Baby led weaning might seem scary to do for the first time mom. In this post, moms will share some of their baby led weaning scares.
Today I want to share some baby led weaning scares that I have experienced in my son’s baby led weaning journey.
Then, I will share some other mama’s baby led weaning scares at the end of the post.
Did you do baby led weaning? If so, let us know your experience in the comments below!
My own personal baby led weaning scares
Choking was one of my biggest fears upon starting the baby led weaning process.
I remember before learning about BLW, one of my close friends who has a little girl a month older than Lennox, gave her six-month-old daughter a whole piece of steamed broccoli. I was in disbelief! How was she so comfortable giving her infant an entire piece of cooked broccoli? She’s was for sure going to choke!
At that point, Lennox was five-months-old, and I had begun giving him some homemade purées because he was extremely interested in table food.
Shortly after, I discovered what baby led weaning was and I knew I immediately wanted to change routes. My ultimate goal was to have Lennox be a fantastic eater, and baby led weaning seemed like it would promote healthier and more independent eating. So, I stopped the purées, let him reset for a week, and then we embarked on our BLW journey.
Read more: 4 Awesome Benefits of Baby Led Weaning
Lennox took to his first foods like a champ and the more foods we introduced, the more comfortable I felt. Of course, with baby led weaning comes the natural reaction of gagging which can be terrifying for a parent who may think that their baby is choking. However, that is most likely not the case. In my introductory post on BLW, I go more into choking versus gagging and mention foods that pose choking hazards.
Family Style Nutrition says:
Basically, if baby gags but keeps on happily eating and shows no signs of distress, everything is fine. You will know if she’s choking because her eyes will get wide, she won’t be getting any air and she will stop eating. This NEVER happened with either of my children and is highly unlikely with Baby Led Weaning.
Lennox gagged A LOT, and as scary as it was at times, I believe it was an educational process for him because he learned how much food he can adequately fit into his mouth, and how much he can comfortably swallow.
Related: The Pros & Cons of Baby Led Weaning: Mamas Tell All
As an infant, Lennox never had a choking scare. However; a couple of months ago, when he was around 22 months or so, he did start to choke on one of his favorite foods; edamame, as he accidentally got some of the shell into his throat.
I could tell that this time it wasn’t his normal, I put too much food into my mouth, let me gag it out. This time he seemed worried and was having trouble breathing. I immediately put Lennox on my forearm and gave him a firm blow between the shoulder blades. After a couple coughs the edamame shell came back up.
Lennox is usually a champ at eating edamame, but I am glad that I was with him so that I could prevent further damage. It is vital that you are always present when your baby is eating, and to make sure you are preparing your baby’s food in the appropriate manner.
Sarah Remmer offers great tips for choking in her post Choking and Baby-Led Weaning: What You Need to Know. Most importantly, it’s vital to know what to do if your baby starts to show signs of choking.
This post is not to scare you or to prevent you from doing baby led weaning. In my opinion, baby led weaning was one of the best things I did for Lennox because today he is a healthy eater and does not hesitate to try anything!
Let’s hear what other mamas have to say about their negative experiences or fears during the baby led weaning process. Enjoy, and if you are a mama who did baby led weaning, please share your story with us through the button below.
Related baby led weaning posts:
- Baby Led Weaning Must Have Products
- Baby Led Weaning First Food Ideas
- What to Know About Purees and Baby Led Weaning
Did you experience any baby led weaning scares?
Kassandra at Adelaideandi
Yes, for sure. She started choking once but got it up herself before I intervened.
Taylor at Mindful.mom_ents
I knew what to look for and could tell the difference between gagging and choking. Gagging would make me nervous, but I wouldn’t interfere. One time he did begin actually choking, and I quickly held him down at an angle and delivered angled hits in between the shoulder blades to expel it, and it worked within a few seconds.
Jessica at HeyMamaJess
It’s scary at first but once you realize gagging is natural it gets easier.
Emily at This Crazy Maze
The gagging was kind of scary in the beginning, especially when other people were around. It was also tough when he would gag, and we would be out to eat because I wasn’t giving my 100% focus on him like I would be at home. And my husband HATED this. Everyone made me feel like my son was going to choke and die, and like it was going to be all my fault. I actually have a whole blog post about this.
Sheridan M.
A few moments that scared Dad/grandparents, but they were gagging, not choking. Scariest was a blueberry with my oldest and my mom had to suck it out of her throat (she probably was choking, I wasn’t there). We have always 1/4ed or squished them since then.
Brooke at Simply Well Family
I have not had any negative experiences with baby-led weaning.
Thank you for reading. We hope you still feel encouraged to try baby led weaning. It really is a fantastic and interactive way to encourage healthy eating.
I think gagging is a scary part. I feel like the more I know about first aid and responding to true distress has eased my mind in activities beyond eating. Being prepared is important.
Yes, the gagging is the scariest part, but once you realize that it’s their way of figuring what can go down, and what cannot, it gets a lot easier.
Oh! This was interesting. Both of my boys had VERY different BLW experiences.
That is very interesting! Feel free to share your experiences with us!
Great post! I’ve never had any negative experiences with BLW but I was always a little anxious watching my kids eat solid foods when they first started. I think every parent is to a certain extent!
Yes, it is absolutely terrifying. I am glad you only had positive experiences with baby led weaning.
So good to get other mom’s opinions and different experiences. Every mom and baby is different.
It really is. It definitely all depends on your baby’s readiness!
This was a very interesting read for me! I’ve heard of baby LED weaning but I never really knew what it was. I’m realizing now that I did it with my children! Thanks for sharing
I think it has always existed, just without a coined name before, but now it is becoming more of a practice. It truly stand behind my belief that it is so beneficial for children.
I’m considering BLW with my second, so this was very helpful! Thanks!
Definitely consider it! It is so beneficial for babies!
BLW can be scary for first time moms. Reading different experiences can really help them understand what to expect.
Absolutely. That was my main motive of this series. I received a lot of criticism from my older family members who though Lennox was going to choke constantly, but now they are super impressed with his eating skills.
My son took his sweet time getting used to solid foods. And he gagged a lot when started. But at this point, as a 3 year old, he LOVES his food and is open to trying new foods. Even some veggies! YAY.
The gagging is super scary, but a natural process for babies to learn how much food they can, and cannot swallow. I am so glad he is open to all foods. It is really important to establish good eating skills at an early age!
I’m expecting my second little one in a couple of months so this is super helpful! Thank you for sharing 🙂
Congratulations. We hope you found this series useful for when you start solids.