First foods for baby?

[mrsbernstein]

Good morning! (please forgive any typos....i'm holding babe and typing other-handed)

My son is 6months old.  And due to trauma at birth, has a feeding tube.  AND, due to low-supply, he has up til now been on a mix of breastmilk and goat-milk formula.  He was on Similac as a calorie-booster at the hospital, but it terribly allergic.

So, our OT is ready for baby to start on food.  We are not...AND, I would hold my grown EXCEPT that through some trial and error, we have discovered that my breastmilk is what is causing my son HORRIBLE PAINFUL gas.  just something aweful.

On the goatmilk alone, he is more content, does not cry in the car, has regular poops...it's amazing the difference when we take him off my bm.  BOO HOO!

THat leads us to...food.  Our Ped has cleared him to start eating any all foods as long as they are purred, of course.  SInce we had planned to have him on BM until his was at least 12-18 months, we're at a loss as to what to give him. 

My son will still be on goat milk through his tube, and the "people food" will probalby be only at one or two feedings to start...not his only source of nutrition.  

Where do we start?  We are currently cow-milk free in our home and on low-gluten.  I know we should be gluten-FREE, but we're not there yet.

THank you!

Mrs B

[fruitfulmomma]

If he is reacting toyour breastmilk, it is likely something in you diet and your going to have to continue watching him for reactions to food. Introducing only one food at a time is useful so you can if he can handle it.

We usually start with egg yolks lighly cooked but since you say he does well on goats milk I would be inclined to start with plain yogurt. I would skip grains at this point since you seem to have some gluten issues.

[SundayCrepes]

I know your kid has some special feeding needs, however I'd suggest reconsidering starting with purees. That could lead to all kinds of food texture sensitivities. Research baby led weaning or baby led solids. 

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/babyledweaning.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Led-Weaning-Essential-Introducing-Confident/dp/161519021X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1329282271&sr=8-1

Neither of my babies ever did baby food or purees. They ate what we ate (within reason.) Once you start on this path you'll realize how silly baby food is. (It may be your child has special needs that won't work with this, but please consider it.)

My daughter can't have gluten, dairy, and cane sugar. I realized if we ever had to evacuate to a Red Cross center, she couldn't eat. I'm trying to build an emergency food supply. With those dietary restrictions it's pretty hard. I bought some baby foods in pouches to see if she'd like them. Since neither of my babies had baby food I'd never tasted them. How DISGUSTING. Do people really feed that crap to babies? No wonder they grow up wanting to eat chicken nuggets.

[mrsbernstein]

Thank you for the information on BLW.  It sounds good, and I'd be willing to give it a go...but have some questions.

My son has a brain injury, which led to intubation, which led to the gi tube.  He is also visually imparred, so as of now, he does not interact in any way with his world.  I'm trying to figure out the logistics of this.  For now, we would be the ones holding the food, not him, as he does not yet grasp and release...

I suppose that's not really a question, just sort of thinking out loud.

Mrs B

[SundayCrepes]

If he's not grasping, I wouldn't try it. He needs to be in control. If you give him a piece of banana and it's too much for him to handle, how will he protect himself?

[mrsbernstein]

So then we are back to purees and a spoon?

Mrs B

[serenbat]

If he's not grasping, I wouldn't try it.

It really depends on his condition doesn't it?

OP- do they expect that he will have control or not? How are his sucking ability? 

I know three year olds that can't hold (grasp)- and his parents wouldn't hold off on food for that child (extreme example) 

[SundayCrepes]

Originally Posted by mrsbernstein 

So then we are back to purees and a spoon?

Mrs B

I'd tell the OT about your interest in child led weaning and ask what they think. The fact that he doesn't "interact with his world" makes me worry that he will be at risk. If he could see how you eat then maybe he'd have an idea of what to do. Since I can't see him, I'm clueless on if it would work or not. Maybe make a copy of the article for the OT to read and see what they think.

[calebsmommy25]

Mrs B--  It sounds like you are trying to weed through alot of this on your own.  Can you find an OT, or speech therapist or doctor who is specialized and can lead you down this road?  I'm not one to normally ask for help, but you might need some.  Do you do OT through early intervention?  Your coordinator should be able to point you in the right direction for some help. If you can find a support network with parents (IRL or web) that have been or are in similar situations, that would be even more helpful.  I'm not sure what type of brain injury you are dealing with, but I know there are fantastic support groups online (and IRL) for infant/childhood stroke survivors.  HEMI-KIDS has a great website!

If your son can't grasp, then puree on a spoon may be the best option, as long as he would be able to take it in and swallow without choking.  My favorite first food is avocado.  Full of good fat and nutrients.  Others:  butternut squash, sweet potato, and banana.   

I'm sorry you and your son had a birth trauma.