Hello!

My son, Ollie, has been fed via tube since he was just a few weeks old due to defects along his midline/GI tract. He has recently been enjoying tasting foods and is even consuming a bit by licking smooth purees off his spoon. Until he was ten months old he received all nutrition through a j-tube (goes to the jejunum instead of the stomach like a g-tube, but he has one of those, too!). When he was ten months old he got a fundoplication (surgery to prevent stomach contents from going up the esophagus) and we were able to start introducing food to his stomach. Rather than just give him the same formula as he was receiving through his continuous j-tube feeds I added simple foods to the formula, like multigrain baby cereals, juices, and smooth baby foods. Before long we were doing a lot of his daily calories through his g-tube with real food blended up in a blender and the rest of his calories through a homemade j-tube formula using real foods. As we've continued on this blenderizing journey we've watched as issue after issue that had been plaguing my son disappeared.There has been some trial and error and we are still learning a lot from other parents and tubies, but we are quickly getting the hang of it. As we continue to provide our son with wholesome, healthy foods rather than canned commercial slop (formula) I thought I'd share some of what we are doing and we've learned here and also share resources available to the feeding tube community. For a ton of recipes, advice, and information on feeding your tube-fed child real food you should check out BlenderizedDiet.Net and You start with a tube.... The forums on BlenderizedDiet.Net are a must-visit to learn a wealth of info on blending meals and their Facebook page, Blenderized Food for Tubies, should be on your list as well. Look for me! I'm Ollie's Mom-Jen.