the chipmunk cheeks baby

haven’t really had any big problems when it comes to feeding kulasito.  in fact, it is so easy to feed him his cerelac, especially if he’s distracted.  just give him something like a paperbag, a colorful ball, a plastic glass, etc., and before you both know it, he’s done eating and has finished his little bowlful of cerelac.  was so proud of it.  was so damned proud that kulasito is such a good little baby when it comes to feeding time.

until yesterday noon, that is.  ‘coz yesterday, my kulasito turned into a chipmunk!

yep, kulasito is now a little chipmunk cheeks baby!

the baby has learned to store the cerelac inside his mouth.  don’t know how that happened, really, but all of a sudden, i find all the cerelac i gave him stored in his cheeks.  i thought he was swallowing them as usual ‘coz he keeps opening his mouth, pausing, and then opening them once more when i give him cerelac.  so yeah, i really thought he’s swallowed them all…until i made him laugh and i SAW that he’s hidden everything in his cheeks and under his tongue!!!  and when he was laughing, the cerelac dripped from his mouth and onto his bib and clothes.  you bad baby boy!

anyway, thought he wasn’t in the mood to eat, so i opted to give him his milk instead, which he finished, by the way.  this led me to think…if kulasito wasn’t hungry, he wouldn’t finish the bottle.  but the mere fact that he did was proof enough that he WAS, indeed, hungry, wasn’t it?  WHY then would he keep the cerelac inside his mouth?!  WHAT happened?!  HOW did the baby learn to store food like a chipmunk does?!  more importantly, WHEN, in the span of the morning he ate cerelac and noon of the same day, did he learn how to do that?!  WHO taught him that?!

kept thinking that yesterday noon was just an isolated incident and that dinnertime would be the usual, but i was very much mistaken ‘coz it happened AGAIN last night when i gave him his cerelac.  he refused to swallow the food however much i sang, danced, or distracted him from noticing he’s eating.  even gave him toys and his empty wilkins container, but they didn’t do a damned thing to divert his attention.  kulasito kept them all there…his cerelac tucked away somewhere in his mouth.  and when he opens his mouth, out comes the cerelac and down his chin they drip.  the ONLY way i could get him to swallow them was when i gave him his bottle to drink from.  so that was our new feeding “procedure” last night…one spoonful of cerelac and then a quick drink of water from his bottle.  this went on and on and on until we finished the whole bowl.

was really hoping that breakfast the next day was going to be our usual routine, but it was not my kulasito whom i was feeding but the new chipmunk cheeks baby again!  gaaaaahhhhhhh!!!  *insert image of jinx here tearing her hair off her head and jumping up and down in frustration*

nooooooooo!!!!

kulasito’s no longer doing his usual turtle mode when we’re eating, but what he’s doing is much worse…much, much, much worse!  *sigh*

oh, well, have no choice but to do the new routine when it comes to our feeding time.  *double sigh*

researched about this in the internet ‘coz i can’t help but think that maybe the baby has a tonsillitis or something, but what do you know, babies do go through this phase.  and apparently, i WAS also a chipmunk cheeks baby, or so my mama says.  hahaha!

anyhoo, there are some babies daw who do this when they’re eating, and it’s just a phase as some moms explain, and that they’ll outgrow this habit.  there’s no specific month or age as to when the baby learns how to do this ‘coz it can happen any time, some before they turn one (like mine) and some even in their toddler years!

here’s what my sister, lala, has to say about this chipmunk cheeks baby phenomenon.  hehehe.  it’s a control thing daw, she says.  kulasito is eight months old na, and he’s at the stage where he’s testing his limits and his boundaries.  he’s even beginning to test our patience and to see how long we can keep it!  also, kulasito is now becoming a bit manipulative just to get what he wants.  for example…he wants us to come pick him up, but if we pretend to ignore him, he’ll also PRETEND to cough until he really IS coughing and it reaches a point where he seems he’s about to gag.  so, of course, we have to rush towards him and pick him up!  but the funny and sometimes a bit exasperating thing is that, the moment you pick him up, he will grant you one big, toothless kulasito smile.  manipulative baby!

so, yes, lala might be right, and it just might be a control thing.

but here’s another lala theory, which, i also think, has some credence to it.  maybe the baby just likes the feel of having soft gooey cerelac inside his mouth.  *insert image here of lala shrugging and her face showing a you-are-such-a-worrywart-tijing look*

but, you know what, i caught him swallow his cerelac without the aid of drinking water from his bottle, just like our good old times.  so yes, maybe he’s trying to control the “feeding time” situation and is testing my patience to see just how much farther he can go to be a bit naughty.  but then again, maybe he just suddenly decided that storing cerelac inside his mouth is a fun activity to do or a new game to play with his mama!  or maybe, the baby is just simply thinking that it IS funny to drive his mama nuts!!!  who knows?

so, what can you do with a chipmunk cheeks baby?

let me tell you first about what you CANNOT do.  do not lose your patience and your temper.  it’s just a phase, and he’ll outgrow it.  *fingers crossed*  hehehe.

the baby may keep the food stored inside his mouth for hours, so it is important that you check his mouth for any food particles before he goes to sleep or else it increases his risk of choking while asleep.  one way of getting the food out of his mouth is to make the baby laugh.  once he opens his mouth, gently sweep the food off his mouth with your finger.  never ever force his mouth open.  the struggle will probably end up with a hurt and crying baby or a hurt and crying adult, minus a finger or two.  but if you’re lucky, you’ll just end up with a bloody finger.

it is also wise if you take note of the kinds of food that he spits out or stores inside his mouth ‘coz he might not like the taste and texture, so you can try giving him something else.

but if the baby cries when you feed him and does not tolerate soft solids or even liquids, then you should bring him to his pedia ‘coz he might be suffering from a sore throat, a tonsillitis, or a laryngitis, and the food is hurting him as it goes down his throat.

but if all else fails, then you could try seeking the help of a specialist ‘coz it might be a reflux or an oral motor skill problem.

as for my kulasito, he’s still doing it from time to time and am still keeping my fingers crossed and my hopes up that he will outgrow his chipmunk cheeks phase soon.  but for now, let’s do the new routine, hmn?

here are some great links if you want to know more about what to do in case you suddenly find yourself with a chipmunk cheeks for a baby.  mouth stuffing, ask moxie, and yahoo answers. 

Explore posts in the same categories: kulasito, me, the mom

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