textured pacifiers that can help them develop these sensory skills. In addition, in general many sensory interactions can help. Play dough, rice tables, water (warm and cold). Let him eat with his hands if he will. It will make a mess, but it is good for him. If there is a disorder, it is really just something that you will have to cope with. It really will not effect anything else most likely. Find out what he does and does not like as far as textures go and steer away from those things. It does not mean that he cannot eat these healthy foods, just that he needs to eat them with a certain texture. I would check witho your ped or your local early childhood development center. They should be able to help you out.
Good luck. I hope this helps.
I would gag, too if my mom was feeding me baby food at 10 months. Feed him some table food, i.e. rice w/gravy, mashed potatoes w/gravy, meatballs w/gravy (mash real good), green beans (mash real good), vienna sausages (mash real good).
Try only feeding him the foods that he does like a little at a time very slow eating so that he can digest his food. Also, try not to introduce new foods to him until he is ready. Also, at this age you could continue giving him a bottle to supplement what he is not getting from his food. I would feed my daughter solid foods and supplement her nutrition with a bottle of Enfamil. I gave her a bottle until she was 14 months old. After that, I gave her a sippy cup with whole milk. If you are still not comfortable with this, you may want to see the Dr. and see if there is a vitamin supplement that you could give him.
If you're concerned about weight gain, you can do shakes and smoothies. We do lots of yogurt smoothies around here during the summer - breakfast and snacks.
We use yogurt, brewer's yeast, bananas, and whatever produce I have on hand....strawberries, blueberries, pears, apples, etc...
We use goat yogurt because both of my kids are sensitive to cow milk products -- even though there is no family history of allergies. Just a thought - might want to avoid cow dairy until 18mos or so....especially if there's family history.
If you have any questions or want some smoothie recipes, feel free to contact me
K., mama to
Catherine, 4.5y
Samuel, 16m
my son used to do this same thing when he was a toddler. he didn't like certain textures in his mouth, it would make him gag and sometimes throw up, usually when we were in a resturant. Probably because that was when it was most embarrassing! anyway at age 23 (yrs) he still gags on some foods, like if he lets bread stay in his mouth too long and it gets soggy! I gag on pills , always have! And I take about 40 a day (supplements). I used to gag a lot when I brushed my teeth too, still can't keep the toothpaste in there too long. sometimes I have to spit it out and start all over again, if I haven't quite finished brushing. I think like some people said, some of us just have a stronger gag reflex! I can't put a wooden spoon or popcicle stick in my mouth, yuk! well good luck!
My grandson did the same thing. My daughter took him to occupational therapy. He was gradually introduced to different food textures. For example, they put an orange segment in a little mesh cloth bag with holes in it. He chomped away on that but didn't get the strange texture. Once he learned to like the new taste, they gradually gave him tiny pieces out of the bag. He is 5 now. Still the pickiest eater in the family, but he eats a wide spectrum of foods from all the food groups.
