Hi Chas...our 2 1/2 year old is only just having (semi-solid) food but still prefers to 'suck' textured food till he can swallow it. Even now, he will ocassionally gag on rice etc..
Elisha was born with.. &$*#...I can't even remember the medical term for it now, but it is a condition where the trachaea/windpipe is still quite soft and pliable and a couple of the muscles around the top of it are over-enlarged, hence a narrowing of the airways.
He had laser surgery (thank God it's all still free in N.Z) that cut away the excess muscle.
The hardening of the windpipe is a 'development over time' thing. Usually one way you can tell if this condition is present is if they have noisy breathing at times, especially when they are sleeping (what the doctors call 'stridor', and apparently is quite common), but the only way one can know for sure if there is an over-enlargement of the muscles around the windpipe is a camera down the hatch !
If you want any more info just email me at awo65702@bigpond.net.au
p.s. we nearly lost the little fella a cupla times as a baby, when he would start choking on his own mucous in his cot. One night in particular God audibly woke Selina up, and when she checked Elisha, he was turning blue in his cot. Selina is one heck of a God fearing lady !!
Achalasia (cardiospasm, esophageal aperistalsis, megaesophagus) is a disorder in which the rhythmic contractions of the esophagus are greatly decreased and the lower esophageal sphincter fails to relax normally.
Achalasia results from a malfunction of the nerves controlling the rhythmic contractions of the esophagus. The cause of the nerve malfunction is not known.
Symptoms
Achalasia may occur at any age but usually begins, almost unnoticed, between the ages of 20 and 60 and then progresses gradually over many months or years. The tight lower esophageal sphincter causes the part of the esophagus above it to enlarge greatly. This enlargement contributes to many of the symptoms. Difficulty swallowing both solids and liquids is the main symptom. Other symptoms may include chest pain, regurgitation of the bland, nonacidic contents of the enlarged esophagus, and coughing at night. Although uncommon, chest pain may occur during swallowing or for no apparent reason. About one third of people who have achalasia regurgitate undigested food while sleeping. They may inhale food into their lungs, which can cause coughing, a lung abscess, infection of the airways, bronchiectasis, or aspiration pneumonia
I found this at a website dealing with the esophagus
While reading it may scare the daylights out of you (worst case scenarios abound) I thought it might be helpful
I don't have a clue, Chas, but I work with a bunch of mothers...a bunch of "mothers", too , but I'll ask the mothers if they've heard of it or know anything about it. :)
Achalasia (cardiospasm, esophageal aperistalsis, megaesophagus) is a disorder in which the rhythmic contractions of the esophagus are greatly decreased and the lower esophageal sphincter fails to relax normally.
Achalasia results from a malfunction of the nerves controlling the rhythmic contractions of the esophagus. The cause of the nerve malfunction is not known.
Symptoms
Achalasia may occur at any age but usually begins, almost unnoticed, between the ages of 20 and 60 and then progresses gradually over many months or years. The tight lower esophageal sphincter causes the part of the esophagus above it to enlarge greatly. This enlargement contributes to many of the symptoms. Difficulty swallowing both solids and liquids is the main symptom. Other symptoms may include chest pain, regurgitation of the bland, nonacidic contents of the enlarged esophagus, and coughing at night. Although uncommon, chest pain may occur during swallowing or for no apparent reason. About one third of people who have achalasia regurgitate undigested food while sleeping. They may inhale food into their lungs, which can cause coughing, a lung abscess, infection of the airways, bronchiectasis, or aspiration pneumonia
I found this at a website dealing with the esophagus
While reading it may scare the daylights out of you (worst case scenarios abound) I thought it might be helpful
I don't think so... but I'm not a clinical person. He doesn't have any of the coughing at night, and certainly no trouble drinking - if I could find a cap and nipple that would fit on a gallon milk jug, he could happily suck it down in no time. (He will fish empty milk jugs out of the kitchen trash can, trolling for a drink sometimes - I'm not kidding!) His gagging problem is right at the time the rough textured food enters his mouth - like a hyper-active gag reflex. But the kid also will try to eat fuzz - like the pilling on blankets, or a floki rug (you know, those fuzzy, wool-like rugs that come from Greece.) I always have to watch him for him shoving fluff in his mouth when we're not looking - it's like some weird fetish he has. Yeah, I get the weird ones.
Now that I think about it... maybe he has a hairball?
Hi Chas...our 2 1/2 year old is only just having (semi-solid) food but still prefers to 'suck' textured food till he can swallow it. Even now, he will ocassionally gag on rice etc..
Elisha was born with.. &$*#...I can't even remember the medical term for it now, but it is a condition where the trachaea/windpipe is still quite soft and pliable and a couple of the muscles around the top of it are over-enlarged, hence a narrowing of the airways.
He had laser surgery (thank God it's all still free in N.Z) that cut away the excess muscle.
The hardening of the windpipe is a 'development over time' thing. Usually one way you can tell if this condition is present is if they have noisy breathing at times, especially when they are sleeping (what the doctors call 'stridor', and apparently is quite common), but the only way one can know for sure if there is an over-enlargement of the muscles around the windpipe is a camera down the hatch !
If you want any more info just email me at awo65702@bigpond.net.au
p.s. we nearly lost the little fella a cupla times as a baby, when he would start choking on his own mucous in his cot. One night in particular God audibly woke Selina up, and when she checked Elisha, he was turning blue in his cot. Selina is one heck of a God fearing lady !!
((((Allan & Selina)))
Man, that must have been so tough on you guys until you found out what caused Elisha's condition and got treatment for it. Sounds like NZ has good healthcare. Thankfully, we do, too - I thank God for it, because being without good insurance in the States can be a nightmare! Actually, Andreas sounds like Darth Vader sometimes when he breathes, but that could just be my opinion - babies tend to huff and puff, a lot. So we're going to see what the next eight weeks brings. Thanks for the info - I'll certainly keep it in mind!
Hey Chas, just remembered the clinical name for it, laryngomalacia, (it's not as scary as it sounds) and as I said not totally uncommon. If bubs breathing does sound weird at times it could be.
p.s. one of our grandsons also was into picking the bits of fluff off blankets and eating it too ! He pretty much left a threadbare looking baby rug in his wake ! Couldn't do anything to stop it and as long as it kept coming out in his poo no harm done.
It could be a sensory issue as well. That certain textures really gross him out, while others don't. It is very difficult to tell what is going on with these little guys who can't talk to us yet. But as Safari said, as long as he is gaining sufficient weight, he's doing okay.
My younger son HATED baby food, especially the cereals and they gave him constipation. He went from breast milk to toddler food, skipping the baby food stage altogether. He only ate the toddler food for a very short time before switching to soft "adult" foods.
I had a neighbor who had a son who loved to pick off the fuzz of his stuffed animals and blankets whatever like you describe ... but he didnt eat them
he stuffed them up his nose. he would push the fluffies up his nose till they got clogged and she couldnt get them out .
so not funny really( but twenty years later im laughing at what kids will put parents through. )
She had at the dr's alot so get the stuff out of his nose.
I hope your baby can adjust to the type of food you think he should eat soon.
a parents knows best. it will be ok .
my grand is 9 months and he just tells his mom no and shakes his head when his mouth is full or he doesnt like something. She listens to him.
he likes spicy food. Baby food lasted for about a week and then he said no he chews with his little teeth , and will not take another bite till he is done. It takes awhile to feed him.
Sometimes we know to ask a question... but the final choice will be our own...
Having someone experienced to bounce things off of can be comforting, but remember to relax, kids in general are resilient.
Not food related… Friends of ours had their first baby around the same time we did. This little guy was different, he didn’t want to walk on his feet, but would get around on his knees…at age 5, had a great fear of pooping in the toilet & would get his own diaper, poop in it & let his mom know he was done. (although he used the toilet to pee)
This woman was so calm… she said she never heard of a teenager needing to poop in a diaper. Eventually he would grow out of it~
Our oldest son seemed so much easier to feed at this stage - but we didn't do the jar baby food thing with him. The only reason I did it with Dre is because my mom really pushed about it. I sort of regret it now, because I wonder if we didn't condition him to not like any other textures or to try anything that isn't orange (ever notice how all baby food is orange?)
I'm not really freaked out about this - the kid weighs 30 lbs. at 14 months old - he's a moose. It's really more frustration than anything else. I think he'll grow out of it - even if it is an actual disorder. It could also be more of an adversion thing, as someone said. I have that with some things - like grits. I just about gag thinking about grits - ew! So, perhaps it's something as simple as that.... but that doesn't mean this problem will go away that easily, either. I just figure someone, somewhere, has been through this -- and some of you have in different ways - so it's helpful to get information... I'm certainly open to ideas. It seems like what worked for the first one, doesn't work for the second one...
I did look up about the eating fluff thing and there's studies where they believe it's kids with anemia who practice it more. Interesting! It's also a senses thing - they like the feel, so they put it in their mouths - like babies do with everything they find. I think this is more Dre's case. Dre ruined a car seat by yanking the padding out of the lining - industrious little tyke ripped it clean down to the fabric binding!
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allan w.
Hi Chas...our 2 1/2 year old is only just having (semi-solid) food but still prefers to 'suck' textured food till he can swallow it. Even now, he will ocassionally gag on rice etc..
Elisha was born with.. &$*#...I can't even remember the medical term for it now, but it is a condition where the trachaea/windpipe is still quite soft and pliable and a couple of the muscles around the top of it are over-enlarged, hence a narrowing of the airways.
He had laser surgery (thank God it's all still free in N.Z) that cut away the excess muscle.
The hardening of the windpipe is a 'development over time' thing. Usually one way you can tell if this condition is present is if they have noisy breathing at times, especially when they are sleeping (what the doctors call 'stridor', and apparently is quite common), but the only way one can know for sure if there is an over-enlargement of the muscles around the windpipe is a camera down the hatch !
If you want any more info just email me at awo65702@bigpond.net.au
p.s. we nearly lost the little fella a cupla times as a baby, when he would start choking on his own mucous in his cot. One night in particular God audibly woke Selina up, and when she checked Elisha, he was turning blue in his cot. Selina is one heck of a God fearing lady !!
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SafariVista
If he's gaining weight well, then he's probably okay. Without a bunch of teeth, it's difficult to chew foods.
All four of our children nursed 3-4 years... yeah, I know, different.
Although they did eat other foods, it was only what we were eating... mashed up. None of them would ever eat baby food... just spit it out.
La Leche League usually have members willing to speak with you that know a lot about babies & toddlers!
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templelady
Could it be this?
Achalasia
Achalasia (cardiospasm, esophageal aperistalsis, megaesophagus) is a disorder in which the rhythmic contractions of the esophagus are greatly decreased and the lower esophageal sphincter fails to relax normally.
Achalasia results from a malfunction of the nerves controlling the rhythmic contractions of the esophagus. The cause of the nerve malfunction is not known.
Symptoms
Achalasia may occur at any age but usually begins, almost unnoticed, between the ages of 20 and 60 and then progresses gradually over many months or years. The tight lower esophageal sphincter causes the part of the esophagus above it to enlarge greatly. This enlargement contributes to many of the symptoms. Difficulty swallowing both solids and liquids is the main symptom. Other symptoms may include chest pain, regurgitation of the bland, nonacidic contents of the enlarged esophagus, and coughing at night. Although uncommon, chest pain may occur during swallowing or for no apparent reason. About one third of people who have achalasia regurgitate undigested food while sleeping. They may inhale food into their lungs, which can cause coughing, a lung abscess, infection of the airways, bronchiectasis, or aspiration pneumonia
I found this at a website dealing with the esophagus
While reading it may scare the daylights out of you (worst case scenarios abound) I thought it might be helpful
http://www.healthynj.org/dis-con/esophagealdis/main.htm
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Belle
I don't have a clue, Chas, but I work with a bunch of mothers...a bunch of "mothers", too
, but I'll ask the mothers if they've heard of it or know anything about it. :)
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ChasUFarley
I don't think so... but I'm not a clinical person. He doesn't have any of the coughing at night, and certainly no trouble drinking - if I could find a cap and nipple that would fit on a gallon milk jug, he could happily suck it down in no time. (He will fish empty milk jugs out of the kitchen trash can, trolling for a drink sometimes - I'm not kidding!) His gagging problem is right at the time the rough textured food enters his mouth - like a hyper-active gag reflex. But the kid also will try to eat fuzz - like the pilling on blankets, or a floki rug (you know, those fuzzy, wool-like rugs that come from Greece.) I always have to watch him for him shoving fluff in his mouth when we're not looking - it's like some weird fetish he has. Yeah, I get the weird ones.
Now that I think about it... maybe he has a hairball?
((((Allan & Selina)))
Man, that must have been so tough on you guys until you found out what caused Elisha's condition and got treatment for it. Sounds like NZ has good healthcare. Thankfully, we do, too - I thank God for it, because being without good insurance in the States can be a nightmare! Actually, Andreas sounds like Darth Vader sometimes when he breathes, but that could just be my opinion - babies tend to huff and puff, a lot. So we're going to see what the next eight weeks brings. Thanks for the info - I'll certainly keep it in mind!
God bless you guys!
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coolchef1248 @adelphia.net
my 2 cents
how about feeding the little guy whatever you are haveing but puree it first?
just a thought
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allan w.
Hey Chas, just remembered the clinical name for it, laryngomalacia, (it's not as scary as it sounds) and as I said not totally uncommon. If bubs breathing does sound weird at times it could be.
p.s. one of our grandsons also was into picking the bits of fluff off blankets and eating it too ! He pretty much left a threadbare looking baby rug in his wake ! Couldn't do anything to stop it and as long as it kept coming out in his poo no harm done.
Kids are fun aren't they !!
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Abigail
It could be a sensory issue as well. That certain textures really gross him out, while others don't. It is very difficult to tell what is going on with these little guys who can't talk to us yet. But as Safari said, as long as he is gaining sufficient weight, he's doing okay.
My younger son HATED baby food, especially the cereals and they gave him constipation. He went from breast milk to toddler food, skipping the baby food stage altogether. He only ate the toddler food for a very short time before switching to soft "adult" foods.
My older son LOVED baby food.
Go figure.
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pond
about the fuzz .
I had a neighbor who had a son who loved to pick off the fuzz of his stuffed animals and blankets whatever like you describe ... but he didnt eat them
he stuffed them up his nose. he would push the fluffies up his nose till they got clogged and she couldnt get them out .
so not funny really( but twenty years later im laughing at what kids will put parents through. )
She had at the dr's alot so get the stuff out of his nose.
I hope your baby can adjust to the type of food you think he should eat soon.
a parents knows best. it will be ok .
my grand is 9 months and he just tells his mom no and shakes his head when his mouth is full or he doesnt like something. She listens to him.
he likes spicy food. Baby food lasted for about a week and then he said no he chews with his little teeth , and will not take another bite till he is done. It takes awhile to feed him.
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SafariVista
Just reading through here again.
It's really true, Mother knows best.
Sometimes we know to ask a question... but the final choice will be our own...
Having someone experienced to bounce things off of can be comforting, but remember to relax, kids in general are resilient.
Not food related… Friends of ours had their first baby around the same time we did. This little guy was different, he didn’t want to walk on his feet, but would get around on his knees…at age 5, had a great fear of pooping in the toilet & would get his own diaper, poop in it & let his mom know he was done. (although he used the toilet to pee)
This woman was so calm… she said she never heard of a teenager needing to poop in a diaper. Eventually he would grow out of it~
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ChasUFarley
Thanks for the notes - and the encouragement.
Our oldest son seemed so much easier to feed at this stage - but we didn't do the jar baby food thing with him. The only reason I did it with Dre is because my mom really pushed about it. I sort of regret it now, because I wonder if we didn't condition him to not like any other textures or to try anything that isn't orange (ever notice how all baby food is orange?)
I'm not really freaked out about this - the kid weighs 30 lbs. at 14 months old - he's a moose. It's really more frustration than anything else. I think he'll grow out of it - even if it is an actual disorder. It could also be more of an adversion thing, as someone said. I have that with some things - like grits. I just about gag thinking about grits - ew! So, perhaps it's something as simple as that.... but that doesn't mean this problem will go away that easily, either. I just figure someone, somewhere, has been through this -- and some of you have in different ways - so it's helpful to get information... I'm certainly open to ideas. It seems like what worked for the first one, doesn't work for the second one...
I did look up about the eating fluff thing and there's studies where they believe it's kids with anemia who practice it more. Interesting! It's also a senses thing - they like the feel, so they put it in their mouths - like babies do with everything they find. I think this is more Dre's case. Dre ruined a car seat by yanking the padding out of the lining - industrious little tyke ripped it clean down to the fabric binding!
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