I am always concerned, when I am hearing about a newly adopted child, who is a picky eater.
Any child can have problems eating if he/she is exposed to new
- Types of foods (meats, fresh vegetables, etc)
- Textures (dry foods like cheerios or teething biscuits, or if foods are not pureed enough)
- Smell (kids are used to the smell of the orphanage food and would not tolerate new and unusual sensations)
- Temperatures (children are usually not used to cold or very hot foods)
- Feeding techniques (kids can be bottle-fed through a nipple with a huge hole, and unable to eat from a spoon)
- Feeding position (frequently kids don’t see the person who is feeding them)
- Feeding environment (café or buffet rather then familiar room with the small tables and familiar caregivers)
Some of the other reasons for feeding difficulties can be
- Oral aversions and other sensory deficits will have difficulties with accepting foods, chewing and swallowing.
- Low muscle tone (generalized or of facial muscles only) will lead to early fatigue and poor feeding
- Painful lesions in the mouth (past or present)
- Abusive feeding techniques in the orphanage
- Behavioral and emotional problems
It is extremely important to
- Anticipate this condition and to request orphanage to show you how exactly this particular child was fed in the orphanage and with what.
- Be flexible with the feeding routines and techniques – feeding a bottle, spoon-feeding, giving local formulas, feeding with the baby’s face away from you and so on
- Reduce over-stimulation as much as possible before and during feeding
- Make sure that your child gets enough rest and sleep
- Not to stare on your child, while he/she is eating
- Offer your child warm formula/milk/yogurt, sweetened enough for this child to take it willingly. You will be able to slowly reduce the sweetness later on.
- Warm all foods, even milk.
- Offer Russian-style foods, black bread and so on
- Create as much routine as possible even while on the road – when the child is eating, with what, how, where and in what order
- Not to be concern with the lack of food variety in your child’s diet in the first days and even weeks after adoption. Slowly introduce new foods/ textures/ temperatures if your child will tolerate them.
- Not to give such child a sippy cup; use a bottle with the hole as large as your child needs, slowly decreasing the opening; straw cup or a regular cup can be used too.
- Spoon-feed your child if necessary even with the fluids like milk and formula.
When you arrive home
- Don’t expect for this particular child to get better on her own
- Have the full medical evaluation, and
- Evaluation by a specialized pediatric feeding team (usually present in speech departments of large hospitals) as soon as possible
- Early intervention program evaluation has to be scheduled as soon as possible
- Have formal occupational therapy evaluation
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The information appearing here is intended for educational purposes only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice tailored to your child's individual needs. If you have questions or concerns regarding your child's physical or mental health, please seek assistance from a qualified healthcare provider.
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