Abstract
Aim: To assess various feeding techniques used for children with cleft lip/cleft palate.
 Introduction: Cleft lip/palate is a condition wherein there is an opening or slit in the upper lip/palate. Maintaining optimum nutrition in children with cleft lip/palate is a challenge owing to the feeding and swallowing difficulties these children face. This article aims to discuss various feeding techniques used in southern India and to analyse their effectiveness in helping the infant with weight gain and overall development.
 Materials and Methods: Cross sectional study done in south India using structured questionnaire. It consisted of 100 children <2 years of age visiting the cleft clinic in Saveetha Medical College and Hospital. Data was analysed statistically and evaluated using chi square test.
 Results: This study concluded that paalada (65%) was the most commonly used technique to feed children with cleft lip/palate in southern India. The study also concludes that formula feed was the most widely used feed to effectively increasing weight of the child with cleft lip/palate. Education about feeding practices is vital in helping the mother understand the importance of healthy weight gain, growth and development.
 Conclusion: Though the majority of parents visiting a cleft clinic are educated on the do's and don'ts of feeding a child with cleft lip/cleft palate, the data is inconclusive of the exact situation in India, so more research on the subject is needed to improve the feeding experience of children with cleft lip/cleft palate.
Highlights
Cleft lip/palate is a condition wherein there is an opening or slit in the upper lip/palate
This article aims to discuss various feeding techniques used in southern India and to analyse their effectiveness in helping the infant with weight gain and overall development
The study is aimed at finding out the prevalence of various feeding techniques in southern India. 65 of these children were fed using paalada, 15 of them bottle fed, 12 of them spoon fed, 4 of them breastfed, 2 of them fed using a tumbler and 2 of them using nissty cup
Summary
Cleft lip/palate is a condition wherein there is an opening or slit in the upper lip/palate. Maintaining optimum nutrition in children with cleft lip/palate is a challenge owing to the feeding and swallowing difficulties these children face due to the inability of the child to suckle optimally and along with this there is associated aspiration when the child swallows as the airway is not protected [1] This is the reason why most of these children are documented to have low weight percentile and growth retardation when compared to the children without cleft lip/palate of the same age group. Having optimum weight of about 10kg is essential in these children if they are to be taken up for surgery For this reason many tertiary care centres have recruited feeding counsellors to help the mothers understand various feeding techniques and most importantly how to position the baby upright while feeding and burp it after feeding to avoid aspiration. This article aims to discuss various feeding techniques used in southern India and to analyse their effectiveness in helping the infant with weight gain and overall development
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