BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Feeding Solid Food => Topic started by: ENMS on September 18, 2012, 17:01:07 pm
-
DS is 9 months. Due to issues with reflux and intolerances, we have been on and off with solids. Currently he eats pears 3 x a day. It is his first pass. I'm trying to introduce new foods (bananas, oatmeal,quinoa, avocado) but he outright refuses anything that is not pears. I have hidden avocado in pears and it ended with pears refusal for a few days!
Anyone BTDT?
He also seems to have an issue with texture. I am trying to make thin purees, tried blw but not better really.
-
Bumping for you x
-
Hi Elise
How's it going now?
I was wondering if you tried the pear cooked in different ways because the texture and taste changes a little say between steamed and baked pear wedges.
How about pear puree spread on toast fingers? or stirred through pasta twists?
(rather than hiding other foods in pear which leads to losing trust in the pear, this would be visibly a different food but with a recognizable taste)
Does he ever look at your food with interest or try to reach for any of it when you are eating? Are you sitting him at the table with you when you have your meals? Does he play with food you leave on his high chair tray?
-
Hi Creations :)
It's not better :( Lately he's refusing his pears. There's so much going on it's hard to pinpoint what's the problem. We're trying to wean his reflux meds, and he seems to be teething in the back of his mouth although I don't see anything or feel anything there. But he's definitely bothered and is constantly biting his fingers.
This week we were trying oatmeal. I did not want to trick him into eating it, but I offered it before or after his pears. I try to say out loud 'now this is oatmeal', show him and then give it to him but of course he doesn't understand so a few times he opened his mouth, took a bite, and was very unhappy. I don't know how else to do this though? Do I sit him down at a different time than meal time to offer a new food? I don't want to screw everything up. I want him to trust me. He has also started daycare. Late this week he was taking his pears no problem at daycare, but not from me :(
I find what makes it so hard is this stupid FPIES thing... I'm not even convinced he really has that honestly. He never had a severe reaction, and he has diarrhea no matter what he eats. Pears is just milder, he gets a few bouts of liquid poo and some regular poo too so we call that a pass. We're seeing a GI on Tuesday and I'm hoping she can guide us better. With that FPIES thing I need to introduce only one thing at a time, for one full week. But how in the world am I supposed to do that when he refuses every new food?
I've tried baked and steamed pears, and freeze-dried. I must've done something wrong with the baked because they were really dried out. Steamed he's interested but he can't pick up cubes they're too slippery. He picked up a wedge and sucked on it, but didn't really eat it. But for now I don't mind. I try to just give him a variety of foods on his tray when we're eating - steamed pears in a mesh feeder, a pear wedge to munch on, a few cheecha puffs... And just let him be, play and experiment with it, try to be not involved kwim, so that he can do it on his own.
Since oatmeal didn't work we're now trialing cheecha puffs - it's the nutritionist who recommended it to us, it's basically potatoes and a pinch of salt. It's one of the few ready-made finger foods that have few ingredients and that seems to suit FPIES baby. He seems to like it so far and first time we offered he took a bite so it shows that his aversion is really related to us feeding him. So I'll stick with that for a few days more, and then I like your idea of pasta. It's something he can feed himself as well, and I can dip it in pears puree.
He's not too interested in our food. But maybe I'll try for one of our next trials, to do something we eat often that I could coax him into taking from my plate - maybe carrots, or even those little pastas.
-
oh dear Elise. I'm so sorry to hear things are no better.
With slippery foods you could try a plastic fork. I used a little take-away plastic fork that come with shop bought fruit salads or pasta salads (and as I never buy those I got mine from my mum!), they are much sharper than baby forks (which are useless for stabbing) but relatively safe for LO. I introduced the fork at 6 months. I held it out to LO, loaded, for him to take and eat from the end. It worked brilliantly for us.
One thing though, not sure why you're weaning the reflux meds...but do you know that poking and prodding towards the back of the mouth and finger biting can be a sign of reflux pain? It's the acid coming up, it can look like teething, but also reflux tends to flare up with teething so if there IS teeth movement weaning meds right now may not be the best idea.
It could just be that when I tried to wean it was horrendous and took me over a week to work out what the problem was and I felt awful that I put DS in that pain.
I have to run DS's bath now but I'll come bakc if I have any more ideas.
I hope your appointment turns out to be helpful xxx
-
Elise, i have no experience, but want to offer hugs!!
-
oooh fork is a great idea. duh I didn't think of that. I tried to put a small cube on a spoon but of course it just got dropped on the tray when he picked it up. I'll try one of those small plastic forks it may work out great :)
re: the reflux meds... his reflux had been perfectly controlled for the past month, I mean 100% and yet he was still having issues with solid foods. Also, one of the main symptoms of his reflux (or so I thought) was that he was very uncomfortable DURING a feed - which I now know was caused by his severe tongue tie that got finally clipped successfully in July - and we always under-estimated how much his tongue affected his feeding and his discomfort. So I needed to see if 1) too little acid from the meds was hindering his digestion and 2) did he really still have reflux at all or not. He is not spitting up anymore and was an extremely happy baby on his milk only in the past month, even happy still when we went back to regularly eating pears. We started the wean right after his last tooth was out so i was hoping we'd have time before the next one popped in ;)
I did NOT know that these were symptoms of reflux pain :o :o very interesting. I'm leaning towards giving him back the meds but am waiting until we see the GI on Tuesday. He's not in outright pain (doesn't look like it :-\). But his sleep has been a bit disrupted since we started but not too bad - some shorter naps and earlier wake ups. Grumpy sometimes but not lots. Pain meds seem to help so I'm a bit confused, could be teething, or his ears maybe that are bothering him, we're going to the paed tomorrow so I'll get everything checked out we should then have a good idea if anything else could be explaining these little things.
Today we went to a little café for lunch bc it's my birthday and he ate happily a few cheecha puffs all on his own and then took all of his pear puree. It was so great I almost cried. Best bday gift I could hope for ;D ;D ;D
-
thanks koe :)
-
First Happy Birthday and second good luck for your appt!
I agree with Creations in that just try pears in every form that you can think of! Keep it interesting - as much as one food can be! This is what I have had to do with Olly when he was little as he was so restricted anyway but also fussy.
Great news on the puffs - at least that is a new taste and texture to him which is FANTASTIC!
Olly was never interested in what was on other people's plates. Still not interested TBH which is a godsend as he doesn't try to pinch food he is allergic too!
-
Today we went to a little café for lunch bc it's my birthday and he ate happily a few cheecha puffs all on his own and then took all of his pear puree. It was so great I almost cried. Best bday gift I could hope for
Oh that's lovely! :) Happy Birthday :)
With the fork, at 6 months my DS was still quite spastic in his movements, jerking around and not getting things exactly where he wanted. I held on to the fork (just the end of it) but let him lead with it, so that he didn't stab himself in the eye or shove it right to the back of his mouth. Your LO is older so might be much more in control, just thought I'd mention.
Here's a bit of an 'out there' thought - feel free to ignore.
Next time you are ready to start a trial (ie after the week is up with the puffs) cook a regular but plain-ish meal for yourself ie meat/fish with 2 or 3 veg and a carbs, leave out salt and spices when cooking. Then sit him with you at the table. Eat slowly and see if he is interested in anything on your plate. After a little while pop one of each item on his plate and just let him do as he pleases.
I know you need to trial one thing at a time, but what if you gave HIM the option of what to trial next?
So either let him have a try (if he will) of ALL of those items for one meal, then day 2 reduce down to ONE of the foods and continue with that for a week. I realise that a reaction from combining could be delayed and you might need to trial that single food a bit longer than a week to get a true reading. After that trial you can move on to trial anything else he took from that meal.
OR
pop one of each item on his plate, let him play with them and choose, then once he has put something in his mouth remove that plate and replace with a clean plate, add a little more of that single selected item. This way he never gets the combo of foods in his mouth but still gets to choose.
If he only plays and doesn't eat any of the foods I would just keep doing it each day until he chooses a food.
I was thinking what would I do in the situation, and I think this is it. But like I said, feel free to ignore, I am not in your shoes.
You need to do what you feel with the reflux wean. I only reduced DS's meds by 0.2ml I didn't even think his meds could be doing anything any more as they haven't been increased in so long and he only has 2ml twice per day, which is just about nothing!
(posted same time - I see offering food from your plate might not be a winner after all. DS likes to see what I've got and I can see him do a comparison of plates so perhaps it's just personality thing. Sometimes with a new food he won't try it but offers it out to me for me to bite his piece, I call it checking for poison because he will try it as soon as I've tested it and not dropped dead).
-
happy birthday :) yay on eating puffs :D
-
thank you ladies :-*
I will continue to be creative with the pears :) I'll try the fork and I'll try to bake again. Maybe I'll bake steamed pears for just a little so it changes the texture of it since I can't seem to be able to bake them alright from scratch :-[ Also with the mesh feeder. He does seem to like mealtime when sitting at the table with us, and if I'm able to give variety I think that'll help (even if it's variety with only pears ;)) and also if he passes the puffs, then I can do so much more variety with potatoes! I just want mealtime to be happy and stress-free for him, so I think it's the best way and then go progressively once he eats a bit more.
Creations I think that's a wonderful idea. I'm thinking of finding some small pasta, putting them together with carrots and brocoli and then letting him choose one of these.
-
Another peary idea - grate them? ;)
-
oooh great! do you cook grate it raw?
sooo exciting to be thinking of the dinner plate I'll be making him tonight ;D
-
Yeah, raw. Not too ripe though as they will just squish!
-
raw grated is good. I used to do grated apple for DS when he couldn't manage big piece of raw.
Do you need to trial things like vegetable oil and butter too?
-
Do you need to trial things like vegetable oil and butter too?
I think I should but since he never got severe reactions I wouldn't mind not to. Although I wouldn't do butter because dairy is an issue for him.
-
What about fried pear slices then?
Using whatever oil or spread you think suitable. I've never fried a pear slice before but it's worth a shot?
Maybe roasted too?
-
Great idea ;D
-
When he's all grown up you and your DS are going to have a good giggle about all this pear he's having :)
-
Not too ripe though as they will just squish
Yep, unfortunately it was too ripe. I'll have to try again with another pear that's not as ripe.
So far not much success. He likes to munch on the cheecha puffs, which is good :) but he's not eating that much of it. He refused his pears (puree, baked, cubes, and wedges) this morning and tonight. But took them nicely at daycare at lunch. Makes me wonder if it's a trust issue or something. :( Trying to keep it very light for now and not worry about it.
We're seeing the GI tomorrow not sure if he's going to help much with that but he might give us some answers about what's going on in that little tummy of his.
Also he does seem to be teething. Big bumps far in his mouth, always munching, and does much better with pain meds. But he's taking his milk great. Would it make sense? I thought they usually refused milk but accepted food when teething?
-
Happy belated birthday, Elise. HUGS. Didn't know it had been this tough for you with the pears.
Do you have a mesh feeder? I always introduce new fruits with that because they are too slippery to pick up. I'm just wondering if M would be willing to eat ripe pear from it and then if he's okay with that, try putting some other type of fruit in it. For some reason, J only likes to eat fruits in it, not vegs (he eats those by either me feeding him purees or he holds them and bites them).
-
Thanks Jenn :)
He doesn't hate the mesh feeder but it doesn't seem to keep him interested for a long while. But it's better than nothing I guess, I'll add that to his 5-course meal of pears tomorrow LOL.
I also just had a thought reading your post - I've always been trying to introduce foods from food groups other than fruits since he already has a fruit as a pass. But maybe if I were to try more fruits, he'd like it and at least we'd have some variety? Maybe mango, or blueberries? I could do the same with them - finger foods, purees, mesh feeders. Does anyone know if mangoes are usually high allergy risk? I think they're part of the tree nut family or something?
-
http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/allergy.htm#.UGFX6mt5mSM
On this website it says mangoes are high. TBH most foods can cause some kind of reaction! It is very hard when weaning knowing what foods to introduce. All I can say is do some research and take it slowly (which you are doing already!)
-
On this website it says mangoes are high.
On that website mango is in the list of least likely to cause reaction.
I avoided blueberries and other small round solids (eg peas) until I felt very confident in DS's ability to physically handle other solids as they are choke size. I didn't have a big choke fear with DS but did have caution when introducing small pieces, big was always better in my eyes. But as you use a mesh feeder there isn't the risk.
Did you already try oats?
-
Thanks ladies! :)
Creations, I 'tried' oats but was not able to get any into him really. I tried to mix it with pears but am wary of that considering his issues. He did end up getting a tiny bit overall and had no reaction, so I'm thinking it'd be ok, but he hasn't had enough to do a proper trial.
Blueberries I agree I would not give it to him whole, probably in the mesh feeder to start, then maybe puree them.
-
On this website it says mangoes are high.
On that website mango is in the list of least likely to cause reaction.
Oh right, sorry. I didn't really get the table but thought as it was alongside wheat and dairy it was in the most likely to react category.
-
I would try similar fruits first, like apple and peach, instead of fruits with stronger flavours.
-
Apple was a big fail for us, but peaches is a good idea.
But now everything is changing AGAIN. Went to the GI today. This is what she thinks DS is suffering from
Congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency
She wants to do a whole array of tests in november to be able to diagnose it officially :'(. Reason being that there is an enzyme replacement product available but to get it here in Canada we need a proper, official diagnosis with biopsies and genetic testing, etc.
So for now, she recommends meats and non-sugary vegetable.
We trialled lamb a while ago but stopped when he got diarrhea but it was at the same time he broke his collarbone and was loaded up on Advil, so most likely to be the Advil. I'm willing to try it again.
I was thinking of trying ground lamb this time, WDYT? I'm sure you ladies will have lots of wonderful idea on how to feed LO lamb! :)
-
It is a toughy to feed lamb when there is nothing else in his diet! All I can think is to cook with water or his milk and puree it? Or of courese roast and give it as a finger food to chew on.
-
Oh my Elise. So sorry that M has to have all these test to get a proper diagnosis. I have no experience with lamb at all, as I don't like it and never make it at home. I'm sure these ladies will have some great ideas for you. Hugs for all you're going through.
-
Oh dear, your LO is going through it eh!
I hope the tests are not awful and come up with a solution for you.
Lamb. I am rubbish at cooking it because I didn't eat any meat other than fish and poultry for over 20 years...but DS likes it so I now try to make it sometimes. I have found DS likes it really tender, the first time was lamb shank at a restaurant, literally falling off the bone, gave him long pieces that he could pick up and he just ate and ate. Getting him to eat meat is a rare thing so it was amazing.
So I would say a long slow roast in the oven, without any seasoning but you might need some water in the roasting tin as many recipes have a liquid?
You could experiment with an oat recipe. I make lots of variations of these and I either spread them on the baking tray to about 1cm thick then mark out fingers/squares before baking, then cut again after baking whilst warm (like flap jacks) or I dollop the mix into mini muffin trays. I suggest the spreading out method as it produces a 'chew' that LO can bite and gum on where as the muffin tray ones are harder to eat.
I make with bananas and a variety of fruit plus some some vanilla extract but I think you'd get something worth trying with just pear and oil.
I would try using cooked pear puree (the equivalent of about 3 bananas worth if that makes sense)
1-2 pears raw grated
2 cups of oats
1/3 cup oil (whatever sort you feel safe with)
With the oats, I have found it nice to whizz half (or I add a third cup worth of whizzed to the 2 cups non-whizzed) for a few seconds so it is ground down, to give a finer blend.
Mix everything thoroughly and leave to stand for a minimum of 15 mins so the oats soak up the moisture. Spread on baking parchment on a baking sheet, mark out with knife.
Bake at 175c for about 20 mins.
These are not pleasant to eat warm (not like cookies, muffins or fresh bread!), leave to cool fully before eating. They are quite spongy when straight out of the oven but firm up into more of a flap jack or cooky type texture. They are similar to the oat bars that Organix make for LOs.
I keep a batch in the fridge in an air tight container, they freeze great so if he doesn't go for them the first time just chuck them all in the freezer and you can defrost 1 at a later date for the next oat trial.
As it will look like a completely different food I don't think he will feel cheated that there is something hidden in the pear iyswim.
-
Thanks Creations :-*
I don't like lamb either so have never cooked it really. Did it once in puree for DS. I went to the store and could not get a lamb shank. Will have to try a better one tomorrow. In the meantime I bought some organic ground pork which I am slowly cooking now. Not sure if it'll be good but worth a try. I was tempted to buy pork tenderloin but wasn't sure how in the world he would eat that. Will try the pork now just as is, not pureeing it. It is ground fine fine so he should be able to just eat the little pieces.
So according to this doc and this diagnosis (which I will fully believe once we get the scope but in the meantime am trying to follow the advice for diet), I can't give him carbs nor fruits. So that cuts out oats and pears. Since pears gives him only a mild reaction, I am keeping it at least once a day still.
Will keep you all posted tonight on how it goes for the pork. Thank you for your support ladies you are wonderful. I am feeling teary and overwhelmed right now and I am so glad I have you to help me make sense of this all :-*
-
well, not too interested in the pork :-\
I'm seriously considering feeding therapy at this point. the problem is not so much the restrictions I have on his diet, but the fact that he refuses anything new at this point. :-\
-
Just wondering if there is such a thing as a specialist in this area that you could maybe consult with. I haven't heard of it before, but I imagine that there must be professionals like this to help with kids who have issues with food and eating.
-
Apparently occupational therapists can do that. I'm trying to find some in my area now that can help us.
I'm hoping I can get him to accept new foods without adverse reactions so that we can avoid the trauma of an invasive procedure for him. In a long while he has only accepted pears so maybe after all he's much better now and doesn't need all that stuff, but we can't know unless he's willing to accept new foods :-\
-
Hopefully you can find someone to help soon. I wonder if he gets hungry enough, would he be more willing to try some food? Obviously you don't want to deprive him of the nutrition he needs from his milk, but maybe just skip one milk feed and then try to feed him solids an hour later?
-
Yeah you're probably right too. I always feed him solids before his milk, but if he refuses I just move on to his milk. Maybe I shouldn't make it 'that' automatic. It wouldn't deprive him, but he'd know that if he doesn't eat his solids, he won't drink his milk any faster.
Thanks Jenn! :)
-
Oh I'm so sorry to hear things aren't going well. It must be really hard for you, big hugs.
Would a visit to a paediatric dietician help do you think?
he is so against trying the new foods I'd be tempted to just give him anything!
-
he is so against trying the new foods I'd be tempted to just give him anything!
exactly what I was telling DH last night :P
I figure I'll make us a meal of all things that are supposedly 'safe' for him, pork, brocoli, and then if he's interested let him take some from my plate.
We are already in contact with a dietetician but because of the FPIES diagnosis (she is the hospital dietetician) she will not recommend to us anything other than trying one food at a time. She helps me select new foods and gives me good advice, but unfortunately it hasn,t helped much (so far). :-\
Either way now we're trialling 2-3 foods at the same time. Brocoli at lunch, pork tonight. I'll continue to offer more variety than usual, taking on from your idea of offering lots and at worse, I'll restrict once he takes to one of the items. I figure if I keep a detailed food journal, with detail information on his symptoms, I'll be able to find the culprit anyway
-
I don't think it can hurt giving 2 or 3 foods at a time. It is when you gave something lie pizza and then he reacts you are stuffed to know what he reacted too! At least with such restrictions it usn't too hard to find the culprit xx keep persevering, food is fun at all that lol xx
-
yep I'm wild now 2 foods at a time LOL
4 bites of brocoli tonight ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D D
total refusal at daycare but he took 4 bites from me (willingly).
-
4 bites of brocoli tonight
That's GREAT!
-
Woo hoo for the broccoli!!!!
-
Hi hon- Just reading along... I was going to suggest seeing a speech pathologist or occupational therapist or both to give you some ideas as well. The issues your LO is having seem to be multifaceted if you get me and may have originated from reflux pain, but the other issues he's having will also be contributing. All of the PP suggestions are really great. Anything that keeps the control with him is going to be a winner- and avoiding force feeding him, this may make your troubles worse.
Another thing you can try is to offer him foods using a nuk trainer toothbrush. This is bumpy and gives 'texture' in his mouth but not with the food. http://ds5cvxtqu2rt0.cloudfront.net/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/1/1/11472fl_lg.jpg any brand of this will do pretty much...
Also- you can try using a behavioural method. I've in the past used something like a car on a ramp: http://www.ecotoys.com.au/product-pics/Ramp-racer.jpg (or something) and put it where the baby can see it but not get it. the toy needs to be simple, visual, exciting and easily repeatable. You start by showing him how the toy works (you do it not him- he doesn't do it). Then offer him some food, if he takes it then do the car again. Do the car after each successful mouthful. To start you may want to try something like doing the car if he just gets the food on his lip say- then increase it fromthere.
Also- how is he sitting in the high chair? supported? are his feet supported? It's important that he;s feeling very secure and supported. This can help him to eat and feed himself better.
Lots of people have had success with a really soft rubbery spoon. you can try this? something small like this can be good: http://www.babyzonedirect.com.au/tommee-tippee-soft-scoop-spoon-twin-pack.html The spoon is so soft and flexible it can really help bubs with aversions.
encourage him to play with the food as much as possible- every time you are eating pop something on his plate to have a play with- if not to eat it. He needs to become familiar and comfortable with the foods he's eating.
You may find that skipping the lumpy puree stage is a good idea. Lots of bubs/kids and even adults (my sister for example) find this consistency aversive. Move straight to soft cooked finger foods instead, and bite an dissolve foods like the puffs you describe.
I do strongly suggest that you look into seeing a speech pathologist specialising in paediatric feeding issues. Here they are usually located at the hospitals. I think too though that in canada that the Occu[ational therapists may also do this- have an investigate. If there was somewhere where a team could be involved, dietitian, paediatrician SP andOT then that would be best.
-
Thanks a lot amayzie!!! :)
Another thing you can try is to offer him foods using a nuk trainer toothbrush
So I dip this in the puree, correct? instead of a spoon?
Also- you can try using a behavioural method. I've in the past used something like a car on a ramp:
So this is something that I never let him play with, only take out during his mealtimes correct? and he will never play with it, I do the car myself?
Also- how is he sitting in the high chair? supported? are his feet supported?
Yes, it is a fisher price highchair and he's well supported in it
http://www.amazon.com/Fisher-Price-Precious-Planet-High-Chair/dp/B001GQ2RY4
I can't seem to find the tommee tippee spoons here but I'm looking at other brands to get something similar.
I'm having lots of trouble finding someone that can help us with those issues - seems like there is a shortage of speech pathologists and occupational therapists that specialize in kids here. No referral so can't go through the hospital but if those tricks you gave me don't work I will call the nurse and ask if they have resources that I could use.
Thank you so so very much. I feel like I have a plan and will work very hard on getting him to accept new foods :)
-
You may find that skipping the lumpy puree stage is a good idea.
Oh I meant to ask, since he's almost 10 months now, should I skip purees altogether or is it best to stick with purees for now or do a mix of both?
-
To answer the questions:
-If using purees then yes- dip the nuk trainer in instead of a spoon. Its just a way of adding 'texture'
- using the toy- yes, this is a toy that you use not him- otherwise he'll just want to play with that not eat..
- Try to make sure that the tray on the high chair isn't too high for him to reach the food. I know those high chairs often have a little tray you can take off for cleaning- i would be tempted to keep that tray off so that the whole tray isn't too high so he can get his arms up on to it to get the food.
As far as skipping the purees all together- you could well try that. I don't know if i mentioned before that we did baby led weaning with our guy so never offerred purees. By offerring foods on the tray, or off your plate rather than spoon feeding you might be giving him a bit more control. You may do best with foods that squish right down, so softly cooked vegies he can have (i know he's quite limited). But having him sit with you for meals you can have him try the foods on your plate (you may have to have a fake early dinner with him if you'd like to eat more than he's allowed if you get me) and you don't have the pressure of 'WILL HE EAT IT WON"T HE EAT IT!!'.. it may also help..
-
should I skip purees altogether or is it best to stick with purees for now or do a mix of both
I would offer both. As you know we did BLW too so no puree at all here (only things that are naturally in that state, like houmus, cream cheese) but your LO is SO limited with his solids that I wouldn't put any further limits on it other than those absolutely necessary. Whatever form he will even just taste something will be forward movement.
I would also try puree dolloped straight onto his tray so he can be in control and dip his fingers in, wipe it around the tray and 'paint' with it. You could for example puree broccoli in a dollop and a steamed stem of broccoli next to it and just let him play with them, using the more solid one to dip into the puree and spread it around the tray.
Another thing occurred to me. At that age anything I gave DS to paint with ended up going in his mouth. I couldn't really give him paint. We did some tomato ketchup hand prints for an activity just so it would be safe to eat. So maybe try that, no high chair at all, paper and puree for hand prints, and maybe he'll taste a little??
-
Thanks everyone :-*
I've ordered lots of things to try your tricks amayzie, cannot wait to receive them :).
Creations I think you've got a good point. We're currently trying blueberries (amongst other things) and I almost wanted to just drop half blueberries on the floor, I'm sure he'd pick them up and eat them. I do offer both now, pieces of food, purees, and even the mesh feeder. But since yesterday he just picks up the mesh feeder and throws it on the floor ::)
I must admit I am discouraged :(. I try to stay calm and relaxed and 'empty' my feelings before it's mealtime. He will stay calmly in his highchair while we eat now which is an improvement over before. But still not tasting anything new and sometimes refusing his pears (I do wonder if the pears refusal is due to teething sometimes though).
I'm sure we will end up getting somewhere but in the meantime I'm pushing for help IRL but it seems to be really complicated now. I'm going to call the children's hospital tomorrow and see if they have resources that I could use there.
We're also weaning his reflux meds but TBH I don't see a difference at all since we started. We're down to 1/4 of a dose since today. He's happy all day and the only difference is he's waking up slightly earlier in the AM lately, but I don't know if this could be the reflux or most probably teeth.
Thanks again ladies. :-*
-
Can I ask again for your opinion ladies?
DS is drinking a lot of formula - and still has a NF which I've been reluctant to wean since he doesn't eat any solids. I'm wondering if I should restrict his formula intake to make him hungrier for his solids? WDYT? Should I wean the NF? Should I limit his formula to a given number of oz per day? His average is around 37 oz, but could be as high as 43 and as low as 30.
-
How many feeds per day are you giving?
-
he gets 5 or 6 - depends on the day.
He gets 1 NF around 1-2 ish.
Then he usually wakes around 6 and I feed him. Sometimes he goes back to sleep. When that happens he gets a top up feed before his first nap otherwise it's too long. If he's up for the day, then he gets another feed after his first and second nap, and one at BT.
When I give solids I always try them before his formula - except for first thing in the morning.
-
I don't have experience of reducing milk to increase solids because my LO took so little milk.
Here's a bit of an out there thought though - might it be possible that he now knows the solids come before the milk and he is REALLY hungry and because of that hunger he has no patience for solids and wants to reject them as fast as possible so he can move on to the milk feed?
I've seen threads where LOs are too tired or too hungry to have the patience for solids, I know there are a bunch of other difficulties and bad experiences also impacting your LO, but could it be worth doing only the briefest offer of solids before milk and then offer again afterwards? Or give him the choice by offering both solids and milk at the same time and see which he goes for?
I know it isn't what you were asking, sorry, it just occurred to me though so thought I'd mention.
Another thing, maybe already mentioned and tried, is not feeding him in his highchair but making it an A time activity instead. Sitting on the floor perhaps so he doesn't have the same cues that have previously led to some negative experiences. One of the toddler groups we go to has messy play and they put great big tubs of food on the floor (dry cornflakes, cooked spaghetti, canned baked beans) for the LOs to shove their hands in, they aren't intended as 'food' but the LOs always end up eating the stuff. It's a pretty expensive and wasteful way to introduce foods but maybe you could try some sort of smaller version once or twice and just see what happens???
You could try some blueberry puree foot prints...if nothing else you get a nice set of prints to keep as a memory of his baby days.
-
Creations please don't be sorry, ANY advice is really appreciated my dear! You've been so helpful with this ordeal, thank you so much :-*
So... a bit of pressure now, just got a call from the children's hospital and his scope is scheduled for the 16th of October :o Freaking out a bit I was hoping to get him to accept new foods but I know it won't happen it's in 2 weeks!
In the meantime though I'll keep offering. Already I see a bit of a difference, he seems more relaxed in his high chair. If he refuses food I just leave a few blueberries on his tray, and let him be. He can play for a little while now, which is better than before. Yesterday he played with the blueberries which is better than the last few days when he wouldn't even touch them!
Also the blueberries were really tart and I found out I can add a tiny bit of fructose to them to make them sweeter, might help for him to enjoy the taste? Not the best health-wise I know, but I'm really looking at anything that can help him diversify now! Wish it was still blueberry season here but unfortunately it's over now!
I like both of your ideas creations. The timing you have a good point, it could be. I'll try it and see if there is a change.
For the play, it's a great idea. Maybe I'll do that in the basement though because blueberries are so messy ;) but I find it is a lovely idea. As for it being expensive and wasteful... it already is! I buy so many things that I want to try out, and so often they end up straight in the garbage. But I can live with that for now, I think most important for us is to get to a point when he actually eats something other than pears! :)
-
Hope the food playing works out Elise. I know J is super keen to pop anything he plays with into his mouth, so hopefully it'll work and something will get in there.
-
the blueberries were really tart and I found out I can add a tiny bit of fructose to them to make them sweeter, might help for him to enjoy the taste?
In your situation I know I'd offer not so healthy foods, I just know I would, just in an attempt to get over that food fear that he appears to have. I don't think you need to feel bad about the fructose. Lets face it he isn't eating enough to really make a difference anyway.
On the other side - my LO loves tart fruit. He shovels tart blueberries in as much as sweet ones and also eats blackberries like they are the best thing in the world and they are SO tart. I try one occasionally and have to turn my face away so he doesn't see me grimace. LOs do have a tendency to like sweet foods but I think they also like strong flavours (tart, sour, spicy) rather than bland.
Has the broccoli continued? You could even do broccoli puree painting?
-
I meant to say too, good luck for the appointment at the hospital. So many ((hugs)) to you, this must all be so difficult. xx
-
My DD did love tart fruit. Maybe DS does and really he just does not want a new taste. But I'll try sweetened and see if it helps. Since his issue is with the new stuff, maybe if I can make it 'similar' to the pears it'll be easier for him to accept. Hey, I'm willing to try just about anything at this point ;)
Nope for the brocoli. Refusing bites and finger food. I keep offering though :)
Thanks for the hugs :-*
-
Can I ask again for your opinion ladies?
DS is drinking a lot of formula - and still has a NF which I've been reluctant to wean since he doesn't eat any solids. I'm wondering if I should restrict his formula intake to make him hungrier for his solids? WDYT? Should I wean the NF? Should I limit his formula to a given number of oz per day? His average is around 37 oz, but could be as high as 43 and as low as 30.
Not sure on this one as we BF. I have asked for some bottle feeding eyes to come over with their opinion :-*
-
From a bottle feeding point of view do you think the volume of milk he has is having an impact on his interest in food?
When babies start solids they are usually taking around 30oz a day and then that amount decreases - he is taking a lot more than that on some days. I know he's not eating much because of the medical stuff but is the formula cutting his appetite so he's not interested in trying the new stuff you are trying?
I would certainly wean the nightfeed to be honest - lotsof babies drop the nightfeeds way before they are on solids and maybe that will help him to be hungry enough to try food in the mornings?
I would get some advice from your dietician though, given he has specific food issues.
Laura
-
Thanks Laura.
He's always had (for as long as I can remember) quantities similar to this and when he was younger it did not impact his appetite for solids. That being said though, I think it doesn't mean that it's not impacting it now. I agree that if he feels full and satisfied from his formula, and that he has a bad association with solids, he's not going to be interested vs if he's not feeling that full.
I know I should wean the NF... I've been chickening out on it :-[ for a while now because I felt that the older he grew, the hungrier he'd be without solids, kwim? My DD STTN 7-7 from 6 weeks on while being BF. But since he as 4 months this little guy did not and as he grew, I figured it was 'normal' that he'd be hungry at night to make up for not having solids. But maybe I need to see it the other way aorund now.
Anyhow now that I know the scope is scheduled in 2 weeks, I won't undergo these drastic changes since it will be a tough week, but right after I think I will do that and hopefully it'll help with his solids intake.
Thanks for the advice! :)
-
So here I am trying new foods again. A little recap of the last 2 weeks or so... DS ended up reacting to the pears, with horrible diarrhea that burned him bum, it was bleeding every time he would poop. This seems to suggest that the GI is right in her theory that he has an enzyme deficiency (enzymes required to digest sugar and starch). So we stopped all foods again and now this week he had his scopes. They found nothing obvious but the biopsy results should tell us more. We should have them in 2 weeks. In the meantime I have met with the hospital nutritionnist and have a new food plan for DS.
I've been sitting him down in his high chair for most meals, but not offering any foods. Tonight I put in his tray some cooked asparagus, cut up in little chunks, and some pieces of the chicken that I was eating. To my amazement, he started eating them. He seems to have liked the chicken a lot, and even the asparagus! ;D It's the first time in a long, long while he's eaten willingly. The GI thinks that if we give him foods he's going to tolerate he will accept them better.
So I'll keep offering those 2 foods for 2-3 days and then add more variety. I'm going to try to not make long trials, but still try to wait 2 days before introducing a new food.
Also today I spoke on the phone with an occupational therapist that is specialized in feeding difficulties for LO's. She told me she's putting us as a priority and we will get a call from her secretary shortly to give us an appointment.
So all in all I think we're having some progress! FX it continues! :D
-
:) for progress!
-
My fingers are crossed too x
-
Wow! I'm so pleased ot hear the success with the asparagus and chicken! Hurrah!
He was taking pears for quite a long time I think before this reaction? I'm just wondering if it wasn't pears in themselves but that it was really his only solid food. I've always thought food trials are very tricky because the diet is limited over the time period. I mean if I ate the same foods for several days running I think I'd end up being poorly, yk? Just from the lack of balance.
I'm so glad to hear you've had some progress and the appointments and results coming up too. At least you're not on your own with this and are getting some attention and help. xx
-
I've always thought food trials are very tricky because the diet is limited over the time period.
I totally agree it could be that. But if the doctor is right and he has CSID, pears is actually a food that is permitted in moderate quantities, whereas all the other foods he's had before are forbidden. So it could also be why he was able to tolerate the pears longer than the other foods. Either way I'm not doing trials anymore - if what he has is not allergy-related (and I'm pretty sure it's not otherwise why would he have tolerated pears for that long), there's no use and I agree totally that he may as well get fed up of eating the same food over and over again! I added green beans yesterday and today I tried frozen blueberries at breakfast.
For some reason he seems very open to eat now so long as he's eating by himself. He had 2 blueberries this morning, I tried them over and over again before and he never touched them. Knock on wood that it continues. :)