Your Top Five Food Questions Answered
Why does my baby always choke when I give him table food?
There is a difference between gagging and choking, although it can be easy to confuse the two. If your baby is actually choking, he will not be making any noise as no air will be getting through. Gagging, on the other hand, is a natural reflex that brings food from the back of the throat back up to the mouth to be chewed some more. It’s a natural part of learning how to eat and most babies gag at some point as they try more textured foods.
You can usually introduce table foods safely between eight and 12 months. To prevent choking, always supervise your baby and start with small, soft foods, such as grated cheese or cooked brown rice. You can also experiment with ripe fruit and soft, cooked vegetables, pasta and meats–all sliced into pieces no larger than 1/4-inch.
Meet our expert:
Dr. Jeremy Friedman is the chief of the division of Paediatric Medicine at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto. He is an associate professor in the department of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. Dr Friedman is the associate editor of the Canadian Paediatric Society's journal, Paediatrics and Child Health and has co-edited three bestselling books for parents, including The Baby Care Book. The Toddler Book. He lives in Toronto, with his wife and two young children.
