Melissa:
I have a 13-month-old who still gags on food! I always cut things really small and sometimes he does fine and sometimes, not so much. He hates the 3rd stage foods because of the lumps. Is there something I can do to try to and help him get chewing down better? Or will he just get it on his own? Thanks!
Dr. JJ:
Some babies have a very active gag reflex and often need a little more time handling chunks of food. Hand him tiny finger foods (O cereal maybe wet with a little milk, soft bananas, very tiny cooked pasta) so he can pursue more solid food at his pace. The nice thing about the Baby Bullet is being able to customize the consistency of any food for him, until he is ready for that next step. Sometimes, it’s just a matter of having more teeth so he can grind the food and get it to the back of his mouth himself. By 18 months, if he isn’t making progress, ask your pediatrician about whether a feeding consult with a good occupational therapist might be in order. He has a lot of time before I really would be concerned, so hang in and remember to always offer a tiny amount of food that he can learn to manage on his own.
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About Dr. JJ Levenstein
I have two boys and I taught each of them to chew with soft foods they can hold themselves like bananas and hot dogs. I’d give them a little chunk to hold on to and bite into however big or small they wanted. sitting there watching them I could see them learning and feeling themselves out. a few times with that method they were good to go.