Starting Solids

Children and adults with cleft lip and/or palate issues

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Starting Solids

Postby samjune79 » Thu May 31, 2007 3:51 pm

Ok, it is time to start my son on solids. I'm about ready to quit with the solids but his pediatrician and the cleft team seem to agree that he should be on solids before 6 months, my son is 4.5 months now. He has had his lip repair but not the palate yet. So, I try with some rice, since I was already using it in his bottle for reflux control. With the spoon, I put it in his mouth and he cries. So, it is in his mouth and I put his bottle in so he can drink it down. Then he likes it. So it seems like he wants the food but not from the spoon. When I force the spoon a few times before the bottle, it comes out his nose and he cries. It doesn't come out his nose if I spoon then bottle (I'm not squeezing the bottle so that no formula goes in with the already full mouth of food) and then repeat until done. He still cries this way, but it is a hurry up mom, I want more cry/fuss. So I guess I would like to know how everyone's baby started to eat solids and at what age and stage of repairs. Please give advice. Oh, new picture. [img][img]http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r69/samjune79/bebepod1.jpg[/img][/img]
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Postby heather » Fri Jun 01, 2007 12:02 pm

Unfortunately there is no easy way to get them to use the spoon. It's just a training period that they all go through. My son was the same way. He screamed bloody murder for having to use a spoon. I just kept with it and he eats from the spoon with no problem now. They've been fed easily through their bottles and they don't want to have to work to eat. Eyson uses the pigeon nipple and when it came to using the spoon he wasn't happy because he couldn't just bite on his nipple and the food roll down his throat. The food will come out their nose. You can't avoid it. They will sneeze to get it out as well. So you don't have to worry that tons of food will be packed up in the cleft or the nose. Needless to say Eyson eats very well off of a spoon and it's only because I didn't give up. So stick with it. It gets better, it just takes time.
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Eyson Brentley Van Eycke
Born 11/8/06 UCL BCP
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Postby jacksmom » Fri Jun 01, 2007 2:10 pm

Sam, We had the same issue with Jackson, and our cleft team recommended waiting until after his palate repair to start solids. Formula has more calories than baby food anyway, so weight gain is not really an issue. I kept trying to feed Jackson with a spoon, but we never really had much success. He had his palate repaired in April, and is now eating baby food like a little pig! I was worried about all of the things you mentioned, but Jackson has done great, and has had no weight gain or feeding problems. So, don't get discouraged if you can't get him to eat! He'll be fine, as long as he's drinking plenty! Sometimes this whole cleft thing can be really frustrating, when you just want them to do what normal babies their age are doing! With Jackson I have learned to just stick with what works, and the rest will take care of itself! Good Luck!
Allison
Mom to:
Griffin- 6/22/04
Jackson- 6/29/06 (Bil cleft palate)
www.babysites.com/sites/astand/
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Postby chicka-monkey » Sun Jun 03, 2007 5:29 pm

We started solids at 11 1/2 months. She had her surgery at 11 months and started eating solids two weeks later. She never ate baby food!
Carrie (user name chicka-monkey)

DD - 6/9/96
DS - 7/6/04
DD - 11/3/05 ~ bilateral cleft lip & palate ~
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Postby Z-Pup » Tue Jun 05, 2007 11:31 am

Well my first question is why do they think that you son needs to be on solids before 6 months!!?

All children have a tounge reflex, if you put something in their mouth they push it back out with their tounge. There is NO reason to start trying to feed solids until this it gone. He'll just wear it and you will get frustrated.

When we first started feeding Zach solids, he was still pushing it out with his tongue. So we stopped and tried again later. He was a little over 7 months old before he took to the solids on a constant basis.

Also, regular baby food was wayyyyyyyyyyy to thin for him. I started thickening it up with some cereal. That was the key, he needed it thicker in his mouth so he could move it around.

Children that are not cleft affected push their food back with their tongue on the roof of their mouths. Zach, and any other cp child, couldn't do this.

Well then the cereal would constipate him. So I started making his food, cooking veggies off and putting them thru the food proccessor. He now eats like a horse!! OMG LOL He can eat food that has not been pureed but we are trying not to give him much of that, only for the simple reason that he will be having his palate surgery in July, and won't be able to eat anything that is not of "mashed potato" consitency for a few weeks.

You really can't push your child, he will get it sooner or later, sometimes it's later. As I said if he's still got the tongue reflex, he needs to outgrow that.

Hope I helped.
Lots of Love,

Tia
Zachary 9-21-06 Unilateral Cleft Lip & Palate lovingly called Z-Pup after Daddy, who btw is O-Dawg. :)

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Postby heather » Tue Jun 05, 2007 11:46 am

No child is the same. You do what you feel is right. If you think he should be eating baby food then stick with it and it will all turn out okay. If you don't feel that he's ready for it then give him a little more time. But you can't gauge your child's readiness and abilities according to other babies because they're all different. I would say that you should tell your doctor about your concerns. He or she should be able to help you.
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Postby samjune79 » Wed Jun 06, 2007 3:25 pm

What is really funny is that he gets easy dissolve tabs of Prevacid for this reflux and he "chews it". He has no problem with it, it just seems like he is too lazy to eat from the spoon. He will gladly open his mouth for anything but the spoon. Yeah, I'm just going to try to see what will happen next month. Thanks all.
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Postby sodapop » Sat Jun 09, 2007 2:50 am

Hello,
my daughter Vada is 10months old now, she was born with unilateral left sided cleft lip and palate(soft/hard). I did try feeding her baby food at 5 months and she never took to it either so i gave up for about a month. I came back to it and she just started eating it and hasnt stopped since. I started with stage 1 and even now she is only up to stage 2.. Lots of times i thicken it with rice cereal. which is something to try even when he is little. just make it a little thicker than what it comes as and try to press the spoon down slightly on his tongue when putting the spoon in his mouth. I just always had a bottle ready in case she choked on it, which she did alot at first, but after i kept trying, she took to it. She even eats biter biscuits and zwieback toast now with no problem at all. They learn where to put the food in their mouth to make it go down. And if he really isnt interested dont push it. I waited with Vada until she started staring me down when i would eat in front of her:) Her palate surgery is not until August but like i said she has no problem with cookies, toast and pancakes even so it can be done! Don't get discouraged! Good luck!

Maria
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