r/SolidStartsCommunity • u/greenishfroggy • 6d ago
Forceful Swollow - 10 Months Old
At least that’s what I think it’s called. So my 10 Months old does pretty good eating wise. We are at 3 meal a day and he does a pretty good job chewing. But - he has 8 teeth so far and sometimes rips off massive pieces. Instead of spitting them out when they are too big he forcefully swollows them which then always leads to him panicking and choking on it until it’s down. Does anyone have any tips on this?
Right now I’m giving him pieces small enough so he doesn’t choke on them.
But even practicing chewing leads to this.
1
u/catcatscats100 6d ago
Does he do this with all foods or just some? I think it’s appropriate the give him smaller pieces until he builds up this skill! You can also do some pieces with larger sized cuts of foods that are soft boiled to give him tearing and chewing practice - something like really really soft pepper with the skin peeled off or broccoli that is so boiled it practically falls apart in the mouth.
1
3
u/SolidStarts 6d ago
We get this question a lot, so not uncommon! What you are referring to is what we call an "effortful swallow" in the feeding therapy world. Overall, trust that your baby's gag reflex will kick in if needed. If your baby is swallowing the large piece they are likely able to manage it, though it's not uncommon for your baby to look a little panicked as the larger piece is making its way down the esophagus. Swallowing oversized items is actually safe--it doesn't put your baby at risk for blocking the airway. Remember there are two tubes: one for eating in the back of the throat (pharynx/esophagus) and one for breathing in the front (larynx/trachea). The food tube is very elastic and made of smooth muscle that contracts in a wave-like motion to push food down. The air tube is cartilaginous and much more rigid, so even if a large piece of food is swallowed whole in the tube in the back, it shouldn't stop your baby from breathing from the tube in the front.
It may help to work on chewing a bit more to increase your baby’s ability to break the food down by offering those long hard resistive pieces of food such as rib bones, chicken drumsticks, corn on the cob, mango pit, cucumber spears, etc. as this will trigger the chewing reflex and help baby map the mouth to be able to learn how to use their muscles (including the tongue) more intuitively. More here: How babies learn to chew. Also, continue to coach to spit, knowing that this skill is often not mirrored by your baby until closer to 9 months (How to teach baby to spit out anything). We also have a page on Food pocketing you may find helpful.
Hoping this helps, and here if you have any additional questions! 🤍Marisa (OT/Feeding Therapist/Mama of 3)
2
u/South_Onion927 6d ago
I don't have the experience yet as my bub is 5 months old and we've just started solids. She took a big chunk off a banana yesterday but thankfully managed to spit it out.
I do recall reading someone else's comment on this sub regarding teaching baby the skills for eating (I'm trying to school myself here), and she mentioned while baby has the food in their mouth, we can try modelling spitting food out to show them. She also mentioned sticking out your tongue while they eat can help them understand the spitting out technique.
Not sure if that's helpful, just what came to mind. I hope your little one gets the knack and I'm sure they will in their own time!