swallow problem?

[sprouthead]

DS is 18 months (15 adjusted) and he has trouble swallowing liquids. At best, he will dribble when he swallows, sometimes it actually shoots out of his mouth like a fountain. My MIL insists that it has to do with nursing, and I think that makes sense based on how I learned that infants suck while nursing- because it seems that he pushes the liquid out with his tongue when he tries to swallow. I don't know what's normal for a child his age- do other children that nurse swallow like this? I'm positive that I've seen other children around his age drink without spitting liquid out. It happens whether he drinks from an open cup or a straw (we don't do sippys). He has an appointment for a swallow study in a week and a half, but it just dawned on me that no one besides myself, DH, and MIL have actually seen him swallow, so I hope we're not doing this test just to be told "Oh, that's normal for a nursing toddler" afterwards..

[alegna]

Has nothing to do with nursing.



Hope you get some answers!

-Angela

[lillymonster]

I don't think it's a nursing issue. It wouldn't hurt to go and see what is up.
DD doesn't swallow liquid, but she doesn't like the taste of liquids, we have a non-eating/non-drinking issue in general with her.

Does your DS eat solid food? Does he have this problem with eating, too?

[sprouthead]

he does okay swallowing food- but he swallows with his mouth closed so I think food just can't get past his lips. Liquids and some purees can...

we've met our deductible for the year so i do want to go and rule things out sooner rather than later, but i don't think it will be a fun event and if this was typical, i might have skipped it..

[MommyofAngelBabies]

I know a lot of people have success with giving children that age liquids from a cup or straw, but to be honest I never did. I did use a sippy cup for both my DD1 and DS, because they would both gag and choke or spit out liquids otherwise. I can understand why you would not want to use one though.

The other issue with my DS was that he had a very strong gag reflex. He would not eat anything other than "porridge" for almost 2 years!! He just would gag and choke even on things like cherrios. A small throat and/or strong gag reflexes actually run in my family. So I fed him only smashed up porridge, with hardly any pieces to it at all for a few months, instead of making him gag. This went on until about 22 months, when suddenly he asked for some of the food we were eating. Taking his cue, I smashed some up leaving pieces and he at it fine. Ever since he hardly has an issue, so he just needed to outgrow it. But tell something like that to a regular doctor and good luck being treated properly!

It could possibly be just an aversion to the feel of liquids in his throat that way... nursing in completely different, so he might not like the feel or gag sensation even. ?
One other thing to consider is his tongue. Does it have a heart shape to the tip of it? If so, he could be tongue tied. My DS was, but it broke on its own while nursing at about 3 months old. Sometimes they don't though, and that could be making it hard for him to keep liquid and possibly even foods in his mouth. Just a thought.

As long as nothing is actually wrong, I found that sometimes just letting them outgrow things works great. Luckily I have a great Chiropractor/Chinese Herbologist, who is basically my doctor for the kids and I ask him all sorts of things. It helps to ease the mind, instead of dreading that something could be wrong. So far, nothing has for me. It's just been things that they can outgrow, and that typical society assumes is a medical problem.

[MommyofAngelBabies]

Oh, just to add... my DS actually kind of pushed liquids and food out with his tongue at 14 months even. So I really think, it could just be an issue with him needing to mature in that way. Every child does things at a different rate. I think he just wasn't as mature with eating and drinking as my DD1 had been. He didn't have any solids until 8 months at all. My DS still might seem "behind" my daughter in things like that, and yet way ahead in doing things with his hands, etc. So I have to make myself not compare them.

I think each child just handles things differently. But nursing itself would not cause a swallowing issue. Although depending on how long he has been eating solids or other liquids, it is a change, and it might just take him time to mature with his eating habits.