You are what you eat.

Separate but related to feeding your children and how they eat  is the food you give them.

I know a bit more-than-average about human physiology, but what I know, have learned, and think about food is outside of my professional designations.

I am not a nutritionist or dietitian.  What I share regarding food is related to therapy to help children develop eating and feeding. 

Calories are an insufficient measure of nutrition.  Where the calories come from are important to your child’s growth and development.

For developing movement (motor skills) and language/communication (cognitive skills) I am especially concerned that children get adequate fat and calcium.

Fat is very important for the correct growth of nerves and the brain.

 

Calcium is critical to muscle contractions and bone formation.

With only these few facts, I can reasonably connect the dots  suggest further diet help to a parent in some situations.

 

For example…

- for a baby or young child who is gaining weight faster than height and is delayed in motor development I might suggest that the child is getting too many calories.

Extra weight can make learning new movement more difficult. I reiterate, I am not suggesting cutting the amount of food in this situation, but that the child’s diet be adjusted to slow the weight gain while retaining necessary nutrients. Professionals other than therapists can determine which calories and if the calories are being stored correctly by the child’s body.

- for a baby or young child who is very thin and also spastic, I might suggest a review of nutritional intake with specific attention to calcium.

Lack of calcium can cause muscle stiffness or increase spasticity. Professionals other than therapists can determine if calcium is not being absorbed correctly in the child’s system. (A mineral closely related to calcium in importance and effect is potassium.)

I will not comment or give an opinion on any diet under the moniker of DAN.

I have known children whose seizures have been reduced via the ketogenic diet.  I read  a blog by a parent   who gives the ketogenic diet to her child. I mention the ketogenic diet as an option to explore if your child has seizures.  

Clarifying the food path and a therapist’s part in that path...

Your therapist can help you choose foods to use during therapy to develop eating skills. The foods recommended by your therapist will likely be based on the texture, size and taste of the food.

You decide – with or without consultation from a physician or nutritionist – what your child eats for nutrition. A physician or nutritionist are the professionals who can help you find the correct food if your child does not metabolize food well as part of a diagnosis(es).

Therapists have less to say about what happens between the mouth and, well, the diaper.

Except…

some therapists participate in obtaining and using the results from a swallow study to discern whether food is taking a side-trip into the lungs via the trachea.

The cliché I used to title this post is born of a natural component of mothering.  Inadequate nutrition early in life can have long term effects for both physical and mental function.

I agree with Katy  (in comments) that strong emotions are attached to feeding our children. If you are struggling with eating/feeding issues with your child, I urge you to take your questions, struggle and emotions to the professionals you know and ask for some help.

Comments

[Mother Mayhem]

Watching Emily's weight has always been important. Her large size (both as a baby and now) makes certain activities a little harder for her. Just learning to hold her head up was a major achievement. ;o)

[Stacey Harris]

My Jessica was --and still is underweight-- so increasing calories was always a challenge. I found that paying attention to the voice inside you really helps, there was a time when the Dr's wanted Jessica to have this medication before meals...it tasted like Alka-Seltzer-- after a while I realized that Jessica couldn't eat after taking that medication and so I asked if she could take the meds a different time-- I am glad I asked-- it did help Jessica to have a better eating expirence.

[Mrs. Mac]

The 'eating/feeding' experience is more than just that: Eating and Feeding. It should include the time spent sitting around the table with your family 'learning' by watching and absorbing the routine day after day ... not left only to the back bedroom with a g-tube feed. Sights and smells are a GIANT part of the learning process.

When my son, Nathan, was a wee one, I'd hold him in my arms while stirring dinner on the stove top, often dabbing a small taste in his mouth. The sights and smells of the dinner would really 'wake up' his senses. We also included him at the table for each and every family meal ... no matter if he put a speck of food in his mouth. There is something to be said about learning by osmosis, habit, routine ... baby steps.

[The Barbara who lives here]

Absolutely, Mrs. Mac! [Yur gettin a littl ahead of me here.] Layering on the social aspects of eating is in my plan. Everyone else, just try to keep up with Mrs. Mac!

Emily's current beauty and holding-her-head-up can give everyone hope and a good understanding that early struggles to move are not dire-prognosis-bound. Thanks for reinforcing an important point, MM. (Hope you are 100% soon!)

The challenges of getting enough calories into your child is shared by many (from what I read in other blogs), Stacey. You give an excellent suggestion for looking at the timing of meds with meals to all those struggling to get their children to eat. Thanks!

[Mrs. Mac]

OK, OK, ... I'll try to refrain from gettin' ahead of the topic here ;) I just get so excited about successful progress related to eating/feeding youngsters that struggle. Hang in there parents ... and don't lose sight of the goal. Even if that goal seems far off ... or may never fully be acquired. Steady slow progress is a far better outcome than giving up and having no progress. 'nuff said' ... I'll be quiet as a little mouse until I just can't contain my excitement !! :)

[rhemashope]

We have certainly had our struggles with Rhema in regard to eating. (She was ultimately diagnosed with a feeding disorder). A book I found helpful was "Food Chaining" (Fraker, Fishbein, Cox, Walbert) - it helped me identify good foods that Rhema was more likely to tolerate based on color and texture. Also, once we put her on a GFCF diet, she began to feel better and, in turn, eat better.

[Dad @ kintropy]

Thanks, Barbara, for writing about this. You've touched on several things we've worked through with Hannah. We're often on a see-saw, working with doctors to modify her g-tube diet to slow weight gain, particularly given her smaller-than-average size and growth curve, but also making sure she gets enough of the right stuff. The right stuff is protein, fats, fiber, etc.: the right amount to keep our system running well.


We're still working through all this. Interested to read your next blog(s) on this topic & appreciate everyone's ideas via the comments, too.

[The Barbara who lives here]

I am lovin' your repeated encouragement to younger parents, Mrs. Mac!

I consider you a valid resource, rhemashope, and will add that book to my reading list. Thanks! This is a good place to mention the GFCF diet as another option to explore. (Danette?)

Welcome back, Dad @ Kintropy! Long time no see! Thanks, too for repeating points that have been borne-out in your experience.

I expect to post again later today - after Studly Hubby and I go out to lunch for Father's Day. Later, y'all!