Toddler Gagging and Vomiting

My son is 5 and still does this. I believe its a texture thing. To combat this problem, we just ask him to take a no thank you bite of anything new, and have a napkin or paper towel ready for him to spit it out into so the vomiting doesn't start. It started working when he was almost 4.

Last week at Disney my son did this when he tasted a bite of cheesecake, and we just got a napkin and he took care of it and washed it down with a drink. He totally wanted to gag, but was embarrassed that people would see him. I think it will take a little time and maturity for him to stop. Good luck!

Since you know it's not a medical problem with swallowing you can safely say that it is normal. Kids gag when they get tense around eating, or if they aren't quite certain they want to swallow whatever is in their mouths. The solution is to tell your son why he gags (food, or fingers, in the back of his mouth triggers the gag reflex). Then, give your son explicit permission to spit out any food he doesn't want to swallow. Teach him to relax. He's not too young. Good luck.
D. (It's Not About Nutrition.com)

One of my kids vomits when he doesn't like a texture. I tell him it's not okay and it's really in his head but I don't make an angry fuss about it so he's calm. It's gotten better. Just don't make it worse and make him feel worse but do let him know to slow down in eating. It worked for me, he doesn't do it as often and when he starts not liking something, he spits it out. My three year old started the same thing but I was just firm that he can't do that and if he doesn't like the food, just spit it out and throw it away properly. I know they can't help it but I don't believe it's something they should think is okay. It's like baby talk, I know the child doesn't understand what I'm saying but I don't dumb down what I say... I know, I'm so mean, I never did a lot of that baby babble stuff.

My nephew is another story. He vomited all the time. My sister just found what made him do it and made sure he didn't eat those foods. So I guess she took the more "motherly" approach. It could just be a matter of different children but mine all stopped (or at least it happened infrequently) hers, well, let's just say even I started carrying towels everywhere I went with her.

Haaaa! My 18 month old does this. It sounds like he's just trying to exercise some control over what he eats. My rule for food is - I present a plate of what I'm going to give you - if she plays with it or won't eat it - I simply let her down and offer her the same meal an hour later. Eventually hunger overrides any fears about the food. I wouldn't worry - it's normal - just don't let it become behavior that will bully you into only giving them the tasty stuff.

My 4 year old does this. If he tastes something he does not like, he will start gagging, and if he cant get it out of his mouth fast enough, he will sometimes vomit (though that is not frequent). I have often also wondered if it is a texture issue. He is not doing it because he is being contrary or naughty so I dont guilt him about it. I praise him for trying a new food and then tell him where he can spit it out (at home he goes to the trash can, when out I usually offer a napkin) and then I remind him to sip his water to get the taste out of his mouth. I try to be matter of fact about spitting it out. If its something that really bothers him, I have helped him wipe his tounge with a napkin.

My 2 yr old would gag herself on purpose sometimes. I told her no and would take away her food. I'd return it in 2 mins and let her try again, kind of like a food time out. It was completely temporary for her, I think she just did it because she discovered she could.