by 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.