For proper growth and development, your child requires calories, protein, vitamins, minerals and other key nutrients. Encouraging children to eat a healthy diet may be a challenge, but it is especially crucial for children with health conditions. Children with cerebral palsy have special health needs, which usually includes specialized diets to meet their nutritional needs.
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy is a group of brain and nervous system disorders that affects movement, learning, thinking, hearing and seeing. Brain injuries or abnormalities that take place any time during the first two years of a child's life can cause the condition. The symptoms of cerebral palsy can involve one or both sides of the body and can range from mild to severe. Eating and digestive symptoms that can affect children with cerebral palsy are vomiting, constipation and difficulty chewing or swallowing.
Calorie Needs
Some children with cerebral palsy do not have increased calorie needs, but developmental delays will many times hinder their abilities to eat and drink normally, which makes high-calorie foods a feasible solution. Due to difficulties with self-feeding, chewing and swallowing that some children with cerebral palsy experience, they may expend extra energy from the process of eating. Maximizing calorie intake with nutrient-dense foods can offset some of the energy used during these processes. Although children with severe forms of cerebral palsy may not be mobile, they sometimes expend more energy from seizures or muscle contractions. According to 4MyChild, approximately 35 percent of children with cerebral palsy are malnourished.
High Calorie Foods
You should first try to feed your child high calorie foods if he is having trouble gaining weight or maintaining proper growth. Full-fat dairy products, such as ice cream and cottage cheese, can contribute extra calories as well as calcium and protein to his diet. Choosing fattier types of meat, like liver or beef, will give your child's calorie intake a boost. Vegetables naturally contain fewer calories than other food groups, so try adding higher calorie condiments like butter or salad dressing to them. Select higher fat carbohydrates like cookies, biscuits or other pastries to contribute more calories than lower fat starches. Lastly, you should focus on healthy fats. Add servings of avocado, olive oil and nuts to your child's meals to add calories and unsaturated fats.
Nutritional Supplements
If your child is not able to eat enough high calorie foods during a day to meet his calorie needs for growth and weight gain, he may need to use nutritional supplement drinks. These supplements are designed to provide a large amount of calories, protein, healthy fats, vitamins and minerals in one small serving. Some children may only need to add one of these drinks to their daily meal plans, while other may need to drink several servings each day. The use of supplements can be especially beneficial if your child expends a lot of his energy chewing solids foods or feeding himself. If your child can drink nutritional supplements without difficulty, this can be an easy way to increase his daily calorie intake without increasing the size of his meals.
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