What do I do with a toddler who vomits anything with chunks?

(March 3, 2010)

One of the toughest parts of mothering a new born baby is always going to be the kind of food you feed the child. The kind of food given to the baby plays a significant role in the overall development of the child. On an average, a normal baby will grow as fast as about three inches in every three months, with the rate of growth slowing down to about 3.5 inches in a whole year when the child grows into a toddler. Changing the feeding habits of any child can be quite tricky. The tendency of some children to gag, vomit or flatly refuse lumpy food can be rather worrying but is generally the initial route required to be taken before the child gets accustomed to the new type of food. About nine times out of ten, when a new type of food has been introduced to the baby, he or she is going to either throw a tantrum or completely refuse the food. This behavior may even continue for a couple of meals before the child understands that it needs to accept the food. However, it is of prime importance that you do not attempt to force feed the baby if you do not seem to be making any progress. Some recent studies show that there may be a connection between a baby’s tendency to chew toys and their acceptance of solid foods in their diet. Around the 6 month age mark, children are known to display a much greater interest in discovering the texture as well as shape with their tongue, lips and mouths I general.

Another aspect to keep in mind when you have just started feeding your baby solid foods is that lumpy food takes some getting used to. Just because a baby is somewhat comfortable with solid foods does not mean that he or she is going to completely accept lumpy foods. If you notice your child gagging when being fed lumpy foods, this is generally because of they are attempting to stop any food towards the back of the tongue from entering the airways. As a result, the child will then learn to chew on the food to prevent this from happening. Because this is significantly harder for younger babies to pull off, they are more likely to flatly refuse any lumpy foods, so it may help to hold on a bit before drastically changing the youngster’s diet.

Submitted by P T on March 3, 2010 at 12:33