Feeding: Solid Foods

We waited to introduce solid foods until Wyatt was past his 2nd surgery at 6 months. We could have started before surgery but I didn't want to deal with starting for a couple of weeks and then have the interruption of surgery. We cheated a little by putting cereal in his bottles starting at 4 months. This was at the recommendation of his pediatrician. We thought it might help with his reflux and weight. Well, he still spit up a ton but I am still glad we tried it. It filled him up more and helped keep his weight up for surgery. 

Now that we are past surgery it was time to give it a go with solids (pureed foods). Wyatt really wasn't sure what to think! He was really confused and unsure about it all. We started with rice cereal and peas. He wasn't sure what to do with the spoon and sometimes lets the food pile up in his mouth without swallowing. It has been about a week and we are still practicing. He is getting better and better. So far he has had peas, bananas and apples.

For the most part feeding is the same for a baby with a cleft as without but there are some differences. The biggest thing is he will have some come through his nose or get stuck. Because of this, Anna (previously introduced as the coordinator for out team and Speech and Language Pathologist) told us it may be helpful to start experimenting with the food being a little thinner and then try getting thicker as we go. Some prefer thinner and others prefer thicker. She said to start out with small bites and then work on bigger bites as he gets better. Just like babies without clefts we try one food for a few days and then add another. Another thing I tried after seeing it posted on a cleft board was feeding him with the spoon upside down so he could use his tongue to lick it off. So far this doesn't seem to be his favorite. ;) 

Here is a picture of Wyatt during our first attempt at solids.

Do not be alarmed by nasal regurgitation! Most babies with a cleft have some come out their nose at first but it gets better and better even without the palate fixed by using their tongue. Here is Wyatt and his river of peas. 

These pictures are from our second try. He is a little more frustrated with the whole process.

Getting messy and having fun with it! He is learning. 

Our next big step with feeding will be introducing a cup but there isn't a rush for this. Some doctors want them to be using a cup before palate surgery but Wyatt's doctor said he can still use a bottle. We could try a cup closer to 8 months but I think we will hold off. He has enough to deal with! When we are ready we will try different cups to see what works best. We won't use anything with a valve as he still can't suck.