Are you afraid that your child will choke when you offer picky food? 😬 ❤️
It can be scary to start pick food/BLW. As soon as the baby makes any sound that may indicate that he is in the throat, it is easy to panic. After a while you realize that there is no danger. Babies can both claw and cough well and above all they are usually unfazed by it and continue to eat.
One thing that is reassuring to know when starting out BLW is that there is research showing that there is NO greater risk for children to choke with pick food/BLW than with spoon feeding with purees.
But it can look unpleasant! Babies gag, cough and sometimes vomit a little, and of course it's not fun to watch. I therefore thought I would explain a little what hoarseness and coughing are caused and why they are so important! So it's nothing to be afraid of, on the contrary - they're good.
🔶 Gagging (gagging)
To be clawed is a reflex that pushes food forward into the mouth when it is too large to swallow. In small babies, that reflex is triggered far forward in the mouth, which means that they often gag at the beginning of food introduction. It usually doesn't bother them, but they can continue eating as if nothing has happened. The gag reflex is an important safety mechanism to prevent food from sticking in the throat. It is part of the baby's learning process to handle food safely. For many, the coughing decreases after a while when the baby understands how to avoid it.
🔶 Coughing
Our reflex coughing occurs when the trachea is under "threat". A cough is triggered by something that has ended up in the airway and needs to be pushed forward. Babies have good cough reflexes and although it may look uncomfortable when they cough, it means they are solving the problem.
We hope this can put someone at ease by create greater understanding of these mechanisms 🥰
//Elin