One of the most exciting developments in our household as of late is this boys appetite. Getting him to start solids has been a major issue for the last YEAR. He wasn't interested at 4 months, put it off till 6 months...still not interested. Finally, at ONE YEAR I had had it. And then I got patient again. And then at 15 months I asked the Dr. "What is wrong here?"
She diagnosed him with "oral aversion" and gave me a referral for speech/occupational therapy. I showed up for that appointment with a mixture of excitement and relief that finally we were putting this chapter and struggle behind us. The appointment turned out to be anti-climactic. They tried to feed him, he tried a little, and acted as he normally does. They seemed to be grasping at possible ideas that I'd already tried myself. Their conclusions were less than helpful. Don't be anxious! He can read your emotions! Scream and act excited every time he takes a bite! Um, okay?
They seemed to struggle the whole time we had our appointment to think of any solution. But it didn't take them long to want some money. Two days later we get the bill. Over $400! For less than 1/2 hour of their time! Which they spent most of hemming and hawing and not giving any scientific strategies. Gah! The insurance got the amount down a little...so we paid $340. I'm not impressed. Especially because their treatment plan included weekly visits at the same price point. Um, no.
I felt stuck. Couldn't afford their services. Want my kid to eat. The good news is that he is very good at nursing and getting the nutrition he needs from it (he's always been at the top of the growth charts). Sometimes that is the bad news too...One word: Blisters! Even if you haven't breastfed maybe you can imagine.
But...back to the end of the story. The last 2 weeks he has decided to eat! He's trying lots of different foods--swallowing some and depositing some in his cheeks for later. It's been cute and exciting to watch! We'll keep you updated on any further developments (like if he decides to start chewing the food :)!
Yay! I'm really happy for you that he has started to eat. It's not like he is your first one and you are doing any different/wrong with him! Kids sometimes are just their own selves, my three keep reminding me of that in their own special ways:)
ReplyDeleteJessica
stayathomeista.com
Thanks, Jessica! It's always nice to get some encouragement from another Mom!
ReplyDeleteSo I was talking to my sister Sara the other day about this. She's worked with lots of developmental issues and is now in the middle of a speech pathologist program. She said from the little she's seen, getting kids to eat is kind of an art that some people have. (There was one woman in California that could supposedly get anyone to eat rocks :) But something she saw someone try in a session was to just try playing with the food. For instance, they'd cook spaghetti noodles or something and would start by playing with them with their hands and slowly work up to trying it in the mouth. And if there was a food that the child liked, they'd try to slowly incorporate the new food in with the food they liked. Anyhow, maybe it's all that you've heard before. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks Edie. I appreciate you sharing that with me. We haven't tried playing with it much, that is a good idea. Similar to that, he seems to enjoy playing with all the food still on the table before I have cleared it off and that is what actually started him on the path to eating! So... definitely along those lines. Thanks for caring! It means a lot to me.
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