by Phillip Kindschi | Sep 17, 2012 | Feeding Therapy
As your child grows, solid pureed/strained foods will initially supplement formula or breast milk rather than replace them. Look for signs of developmental readiness and developmental factors from your child when deciding to start pureed/strained solid food feedings.
Physical Ability
Certain physical markers may indicate that a child is ready for solid foods:
1) The disappearance of the tongue thrusting forward and pushing food out of the mouth.
2) Good head and neck control with the ability to turn head away from spoon when full and lean forward to reach spoon when hungry.
3) The ability to sit up with support.
4) Doubled birth weight and weighs 13 pounds or more.
5) Follows objects 6 feet away.
Physiological Capabilities
As your child ages, the ability to digest a wider range of food components improves. Before 3 months of age, an infant’s digestive tract cannot readily digest starch. Also, kidney function is limited until about 4-6 weeks of age and will have difficulty getting rid of excessive amounts of dietary protein. Other cues would be the consumption of greater than 32 fl. oz. of formula or breastfeeding more than 8-10 times within 24 hours.
Nutritional Need
After 6 months of age iron stores are depleted and infant solid foods or iron supplements are then needed.
Allergy Prevention
If the child is exposed too early to some types of proteins (such as those in cow’s milk or egg whites), it may predispose the child to future allergies and other health problems.
While some parents believe the introduction of solid foods will help a child sleep through the night, in reality, this is a developmental milestone, and the amount of food consumed by the child is of little significance to the victory of a good night’s sleep. Also, adding cereal to the child’s bottle without monitoring from a physician and/or dietitian may increase the risk of aspiration, which could lead to pneumonia.
Tell us what you think. When did your baby start solids?
– Andrea Shotton, MD, RD, LD
by Phillip Kindschi | Jul 2, 2012 | Nutrition
During the summer, many young athletes are participating in sports activities or conditioning for the upcoming school season. For these athletes, there should be a balance between nutrition for growth and development and nutrition for performance.
Carbohydrates
The most useful form of fuel for energy is from carbs and is in the simple sugar form of glucose. If not used, glucose will be stored as glycogen in the muscles and liver. Once glycogen stores are depleted, an athlete’s performance or intensity may decline. Overall, it is recommended to consume about 30-60 grams of carbs per hour during strenuous endurance exercise that lasts one hour or more. This can aid in maintaining adequate blood glucose, delaying fatigue by 30- 60 minutes.
Protein
Despite its appeal to consume large amounts for bigger muscles, protein is used primarily for endurance exercise (running) and much less for resistance exercise (weightlifting). Only moderate amounts of protein are needed to help build and repair muscles and in fact, too much can have negative consequences such as dehydration and weight gain.
Fluids
Staying hydrated is especially important as the temperatures top the 100-degree mark. Just 1% dehydration decreases performance and can be serious enough to lead to severe illness or even death. Signs of dehydration include the following:
- Dark urine
- Muscle cramps
- Nausea/vomiting
- Chills
- Clammy skin
- Flushed face
- Dizziness
- Headaches
To stay properly hydrated, consume following amounts of fluid:
- 12-22 oz. water/sports drink 1-2 hours before event
- 10-20 oz. water/sports drink 10-15 minutes before event
- 4-6 oz. water/sports drink every 15 minutes during event
- 16-24 oz. (2-3 cups) fluids per pound of weight loss after event
For most activities, water is all that is needed. Sports drinks are only helpful in replacing electrolytes and carbohydrate losses in events that last longer than 60 minutes.
– Andrea Shotton, MS, RD, LD
by Phillip Kindschi | Apr 9, 2012 | General
Welcome to TherapyWorks’ blog! We hope this space serves as an open forum to inform, entertain and inspire our readers.
Everyday at our outpatient pediatric clinic, we treat children with autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, speech and developmental delays and more. We strive to not only improve the lives of the children we treat but also their families.
From time to time, we will post photos and stories of some of the kiddos who have made amazing strides and celebrate life’s little victories.
We also want to educate people about pediatric therapy and how we use it to work wonders in children’s lives. We will blog about therapies we use and the latest treatment techniques we are implementing and answer questions we are most often asked. Please feel free to email us with any questions or topics you want to know more about!
Stay tuned!!
