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Learn the key differences between gagging and choking during weaning. This guide helps parents understand these reflexes to ensure safer feeding experiences.
Introducing solid foods is an exciting milestone (of course we think that!), but the fear of choking is a very common and very real one. While gagging is a natural part of a baby’s learning process as they handle new textures, choking can be life-threatening and requires action from parents. In this guide, we’ll explain how to spot the differences and provide you with essential information on what to do if your baby is choking.
Gagging is a reflex that helps to protect your baby from choking when they start to eat solid food, and although it can be alarming at first, it isn’t dangerous. It allows your baby to bring food from the back of their mouth forward, so they can either spit it out or chew it more before swallowing. Gagging is more likely to happen as they adapt to the different textures and food sizes given during weaning.
At the start of weaning your baby’s gag reflex is located much further forward on the tongue than yours, which means it is triggered much more easily. It starts to move backwards towards the back of the mouth between 6 and 9 months, but all babies are different so try not to be alarmed if your baby seems to gag more often than other babies.
It is easier said than done, but if your baby starts gagging during a mealtime, try to remain calm. Panicking may scare your baby and make them upset. Here’s what you should do:
Choking happens when food or an object completely or partially blocks the airway, stopping normal breathing. Unlike gagging, choking is a medical emergency and requires immediate action.
Signs of choking include:
In the moment it can feel very stressful if your baby is having difficulty; so here are the main things to think about when it comes to gagging vs choking:
Please note that this article should not be considered a replacement for medical guidance or certified first aid training. We strongly encourage you to participate in a first aid course before you start weaning. If you’ve already begun the process and haven’t taken a course yet, there’s still time to equip yourself with all the right knowledge in the unlikely event that your baby chokes.
If you suspect your baby is choking, you need to act immediately. Follow these steps:
While it’s impossible to completely eliminate the risk of choking, you can minimise it by taking certain precautions during meals:
Understanding the difference between gagging and choking is vital for your baby’s safety during weaning. Research shows that when offered safely there’s no more risk of choking with finger foods as there is with spoon feeding; the important thing is going at your baby’s pace and ensuring appropriate foods are offered. Try to remember that eating is a skill like everything else and your baby needs to be exposed to new textures in order to learn how to eat them.
Finally – don’t forget to do a baby first aid course if you haven’t already; and if your baby does choke and you cannot dislodge the food call an ambulance immediately.
