ex machina
the eric update - day 260: ( not so ) deep thoughts about ( not ) eating solids.
while we briefly abandoned attempts to feed odin eggs ever since The Incident, we occasionally check to see if he's interested in solid food by mixing up a bit of earth's best organic rice cereal to see if he shows a renewed interest in eating solids.
and while previously, he might humor us by taking in a bit of rice and spitting it back out, lately he's taken to actively thwarting our attempts by blocking the spoon and doing his best to squirm his way out the situation ( hence the splotch of cereal on his forehead ).
so, since he seemed at least vaguely interested in solid food before the The Incident can we assume that he now associates solid food with vomiting for hours on end? or maybe infants just go through phases where sometimes they're interested and sometimes they're not? odin's cousin wheeler, who is exactly the same adjusted age as odin couldn't be more different in this regard. i suspect she'd eat a plate full of any solid food you put in front of her.
i guess like all things, there's probably a continuum of behaviors related to interest in solids and the chance that he has an eating disorder is fairly small ( i'm mostly joking ).
joking aside, this is one of those seemingly minor points that can haunt micropreemie parents, as it's not uncommon for infants born very early to develop eating "problems" which can lead to dimished weight gains.
not that we're terribly concerned about it at this point, but bonus points will be awarded for comments about your own experiences regarding your infants interest in solid food, especially if you're a parent of a micropreemie.
3/21/2005 11:57:00 PM
10 comments
10 Comments:
Have you tried other cereals for different textures (I've heard organic can be gritty and gooey, but haven't seen it myself)? And will he take plain milk or really watered down cereal from a spoon?
By 
, at
3:11 AM
My experience is now 23 years old and wasn't a micropreemie but she was a strange one to feed! *G*
It was suggested to us to put cereal in with milk in a bottle. Watered down a lot..make the nipple bigger for easier flow.
I think we did about three bottles full like this then she was on to the spoon. The "flavour and texture" had caught on.
23 years later...no eating disorders..loves food..called home recently about her new experience at her favourite Thai restaurant!
Good Luck!
Heather in Halifax
By , at
6:59 AM
We took several trips on the low-weight-gain/failure-to-thrive merry-go-round. It is Not Fun. We finally got hooked up with some decent, understanding physicians and now it's all good, but there were a couple of unplesant months in there.
Drop me a line directly if you want all the sordid details; I won't go in to it here. Basically, it sounds like what you're doing is the Right Thing -- offer the food, but don't force it. When he wants to eat, he'll eat.
By , at
7:12 AM
Try putting the cereal on your finger instead. I happen to agree with Dr. Sears that it's the best first spoon. Also, try something besides cereal (have you ever tasted the stuff?)...apples or bananas are great first foods too.
By , at
8:24 AM
mine wasn't a micropreemie, but he was never interested in solids from a spoon. Oh no, he was Mr. Nursing All the Time. At 9-10 months he began feeding himself little bits of whatever he could manage with a spoon by himself, allowing us to give him a spoon or two of something now and then. Now at 15 months he is finally eating reliably. His weight gain slowed, but he's always been at a decent percentile weight-wise. All babies are different, some love to eat and some really don't care about exploring new foods during the infant months. Just continue to offer new foods time to time without forcing him, I'm pretty confident that he'll be fine and when he's ready he'll accept the foods happily.
By , at
8:24 AM
I would hesitate to put "milked down cereal" in a bottle. I have heard it can cause obesity in children. I have nothing to back it up with, just remember "hearing" about it when my boys were small, 15 years ago. I would definately check with your doctor before putting cereal in his bottle. I like the idea of trying a fruit!
Be patient,
Lori
By , at
12:01 PM
This is like giving someone a Bud Light and then concluding from that that they don't like beer.
ha! but see, my Evil Plan was was really to trick people into sharing their experiences about transitioning to solids. i think we'll be trying a Smooshed Banana next.
thanks for all your suggestions/comments.
Rice cereal, applesauce and bananas flopped miserably for us. Sweet potatoes and oatmeal were da bomb :). We also had to expereiment with various textures.
You could also try a breast milk slushie via spoon.
If you're concerned about Odin's caloric intake, pumping off a bit of foremilk (1-2 tbsp) before a feed can increase the quantity of fat rich hind milk that Odin is recieving. This milk can be mixed with the solids.
I'd also caution against cereal in the bottle, mostly because it's been shown to be a choking hazard.
Good luck! The world of solids is an adventure for sure :)
By 
pumpkinhead, at
4:19 PM
P.S. The 'finger as a spoon' suggestion is a great one!
By pumpkinhead, at
4:21 PM
See what happens 23 years later. What worked for us for a few bottles becomes a "choking hazzard"!! LOL!
Anyway...There is no way she could have choked because it was so liquidy. It was pablum and there was just enough to add a bit of bulk and get baby use to the taste.
That being said..I prefer the idea of mushed fruit. Lot's of avenues for taste adventures there...your choice of bananas sounds like a yummy start!
So how did Dear Odin do with his bananas?
toodles
Heather in Halifax
By , at
6:32 AM
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“"it is hard to be brave," said piglet, sniffing slightly, "when you're only a Very Small Animal." rabbit, who had begun to write very busily, looked up and said: "it is because you are a very small animal that you will be Useful in the adventure before us."”
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this site chronicles the continuing adventures of my son, odin, who was unexpectedly born on the fourth of july at 25 weeks gestation, weighing 1 pound 7 ounces.
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