Please Help - Enumclaw, WA

C.,

He probably should see his pediatrician about the vomitting even if it is only occassional episodes. Typically, from formula at 1 year they transition to whole milk. Have you tried finger foods? Maybe he would prefer foods he can pick and feed himself. Best wishes to you.

C.,
Although I have never experienced that particular struggle I would suggest talking with your pediatricain first that is if you haven't already. Does your son take a bottle or even a sippy cup at all with breast milk or formula? I ask becuase you have to try less & less to give him the breast as his main food source. It sounds as if he is using you as a human pacifier to go to sleep and because he is already one yrs. old he is needing more food and exhausting you. I don't suggest you stop nursing because it is his security and comfort as well as bonding but by now he definitly should be getting most of his food from solids or formula. Have you tried rice cereal, oatmeal and some of these even come flavored with fruit like banana. You mix formula or your own breast milk with the rice cereal. You can give it to them through a bottle and then try to teach them to eat of a spoon. Anything you teach them will take consistancy & time to gradually introduce them to something that is new to them. It is not recommended to let babies sleep with a bottle or always get use to breast feeding to go to sleep. You see with bottle feeding, it can cause ear infections and tooth decay over time when they sleep with their bottle. Not to mention it is a hard habit to break. When he uses you as a pacifier to go to sleep would it be possible for you to give him a pacifier instead or does he even take one? My babies always liked the breast before going to sleep and that isn't all that bad because it is pretty normal. However, I think the closer they are to 1 yrs. old they should be doing this even less because their nutritional need or food source at this point should not be just you. Ask you child's doctor about more ways to introduce solids to your child. I also used vanilla soy milk to transition my babies from breastmilk to cow's milk or I would even mix it with formula. Vanilla soy milk is similar to breast milk in its sweetness and most babies tranistion to it better. I have also heard of goats milk also being sweeter and good although I have never tried it myself. Soy milk is very healthy it has calcium, fat etc. like regular cow's milk except non-dairy. I wonder when you say your son sometimes throws up if he is very sensitive to lactose products and he is maybe allergic to it. Maybe there is more that is going on and only with the help of his pediatrician you can come to a solution. For example maybe he has a sensitive gag reflex or Gastroesophageal Reflux? This is when contents from the stomach make their way back to the esophagus which can be causing him to throw up at times. Don't give up trying to give him solids you are not alone if you look on-line there are many who have difficulty giving their kids solids but the key is keep trying and be gradual in your introduction of foods. Make sure you give him foods that are less allergy prone & don't over feed so that you have less throw up. Good Luck! Wish you the best in figuring it out. God Bless, O. O.

Have you talked to your pediatrician about the vomiting? Does it only happen when your son drinks the pediasure (starting after dropping the similac)? You may want to ask if it's time to talk to a GI doctor, or meet with an allergist. There are lots of good toddler formulas out there (a couple of companies to look into are Nutricia - makes Neocate products, and Elecare). Does the feeding therapist think that he has sensory issues? Is it possible that he's allergic to the soy in Pediasure, or that he has reflux? Is there anything else that he has trouble keeping down? I hope that you can get this figured out. Sending you hugs.

C.--
you need to talk to your pediatrician. There are formulas like enfamil next step for toddlers, but he should be starting to eat better. He may have reflux and there are medications to help that. OHSU also has a feeding team that can help evaluate what is going on and they have a nutritionist.

Sometimes when they teeth, they stop eating solids because of the pain. Is he teething?
It could just be a phase- just nurse him lots and keep trying different foods. The Pediasure may be too rough on his tummy, try Silk soy milk- Vanilla. If he is nursing lots, could be he needs the comfort as well.
My 2 yr old still doesn't eat solids very well, he is tactile, likes to nurse & drink his Soy Milk.

My son was on similac too until he was almost 2 years old. He is lactose intolerant and could only have the soy formula. To cut down on cost, I started mixing a little regular soy milk with his formula. He had ALL of his baby teeth by 18 months and started getting them right at 4 months. So, his mouth was always sore and he usually refused to eat anything other than a bottle. I was able to get him to eat soft foods, like yogurt, jell-o and some baby-foods. His doctor said that as long as he was on the similac, he was getting enough nutrients. We didn't take the bottle away until he was 26 months because of it. One thing I have learned is that, when they are hungry, they will eat. Keep offering it and he'll give in once he finally realizes that it isn't so horrible.

Good luck! I certainly feel what you're going through!

Hey, C.:

I have a friend whose daughter threw everything up until after two years of age and had to eat through a tube due to being premature, and another friend whose daughter had problems that I think are very similar to your son's difficulties. I witnessed how difficult both those situations were on the whole family and my heart goes out to you.

In the way of advice, all I can say is that if your feeding class and/or doctor aren't helping, ask more questions, and go to a different doctor (or two, or ten) Your son might benefit from specialists and/or alternative medicine. Along with a great pediatrician, and following up with the specialists they refer you to, your son might benefit from any one of the following: herbalist/naturopath, dietician, a good chiropractor who regularly sees children and/or accupuncturist (there are non-needle techniques they can use for kids and my six year old actually loves accupuncture needles and responds really well to the treatments). Don't ever stop asking your medical professionals for help until you get some answers that work for your son.

Hang in there. This too shall pass.

-L. T

Wow, my kids started on cereal when they were about 5 months old. Maybe if you act like you are going to nurse and put him in position, then sneak a little spoon with some plum pudding (Gerber) in it, he will get the taste and want to try some more. Just trying to be creative. You can also try a larger hole in the bottle nipple and mix a little cereal with the Similac. At his age, his taste buds are more developed so you may want to crush up a piece of banana in it also. Rice cereal isn't so tastey.

There are formulas that are specifically made for babies 9-24 months. My daughter is one and is currently on one and it works great. The one that I use is the safeway brand. It is very similar to enfamil. My pediatrician agreed that the safeway brand was very much the same only you're not paying for the name. As you know that stuff isn't cheap. I have an appointment with her in two weeks and I hope to wean her from formula all together. I hope this helps. J.

Hi C.,
Both of my kids have texture issues with foods. My oldest would not eat the #1 foods unless I mixed in rice cereal. My youngest will not eat anything that has a grain type texture (apple sauce, oatmeal, etc.)
I would try to play with different textures to see if that helps.
Melissa

Sorry I can't help you with this, but just wanted to say that it's so cute how you describe of your husband! :)

How many teeth does he have?

The pediasure is not good for him right now. Listen to your gut. Close your eyes and be quiet. The answer is there, just trust it.

It sounds like he may have a reflux OR some kind of food allergy. I asked about the teeth b/c some babies are ready for solids much earlier than others. Let him have the breast for now. That is definitely the most sound nutrition that his little body is craving and can hold onto. Do not deny it to him right now.

Definitely see a pediatrician and see what ideas they come up with. It may be that you need a soy based product too. Try that.

Sister, I know it is scary. We are all in this together. It is very scary being a first-time mom. Nobody tells you what to do daily to care for this other little person except you and your instincts. And your mom! LOL Listen to your instincts, they are always right and a God-given miracle connection with your baby.

If he's throwing up, there could be another problem going on. He could have acid reflux or GERD. I would take the time to have his doctor check him out. At this age, they should be eating some solids. Hope this helps. Good luck! ~B.

Sounds like he's having digestive problems! Poor child! He's probably having a lot of discomfort from the formula. And he's not getting enough to eat! He is ready to eat mashed up food.

I also have a question - what is wrong with him wanting to breast feed? That is the BEST solution. You can breast feed pretty much up to 2 and 3 years old like they used to, 100 years ago! Don't quit just because someone says you should. Did you know that scientific studies have proven that a) formula does NOT have nutrients like DHA and essential fatty acids that are neccessary for normal brain function? Also, did you know breastfeeding up to 2 years old - they have seen it benefiting brain health up to 2 years old in children!! That is also plenty of reason for you to continue - of course I would supplement with what I recommended below.

Try doing this instead (used previously for other food advice):I don't blame your 1-year old. Have you ever tasted baby food? It's awful. I think baby food teaches children to hate their veggies because it tastes so bad. Anyway, my grandmother taught me to cook potatoes and carrots, mash them up with a fork, with a little salt and butter, MY 1-year old LOVED it. He was so scrawny when I went to live with her, and she made this frequently, and looked much less scrawny after a month! You can actually do this with any veggie and potatoe. Also, I used to use my KitchenAid Mixer - it has a food grinder. I used to grind the food with it for my babies (AFTER it was cooked, of course). You can also use a blender or Cuisinart to mash stuff. It's a lot of work, but you're right, they can't chew very well yet. I pretty much mashed and ground anything I cooked for us.

If he's throwing up he could have an allergy. You need to have him seen by his doctor. In the mean time, keeping him on formula a little longer won't hurt him. After you rule out an allergy, you can try weening him from forula to milk my mixing them together, starting with lots of formula and a little milk and gradually working your way to the other way around until he likes the taste of the milk by itself. Formula is a lot sweeter than milk and so is breast milk so to a baby, the switch can be a shock. But definitly make sure he doesn't have an allergy or intollerance before you move forward.

You are breastfeeding and supplementing with formula? That's what it sounds like. Will he drink water from a sippy cup? We started that before solids. Have you tried rice cereal? Try the most bland foods you can think of. My daughter never liked "baby" food. Try cut up pieces of soft foods that he can feed himself. At one, he can eat almost anything, you just have to be careful about the size of the bite. Sometimes they just want to feed themselves.... Good luck