Why does this happen when my daughter eats??

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deelady

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I just don't understand what cause her to do this?? I just made her a Jelly sandwhich on wheat bread and cut it in shape of Mickey Mouse hoping it would help her to try something different to eat (she clearly didn't want me to put peanut butter on it when she saw me pull it out)
Well I succeeded in getting her to take a bite to try the sandwich, as she was chewing she started to gag over and over again and was on the verge of losing it...I could tell she was trying to work through it and continue to chew so I don't believe it was purposeful...but she just kept gaging so I told her to spit it out in my hand....what causes this reaction?? This has also happened to her while eating frosting, mash potatoes, and a couple of other foods I can't think of right now. Has anyone else ever had this problem with their kid? If so is there something I can do to prevent it? I don't mean to be graphic but with the mash potatoes a tiny bite caused her to lose her WHOLE dinner and she use to LOVE mash potatoes!!!:wacko:
 
Awe Dee.... I wish I had some insight to this, but sadly I don't. Have you been keeping a list of the foods that she has this problem with?
 
Just mentally but they seem pretty random....oh and another was apple sauce, but she use to eat it daily and never had a problem before! Only thing I can think of is that its a texture thing but if so why would this suddenly start and not happen earlier...yet she eats stuff like pudding and jello so I don't really think it is that!
Grrrrr she must get this from her FATHER!!:rolleyes:
 
I have been a nanny for several years now and this is totally normal for children trying new foods. It's really really frustrating as a parent or caregiver to see this happen but it happens all the time. Julia hates it when foods touch and if there's a pea in her mac and cheese she'll taste it and gag. I always keep a paper towel nearby when she eats!

For Julia it's usually a size and texture issue. If she takes too big of a bite she can't get it all down and she spits it out. If it's a new texture like mashed taters she is freaked out because the only mushy foods she's ever had...have been SWEET (yogurt, smashed nana's, ice cream etc).

I used to get so mad I'd be on the verge of screaming, but it's not worth it and really counter productive. Encourage your daughter to eat slowly and take smaller bites, also reset your expectations when giving her new foods. Have you ever been to a foreign country and tried new things? The first time I tried sushi, the combo of cold rice and avocado were enough to send me running to the restroom with a napkin over my mouth. But I love the stuff.

She'll get passed this. Julia is three now, but some of the other kids I've worked with have been as old as six when this started happening even with foods he loved dearly (like peanut butter and jelly). And that one I really don't get...I mean...who doesn't love pb&j???? ;)
 
I'm so sorry this is happening. How old is she? Does she have a cold or does it happen more when she has a cold? It might have something to do with her soft palate and swallow reflex. I see it once in awhile with little ones I work with and is typically something that is easily "fixed". I would talk to your pediatrician or ENT.
 
deelady, please tell her pediatrician. They can test for causes of this type of problem and give you guidance about how to avoid it.

Good luck.
 
Thanks, she is 2yrs now....my biggest confusion is many of the items are things she use to eat regularly! And then out of the clear blue this starts! Otherwise she is a very good eater, she can often put down more than I can! As far as being sick, she has not had a cold of any sort in over 4 months!
 
Well I definately plan ask her doctor, but I was also wondering if this has happened to another parent on here....thought it wouldn't hurt to ask for another's experience with it.
 
Possibly the texture. My son use to gag when he tried things like applesauce, jelly etc. slimy and "bumpy"
Look at the things you listed, kinda heavy and smooth when eating them. Might be that the smoothness is causing it to enter her throat before she is ready for it too, therefore causing the gag reflex.
 
My son did this, when pushed to eat something he didn't want to. He still will sometimes (he is 11 now). This often applies to vegetables & fruit. It is a mind thing with him. The whole thing is very real to him.

He had a reflux problem for a long time when small (the top sphincter muscle of his stomach was incompetent) and was sick really easily. I think this carried over after he was better, but he had already restricted his diet right down.

We got cross but that never helps and it is just encouragement & perseverence that will bring things through - he eats much better now.

See a doctor in case of a medical problem and then be patient and encouraging.
 
Thanks, she is 2yrs now....my biggest confusion is many of the items are things she use to eat regularly! And then out of the clear blue this starts! Otherwise she is a very good eater, she can often put down more than I can! As far as being sick, she has not had a cold of any sort in over 4 months!
Dee,
she might also be aware of your reaction when she does this..I had one who was not into mommy and if he saw me touch something he would take it and dump it into a hole he had made in a toy box or under the side of the old farm house he wouldn't even let the dog have it he out grew it once I didn't react to his acting this way. Also , I'm a gagger and certain textures will do that to me...Mush, hamburger, sausage, bananas,squishy things, to big a bite certain smells, but I would mention this to her doctor..Til you can tiny bites, things she loves remember she can live on the same thing for a week and it won't hurt..It bugs us because we like to vary things she just might love eating those bananas 8 times a day. Wish I could help more..Keep us posted on how she is.
kadesma
 
yeah, it sounds like a strong gag reflex. i get that too when the food really sucks... lol, just teasing, dee.

my son did that for a short while, he didn't chew things well, but rather just gulped them down. whenever he tried to eat very thick or stringy things, he'd lose it. i actually pulled a whole, long piece of pasta from his throat once, as he was heaving. but as he got older, thankfully it stopped.

just make sure it's not an allergy of some kind that could be making her throat swell.

i remember when we found out my next older sister was allergic to shrimp. we had all had shrimp before, so she must have suddenly developed the allergy.
we were all sitting around the dining room table, enjoying mom's fried shrimp when my sis diane started to gag and choke and call for my parents. well, being the little brother charged with torturing my sisters, i started to imitate her, pretending to have a swollen tongue, calling out for help.
after dad scolded us to shut up for a few minutes, she finally turned blue and passed out. :whistling

she was rushed to the hospital, and had her airway kept open until it ceased.

i got quite a talking to that night. :huh:

but not before i got extra shrimp. :innocent:
 
I agree with Kades and Bucky T. I have a horrid gag reflex and all of the items that you mentioned (mashed potatoes, peanut butter, frosting, applesauce) have a similar texture. This is one reason that I am not a big egg eater unless they are drenched in cheese, in a sandwich with lots of other things or covered with hollandaise (a "smothered omelet"). I would definitely talk to her doctor about having her throat checked. It could be part phsycological as well, having eaten something she didn't want to and now anything with the same texture gives her the gag reaction.
 
I will also agree with the texture bit. When my sister was little, she just could NOT eat mashed potatoes. She'd gag and hurl. Now, I'm 35, and every now and then even I will gag on potatoes, especially if they're instant, or the potatoes were overcooked (funky smell that I can pick up on).
 
It does sound like a textural thing dee. Talk to her and tell her you understand how that can feel. Then maybe she can take the teeniest taste for awhile until she gets used to it. If you have a teeny spoon for her to use...something like an espresso spoon. Duh, I'm sure baby spoons are pretty small, too!
 
Thank you for all your input (even yours Bucky!!). I really think its more of a phsycological thing because, for one she eats jelly and wheat toast several times a week! and no problem yet when she didnt recognize it because it wasn't toasted and I cut it differently she was weary of what I was giving her....so I had to tell her take one bite and then I will give you some bubbles (what she calls sprite) thinking that with that bite she would recognize the flavor and realize it's something she likes....she took a small bite and whamo...gag city.
Also with applesauce about once a month she suddenly wants some and goes to the pantry and asks for some and she'll eat it no problem, yet when I serve it with a lunch or dinner....gag. and last but not least like I said about the potatoes barely a month ago she would ask for seconds or thirds then suddenly one night she decided she didn't want any. I told her to take only one bite and then she could give them back.....she got sick all over ME!
She LOVES tapioca pudding, all types of noodles, rice, OATMEAL, spinach, eggs I could go on but as you can see these all have similar textures.
And this girl is such a hearty eater I really don't see it being her bite sizes.

I just find it so odd that it could be a mental thing.....:ermm: How do they manipulate their bodies to do this esp. at such a young age?
 
Yes, my father at one time had issues and there is a special therapist that can test to see with different foods what the problem is and then, hopefully it can be corrected. Get thee to your pediatrician with a list of foods as soon as you can.
 
Dee, start by keeping a journal of day time and food product that causes the reaction. Be sure to document her reaction as well (vomited, spit it out after gagging etc.) This will help any doctor to figure what is happening. I'm on with the texture bit but there could be something else common to the foods she reacts to that we wouldn't normally think of. That is why it is best to keep track on paper what she's eating that causes this.
 
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