Hi everyone,
I thought I'd give my two cents since I've had TONS of experience with eating issues with my 5 year old.
He was born with a sucking delay, problems with texture and GERD (severe reflux)- he was hospitalized for a week at CHEO his first week of life because whenever he drank milk, he would stop breathing and turn blue (feeding/GERD apnea spells). He was put on ranitidine and his milk was thickened.
We then had problems introducing real foods. Could not eat purees until he was about 15 months and could not eat whole foods until after he was 2. He had an occupational therapist for his feeding the first year of his life at CHEO and then on and off for the next several years to deal with his sensory issues (sensory integration disorder has a huge effect on the mouth/tongue/texture for some kids- and a lot of people don't realize this- they usually think of sounds and lights but it can really affect feeding/eating).
Anyways, what we learned was- gagging/throwing up is just the nature of things with children with texture problems- of course if our son gagged/threw up on a food, he refused to eat it again- which means a dwindling list of foods.
So the introduction of dips was VERY important. Kids love to dip and it might be easier, for some kids, to introduce new foods if you set it alongside a nice dip- just make sure the dip is fully pureed with NO lumps. So there's ketchup, mustard, hummus, salad dressing, yogurt, mayo, finaly pureed salsa, guacamalo, dip smoothies- and then you can get really creative and start pureeing fruit and vegetables- the point is to get your child used to these dips, only in small portions, to help dip whole foods. And what's great is all these dips are healthy and provide some great fats. In time, if you want to get really creative you can start adding a pinch of powedered flax seed or a tablespoon of olive oil, for example.
One difficulty we had was keeping mealtime fun- it is very stressful dealing with a non-eater who gags, throws up or stops breathing when he eats. You create a lot of anxiety- in yourself, your child and his siblings. We made the mistake of introducing the TV- this would keep our son's attention away from what he was eating (at the time purees) so we could stuff his mouth as quickly as possible. But this doesn't work because they don't learn to enjoy foods. So having family meals were hugely important- and having fun with the foods, showing off the foods, its colors, smells, etc. by having various plates on the table and everyone trying a few bites from each- and then discussing where the foods come from- and I know this sounds crazy, but even growing the foods in a small garden- just to get your child interested/curious in what they're eating- and thus getting them to try new things. Cooking with the family is another way to get them more involved in the whole process.
Anyways, hope this helps- I know how stresfull it can be dealing with eating disorders- and still at five, our son gags, throws up on foods- still refuses to eat certain foods due to texture, etc., but you just gotta keep going at it and remember to have extra fun doing it. Pushing food on kids will only heighten the anxiety for evryone in the family.
N
I thought I'd give my two cents since I've had TONS of experience with eating issues with my 5 year old.
He was born with a sucking delay, problems with texture and GERD (severe reflux)- he was hospitalized for a week at CHEO his first week of life because whenever he drank milk, he would stop breathing and turn blue (feeding/GERD apnea spells). He was put on ranitidine and his milk was thickened.
We then had problems introducing real foods. Could not eat purees until he was about 15 months and could not eat whole foods until after he was 2. He had an occupational therapist for his feeding the first year of his life at CHEO and then on and off for the next several years to deal with his sensory issues (sensory integration disorder has a huge effect on the mouth/tongue/texture for some kids- and a lot of people don't realize this- they usually think of sounds and lights but it can really affect feeding/eating).
Anyways, what we learned was- gagging/throwing up is just the nature of things with children with texture problems- of course if our son gagged/threw up on a food, he refused to eat it again- which means a dwindling list of foods.
So the introduction of dips was VERY important. Kids love to dip and it might be easier, for some kids, to introduce new foods if you set it alongside a nice dip- just make sure the dip is fully pureed with NO lumps. So there's ketchup, mustard, hummus, salad dressing, yogurt, mayo, finaly pureed salsa, guacamalo, dip smoothies- and then you can get really creative and start pureeing fruit and vegetables- the point is to get your child used to these dips, only in small portions, to help dip whole foods. And what's great is all these dips are healthy and provide some great fats. In time, if you want to get really creative you can start adding a pinch of powedered flax seed or a tablespoon of olive oil, for example.
One difficulty we had was keeping mealtime fun- it is very stressful dealing with a non-eater who gags, throws up or stops breathing when he eats. You create a lot of anxiety- in yourself, your child and his siblings. We made the mistake of introducing the TV- this would keep our son's attention away from what he was eating (at the time purees) so we could stuff his mouth as quickly as possible. But this doesn't work because they don't learn to enjoy foods. So having family meals were hugely important- and having fun with the foods, showing off the foods, its colors, smells, etc. by having various plates on the table and everyone trying a few bites from each- and then discussing where the foods come from- and I know this sounds crazy, but even growing the foods in a small garden- just to get your child interested/curious in what they're eating- and thus getting them to try new things. Cooking with the family is another way to get them more involved in the whole process.
Anyways, hope this helps- I know how stresfull it can be dealing with eating disorders- and still at five, our son gags, throws up on foods- still refuses to eat certain foods due to texture, etc., but you just gotta keep going at it and remember to have extra fun doing it. Pushing food on kids will only heighten the anxiety for evryone in the family.
N
