Patient's question:
My son is one year old, but he always gags when eating. He's fine with things like rice powder and egg custard, or thin biscuits, but he definitely gags or vomits when eating fried eggs or slightly harder things like apples. I don't know what's going on. Other children at this age can already eat rice and dumplings. Could you please explain what might be happening?Doctor's answer:
Hello. Gastroesophageal reflux occurs when food or semi-digested food that has entered the stomach flows back into the esophagus or attempts to flow back into the mouth. The child will try to swallow the food residue that refluxes back into the mouth as much as possible. Therefore, we can sometimes observe the child occasionally swallowing movements during non-feeding periods. Additionally, food residue that does not reflux back into the mouth can also stimulate the esophagus, causing the child to experience nausea.