[Finch]

So ds hasn't been in "active" feeding therapy for about a year, I just shot off an email to his OT and asked her if we could ditch the sensory integration stuff for a while and focus on feeding, because....

Ds keeps freaking SPITTING OUT FOOD when we try to get him to eat his enzymes with food.

He spits out the enzymes when we give them to him to chew, or he holds them in his mouth until they liquify Puke) and swallows them about 1.5 hours after we give them to him (no, really...). Holding those enzymes in his mouth CANNOT be good for his teeth or oral mucosa.

He is the king of stuffing his mouth and holding tons and tons of food in there until he eventually either spits it all out (on the carpet of course

: ) or swallows it somehow. It's gross, quite frankly. And frustrating.

I'm going to go ahead and order the powder form of the enzymes (so doggoned expensive...grrr), but in the meantime, can ANYONE give me some tips here? Or if your dc did this kind of crap, how long did it take for things to change with feeding therapy?

 

[USAmma]

Food holding is their way of saying, "I am going to put this in my mouth to please Mommy but I won't swallow." See if there's a way to motivate him to make it "all gone". Will he drink water when it's in his mouth to help wash it down? I am not familiar with enzymes. Can you put it in a coffee grinder and powder it? Then mix it with a touch of something he really likes, honey maybe? Or maple syrup? Then spoon feed it to him. Some kids like to suck stuff like that out of a med syringe like it's a game.

 

[Finch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by USAmma Then mix it with a touch of something he really likes, honey maybe? Or maple syrup? Then spoon feed it to him. Some kids like to suck stuff like that out of a med syringe like it's a game.

Oh my gosh that's a REALLY good idea!! I will try that, thanks!!

He will swallow food with water, but not if his enzymes are mixed with the food.

Gonna try the honey thing....

 

[ryansmom02]

I have to put ryans meds in something uber sweet...I do honey also... good luck... I have a food sensitive DS also not to the point where we need the therapy but he has alot of oral aversions...

 

[Finch]

I swear, I always tell other moms and ds's therapists, that my brain just doesn't operate on the "therapist" level, and I am so clueless when it comes to clever interventions or different ways of doing things sometimes.

Y'all are awesome, thanks. I never would have thought of honey...I'm such a dork. LOL.

 

[Fay]

I've been mixing enzyme powder and probiotic powder with Hershey's chocolate syrup. I do not lie to DS about it. I say, "This is a chocolate enzyme. Here is a cup of water if you do not like the taste." He never gets chocolate syrup otherwise, so he doesn't mind at all!

Have you tried the chewable papaya/pineapple/mint enzymes? They actually taste pretty good, are cheap & widely available, plus they work pretty well. My DS actually likes them...they're like after-dinner mints for him...

With enzymes, it's really important NOT to mix the powder with anything hot, because the heat will break down the enzyme. But cold, room temp or slightly warm food is fine for mixing.

Here is a link to a Kirkman Labs page, which recommends several ways to mix powders or liquid supps into foods -- this is where I got the Hershey's syrup idea: http://www.kirkmanlabs.com/about/but...pplements.html You can also call Kirkman and ask for advice, even if you're not a paying customer...those folks have plenty of experience with this issue.

 

[Finch]

Fay, funny you should mention chocolate syrup, I thought of that after USAmma mentioned the honey. I may try mixing it with Nutella, too. Mmmmmmmmmmm....nutella.

Thanks for the link.

 

[USAmma]

How did it go? Did he take it?

 

[Finch]

Quote:

Originally Posted by USAmma How did it go? Did he take it?

Nope. He totally rejected it, honey and enzyme all over the floor. Sigh. I bought some nutella today to see if he'll take it with that. We shall see. Cross your fingers!!

 

[addax]

Good luck with the nutella!

For the spitting food , your very own OT (who was E's feeding therapist) suggested having a transparent plastic container on the table so E would know there was a sanctioned, legitimate means of rejecting food. We found this helped a ton. Ended throwing and spitting on the floor pretty effectively and pretty fast.

Mind you, I'm still with you on how irritating the stuff-spit is. But at least E will now do it into my hand if there's no container (like at the pool today) rather than on the floor...

Jodi is GREAT on feeding, I'm sure the shift of focus would be helpful!

Fiona