AboutDr. Tara Kompare, Pharm.D. Expertise I am a Doctor of Pharmacy and I am available to answer a variety of questions related to children's health and medicine ranging from the treatment of colic and cradle cap to allergies and acne. I am also the creator of the website "The Medicine Mom" at www.themedicinemom.com. Parents can e-mail me questions, read my monthly articles, and enjoy a laugh at "The Funny Farm."
Experience I am a Doctor of Pharmacy and mother of two wonderful girls. I work in a busy outpatient pharmacy clinic where I have the unique opportunity to counsel every patient that comes to my window.
Publications:
1)Drug Topics, Feb. 2006: "Why a Kiddie Corner Makes Sense"
2)Pharmacy Times,Date TBA, "How to Help Parents Cope with Colic
Education:
Bachelor of Science, Old Dominion University 1997
Doctor of Pharmacy, Virginia Commonwealth University 2002
My daughter (9 months old tomorrow) has been on solids since 6 months old. She is fine eating all pureed homemade food, and even food with a few lumpy bits in. However, each time i try her with foods like toast fingers, chunky chip, bread sticks etc she seems to get it stuck and chokes. She coughs it up and seems fine but then (about 30 to 50 secs after she has recovered from choking) She is very sick - bringing back all of her last meal - even if the last meal was hours before. Any advise would be appreciated.
Jo
Answer Hi Jo,
You are not alone! So many parents go through the same frustrating meal times with their babies and, as I'm sure you already know, all babies are different!
Some babies require tedious "weaning" before they are capable of chewing and swallowing solids without gagging. What works great to help ease them into foods with more sustenance include:
1)Rice Puff Wheels (In the infant aisles)
2)Cheerios: You can even let them soak in milk for a few minutes to make them even softer
3)Buy a mesh feeder: These are great for putting frozen fruits in like peaches and bananas. It also helps decrease teething pains.
4) Other popular items include Kix cereal and veggie and fruit puffs.
I would stay away from items that are too hard or crunchy until she masters eating a handful of cheerios without gagging. Once she accomplishes that, you can move forward with more options.
Hope this helps. Enjoy your baby!
Best Wishes,
Dr. Tara Kompare, Pharm.D.
www.themedicinemom.com
