Food recommendations for 15 month old twins with reflux

[my3girlsjde]

Thanks LizzieN - we had a great night as per usual now that they're medicated They typically go down at 615pm and sleep without issue until 630am. We've been trying to gradually get that closer to a 7-7 schedule but after the last year we're pretty darn happy with what we finally have now Naps are an entirely different scenario as PU/PD with twins is a nightmare - we normally do what I call the 'scoop and run' lol. We're also in the midst of the 2-1 nap switch and it's challenging some days but we're working through it.

I am going to have to get in touch with the pharmacist to see if the girls can have the zantac before they eat breakfast instead of after. Most times they literally swallow without much chewing and they eat a lot, and it probably doesn't help their reflux to much Either one of them typically pukes every day but it doesn't seem to bother them too much. I'm trying smaller amounts more often but it seems like I'm constantly preparing meals, feeding and cleaning up. All day long

We're graduating from pureed chicken to minced and it's going well. DDB has smaller and harder poops but they don't seem to bother her and DDA is doing better with the switch (a little more firm but not as hard as DDB). I'm going to try chicken with egg noodles, beans and soy cheese for lunch. We typically keep suppers bland with no suprises. With the lack of good daytime napping we really rely on the nighttime sleep being good and it's just not worth introducing anything questionable at any other time than lunch.

Canwi thanks for the info on coconuts and coconut milk. I'll try to pick some up as DH and I were discussing how little fat the girls are eating. With their issues with meat and constipation it's been  hard to sneak in the fat. The soy milk has 6g per 1/2 cup and we can usually get them to drink 1 to 1 1/2 cups per day but I know that's not enough. They love pudding so hopefully the coconut milk can give us some more options. I'm also on the lookout for the soy yogurt. I don't normally shop at Superstore so I have to make a conscious effort to get down there to look for it. All the stuff at Sobeys is fat free soy yogurt.

Thanks for the help everyone. This site has given us so much sanity just by knowing there are others out there who have dealt with some of the issues we are going through. I particularly enjoy reading some of the success stories because that tells me there is a potential end to all this

[Canwi]

It's weird to go shopping and look for high fat stuff but do compare the cans of coconut milk for the fat content.  There is quite a variance in the amount of fat per 1/4 cup in each can.

If your LO's are still being spoonfed any foods then add olive oil to all their meals.  Mix it in.  It doesn't change the flavour.

I also don't shop normally at Superstore, but in desperation I went there when I was dairy free.  The store I went to had the soy yogurt in a special fridge/freezer and not with the normal yogurt.

[my3girlsjde]

Never thought of the olive oil. I'll have to get some. The girls are spoonfeeding themselves, sort of :O They are more willing to try new foods if it's on a spoon for some reason so I just make everything really sticky and give them the spoon.

I'm not sure if it's because they only had one nap today but DDs are extremely grumpy DDB especially. DDA had a meltdown when DH left for work this morning (she's Daddy's girl). DDB hasn't left my side and very clingy. This was before the chicken at lunch and everything else was normal today. Not sure what's going on. I've been giving them the ground flax in their oatmeal which seems to be keeping them pretty regular and no diahrrea or constipation. No puking so I'm not sure if to suspect the reflux or something else but very grumpy today More than likely an early bland supper and early bedtime.

[MLK]

TBH I wouldn't give them too much soy stuff. 1/2 cup a day would be more than enough. It contains phytoestrogens which act like hormones in the body -  not really want you're wanting to give to toddlers! You're better off giving them a liquid calcium supplement if you are worried about calcium.

[my3girlsjde]

Good to know - thanks!

[my3girlsjde]

We've had some progress in the food department. We've graduated from pureed meat, to minced and now chopped. This has been a very long road for us in the constipation department, but it's so releiving to have a little progress.   Dairy is still a huge trigger for them, but we're close to taking meat off of that list. They would literally scream for hours after eating it and then not poop for days. When they did, it would be hard, small and sometimes tinged with blood on the outside from their tender bums. But we're on day 6 now and poops are still regular and soft so I'd have to say it's going well FINALLY I'll just gradually get to bigger pieces of meat, but it's not hard to chop it small and mix it in with pasta. The world of food just got sooooo much easier for us

We're still avoiding spices, eggs, dairy and acidy foods but now with meat back 'on the table', the possibilites seem endless DH was over the moon with being able to sit down and all of us eat the same supper together. Just try convincing spirited children that they should eat something different from you lol

[LizzieN]

That's great news sweetie, congratulations.  Wonderful progress

xx Lizzie

[MLK]

My son is MSPI and spirited and I totally hear you on trying to convince him to eat something different to us! he stands up in his highchair (sigh) and peers into our bowls!

I've been trying to get him to drink a rice milk/coconut milk mix with very limited success too. Even mixed it with apple juice  - no luck!

Glad to hear you are making some progress.

[LizzieN]

Hey Lan have you tried the smoothie recipe on the MSPI recipe post?  (sorry you may have even posted it....) Sounds pretty yummy to me and maybe something you could enjoy together occasionally?

xx

[MLK]

I have tried every different type of smoothie under the sun! He hates it! I drink them though  - yummy especially with banana and honey dew melon. Just off to check the calcium requirements for a one year old...

[my3girlsjde]

Can you post the calcium requirements if it's not too much hassle?

[LizzieN]

Oh sorry Lan, that sucks....Have you tried oat milk instead...just wondering if it's the sweetness of the rice milk that your LO isn't keen on???

[MLK]

Well I looked up the calcium requirements - apparently from 6-12 months they need 270 mg a day, then from 1-3 years they need 500 mg a day. So an almost doubling from 12 months to 1?

I'll take that one with a grain of salt, I'll say gradually increasing from 270mg at 12 months until at age 3 they need 500 mg. So around 300-350 mg  for a 12-18 month old? That's how much is in about 1 cup of the rice milk I have.

Lizzie, the rice milk I have isn't sweet at all, no sugar added. I actually have to add something a bit sweet like juice before he'll even swallow  a mouthful! I'm reluctant to use oat milk because oats are high in phytic acid, which binds to minerals like calcium making it hard for the body to absorb.

[LizzieN]

Ah that does make it difficult re oat milk. The rice milk I have doesn't have sugar in it either it's just got a really sweet type of flavour.  I can totally notice it in tea and coffee (not bad in tea, not so great in coffee)...Didn't realise the oat milk was harder to get calcium from.  I guess I would just try to use a lot of rice milk in your cooking....nice batches of pancakes and stuff like that (drat)...I know that you are an expert cook with regards to MSPI

I'm lucky in ways because I am still bf so my LO still gets a bit from that.  Does your LO still have formula? I will have all these things to consider when we decide to wean, at present I have no idea what to wean our LO onto, so I continue to feed

xx

[my3girlsjde]

EXTREMELY rough night last night with the girls. We had pan fried haddock for supper and gave them some. Not a whole lot, and I mashed it up for them just to have a taste. We didn't us much oil, and it didn't seem overly greasy so we gave them some with their supper. They had a little pan fried hamburger with goulash the night before with no issues so we thought "why not fish?". Now we know why not fish DDB was up from 645pm - 830pm screaming until she had a poo. Poor thing. DDA was grumpy but not nearly as bad as DDB. I'm thinking the fish was too much for them. We've been suspecting that their meds need to be adjusted, and we even gave them an extra half dose at 8pm which seemed to calm them down quite a bit.

So now, fish is off the list for a month or so and we'll try it again in small amounts. Chicken is great, hamburger fine so we'll keep those two going and maybe some other beef or pork. This is such a slow and painful process for them. Both girls were pretty grumpy this morning (up at 7am). I'm guessing it was because they were short 2 hours of sleep. We did an early nap (845am), and they're still out (10am). I'm thinking I'll let the schedule relax a little this morning until they get up and get out for some outdoor play time. Hopefully things will be back to normal this afternoon

Anyone else deal with any meat intolerances? We're not sure if it's triggering the reflux or if it's another type of sensitivity in their tummies.