How do you get over the fear of yoru child choking?

How did the mamas out there get over the fear of their baby choking when starting finger foods? My little man is 7 months old and almost getting to the point where I could introduce them, but I’m afraid of him choking. What are some of the best finger foods to start with?

4 Likes

Pinterest has really good pictures on how to cut foods. Supervision and knowing the difference between a little bit of gagging and choking is important as well. Our doctor told us start with foods that you can literally mash between your fingers because those are going to be the safest for learning 

1 Like

I cut up stuff really small and waited to give certain things until they got the chewing and swallowing thing down. Also remember that choking and gagging are different. Baby will likely gag a lot starting out while learning to swallow solid food. Don’t panic.

That fear will never really go away, its just part of being a parent. Teach good earing habits, like not lying down while eating or being overly distracted, bite sized pieces, etc. If it’s a very encompassing worry, you can buy a dechoker to have on hand for emergencies :slightly_smiling_face:

There are those cute little rice puffs at Walmart. They basically dissolve when the kid starts gumming them down. I was scared early on as well, and doing more foods (sweet potato and avocado, etc) and mixing them with breastmilk will help water it down a bit while still giving texture.

Cherrios is a great starter finger food. Cut things real small. Try to stay calm, but they get the hang of it usually pretty fast.

It never goes away. My oldest is 8 years old and I still jump up and run to the table if he is making weird noises. Unfortunately, that worry is apart of being a parent. I still check his breathing at night too lol

I don’t know if you ever really get over the fear I guess the best thing to do would be to prepare yourself in the event of a choking incident that way if he does start choking you know what to do it made my daughter feel better learning what to do in the event of choking and less anxious when she started giving her son finger foods.

My daughter is almost 3 and a half and I still am scared lol :woman_shrugging:

My oldest is 18. Im still not over it. Invest in a dechoker. Huge piece of mind.

Some times it happens just make sure u know what to do even if you have to take a class

Watch your kid when he eats lol simple as that

Cut up bananas, soft over cooked veggies, eggs, noodles. Research Baby led weaning. It might help you