Very strong gag reflex question

[kismetbaby]

Yep, another thread about starting solids!

My 6.5 m old has a very strong gag reflex, something I noticed from when he was a newborn. And now that we have started some solids I am wondering if its going to be really problematic or just a normal thing he will grow out of. I wouldn't have even posted, but this morning he actually threw up an entire BF session b/c of a tiny piece of cereal in his mouth. And not just spit up, but really vomited. And I know it was was gagging triggered this. I was sitting there seeing if he would eat a little papaya, then let him try the tiniest piece of cereal from my bowl and he moved it around in his mouth for awhile just fine and then when it got to the back of his throat instead of swallowing it he started gagging.

He hasn't ever thrown-up before from gagging, but I have been noticing over the past two weeks as we have been giving him some solids that he gags very quickly. I know this is normal. . .but when is it abnormal? Or do they just outgrow this? I have tried both purees and giving him chunks of food (BLW style) and both have caused gagging. He loves to drink water and eat ice chips and does both of these fine without gagging. ..

Any one else have this experience? Any advice?

[octobermom]

My LO had an EXTREMELY strong gag reflex at 6 months I had no choice but to wait on attempting solids, same at 7,8,9,10,11,months around a year we had some VERY small success with super smooth but thicker solids like say custard type yougurts ect she could handle cerals and such that literly melted when put in her mouth like puffed rice cereal but that was about it...
Now the whole time I wasn't overly alarmed figured she'd get there when she was ready... However as shes got more intot the toddler years and times when speach should have been developing we begain to also notice she wasn't talking but gettting VERY frustred like shes despertly wantd to but couldn't.. At 2.5 years after finially getting someone to really evulate her we found out shes was apraxic both oral and verbal...Her gag reflex issue was orn her brains inablity to communcate signals of food to her brain,,, so foods would get lost and she'd choke..
However FF to now and several years of therapy latter shes is 7.5 years shes is excelling in school her speech is great shes eats well still has lots of texture issues but its a thousand times better than before...
My point and its not a panic but at 6 months I'd chalk it up to not quite being ready but maybe have jsut a tiny eye on things if it countinues and you feel its more than just a simple need to delay solids don't back down asking for help.

Deanna

[Abraisme]

My 6yo DS has a very strong gag reflex. It's pretty much just as strong as ever, only he's SLIGHTLY better at controlling it himself. We went through years where he'd throw up nearly once a day while eating and now it's probably once a week. He also vomits when he gets a cold (coughing) and whenever anyone else pukes. Sigh.. I've asked several different doctors and none of the gave me any decent advice. Most said that he'll learn to control it as he grows, that's about it. Strangely, I'm just used to it now.

On a good note, he never came close to choking. He always puked way before he would choke. Oh, and he started eating at 5mo (BLW style) and never looked back. I didn't delay solids, it didn't even occur to me that I needed to. He's a good eater and doesn't have any texture issues at all. In retrospect he still would have had a weak gag reflex whether he started eating at 5mo or 12mo, so if your baby only has a gag issue there's no reason to wait imo.

[mommy2two babes]

My DD was like this and is still gaggy.
She seemed to do worse with smooth textures and it had only been in recent years that she will eat smooth things like yogurt and pudding.
She is still extremely sensitive and gags and pukes if she gets coughing too much smells, even sees things that she finds gross or motion sickness in the car. Brushing her teeth has been a real challenge over the years.

[2boyzmama]

Kis, your LO struggled with reflux, didn't he? I think I remember you talking about it... Read up on dysphagia, aspiration, and discoordinated swallow. All of those are common in kids with GERD and can lead to some problems with solid foods.

Connor had severe dysphagia with aspiration. He had a lot of trouble tracking food in his mouth, but his gag reflex was intact, so it's like the food would surprise him and trigger an even stronger gag reflex, because he couldn't track the food from the front of his mouth to the back. He also had a cleft palate, and the food would get "lost" up there, then later trigger his gag reflex and he'd vomit everywhere. At 10 months old he was still vomiting most foods.

We eventually discovered, through feeding therapy, that he could handle strong flavored foods much easier. Basically his taste buds track the food for him instead of his nerves. He LOVES salsa We now add spices to all of his food, even at age 3 he needs that help to track it.

SO...at 6 months I don't think I'd worry yet. But keep an eye on it, read up on dysphagia, just so if it's still happening in a few months, you can ask some intelligent questions of his dr.

[kismetbaby]

He was never diagnosed per se with reflux, but he has been very "spitty"/barfy. . .much more than I would consider "normal". The Ped kept saying it would get better at about 6m when the spinxter would tighten and actually it has been better lately.

I remember the LC commenting on his strong gag reflex when he was a newborn and he also has a very high palette "bubble", which made for some latch issues early on. He handles water and ice so well though. . .my sense from watching him try to eat is that he doesn't want/know how to just swallow when something with texture hits the back of his tongue so he gags it out instead.

Hopefully its just a phase, but thanks everyone for the thoughts--I'll keep an eye on it and be pre-educated in case it is something more serious.