FEEDING
If eating with fingers is the custom, or if spoon feeding is too difficult, use your
fingers.
Here a mother holds
her child in a good
position on her lap,
using her legs and
body to give support.
With one hand she
gives jaw control
while she feeds him
with the fingers
of the other hand.
Place a little
food on the side
or middle of the
tongue—not on the
front of it.
For spoon or finger feeding, it is
best to start off with soft, mushy
foods rather than liquids. Milk
(even breast milk) or egg yolk
can be mixed with rice paste,
boiled corn, or mashed beans.
You can also give small pieces
of fruit, mashed greens and
vegetables, and yogurt or soft
cheese.
Hardest for the child to eat are
combinations of liquids and
solids—such as vegetable soup.
CAUTION: Remember to wash your
hands before feeding child with your
fingers.
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Chewing
To help the child learn to chew, put a bit of firm food in the side of her mouth
between her teeth. Use very small pieces of bread crust, tortilla, or chapati. Help her
close her mouth using jaw control.
Biting off can be
encouraged by pulling
slightly on a long thin
piece of food.
Or rub the piece
of food against the
teeth before putting it
between them.
CAUTION: Do NOT open and close the child’s
jaw or help her chew. After she bites the food, her
jaw must stay closed or almost closed to chew.
To help her do this, apply steady firm pressure
with jaw control. This should lead the child to
make chewing motions. Let the jaw move some
on its own. But do NOT make chewing motions
for the child! This will only encourage abnormal
movements.
cp
If the child has difficulty chewing and chokes on pieces of food, try this:
Cut a piece of clean, soft cotton cord, or braid thin
strips of cotton cloth. Soak or cook the cord in a tasty
good food and hold the end while she bites and chews
on it, squeezing out the nutritious juices. Help with jaw
control.
This method is completely safe. Because you hold on
to the cord, the child cannot bite off pieces and choke on
them. It is best to practice this at the beginning of a meal
while the child is still hungry.
CAUTION: If a piece of food slips back into the child’s throat and gets
stuck, bend the child far forward, and keep calm. The food should drop
out. Do NOT pat the child on the back as this could cause the child to
breathe in the food.
If the food does not fall out and the child cannot breathe, suddenly and
forcefully squeeze the child’s lower chest (see Where There Is No Doctor,
p. 79).
A finger-shaped piece of
tough cooked or dried meat
or very tough chicken (old
rooster) can be used instead
of the cord. Be sure it is too
tough for the child to chew
pieces off of it, but juicy
or tasty enough to give her
pleasure.
disabled village children