Babies born with cleft palate will encounter many different problems and one of those problems is oral sensory. Kids that are born with cleft palates will have trouble feeding right from the start. These days cleft lips and cleft palates can be detected before the baby is born. When a parent knows that their child is going to be born with the cleft lip and or palate it makes research much easier, you at least have time to prepare.
There are two different types of clefts, the Unilateral and the Bilateral. To explain better we will start at the beginning. The palate is basically the roof of the mouth, it starts at the front of the mouth and it has bones, which is called the hard palate. Some people believe that when a child has a cleft palate that the entire palate is missing but that is not true. The Cleft Palate means that both sides of the palate did not come together when the baby was developing in the womb.
Each child is different and the severity of each child will vary. The Cleft Palate does not target a specific race, children of all races are born with cleft lips or palates but this defect is most common in Asian children.
When babies are born they will be feeding with a special bottle called the Haberman Feeder. This bottle is specially designed with a special nipple that makes feeding easier for babies with cleft lip and palates. Since babies have surgery to repair the cleft lip at around 3 or 4 months, it is likely that by the time they are ready for baby food that their lips are repaired.
Toasted and Crunchy Foods
When my son Aidan was born, he was born with a cleft lip and a cleft palate. He used the Haberman Feeder until he was 4 months old when he had his surgery. His surgery was performed by Dr Alexander Dagum with University of Stonybrook Hospital on Long Island. Then when he was old enough to eat baby foods, he had no problem feedings at all. Then at about 14 months, we made arrangements to have Aidan’s surgery done with Dr.Dagum again. He did a beautiful job and everything went well.
Aidan couldn’t have solid foods for 4 to 6 weeks after the surgery but often times he wouldn’t eat from the baby food from the spoon so we had to feed him with a syringe until his mouth healed. For a long while Aidan wouldn’t eat willingly. Then one day we tried a Gerber Apple Wheel for Toddlers and he loved it. We soon started buying all of the Gerber Toddler products like the Cheese Crunchies and the Vegetable Crunchies.
It was soon months after the surgery and all he ate was crunchy food. He would not go back to soft foods. We gave him toasted sandwiches and crunchy chicken nuggets and now his is eating crunchy fish sticks. Still no soft foods, kids with cleft palates often like the roughness of the crunchy foods on their palates. We were thankful that Aidan was eating something but he was still missing some vitamins and minerals in his diet.
So to compensate for his love for crunchy foods, he gave him Carnation Instant Breakfast a couple of times a day in a 4 ounce bottle. We tried using V8 Fusion drinks for fruits and vegetables. Today, his speech therapist Joyce Porzi from Partners in Speech in Rochester, NY offers him applesauce with him using the spoon as well as trying canned pears and sometime bananas. Aidan tries more soft foods now more than he has since his palate was repaired.
It can be frustrating and you are going to be concerned with their eating habits but here are some foods you can try if your child is having trouble with soft foods. Cheese Doodles are a great crunchy food and kids love them, though for parents they are a bit messy. You can try toasted sandwiches of peanut butter and jelly, grilled cheese and sliced thin turkey. Cookies like Graham Crackers and Ritz are great too. If your child is in early intervention ask your service coordinator to assign you a nutritionist. They can offer you suggestions that you may have not thought of.
Feeding your child with a repaired cleft lip and palate can be as difficult as feeding your child with a cleft lip and palate. Be patient with your child, it can be frustrating but have faith, and your child with the right help and encouragement will start eating better. If you are concerned, voice your questions to your pediatrician and they can point you in the right direction.
