I've got a food question this time :) Lately, we've begun feeding our 1 year old everything that we eat at his meals. However, I'm noticing that when I check his poopy diapers, much of the food looks exactly the same as when he ate it! Carrots, green beans, chicken....so my question is this...If the food is coming out looking the same way it did when he put it in his mouth, does that mean he's not getting any nutrition from it since he's not really digesting it?
Hello~
I've never heard of anyone noticing that, but I think it sounds like he's not chewing it, he's just swallowing things whole. I would think the same thing, that he's not getting the nutrience from the food because it's not being broken up. I would also be worried about choking since he's not chewing his food. I would call his doctor and get advice on if this is normal and if you should be concerned. Hope this helps :)
Hey H.. I experienced this before. I found that this happens very often( looks as if they arent chewing). I recommend maybe cutting a tad smaller than you are now. He(Your son) is prob only digesting half of what you are feeding him. I would suggest cooking/boiling/steaming the food you give him more so than what you would do for yourself. Those foods may not be getting digested as well as we all hope. Is your son still on Formula? Is he on whole milk? Is he on a multi vitiman?
If he is also having abdominal pain and gas, it may be a digestive disorder. Check with your dr. I had symptoms similar to that at that age and my mother had to modify my diet as though I had Celiac disease. I somehow outgrew it, so it couldn't have been that particular disease, but I do still have IBS symptoms from time to time.
That is normal. He is getting nutrition from them. Remind him to chew his food though. My son had the same problem when he started real solid food. Now he chews until there is nothing left and does great.
H.,
Make sure to get him and a really good Whole Food source Multivitamin. If his food is coming out the same way it is going in, then he def. is not getting the proper digestion and is missing a ton of good minerals, nutrients, etc. I find that your parenting approach to giving him the food you eat is awesome. If he does not have molars, then you will just need to help him along to get him the right digestion from the food. My daughter was born with molars. I know that sounds funny. But she was born with 4 very sharp molars already broken out of the gum. She had a bit of her front tooth exposed too. She has never really seemed to have a issue with food, but if she did, I would be doing these suggestions.
I applaud your decision to be a SAHM for your family. I look back and simply state.... It is too short, can be very overwhelming, personally lonely, but I am so glad I made the choice to do it instead of never getting the opportunity to do it!
I use the "gummy" type multivitamins. All the kids love to suck on them and the ones we use are fairly inexpensive and packed with vitamins, nutrients and a awesome absorption rate.
Hope that helped. Everyone's advice has been so great! You are doing a good job! Keep up the good work and know there are places like this you can come and talk and meet new moms, if nothing but to have a "email" friend. KIT
Hey H.,
I'm agree with the responds you got from the other mom's.
Sometimes it may help to give him some fruits with vitamin C, like apples and pears, after a meal. You also can putt a little bit of orange juice in his food. The vitamin C will help his body to split all the minerals from the food, he needs. I tried it with my son, he had also the problem to make a poop, because it was so hard for him to get it out. Now, everything is ok.
Maybe it works for your son too.
Greetings A.
I have a 1 yo grandson that I'm raising and I too have noticed this but I never thought about it much .... until now, lol.
Hi H.,
No, he really isn't getting the nutrients he needs from his food if it's coming out whole. He just needs to slow down and chew his bites real good. At first my kids didn't want to chew all there food either. I had to watch every bite they took and make sure they chewed it good. I made a game out of it. They had to chew real good and then show me the bite before they would swallow. I know it sounds nasty but it worked and it also stopped the belly aches my daughter was getting after she would eat. It just takes a little work and time...but he will get it. Don't stress to much...your doing great!
Your right...it can be very overwhelming at times and also very lonely. If you ever want to chat...just e-mail!
Have a great day!
S.
I agree with the others that he is not getting the full nutrition from his food. The idea of cutting them into smaller pieces is good. How about mashing the carrots a bit so they are sort of "pre-chewed?" That would make it a transition food from baby food to something he can chew. Serving peas more instead of green beans would help, they fall apart with the gumming-style of chewing that young toddlers use. Vegetable material is hard to break up while chewing, that's why cows and horses have sturdier molars than dogs, lol.
Does he have any of his molars yet? That's where the real chewing occurs, not on the front where we get our first teeth. Until he gets them, he will be grinding up his food on his gums. Help him along by making his food eaiser to break up.
