Choking Hazards You Need To Know About When Starting Solids With Baby Led Weaning

When thinking about starting solids with baby led weaning, there are a lot of feelings that us moms have about our nearly newborn eating.

Fear is usually at the tip top of the list of feelings because we think that serving our child foods, other than purees, means that their risk of choking increases.

According to recent research, this isn’t the case.

In an article published on CNN.com, a study documented feeding experiences of 184 families in New Zealand, 50% of whom did spoon-feeding and 50% of whom did baby led weaning. While gagging was common for both groups at different ages, there was no evidence that proved baby led weaning caused more choking. 

With that said, the worry that your child will choke is absolutely valid if you are:

• Serving choking hazards
• Serving unsafe sizes
• Serving foods that are not soft enough

Read This Next: 

21 Picture Examples Of How To Serve Foods For Baby Led Weaning

So, knowing the facts before you begin is extremely important. You will feel more informed and confident, and your baby will have the opportunity to safely learn how to self-feed.

Here is what you want to do to safely serve your baby solids with baby led weaning:

1. Speak with your pediatrician about an appropriate time to start solids (typically 6 months is the age advised; when baby is sitting upright on his or her own and bringing toys to mouth.)

2. Cook foods to be as soft as a banana is a good rule of thumb. Fresh fruits (ie: plum, pear, peach) need to be very ripe. Again, soft as a banana is the easiest example of acceptable softness.

3. Experiment with different safe sizes of foods to see which your baby takes to best. Click here to see picture examples of different safe serving options. 

4. Have a plan for introducing allergens. Top allergenic foods such a peanut products and seafood, can cause reactions that will need medical attention. Click here to read about top allergenic foods and how to spot an allergic reaction.

5. Avoid unsafe foods. Choking hazards include:

• Whole grapes (slice 4x into slivers)
• Whole nuts
• Thick peanut butter (use a light spreading)
• Coin sliced foods 
• Whole berries (slice 4x into slivers and/or squish)
• Popcorn
• Crunchy fruit/foods (always ensure food is soft as a banana)

6. Prepare for gagging and know that it is different than choking. Gagging is both common and helpful for your baby as they learn how to chew and swallow and get used to textures and the feeling of foods going dow their throats. A good rule of thumb is – gagging there is noise, while choking is usually silent. This is one of the main reasons why someone should always be sitting with baby when they are eating. 

7. Get informed about infant CPR so you feel prepared in case of a choking emergency. You can take a class through the American Red Cross or find other resources online that will show you how to handle a choking emergency. Be sure to find the most recent guidelines as they can change year to year.

In conclusion, preparedness is what will allow you to have a safe, controlled and enjoyable experience with baby led weaning. To learn even more about how to start solids this way, I highly recommend reading my blog post “EVERYTHING You Need To Know Before Starting Solids With Baby Led Weaning. “

And for you extra nervous mom – I see you, I hear you, I was you. Here is my biggest piece of advice for the first few months that feel so nerve-racking:

Go slowly. Do what makes you feel most comfortable in the beginning and as you feel more confident in your baby’s eating abilities, expand from there. Child-led is the ultimate goal so if that means you are scooping and letting them grab the spoon – wonderful. Or if that means you are serving steamed spiralized carrots and letting them grab those – wonderful too. 

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