Amelia's eating

If you've read previous posts, you know that Amelia has some oral aversion issues. She's good with flavors, but not so much with texture. We've been working at it very slowly, and I am very excited to report that she ate about an ounce of applesauce and an ounce of stage 2 carrots today. woohoo!

I know that eating issues are fairly common in children adopted out of institutions, and I knew that she would eventually overcome it....But still, I cant help but be relieved. Mommy's cant help but feel anxious if their child is struggling with something.

I want to say a great big THANK YOU to those who have responded via e-mail, assuring me that this issue would resolve eventually, and giving me advice and encouragement. I posted an eating question on several yahoo groups, and got almost 100 responses. Very helpful! So I thought that I would share some of the advice we got and the things we are doing.

1. Try different types of spoons. The ones we really like are Gerber spoons with the metal handle and the rubber coated spoon. She doesn't like the thick spoons, and they don't slide between her lips easily (like the nuby spoons, for instance). Food is quite enough for her to manage in her mouth---a thick rubber spoon is just too much.

2. Try putting the food on her lips at first and letting her lick it off. That way she gets interested in the taste, in a non-threatening manner. Amelia loves Gerber Dutch Apple Dessert. This was the breakthough food for us.--its yummy, I've tried it!

3. Once she starts licking the food off the lips, then start placing the food in the edge of her mouth with the spoon turned sideways. She freaks out if you put it in front ways--goes too far into her mouth and she gags. Slip it in sideways though, and she smacks and actually swallows it.

4. Make eating fun with noises, faces, whatever makes her smile and keeps her from feeling too stressed out. If she starts to cry, back off and try again another day. DO NOT force the issue, because then food becomes a battle of wills and the child feels that she's lost the last bit of control she has in her life. That's a pretty scary thing for anyone. Keep it light!

5. Get down on her level and eat with her. For instance, I put a graham cracker in her hand and munch on it with HER holding it and watching .........Making yummy smacking sounds all the time (ala cookie monster). I also do a bite for her and then a bite for me with the applesauce, again, smiling and making yummy noises. This is not for the squeamish, but I use her spoon for both of us--if baby slobber grosses you out, it might still work using your own spoon.

6. Get a fingertip toothbrush and some giggles and grins baby tooth cleaner and use it every day. Hold her as if she's getting a bottle and stroke her lips, chin, and cheeks at first. Make it funny! Once she's used to that, then gently stroke her gums and tongue with the brush. Amelia is teething and likes to chew on my finger with the rubber tip on there. I really believe that this was the turning point in her starting to learn the mechanics of eating. This stimulates blood vessels in their mouth and teaches them how to handle something in their mouth in a very non-threatening way. This also makes great snuggle/bonding time.

7. Stoke her cheeks, chin and lips with different textures. This also stimulates blood vessels and reduces her sensitivity to textures around her mouth. (ex. A silk scarf, a feather, a cold cloth, a soft toy )

8. Put her in the high chair during meals and put small bits of different foods on her high chair tray. Let her play with it and be as messy as she wants. Get her attention frequently so she can see you eat, and make yummy, smacky noises and faces. Let her know this is something you enjoy!

9. If you are adding cereals and baby foods to the bottle to ensure she gets adequate nutrition, make sure she gets the stoked bottles AFTER her feeding attempts. She needs to be a little hungry when you try and feed her. I give her a cereal/fruit/formula combo first thing in the morning, then just formula with less than an ounce of cereal for the middle bottles, and a nice thick one for dinner, AFTER high chair time. Some would disagree with me, but I think putting fruits, veges, chicken noodle, turkey and rice baby food etc. In some bottles gets her used to different flavors (and slightly different textures) in a non threatening way.

10. Don't stress about it. My favorite e-mail came from someone who said she's never seen a college student drinking from a bottle. Come to think of it, neither have I :)

Amelia has lost everything familiar in such a short time. Several e-mailers pointed out that sometimes the babies just cant handle another new experience right away, and who can blame them? EVERYTHING IS NEW. I've been doing all of the above in a very lighthearted atmosphere, but also just treasuring the cuddles and bonding that come with the bottles. She's growing and changing already.....Our babies wont be babies for long. I'm happy that she's eating, but enjoying babying my baby too.

Just thought I would pass along some of the excellent advice given to me.