My 13 month old son was diagnosed with dysphagia after a barium swallow study. My life turned upside those first few days as everything about his feeding had to be changed.
I didn't want to be overly reliant on Xanthan gum or commercial thickeners made of other substances. Fortunately, my obsession with overthinking everything led to some solutions within a couple weeks.
My son is still drinking from a bottle, so whatever I made him had to work its way out of a nipple. the smoothies I've made him are simple to make, and my son loves them.
To note:
I didn't want to be overly reliant on Xanthan gum or commercial thickeners made of other substances. Fortunately, my obsession with overthinking everything led to some solutions within a couple weeks.
My son is still drinking from a bottle, so whatever I made him had to work its way out of a nipple. the smoothies I've made him are simple to make, and my son loves them.
To note:
- Pureed fruits are typically 80% water content, so they are a great tool for hydration.
- If you choose to use frozen fruits, be sure to let your smoothie thaw in the fridge, checking the thickness of the mixture after the ice crystals from all that water content has melted. Fruits are full of so much water that frozen fruits, even when blended, will still have hidden liquid in the form of ice crystals that will melt to too thin in a mouth.
- Ice should not be used when making these smoothies.
- My son's feeding therapist recommends that every beverage we serve him be either warm or cold so that extra temperature sensation will help trigger all the swallowing mechanisms for a more successful swallow. Prepare a day's worth of smoothies at one time so that they can be chilled in the fridge before serving.
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