Catherine ate a chicken nugget last night for dinner ( :yahoo: ), and I noticed she was chewing it with her front teeth and subsequently seemed to be having trouble manipulating it in her mouth. She's probably always done this but so rarely eats anything that requires a lot of chewing that I've probably just never noticed before. The nugget was cut up into approx 1/4-inch bits so she was just putting them in her mouth, one at a time (and with much encouragement), not taking bites of it. That was just FYI -- she has no trouble biting into something. Is this chewing style a problem or just an early stage in learning to eat foods with a firmer texture? Thanks.

**wonders when Robynne is heading south**

Look at those GORGEOUS curls. I am so excited for Miss Catherine :party0049: !!!!! She is eating chicken nuggets Lesley; we must analyze the situation...lol!

Okay, you said she is chewing it with her front teeth. Many of my GERDlings and kiddos with texture aversion keep the food anterior or at the front of the mouth as a protective mechanism (away from the gag reflex). Did she have difficulty with tongue lateralization (moving the food around with her tongue to prepare it for swallowing)? Did she swallow the pieces whole with chewing it up first? Did she munch (up and down biting with no grinding action)? Did she use some rotary chewing (move her lower jaw somewhat sideways to grind the food)? Did she mash the food with her tongue? This is your homework for the next time she eats a chicken nugget. I want you to tell me what she is doing with her tongue, teeth, and jaws. Try the Chick-Fil-A nuggets. My patients seem to prefer the flavor. I'm waiting for the report :)

Robynne

Hmmm ... if I'd known you wanted the gory details ...

She ate a nugget (tiny little Ian's nugget) last night and I really didn't pay attention to her. But then she cried all night long because the nugget sat in her stomach like a rock (this is a usual occurence when she has more for dinner than a jar of puree) and I'm not inclined to push anything else into her for scientific purposes, lol. Tonight was half a little tub of applesauce and I let it go at that.

I do not believe she has difficulty moving her tongue in any direction. She eats purees and crackers/dry cereal just fine. She does not mash food with her tongue. I don't know about rotary chewing ... it's not something I've ever watched for but will do going forward.

Just another quirk ... when she's tired, she wants to be fed. I usually end up spooning the last bit of a jar into her at dinner most nights. Don't read too much into that ... she is certainly capable of feeding herself. :toothy10:

OK ... I peered intently at her as she ate a banana today. Pardon my unscientific descriptions. She chews predominantly, but not exclusively, with her front teeth. She appears to have a slight degree of tongue thrust -- nothing like Allie if you saw Christyn's video and certainly not enough to push food out of her mouth and not even noticeable by me until I was looking for it. And believe me ... I watch everything she does like a hawk! However, her tongue does visibly thrust forward but not out of her mouth, and it seems to occur after swallowing.

I could not tell if she munches or moves her jaw in a rotary fashion. How does one clearly observe this in someone else?

Lesley:

Does Catherine primarily eat purees? I know you mentioned she eats crackers too. One nugget agitated her stomach that bad?:sad5:

Robynne

What she eats consistently:

sweet potato puree (plain only, no meat blends)
mango puree
carrot puree
butternut squash puree
Do you notice an "orange" theme here? :toothy10:
applesauce -- plain, blueberry and strawberry, all unsweetened
bananas
crackers
dry cereal
chips
french fries
rice
pizza (makes no sense at all!!!) - thin crust, no cheese

She is eating fish sticks and chicken nuggets with increasing consistency but not by any means every time they're offered or enough to be a standalone protein source. She consumes no other meat-type product. She does eat other things every now and then -- like noodles, bread, paper-thin apple slices -- but that depends on the day of the week and the phase of the moon.

She will eat cheese but can't have it or any other dairy as the slightest bit causes her to poop rocks. She drinks oat milk (her primary protein/calcium source), purple grape juice and as much prune juice as we can get into her. She takes a chewable multi-vitamin every day, so she is well nourished with a fairly balanced diet even if it is not an appropriate texture for a 2 1/2yo. She is a solid, sturdy petite little girl.

More than you wanted to know? She starts school Fall 2008 ... can you have her fixed by then? :smt036