Gagging vs choking!

Choking is when a person's airways are blocked causing the person to stop breathing and can cause death, directly related to the choking or through secondary causes such as brain failure or heart attacks. People usually choke on food but can also choke on drink or non food items such as toys. Gagging is actually totally normal and to be expected when a child begins to eat solid food. Gagging is caused when a baby either has too much food in their mouth or if the food starts to go too far back before they have chewed and broken it down sufficiently. Inside the mouth there is an area known as the gag reflex. When an object touches the gag reflex we gag to remove the object from our mouth and thus prevent ourselves from choking. In babies the gag reflex is much further forward than in adults, the body's way of offering extra precaution. Gagging & choking is usually confused by parents especially new ones.