tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4274008603909996948.post5210627527716470574..comments2023-10-25T04:03:19.002-05:00Comments on Bill and Ria - Sharing experiences about life, parenting, and Down syndrome: Just Take a LickRiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06737298798388579270noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4274008603909996948.post-2537643819078807952010-09-20T10:39:27.459-05:002010-09-20T10:39:27.459-05:00@Jasmine, thanks for the suggestion. Doing more &q...@Jasmine, thanks for the suggestion. Doing more "big boy" things at the table like self-feeding has helped a bit too. He's had his own chair since he turned 2 last year and that has worked well. Good luck with potty training Ella!<br /><br />@Rochelle, thanks! Alayna needs to come visit and show Matthew how yummy ice cream is. :-)<br /><br />@Looking Up, thanks for the encouragement and reminder that is a gradual process just like all the other milestones. We'll get there eventually. :-)<br /><br />@Brandie, I do remember reading that on your blog many months ago. What a struggle that was! Thanks for the link to the food chaining blog. I will have to bookmark that.<br /><br />@Rosa Maria, thanks for the tips!<br /><br />@Kris, I enjoy your insights as always. Wishing us both luck in the food department!Riahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06737298798388579270noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4274008603909996948.post-29515836252331863322010-09-19T10:35:02.922-05:002010-09-19T10:35:02.922-05:00I love this post Ria. I would agree with everyone ...I love this post Ria. I would agree with everyone else & say that you didn't do anything wrong at all, and I would add that while I have been there myself (my 4 yr old is extremely food averse and 90% of his diet is milk with Carnation Instant breakfast in it), you may as well steel yourself to that now. Unfortunately, as the mom of a food averse child, you are probably bound to bump into a self-appointed food/nutrition expert at some point, who will suggest that you did do something wrong, and will summarily list what you can do to instantly fix it. In actual fact, while eating is perfectly natural to some children, it is equally, if not moreso UNNATURAL to other kids. To some kids, the flavors and textures of food that are so rewarding to some are terrifying, threatening, and wholly unpleasant to others. The problem, at least for my son, is that even "fun" food like cupcakes & cookies have to get past his senses of taste/texture, smell, sight, etc, and they are not at all pleasing to him. When I am feeling down about it & asking myself "why", I try to remember that there are neglected kids with moms on crack that will happily down a burger. This is not to say that we can't as parents always be evaluating how we are doing, but some things simply come down to the wiring of that child, and the very best we can do is help them cope with it and with a little luck grow a bit in that area in spite of it. You are doing a fantastic job with Matthew in every way imaginable, including the feeding issues. You are an amazing mom, and Matthew is incredible. (Not to mention so darn cute!) Love, Auntie Kris :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4274008603909996948.post-6932071482821624822010-09-18T21:55:54.856-05:002010-09-18T21:55:54.856-05:00Ria, we haven't had feeding issues with our bo...Ria, we haven't had feeding issues with our boy, but our OT gave us a few tips during this transitioning:<br /><br />- keep offering new food to him as much as you can. <br />- Offering the food he doesn't like it over and over again. I used to give him the same food for a week or until he began eating it without any trouble. <br />- Let him touch the food before he eats, then he kisses the food and lick it and finally let him to try the food. You can make a demonstration for him and make a game of it.<br />-Try to give him frozen fruits or popsicles as snack to aware his oral muscles before the meal. Or you can rub lips and tongue with ices before he eats.<br /><br />Hope this can help you and Matthew.Rosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02563282224117081649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4274008603909996948.post-59738553544578959922010-09-18T21:08:26.614-05:002010-09-18T21:08:26.614-05:00Goldie struggled with liquids, but not solids. How...Goldie struggled with liquids, but not solids. However, my son has a horribly sensitive gag reflex. At 8 months he is only able to tolerate purees or baby cereal. So, I don't think you did anything wrong. Every child is different and these things just happen sometimes. <br /><br />Food chaining also has a blog http://cheriandlaura.blogspot.com/Brandiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01704697731192764110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4274008603909996948.post-14104527600001299752010-09-18T10:43:12.617-05:002010-09-18T10:43:12.617-05:00Ria, I don't think that you "went wrong&...Ria, I don't think that you "went wrong" anywhere. My son Josh seems to have an issue with trying new foods as well. I think that it's pretty common with many toddlers, and especially common with kids who have DS, as they tend to have particular probs with accepting different textures. My son loves most things with cheese..grilled cheese, mac n cheese, etc. He will also eat homemade turkey meatballs & roasted chicken, but that's it in the meat department. He will eat applesauce or ANY pureed fruits, but try to get him to eat pieces of an actual banana or grape, & it's a battle. And eggs? It took me months before he would actually swallow a tiny bit of scrambled eggs without spitting them out the second they hit his tongue. I used to get frustrated, wondering if I waited too long to introduce him to different things, wondering what I was doing wrong....But I've finally come to the conclusion, that Josh accepting new foods is just going to have to be a gradual process. Like all of the other milestones, we'll get there eventually....Looking Uphttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00622397350942965771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4274008603909996948.post-28694793907437674102010-09-18T08:15:35.637-05:002010-09-18T08:15:35.637-05:00Yeah for success. Oh we can't imagine life wi...Yeah for success. Oh we can't imagine life without ice cream Matthew so thankful you decided to give it another try.Rochellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11866781944242761406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4274008603909996948.post-68455897199235498352010-09-18T07:35:13.323-05:002010-09-18T07:35:13.323-05:00Ria, Ella went through the same thing and my Speec...Ria, Ella went through the same thing and my Speech Therapist helped me out. Keep introducing new foods, have her imitate the chewing action as she watches you and the children, and something that seemed to work better than all else was - transitioning her from highchair to booster seat. <br /><br />She loved being with the family in a more intimate setting. She thrived. <br /><br />She has successfully transitioned. Now if I could just muster up the strength to potty train. ;-) xox<br /><br />Great job, Ria. <br /><br />God Bless.Far Above Rubieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05090466984173332753noreply@blogger.com