Active discussions

Please or to access all these features

Talk
SN children

Here are some suggested organisations that offer expert advice on special needs.

Original poster

Weaning Tips for a 6 month old with Downs Syndrome

15 replies

archiejia · 30/03/2009 17:53

As you can guess from the title, I have a 6 month old boy who has Downs Syndrome. I am trying to start the process of weaning - and he appears as disinterested in food as he is in milk!
He does not appear to have any problems with his swallow reflex - I genuinely think its more than he can't be bothered - I am lucky if he will even drink 3 bottles of milk a day!

Any tips from people who have been there, seen that, done it.. would be much appreciated.

OP posts:
Original poster
archiejia · 30/03/2009 21:16

anyone????

OP posts:
meltedmarsbars · 30/03/2009 22:27

My friends child with ds had complete opposite - had to limit food, she was putting on so much weight!

Hangingbellyofbabylon · 30/03/2009 22:29

Hi, didn't want to leave your post unanswered. My dd has cerebral palsy and also no problems with swallowing but did not want to wean at all and barely touched solids before a year old. I don't know if this was down to the CP or just because some children don't want to start solids until later on. If he's doing ok and not losing weight or anything I'd be tempted to leave it a bit and just go at your own pace. Hopefully someone else will come along soon who might be a bit more knowledgable.

hungryhippo21 · 30/03/2009 22:34

dont know much about downs syndrome - sorry but with ds1 who was extremely fussy giving him some pudding first sort of got him more interested, also works on ds2 if he is over tired and grumbling but he doesnt need much encouragement. although i must say he is a lot better with things that are solid we started with over cooked carrot batons which he would happily chew at but sometimes gagged on lumpy food??????

theheadgirl · 31/03/2009 14:52

Can't really give much advice, as my DD3 who has DS is extremely greedy and has been since a baby. However, I doubt you'll have had a referral to a SALT yet, and IIRC they have experience with feeding issues due to the link between mouth muscle development, feeding and speech. Is moondog around?

madwomanintheattic · 31/03/2009 15:19

dd2 has slt from birth - so never too early lol.
if he is disinterested i would just try little and often and with different things. dd2 doesn't have ds, she has cp and had lots of trouble with swallow, but the slt literally got us through the first year. her issues were obviously more mechanical lol, but definitely worth asking for a slt referral - i think i am correct in saying that there are a few things to do with oromotor that can be an issue with ds that aren't swallowing related specifically, so worth asking for a referral. we found our dietician worse than useless btw. the slt was far more helpful

theheadgirl · 31/03/2009 16:57

Bump for moondog then!!

Original poster
archiejia · 31/03/2009 21:07

Thank you so much for your advice. There is a specialist toy library I can take him to where there will be a SALT available so will do that I think.

As I am new to this site - what does 'bump' mean???

OP posts:
theheadgirl · 31/03/2009 22:04

Hi archie, welcome to the site. Bump is when you add a post so it appears on active conversations - hopefully someone will notice it then.
Tell us more about your boy I love to hear about other children with Downs. Have a look at my girly, click the yellow book adjacent to my name.

madwomanintheattic · 01/04/2009 10:30

except that it won't bump an sn thread in active convos, just in sn. sn threads don't appear in active convos due (i believe) to a few misunderstandings in the past where posts referring to sn children's milestones etc got misinterpreted by posters who didn't realise the post was about an sn child... so toilet training threads about much older children and young people etc that attracted inappropriate comments...

bumped it for you in here anyway

theheadgirl · 01/04/2009 13:17

Just a thought archiejia - have you got the special insert chart for your red book for children with DS? When my DD3 was born 8 years ago, my HV had not heard of them and I had to order it myself from the printer. Hopefully 8 years down the line these are now widely available?

Amester · 01/04/2009 13:30

I have an 18 month old dd who has Down Syndrome and I just bought an Annabel Karmel book and sort of followed that and copied what my friends were doing. I was quite brave and did try and give finger foods from about 7 months and dd has always got on pretty well with her eating. I do have friends though who have children with DS and they have had a few problems mainly with lumps in food. If you say your ds doesn't seem to have problems with his swallow reflex i'd just treat him like any other baby and see how you get on.

Amester · 01/04/2009 16:06

ps: forget to say goodluck - let us know how you get on.

Original poster
archiejia · 01/04/2009 20:23

Thank you again for your advice - and interest.

My baby is my third boy - his brothers are 5 and 2. His diagnosis was a complete shock (The nuchal scan was 1/1000 so I think I was prob a bit smug that whilst other things might happen,DS wouldn't be an issue. His oldest brother had a nuchal with odds of 1/14 so we had something to compare to) and was immediately obvious as soon as he was born.

He and we are really lucky - so far, he doesn't appear to have any other physical probs. I have found his consultant and social worker on the whole intensely irritating but am pleased with the support from his HV, physio and portage.

I have found the last 6 months incredibly diffcult, not least thinking about returning to work - I support adults with learning disabilities and have struggled with reconciling what I believe in professionally with what is now my reality.

Having said that - I do fall more and more in love with him each day.

Sorry for the ramble - I haven't really spoken with anyone else in a similar situation.

Head Girl - your daughter is everso pretty and looks like she might just be a bit Lovely! As for the growth charts - yes we have got them - on the standard one he is on the 9th centile (born on the 50th) and on the green one he is between the 50th and 75th.

OP posts:
madwomanintheattic · 02/04/2009 11:51

you just have to be a bit kind to yourself - plenty of time to work out your life course lol. dd2's problems were due to hypoxia at birth (now dx with cp) so we had the same 'shock' factor to deal with, and several weeks of not knowing if she would survive. whatever your child's dx, i think it takes the first year or so before you are anywhere near ready to peer into the future. it must be even more difficult having some idea of what the future might entail for your lo.

but at least you are in the right place to advocate sensibly on his behalf.

dd2 is 5 now and in ms school. i remember saying to another scbu mum 'if only we knew what they would be like at 5 it would be so much easier' - not sure really lol. long way to go yet

good luck with the weaning x

New posts on this thread. Refresh page