Nanny (and eventually preschool) for kid with swallowing disorder

Hello all - 

My son (9 mos) just received a diagnosis of dysphagia and silent aspiration. He's developing normally and hitting babbling/motor milestones so we don't suspect a global delay.  We're not sure of the cause but his medical team suspects its due severe reflux damaging his throat.  Right now we're managing it with thickened bottles, careful pacing, and lots of OT, but it is possible he would need an NG tube or G tube for some portion of his treatment.  He can eat solids, just not any thin liquids. 

We're optimistic for his eventual recovery, but childcare is becoming a problem. We're currently in a nanny share and the nanny has said repeatedly that she's not comfortable handling feeding him, so my husband and I have been taking turns working from home and handling feeds. However, we do eventually need reliable childcare that allows us to leave the house. We also want him to eventually go to preschool.  Does anyone have experience with finding a nanny who can handle moderate medical needs?  Does anyone have a kid with dysphagia who attended preschool? Did a g-tube change your options?  Did you select a more special needs focused preschool or work with a more mainstream program? We're open to both, but would probably prefer a more standard preschool experience if they can handle the medical angle. Any thoughts from families with similar situations would be very welcome!

Parent Replies

Parents, please Sign in to post a review on this page.

Hi--

Sorry to hear about your son. As a parent of two now older children, just know that so much of what children  experience is developmental and eventually gets sorted. We know of an excellent nanny who has a degree in PT with a specialization in respitory issues. If you would like to get in touch with her I would be happy to introduce you.

Best,

Daniel