eating difficulties in the first year

[Jennifer]

My son is 6 months old (born September 23, 1997) and has a
cleft lip and palate. His lip and nose were repaired, but his
palate will be repaired at 1 year of age due to the width of it
when he was born. Starting at about 4 months I began to start
solids. He was eager to try the food, but without fail, he end up
coughing a little, then sneezing (I believe this is due to the
open palate; although he does have an appliance in place it does
not cover the back end of the open palate where the food goes
down) it out through his nose. He gets fussy and he is no longer
interested in eating. I would like to know if anyone else has had
this experience or knows if this is the cause of his lack of
interest in eating solids. Does it get better after this? Will he
eventually start eating better and does this mean he will be a
slow eater when it comes to solids?

[Kari (Kazy308@aol.com)]

Hi. My son has been very lucky in the eating department.
Doctors were constantly asking how his eating habits were. I
could always answer positively. He is now 3 and has learned to
purposely push things through the hole that remains in his palate
near the gum line. I think each child is different and you should
follow your childs lead. I do believe that you should continue to
offer the solids but not force them. As long as your child is
growing and thriving I think you will be just fine. This may make
your child a picky eater but the trade off is forcing food that
causes your child discomfort. Just follow the babys lead and all
will go well. I am always interested in chatting with other
parents so feel free to e-mail me. Good luck!