Having difficulty getting my Reflux bub to eat solids - Advice required

[annapark]

Hello,

Need advice - have been following Tracy's The BW Answers all your Q's and need advice on my baby's solids introduction; my baby's history is:

Diagnosed with Reflux from 7 weeks (still on meds and due to be weaned off in 5 weeks).
He (Thomas) is now 6 months, 4 days
he exceeds 9.5kg in weight (last weighed 3 weeks ago)
he exceeds 75cm in length (last measured 3 weeks ago)
He has lost is tongue reflex motion
He looks interested in food
Has 2 teeth

I tried him on Heinz rice cereal initially and he loathed it - was dry reaching
after 3 mornings I tried pumpkin (steamed and pureed) - didn't take
after another 3 mornings I tried sweet potato (steamed and pureed) - no luck
am currently trying pear - this has been the most successful but still am only succeeding with getting him to take a little over a teaspoon but it's a struggle he doesn't open his mouth easily to accept food.


Should I continue to give him his milk prior to trying to give solids?

Also at the moment as he's on the 4 hourly routine he feeds at:

0700 am
1100 am
300pm
6.30 - 7.00pm

What times would be considered breakfast lunch and dinner during his routine and do I give solids THEN milk?

Any suggestions would be greatly welcomed.

Anna and Thomas

ps he is still on his reflux meds and his Paed wants me to take him off in another 5 weeks to see if he's settled down.

[LŠuren]

Hi Anna
Is it the heinz baby poridge or baby rice you have tried? DS hated the porridge.

Have you tried mixing the baby rice with a little pear?

Other things you can try are;
-giving him a spoon to play with so he can practice putting it in his mouth, this is especially good to do when you are trying to feed him.
-Parsnip puree is also very good, it is quite sweet,
-Make sure that the consistency of your puree still falls of the spoon, just like a thicker liquid - a mistake people make is to make it too thick.


Yes, as milk is his main source of food at the moment I would definately offer milk first.
How long are you waiting before trying solids and what time of the day are you trying?
Have you bought any baby weaning recipe books? If not take a look at these.
http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/
http://www.cookingforchildren.co.uk/weaning1.htm
http://www.babycentre.co.uk/refcap/546663.html
or just type "weaning recipes" in google.

HTH's

[mum of 2]

Hi Anna & Thomas

My lo is recovering from reflux shes 14 months old but had reflux from one week old.  I also had trouble weaning her onto solids.  Has your doctor found out the cause of your sons reflux?  Is it due to an allergy or anything else?  The reason I ask is this can have an impact on the kinds of solids you can start him on.  Some things can make reflux worse.  My lo was put on Nutramigen hypoallergenic milk from 5 months and is still on this now, I tried to wean her onto cows milk but she didn't take well to it and I was told to wait and keep her on the Nutramigen for now.  I found that trying just a few spoonfuls of rusk mixed with the babies milk so that the consistency is 'runny' or baby rice was a good starter food for her.  I was told to make feeding time as enjoyable as possible, pretend to have a spoonful yourself and get excited and clap when they keep a spoonful in there mouth.  Another food thats good as a starter solid is petit filou (fromage frais), because it is cold it can soothe a refluxers throat.  You can also add pureed fruit to petit filou or the rice or even (rusk mixed with cooled boiled water or milk).  The best thing really is not to rush your lo, and make it an enjoyable time for him (hard I know) but just a few spoonfuls at a time should be a good start.  When my lo was first starting weaning I bought a lot of the powdered baby formulas because these you mix with cooled boiled water and can control the amount you make and give (so less waste), I also added my own pureed fruit, like banana to the porridge as an extra flavour, babies need as many tastes as possible when you first start weaning this can help prevent fussy eating later.

From what you said bottle wise I would personally continue giving him his bottles as normal, when hes taking more solids he will reduce the amount he wants himself (this is usually the case), its important that he gets his milk he needs this so its important to him.  Your routine is similar to mine for his bottle feeds, maybe if you try this it may work? :

7am bottle as normal
7.30-8am - breakie - maybe sunshine banana cereal, or creamed porridge (Heinz)

1100 am - bottle as normal
11.30am - 12pm - lunch - pureed veggies, butternut squash, broccoli, avocado, potatoes, what you usually make!

300pm - bottle as normal
4pm - dinner -  pureed veggies, butternut squash, broccoli, avocado, potatoes, what you usually make!

6pm - bath and get ready for bed

6.30 - 7.00pm - bottle as normal then try to settle for the night).

here is a link of a few good recipes to make for your lo:

http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/MeatRecipes.htm

HTH's xxxxx Alison

PS:  you may want to change the times to suit yourself and your lo's routine but great if it helps you, good luck hun.

[mum of 2]

heehee lauren you beat me to it.  xx

[LŠuren]

Also just found this on the Pampers website; -  http://www.pampers.com/en_GB/content.do?type=101&contentId=2319&currentid=ar101

START SIMPLE AND GO SLOW As adults, we've learned to expect and appreciate variety in our diet. But for your baby, who is just starting out on the journey of food discovery, introducing just one new ingredient every few days is the best approach.


Step One: Health professionals advise always starting the weaning process with a little plain baby rice that can be mixed with breastmilk or formula to form an easy-to-digest, runny porridge. Simple cereals like rice or barley are good, healthy sources of iron and B vitamins, and provide useful calories for your growing baby. Three or four baby-spoonfuls is sufficient at first, and choose a time in the day when your little one is alert, calm and happy. Don't attempt to wean your baby when he is screaming with hunger. Offer the food after he has had some milk but isn't completely full.


Step Two: Once your baby is happily taking his porridge, you can start thinking about offering bland vegetables. Steam or boil, then puree them, add some of the cooking liquid, and pass through a sieve to achieve a smooth consistency. You can add some breastmilk or formula, or mix in some baby rice to make the food more palatable. Bear in mind that babies are more inclined to acquire a taste for vegetables if you delay introducing sweet foods like tasty fruit. Once your little one is happily eating his greens, you can make things a bit more fun by starting to offer sweeter options!


Step Three: Remember to always give your baby a few days to get accustomed to each new ingredient, in case there is a delayed response. If he refuses certain foods simply because of the taste or consistency, don't discount them completely, but maybe try again another day, or add them to one of his favourite foods. This is also the perfect opportunity to use fruit and vegetables you don't usually cook for yourself. As long as you take things slow, you should try to be adventurous and introduce your child to as many different tastes as possible so that, in time, he will be able to have a healthy and varied diet.

HTH's

[annapark]

Hi Lauren and Alison,

Thanks for the advice, especially the timetable Alison - that takes away some of my confusion!

Will perservere with the rice cereal and mix in pear perhaps - no don't know what the cause of Thomas' reflux is - I do know that it's a hereditary thing - Dad, Uncle and both cousins all on Thomas' dads side had reflux as bub's my Paed hasn't taken steps to work on allergies but he hasn't had adverse reaction to formula or the like.

Interestingly he has over the past 2-3 days dropped his quantity of feed during the day he appears to be taking in less and less of the formula still sleeping through though.

Hmmmm

[mum of 2]

oh good at least hes sleeping through!!!!

I agree with what Lauren said though you must wait for a time when its right for you and your ds to start the solids.  And also maybe just the porridge first for a while and see how it settles.  That pampers website is great!

xxx Alison

[KellyC]

Hi

Is your LO breast or bottle fed?  I've heard that baby rice can be very bland tasting to a breastfed baby who is used to all sorts of flavours through their milk and it's also highly processed so we never bothered with it.  I also found lots of the advice out there was written when babies were starting solids at a younger age, say 3 or 4 months.  A baby is developmentally very different between even 4 months and 6 months and also much more independent.  I started DS on solids at 6 months and didn't puree anything, he started with mashed foods - butternut squash was the first thing he loved - and also finger foods which he would just look at to begin with but now puts into his own mouth and gobbles up very efficiently just 3 weeks later.  I found that DS had to develop a natural interest in food before eating solids would work and this usually happens at around 6 months old but don't worry if your LO isn't eating 3 meals a day on their 6 month birthday, especially if you are breastfeeding.  Oh yes, I know a few ladies who didn't wean until 6 months and most had early success with baby rice cakes before even mashed fruit and veg was accepted.

Kelly x

[EmMUK74]

just a quick input.  DD has severe reflux and is medicated (we tried weaning her off the meds but she goes straight back to her 20 projectile vomits a feed!  ) and we find that we have to give her the solids before the bottle or the solids come straight back up again.  Because the sphincter is so weak she needs to have the solids as low in the tummy as possible and then just top up with the milk.  I don't want to confuse, just share our experience in case you find the same.

good luck

[rooby-rooby-roo]

Red has moderate silent reflux and is breastfed. We introduced solids at 6 months, but he really was not interested - one or two mouthfuls per 'meal'. We carried on offering, but not in a strictly regimented way and suddenly at 8 months he just 'got it!'. He has gone from eating nothing to eating all that there is in sight! But he would not and still will not eat puree. He loves textures and different tastes and always has, and as soon as we allowed him to eat our table foods instead of offering puree he started to eat in vast quantities!

Good luck, and try not to stress about it, he will start to eat them eventually. Many of the reflux babies i know have waited until coser to 8/ 9 months to start eating solids properly.