In an adult, the gag response is triggered near the back of the tongue—you have to put your finger right back toward your throat to make it happen. However, this reflex is triggered much farther forward on the tongue of a six-month-old baby, so not only is it activated more easily in a baby than it is in an adult, it also operates when the piece of food that has caused it is much farther away from the airway. So when babies of six or seven months gag on food it doesn’t mean the food is too close to their airway and it very rarely means they are in danger of choking.
