Weaning help!
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Yep, they don't know how to chew food as purees don't let them learn this skill. Gagging is perfectly normal whilst they are learning. They learn what size the can swallow and how much to chew each food. They also spit out 'skin' for quite a while, such as skins on salads such as cucumber and tomatoes because they are harder to chew but get easier once they have teeth
Melty sticks by ellas kitchen helped my baby a lot with starting blw
We had A LOT of gagging in the beginning it was so scary. We still get it sometimes now when introducing something new but he’s so much better for practising. Things that helped were demonstrating with exaggerated chewing and starting with foods that I felt more comfortable with so he could practice like melt sticks (they’re super cheap from aldi) or well done toast which you can spread with other foods
Sounds totally normal! I used this weaning chart to make sure I was giving my LO a variety of foods. I give my LO some puree and whatever it is they’re having in a solid form so they get used to picking up and eating but still consuming it via the puree until they start to eat more of the solid form if that makes sense? This is the chart I use https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/1883715605/?ref=share_ios_native_control
That sounds completely normal :) Eating is a skill your baby needs to learn, and babies do that through exploration, play, and trial/error. The gagging is also a good sign, as it means he has all the safety mechanisms to prevent chocking. Every time your baby takes a bite that’s too big, they are learning what size bites they should be taking, and how to chew them. My LO started with solids at 6 months (we skipped purées), she’s now 8 months and still occasionally spits out food if she bites too much. It doesn’t mean your little one isn’t eating it or enjoying it ☺️