Starting table foods and choking

OK well apparently I have total amnesia because I have no recollection of what happened with DC #1. But DC #2 is 7 months old and the doctor has told me (since 6 months old) that we should start table food...small soft pieces of cheese, french toast, eggs, etc.

I tried tiny pieces of american cheese tonight - which would practically melt on your tongue - and she choked through every piece and spit up. It was like she didn't know what to do with it. Now I am terrified of trying ANYTHING else.

Is this normal? Can they really choke? Am I too late trying this? Too early?

Re: Starting table foods and choking

What she was doing was gagging, not choking. Getting used to solids takes some time- especially for babies who have a strong gag reflex.

Have you tried some of the chunkier baby foods (like Stage 3)? Puffs are a very good first food because they dissolve pretty quickly. Rather than slices of cheese (which are kind of hard to manipulate on the tongue because they are flat), what about mixing some cheese in with scrambled eggs? This way, the texture is a bit softer and easly able to be moved around the mouth.

Re: Starting table foods and choking