Re: Question: bumpy transition to solid food

May 1, 2008

HI,

I dont have alot of experience in this area. My son is

3 as well. DO you have access to an OT or ST that has

experience in feeding, eating..and sensory integration

issues? That is usually what is the factor. the way

the foods feel in his mouth can be as much of a

limiting factor as the actual swallowing process. ( Im

an OT and aMOM but work with old people). This is

challenging for a parent to manage on their own and

the more you push the more he will resist as he is

also 3 and this is actually typical 3yo behavior..(

the control part).

I am interested inwhether you feel the fish oil, ginco

et are of value. Id am interested in starting my son

on a regimen but get little guidance in the US.

Sheryl

--- Müller wrote:

> Hello all,

> (3.5) has just started eating solid foods,

> which of course

> thrills us to bits, but also causes us some

> headaches that we hadn't

> anticipated. Up until now he got 400grams of milk,

> 500grams of

> apple/pearsauce and 12 tsp. of rapeseed/flaxseed oil

> a day, all mixed

> together and thickened to ppudding consistency. That

> was all he would

> eat, period (NO fluids at all - he couldn't swallow

> liquids without

> choking). It was sufficient though and he was

> gaining weight at a

> normal pace. Since last January he has been going to

> a daycare center

> twice a week and obviously has started imitating the

> other kids'

> eating style. So far so good. But now that he's

> hardly eating any

> puree, he gets a lot less calories, as he doesn't

> get any oil and

> doesn't touch any other food than sliced apples, a

> little bread and

> one or two kinds of unsweetened wheat crackers. He

> refuses ANYTHING else.

> Fortunately he has started drinking a little bit of

> water (only a few sips though), but his calorie

> intake has dwindled down to a very low level and his

> weight is equally plummeting.

> Does this ring a bell with someone? How far down can

> his weight go without us having

> to worry? (we're worrying ourselves nuts as it is)

> Do we just offer him different kinds of food until

> he starts eating more? Half a year ago he weighed

> 12kg, now he's down to 11 (should be at about 13kg

> by now/50th DS percentile).

> Any suggestions?

>

> /Switzerland

> with Saskia, Nora-Jane/7yrs. &

> /3.5yrs./DS/ASDII/GERD/subcl. hypothyroidism/GI

> problems (on Prilosec, Thyroxine, Nutrivene-D,

> fishoil, Ginkgo Biloba, Probiotic)

> http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/TNI_DS/

>

________________________________________________________________________________\

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know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

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May 1, 2008

Hi , My son is 27 and I have to say I did not have eating problems with him. Have you tried smoothy type drinks? You can add fruit or veggies or most anything. I did mix lots of stuff with whatever he liked. I added stuff to applesauce, bananas, etc. Just an idea. Good luck. Shirley Müller wrote: Hello all, (3.5) has just started eating solid foods, which of

coursethrills us to bits, but also causes us some headaches that we hadn'tanticipated. Up until now he got 400grams of milk, 500grams ofapple/pearsauce and 12 tsp. of rapeseed/flaxseed oil a day, all mixedtogether and thickened to ppudding consistency. That was all he wouldeat, period (NO fluids at all - he couldn't swallow liquids withoutchoking). It was sufficient though and he was gaining weight at anormal pace. Since last January he has been going to a daycare centertwice a week and obviously has started imitating the other kids'eating style. So far so good. But now that he's hardly eating anypuree, he gets a lot less calories, as he doesn't get any oil anddoesn't touch any other food than sliced apples, a little bread andone or two kinds of unsweetened wheat crackers. He refuses ANYTHING else. Fortunately he has started

drinking a little bit of water (only a few sips though), but his calorie intake has dwindled down to a very low level and his weight is equally plummeting. Does this ring a bell with someone? How far down can his weight go without us havingto worry? (we're worrying ourselves nuts as it is) Do we just offer him different kinds of food until he starts eating more? Half a year ago he weighed 12kg, now he's down to 11 (should be at about 13kg by now/50th DS percentile).Any suggestions? /Switzerlandwith Saskia, Nora-Jane/7yrs. & /3.5yrs./DS/ASDII/GERD/subcl. hypothyroidism/GI problems (on Prilosec, Thyroxine, Nutrivene-D, fishoil, Ginkgo Biloba, Probiotic)http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/TNI_DS/

May 1, 2008

We fought this battle with Faith's weight until she was about 6 years old. Suddenly she began putting on weight and we found ourselves having to limit her food intake. This has been very difficult because she had gotten used to eating low volume high calorie food, like smoothies, cheese, mac and cheese.

Faith never really lost weight, but had a year or so with no gain.

ette

mom to Faith (10)DS

-------------- Original message from Müller : --------------

Hello all, (3.5) has just started eating solid foods, which of coursethrills us to bits, but also causes us some headaches that we hadn'tanticipated. Up until now he got 400grams of milk, 500grams ofapple/pearsauce and 12 tsp. of rapeseed/flaxseed oil a day, all mixedtogether and thickened to ppudding consistency. That was all he wouldeat, period (NO fluids at all - he couldn't swallow liquids withoutchoking). It was sufficient though and he was gaining weight at anormal pace. Since last January he has been going to a daycare centertwice a week and obviously has started imitating the other kids'eating style. So far so good. But now that he's hardly eating anypuree, he gets a lot less calories, as he doesn't get any oil anddoesn't touch any other food than sliced apples, a little bread andone or two kinds of unsweetened wheat crackers. He refuses ANYTHING else. /FONT>

Fortunately he has started drinking a little bit of water (only a few sips though), but his calorie intake has dwindled down to a very low level and his weight is equally plummeting. Does this ring a bell with someone? How far down can his weight go without us havingto worry? (we're worrying ourselves nuts as it is) Do we just offer him different kinds of food until he starts eating more? Half a year ago he weighed 12kg, now he's down to 11 (should be at about 13kg by now/50th DS percentile).Any suggestions?

/Switzerlandwith Saskia, Nora-Jane/7yrs. & /3.5yrs./DS/ASDII/GERD/subcl. hypothyroidism/GI problems (on Prilosec, Thyroxine, Nutrivene-D, fishoil, Ginkgo Biloba, Probiotic)http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/TNI_DS/

May 1, 2008

Hello Sheryl (and all the others who posted a reply),

I think sensory integration might indeed be part of his problem.

Unfortunately we don't have anyone here who specializes in this

particular field. We've seen paediatric nutritionists, speech

therapists and GI doctors, but no one could actually get a grip on his

problem.

As to your question about the supplements: I believe that fishoil and

Ginkgo benefit him most. After giving him Ginkgo we noticed a

difference within a few days. There is another yahoo list where you

can get a lot of information on this regimen: DSTNI

You can find the recommended supplement protocol here:

http://www.nutrivene.com/educational_info/Trisomy21Protocol0507.pdf

and a general introductory article on the subject here:

http://www.lleichtman.org/AM_Article.pdf

All the best,

>

> > Hello all,

> > (3.5) has just started eating solid foods,

> > which of course

> > thrills us to bits, but also causes us some

> > headaches that we hadn't

> > anticipated. Up until now he got 400grams of milk,

> > 500grams of

> > apple/pearsauce and 12 tsp. of rapeseed/flaxseed oil

> > a day, all mixed

> > together and thickened to ppudding consistency. That

> > was all he would

> > eat, period (NO fluids at all - he couldn't swallow

> > liquids without

> > choking). It was sufficient though and he was

> > gaining weight at a

> > normal pace. Since last January he has been going to

> > a daycare center

> > twice a week and obviously has started imitating the

> > other kids'

> > eating style. So far so good. But now that he's

> > hardly eating any

> > puree, he gets a lot less calories, as he doesn't

> > get any oil and

> > doesn't touch any other food than sliced apples, a

> > little bread and

> > one or two kinds of unsweetened wheat crackers. He

> > refuses ANYTHING else.

> > Fortunately he has started drinking a little bit of

> > water (only a few sips though), but his calorie

> > intake has dwindled down to a very low level and his

> > weight is equally plummeting.

> > Does this ring a bell with someone? How far down can

> > his weight go without us having

> > to worry? (we're worrying ourselves nuts as it is)

> > Do we just offer him different kinds of food until

> > he starts eating more? Half a year ago he weighed

> > 12kg, now he's down to 11 (should be at about 13kg

> > by now/50th DS percentile).

> > Any suggestions?

> >

> > /Switzerland

> > with Saskia, Nora-Jane/7yrs. &

> > /3.5yrs./DS/ASDII/GERD/subcl. hypothyroidism/GI

> > problems (on Prilosec, Thyroxine, Nutrivene-D,

> > fishoil, Ginkgo Biloba, Probiotic)

> > http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/TNI_DS/

> >

>

________________________________________________________________________________\

____

> Be a better friend, newshound, and

> know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

>

May 1, 2008

Couple of things we found with Pravallika (a) Thyroid ( Diet Control to watch the weight. She is on medication for Thyroid. However for the food we started giving her Oat Meal which is helping her a lot to control weight. Recently we are doing Yoga to control her weight which is giving better results. My wife learned Yoga and is working with her to control the same.

regards

Krishna/Rama

parents of Pravallika (10 yrs DS)

From: pbeurrier@...

Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 2:02 PM

To: DownSyndromeInfoExchange

Subject: Re: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] Question: bumpy transition to solid food

We fought this battle with Faith's weight until she was about 6 years old. Suddenly she began putting on weight and we found ourselves having to limit her food intake. This has been very difficult because she had gotten used to eating low volume high calorie food, like smoothies, cheese, mac and cheese.

Faith never really lost weight, but had a year or so with no gain.

ette

mom to Faith (10)DS

-------------- Original message from Müller : --------------

Hello all, (3.5) has just started eating solid foods, which of coursethrills us to bits, but also causes us some headaches that we hadn'tanticipated. Up until now he got 400grams of milk, 500grams ofapple/pearsauce and 12 tsp. of rapeseed/flaxseed oil a day, all mixedtogether and thickened to ppudding consistency. That was all he wouldeat, period (NO fluids at all - he couldn't swallow liquids withoutchoking). It was sufficient though and he was gaining weight at anormal pace. Since last January he has been going to a daycare centertwice a week and obviously has started imitating the other kids'eating style. So far so good. But now that he's hardly eating anypuree, he gets a lot less calories, as he doesn't get any oil anddoesn't touch any other food than sliced apples, a little bread andone or two kinds of unsweetened wheat crackers. He refuses ANYTHING else. < /FONT>

Fortunately he has started drinking a little bit of water (only a few sips though), but his calorie intake has dwindled down to a very low level and his weight is equally plummeting. Does this ring a bell with someone? How far down can his weight go without us havingto worry? (we're worrying ourselves nuts as it is) Do we just offer him different kinds of food until he starts eating more? Half a year ago he weighed 12kg, now he's down to 11 (should be at about 13kg by now/50th DS percentile).Any suggestions?

/Switzerlandwith Saskia, Nora-Jane/7yrs. & /3.5yrs./DS/ASDII/GERD/subcl. hypothyroidism/GI problems (on Prilosec, Thyroxine, Nutrivene-D, fishoil, Ginkgo Biloba, Probiotic)http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/TNI_DS/

May 1, 2008

Couple of things we found with Pravallika (a) Thyroid ( Diet Control to watch the weight. She is on medication for Thyroid. However for the food we started giving her Oat Meal which is helping her a lot to control weight. Recently we are doing Yoga to control her weight which is giving better results. My wife learned Yoga and is working with her to control the same.

regards

Krishna/Rama

parents of Pravallika (10 yrs DS)

From: pbeurrier@...

Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2008 2:02 PM

To: DownSyndromeInfoExchange

Subject: Re: [DownSyndromeInfoExchange] Question: bumpy transition to solid food

We fought this battle with Faith's weight until she was about 6 years old. Suddenly she began putting on weight and we found ourselves having to limit her food intake. This has been very difficult because she had gotten used to eating low volume high calorie food, like smoothies, cheese, mac and cheese.

Faith never really lost weight, but had a year or so with no gain.

ette

mom to Faith (10)DS

-------------- Original message from Müller : --------------

Hello all, (3.5) has just started eating solid foods, which of coursethrills us to bits, but also causes us some headaches that we hadn'tanticipated. Up until now he got 400grams of milk, 500grams ofapple/pearsauce and 12 tsp. of rapeseed/flaxseed oil a day, all mixedtogether and thickened to ppudding consistency. That was all he wouldeat, period (NO fluids at all - he couldn't swallow liquids withoutchoking). It was sufficient though and he was gaining weight at anormal pace. Since last January he has been going to a daycare centertwice a week and obviously has started imitating the other kids'eating style. So far so good. But now that he's hardly eating anypuree, he gets a lot less calories, as he doesn't get any oil anddoesn't touch any other food than sliced apples, a little bread andone or two kinds of unsweetened wheat crackers. He refuses ANYTHING else. < /FONT>

Fortunately he has started drinking a little bit of water (only a few sips though), but his calorie intake has dwindled down to a very low level and his weight is equally plummeting. Does this ring a bell with someone? How far down can his weight go without us havingto worry? (we're worrying ourselves nuts as it is) Do we just offer him different kinds of food until he starts eating more? Half a year ago he weighed 12kg, now he's down to 11 (should be at about 13kg by now/50th DS percentile).Any suggestions?

/Switzerlandwith Saskia, Nora-Jane/7yrs. & /3.5yrs./DS/ASDII/GERD/subcl. hypothyroidism/GI problems (on Prilosec, Thyroxine, Nutrivene-D, fishoil, Ginkgo Biloba, Probiotic)http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/TNI_DS/

May 2, 2008

,

I have to start by saying I am not an expert, but if you are

concerned about sensory integration and the textures of food, etc.,

have you looked into talk tools by Rosenfeld ? They

have some good mouth tools -- like the Zvibe, and toothettes(I

think). We take our guy to a Neurodevelopmentalist -- and while he

doesn't have sensory issues, and eats anything, we still use these

tools -- as well as chewy tubes to strengthen his chewing muscles.

Using a toothbrush (soft brisled) to rub around his entire mouth --

cheecks, tounge, roof of mouth, etc., might help him get used to

having things in his mouth, and desensitize his mouth a little bit.

As far as calories, I would do the smoothie thing, and whole milk

yogurts, etc., for him while he is transitioning.

Hope this helps,

Sharon -- mommy to Tyson 2 years old.

> >

> > > Hello all,

> > > (3.5) has just started eating solid foods,

> > > which of course

> > > thrills us to bits, but also causes us some

> > > headaches that we hadn't

> > > anticipated. Up until now he got 400grams of milk,

> > > 500grams of

> > > apple/pearsauce and 12 tsp. of rapeseed/flaxseed oil

> > > a day, all mixed

> > > together and thickened to ppudding consistency. That

> > > was all he would

> > > eat, period (NO fluids at all - he couldn't swallow

> > > liquids without

> > > choking). It was sufficient though and he was

> > > gaining weight at a

> > > normal pace. Since last January he has been going to

> > > a daycare center

> > > twice a week and obviously has started imitating the

> > > other kids'

> > > eating style. So far so good. But now that he's

> > > hardly eating any

> > > puree, he gets a lot less calories, as he doesn't

> > > get any oil and

> > > doesn't touch any other food than sliced apples, a

> > > little bread and

> > > one or two kinds of unsweetened wheat crackers. He

> > > refuses ANYTHING else.

> > > Fortunately he has started drinking a little bit of

> > > water (only a few sips though), but his calorie

> > > intake has dwindled down to a very low level and his

> > > weight is equally plummeting.

> > > Does this ring a bell with someone? How far down can

> > > his weight go without us having

> > > to worry? (we're worrying ourselves nuts as it is)

> > > Do we just offer him different kinds of food until

> > > he starts eating more? Half a year ago he weighed

> > > 12kg, now he's down to 11 (should be at about 13kg

> > > by now/50th DS percentile).

> > > Any suggestions?

> > >

> > > /Switzerland

> > > with Saskia, Nora-Jane/7yrs. &

> > > /3.5yrs./DS/ASDII/GERD/subcl. hypothyroidism/GI

> > > problems (on Prilosec, Thyroxine, Nutrivene-D,

> > > fishoil, Ginkgo Biloba, Probiotic)

> > > http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/TNI_DS/

> > >

> >

>

_____________________________________________________________________

_______________

> > Be a better friend, newshound, and

> > know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

> http://mobile.yahoo.com/;_ylt=Ahu06i62sR8HDtDypao8Wcj9tAcJ

> >

>

May 3, 2008

, By "different flavoured curds", is that the same as yogurt? It always worked for me to mix 's supplements in yogurt or in applesauce. That is one of the good things about Nutrivene, their products don't have an offensive taste, so it doesn't turn the kid off from whatever food you add it to. Is he refusing to open his mouth for anything at all that you offer him with a spoon? There was a time when I thickened liquids and fed them to with a spoon. One site that makes thickener is www.simplythick,com The site explains about the different types for nectar thick, honey thick, and pudding thick. You might be able to get something similar at a pharmacy. Nursing homes use this type of product for some of their patients. Has he at any time ever drank out of a cup or

straw? Talktools has a honey bear with a straw that is really good for teaching our kids how to drink out of a straw. If he chokes on liquids, you can thicken liquid to either nectar thick or honey thick and when you squeeze the bear cup, the thickened liquid will travel up the straw into his mouth... just the right amount that he should be able to handle and swallow. If he totally resists swallowing even thickened liquid, that is a hurdle he will need to overcome. I have a friend with a 4 yr. old daughter who has been g tube fed all her life, and they had never been able to teach her to swallow. Recently, they discovered that if they took the large plastic syringe that they used for tube feedings and put thickened liquid in it and placed it way back in her mouth on top of her tongue and gently pushed small amounts into the opening of her throat, she would swallow! You can imagine that they are thrilled! They

either thicken the liquid to honey thick or pudding thick for this. If it were too thin, she would choke. After just a few weeks, she is now taking her pureed meals in this way. And she is also drinking thickened liquid out of a honey bear with a straw. She hasn't learned to suck on the straw yet, but it took a month or 6 weeks for my to learn to suck on the straw. Now, he does it all by himself! Here is the site: http://www.talktools.net/s.nl/it.A/id.771/.f Oh, one more thing... if is very resistent to allowing you to feed him anything by spoon, it might help to allow him to watch a favorite video or DVD, and while he is occupied and distracted by his favorite cartoon, he may allow you to feed him. At one time, it was the only way we could get to eat. Now, he loves to eat so much that the DVD's are not

needed. He even feeds himself with a spoon, now! And he is only 2.75 years old! He has come a long way from his first birthday when he refused anything but breast feeding! Hang in there! You will find the answer! And will soon be eating and drinking plenty so you can relax and not worry again. Of course, then a new worry will probably come along! Like now I worry because is not talking, yet. Blessings! (one and only wife to Fred; mom to Kari, Melody, Faith, Heidi, Isaac, Josiah, , Alana, and ! Yes, they're all ours!) Is. 40:31 "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.

May 4, 2008

Hello ,

thank you for your reply!

With curds I meant strained yoghurt - it is more solid and contains

more protein and fat than yoghurt.

Right now we can't give any supplements because of his strange

eating behaviour. Up until about a week ago we were giving him

Nutrivene-D as well and hopefully we can continue to do so as soon as

the situation returns to normal. We gave it to him in applesauce too.

Due to his reflux we thicken his food with nestargel, a food thickener

similar to the one you mentioned, but we haven't yet tried it with his

beverages yet, which we will do shortly.

Thanks and all the best to you and your family,

>

> ,

>

> By " different flavoured curds " , is that the same as yogurt? It

always worked for me to mix 's supplements in yogurt or in

applesauce. That is one of the good things about Nutrivene, their

products don't have an offensive taste, so it doesn't turn the kid off

from whatever food you add it to.

>

> Is he refusing to open his mouth for anything at all that you

offer him with a spoon? There was a time when I thickened liquids and

fed them to with a spoon. One site that makes thickener is

www.simplythick,com The site explains about the different types for

nectar thick, honey thick, and pudding thick. You might be able to

get something similar at a pharmacy. Nursing homes use this type of

product for some of their patients.

>

> Has he at any time ever drank out of a cup or straw? Talktools

has a honey bear with a straw that is really good for teaching our

kids how to drink out of a straw. If he chokes on liquids, you can

thicken liquid to either nectar thick or honey thick and when you

squeeze the bear cup, the thickened liquid will travel up the straw

into his mouth... just the right amount that he should be able to

handle and swallow. If he totally resists swallowing even thickened

liquid, that is a hurdle he will need to overcome. I have a friend

with a 4 yr. old daughter who has been g tube fed all her life, and

they had never been able to teach her to swallow. Recently, they

discovered that if they took the large plastic syringe that they used

for tube feedings and put thickened liquid in it and placed it way

back in her mouth on top of her tongue and gently pushed small amounts

into the opening of her throat, she would swallow! You can imagine

that they are thrilled! They either

> thicken the liquid to honey thick or pudding thick for this. If it

were too thin, she would choke. After just a few weeks, she is now

taking her pureed meals in this way. And she is also drinking

thickened liquid out of a honey bear with a straw. She hasn't learned

to suck on the straw yet, but it took a month or 6 weeks for my

to learn to suck on the straw. Now, he does it all by himself! Here

is the site: http://www.talktools.net/s.nl/it.A/id.771/.f

>

> Oh, one more thing... if is very resistent to allowing you

to feed him anything by spoon, it might help to allow him to watch a

favorite video or DVD, and while he is occupied and distracted by his

favorite cartoon, he may allow you to feed him. At one time, it was

the only way we could get to eat. Now, he loves to eat so much

that the DVD's are not needed. He even feeds himself with a spoon,

now! And he is only 2.75 years old! He has come a long way from his

first birthday when he refused anything but breast feeding! Hang in

there! You will find the answer! And will soon be eating and

drinking plenty so you can relax and not worry again. Of course, then

a new worry will probably come along! Like now I worry because

is not talking, yet.

>

> Blessings!

>

> (one and only wife to Fred; mom to Kari, Melody, Faith, Heidi,

Isaac, Josiah, , Alana, and ! Yes, they're all ours!)

>

> Is. 40:31 " They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their

strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and

not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. "

>

> ---------------------------------

> Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.

Try it now.

>

May 5, 2008

Hi ,I wouldn't panic just yet (if at all). As somebody already mentioned a lot of this is typical behaviour for 's age or stage. Did you try putting spreads onto the crackers and bread? Maybe just a very small amount on the corner to start with as he may not like the texture (or flavour). Try something enticing like honey or sweetened cream cheese. With our daughter (age 3.5) who was (still is) also slow to try out new foods, textures etc we caved in a little and introduced a little more sugar to her diet than she was used to. For breakfast we gave her porridge (oatmeal/haferflocken) which was almost pudding consistency but with some lumps to challenge her. This was sweetened with honey. Now she gets Barley (Gerste) which has the same consistency but is less mucus forming (she can get very congested in all regards). We also introduced little handfulls of multigrain cereal which she could snack on-not very healthy but encouraged her to chew. Now

she gets dinkel vollkorn crackers instead (unsweetened). Most of her main meals (potato, carrot,spinach etc) are still blended somewhat but lots of veg oils added (wheatgerm, linseed, rapeseed) to increase calories. One thing that seemed to help was to distract her a little when she put some new food in her mouth (I would shout hurray and clap each time or wave my hands frantically in the air-anything that helps!). Sometimes it also helps if I put the food in her mouth for her until she accepts the taste and texture. Be quick with the hurray and clapping before it's spat out again though! Our daughter also has a swallowing problem and cannot swallow fluids. We give has lots of thickened tea (it's a kids herbal tea mixture) and we add carrot or other veg juice to sweeten it. It's thickened with Nutilis - a powder made especially for people with dysphagia. I'm happy to hear that 's swallowing difficulties seem to be resolving. May I ask if there was anything in

particular that you did to encourage this? Our daughter had very bad reflux up until recently but this seems to be resolving itself. she also suffered terribly from constipation due to a combination of factors. Her fairly high fibre diet seems to have sorted that out and we've stopped giving her linseeds and syrup of figs. If you are in Switzerland there is a Tibetan doctor who practices there and who can probably recommend a good diet for . Her name is Donckie Emchi. Her number here in Vienna is 00436769442905 (She practices here too).Did your son go through the stage of mouthing toys etc/ If not I would recommend that you encourage this.You could try to get him to imitate you mouthing objects. Any activity that encourages movement of mouth and tongue is good. Blowing bubbles, wind instruments, whistles. Scrunching up the face, making silly faces, wiggling tongue, making sounds (Ooo, Ahhh, Eeee) with exaggerated expression. A great toy to have is the Fisher

Price cassette player with microphone as the child can get so much fun out of hearing his own voice amplified. Great for practicing "Eee's and Ahhh's" and call fall on the floor a thousand times and not break! A mirror is also a great and fun way for to receive feedback for his efforts. You can order shatter proof mirrors at low cost from landoftoys.de. You can also order chewy tubes, whistles, bubbles etc from them. Lots of hand play using different textures and temperatures should also help to encourage to try out new textures in his mouth: sand and water play, splashing pouring, mixing with hands, stirring finger/handpainting, licking food from hands and fingers (puddings, icecream etc). You probably do most of this already so sorry if I'm suggesting stuff you already do!Could you ask the day care centre to play games around the topic of food. Perhaps they could put spreads on the bread of all the children? Tahini with honey, cheese spread,

peanutbutter, jam?? Can you ask them to dip the apple slices into something fattening?I hope something on this will be of some use to you and little or to some of the others in the group experiencing similar problems. Sorry it's a little ;-) long-winded!Kind regards,Tricia Lynch-Vienna Müller wrote: Hello all, (3.5) has just started eating solid foods, which of coursethrills us to bits, but also causes

us some headaches that we hadn'tanticipated. Up until now he got 400grams of milk, 500grams ofapple/pearsauce and 12 tsp. of rapeseed/flaxseed oil a day, all mixedtogether and thickened to ppudding consistency. That was all he wouldeat, period (NO fluids at all - he couldn't swallow liquids withoutchoking). It was sufficient though and he was gaining weight at anormal pace. Since last January he has been going to a daycare centertwice a week and obviously has started imitating the other kids'eating style. So far so good. But now that he's hardly eating anypuree, he gets a lot less calories, as he doesn't get any oil anddoesn't touch any other food than sliced apples, a little bread andone or two kinds of unsweetened wheat crackers. He refuses ANYTHING else. Fortunately he has started drinking a little bit of water (only a few sips though), but his calorie intake has dwindled down to a very low level and his weight is equally plummeting. Does this ring a bell with someone? How far down can his weight go without us havingto worry? (we're worrying ourselves nuts as it is) Do we just offer him different kinds of food until he starts eating more? Half a year ago he weighed 12kg, now he's down to 11 (should be at about 13kg by now/50th DS percentile).Any suggestions? /Switzerlandwith Saskia, Nora-Jane/7yrs. & /3.5yrs./DS/ASDII/GERD/subcl. hypothyroidism/GI problems (on Prilosec, Thyroxine, Nutrivene-D, fishoil, Ginkgo Biloba, Probiotic)http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/TNI_DS/

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May 9, 2008

Hey, Tricia, that was a whole lot of good ideas, thank you!

Fortunately has started eating more again. We'll be trying to

mix oats into his yoghurt (Birchermüsli) and see if he takes a liking

to it. He even started nibbling at Darvida dinkel crackers! We're

thickening his food with Nestargel, but you're quite right, we'll may

have to thicken his beverages as well, might help him with his

swallowing difficulties. What is giving us a headache now is that he

stopped taking his supplements - he will just absolutely not take them

anymore, no matter what we mix it together with...

All the best,

> Hello all,

> (3.5) has just started eating solid foods, which of course

> thrills us to bits, but also causes us some headaches that we hadn't

> anticipated. Up until now he got 400grams of milk, 500grams of

> apple/pearsauce and 12 tsp. of rapeseed/flaxseed oil a day, all mixed

> together and thickened to ppudding consistency. That was all he would

> eat, period (NO fluids at all - he couldn't swallow liquids without

> choking). It was sufficient though and he was gaining weight at a

> normal pace. Since last January he has been going to a daycare center

> twice a week and obviously has started imitating the other kids'

> eating style. So far so good. But now that he's hardly eating any

> puree, he gets a lot less calories, as he doesn't get any oil and

> doesn't touch any other food than sliced apples, a little bread and

> one or two kinds of unsweetened wheat crackers. He refuses ANYTHING

else.

> Fortunately he has started drinking a little bit of water (only a

few sips though), but his calorie intake has dwindled down to a very

low level and his weight is equally plummeting.

> Does this ring a bell with someone? How far down can his weight go

without us having

> to worry? (we're worrying ourselves nuts as it is) Do we just offer

him different kinds of food until he starts eating more? Half a year

ago he weighed 12kg, now he's down to 11 (should be at about 13kg by

now/50th DS percentile).

> Any suggestions?

>

> /Switzerland

> with Saskia, Nora-Jane/7yrs. & /3.5yrs./DS/ASDII/GERD/subcl.

hypothyroidism/GI problems (on Prilosec, Thyroxine, Nutrivene-D,

fishoil, Ginkgo Biloba, Probiotic)

> http://de.groups.yahoo.com/group/TNI_DS/

>

> ---------------------------------

> Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.

Try it now.

>

May 9, 2008