Having a child with disabilities has taught me many things - not the least of which is how much I previously took for granted. Exhibit A: The ability to chew and swallow foods. We first noticed that Gianna had difficulty swallowing when feeding her the small melt-away baby puffs. Her reaction was a scary gagging - unable to either swallow the puff or get her breath. She's able to drink liquids and eat smooth baby foods, but foods of any other substance pose a challenge for her. We figured out how to help her eat the puffs (one at a time - make sure it melts on her tounge), but quickly realized we needed some specialized help to make sure she could learn to eat other foods safely. And thankfully, that help came in the form of an amazing feeding specialist with many tips and tricks up her sleeve!
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| This little gadget (only about 2 inches long) is called a Chewy Tube. Made of soft rubber, it encourages kids to teeth on it, building jaw strength. |
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| Gianna at her speech/swallowing therapy with another great invention - this special cup is flexible, easy to hold on to, and cut out on one side so that kids don't have to tilt their head back to drink - they can just tilt the cup without it hitting their face. Notice the big red towel in front....this one gets messy! |
We're working with her every day - every meal - to implement the therapist's suggestions. Sometimes with success, and sometimes not so much. Our short term goal is to have her be able to eat a little cake on her birthday - just a few more days to go!
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