allergies and developmental eating problem

[westcoastmummy]

My pediatrician thinks 11.5mnth DS has developmental delay in eating solids due to low weight (he's slipped down to 5th percentile and eats VERY little, sometimes only a tablespoon p/d and often not even that). DS is breastfed. We know he has allergies to cow, wheat, egg, and prob also sesame and blueberries. Is it possible his developmental eating problems are related to his allergies?

He doesn't seem to have any other developmental problems.

There seems to be a wait before seeing special eating clinic. What can I do for him in the meantime? He seems to like mostly eat food without texture (esp pureed foods) yet also self-feeds hard crunchy finger foods like DFWF crackers. Sometimes I think there's no rhyme or reason to what he'll eat...

[mtn.mama]

Low weight/dropping percentiles does not a feeding delay make. Call Early Intervention / Infant Learning right away and set up an assessment. My daughter just turned two and she's still eating very little. But she didn't qualify as delayed, because the skills are there... just not the interest. For her, mama's milk has been safest all along. Breastfeeding acts as a self-protective mechanism in our food allergic babes. Taslyn is multiple food and chemical allergic. Someday she'll feed herself, and we are slowly but surely getting there.

FWIW, we did a barium swallow study to rule out structural abnormalities precluding her from learning how to eat. She was born with posterior and anterior tongue ties, as well as an upper lip tie.

For us, cranio-sacral therapy has been the biggest help. If you haven't already, find a highly recommended cranio-sacral therapist. Ours did a ton of work inside Taslyn's mouth, and T started eating and drinking WITHIN ONE HOUR of the appointment. Now, whenever her eating/drinking slacks off, I make another appointment and it has the same effect of getting her back on track.

HTH!

Lisa

BTW, have you considered a full gluten elimination? It might make all the difference for your little one. Good Luck!

[westcoastmummy]

Originally Posted by mtn.mama

For us, cranio-sacral therapy has been the biggest help. If you haven't already, find a highly recommended cranio-sacral therapist. Ours did a ton of work inside Taslyn's mouth, and T started eating and drinking WITHIN ONE HOUR of the appointment.

This is really interesting -- thanks! Will look into it. I don't know anything about cranio-sacral therapy. Is it similar to osteopathy?

[tanyalynn]

I was thinking similar things as MtnMama. Some kids with high palate issues seem to have trouble eating. Maybe take a look inside his mouth, is the top of his mouth fairly flat and low, or does it make an arch, that looks like it's 2 sides coming together? The difference between a roman arch (low, fairly flat) and a gothic arch (with something of a point at the top). We're supposed to have low, fairly flat palates, but I had to be told that because both my kids and I have high, arched palates.

There's a thread with good info on tongue tie, but I don't remember where. My son has a tongue tie, he nursed fine but it's more apparent now, he's 3 and I'm talking to folks about articulation issues.

And for my kids, it _is_ related to the allergies, both are manifestations of nutritional imbalances in me.

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...r#post13916342
Read a few pages around this one, if you're interested in tongue tie discussion as it relates to gut health and digestion.

http://mothering.com/discussions/sho...r#post12962776

[mamajake]

Have you considered whether DS may have sensory processing/integration issues? Two of my sons have SPD. They were 99th percentile for weight until they weaned and then their weights plummeted. One still has weight gain issues because he is extremely sensitive to food textures. Occupational therapy (particuarly auditory processing therapy for anxiety) has been very helpful for us.

[stephienoodle]

Have you checked your DS's zinc levels? We did a hair test on my DS and he was deficient in zinc. It often coincides with heavy metal problems like you find in a lot of allergic kids. DS was choosing to eat few/no solids and we also have some allergy/intolerance issues. I used to teach special ed (severe/profound - I was often teaching children to eat who had major developmental problems with eating) and my DS just didn't seem to fit that bill like our pediatrician also asked about. I really thought that it was something allergy-related that kept him from eating well.

What has made a HUGE difference for us - supplementing zinc. Apparently zinc deficiency can cause a poor appetite, because it also causes a lack of taste/smell. We started a teeny zinc supplement last week and WOW. His solid food intake has jumped. In fact... today was the first time ever that he had formed poop. He finally ate enough solids! :