How much should a baby with a cleft palate eat?

Enough to gain wt: The caloric requirements for children with cleft lip/palate are the same as they are for children without clefts. The problem is that without special bottles, they will work so hard to eat that they will burn more calories eating than they take in. This makes weight gain critical to follow in these children. An occupational therapist &/or nutritionist with your cleft team can help with this.

Healthy diet: Your child should consume a normal caloric intake with possible increases and additional supplementation in the peri-operative periods.

Till full: I belive that any baby with a cleft should be managed by a cleft palate team that contains someone to help the parent manage the foods the child needs for proper nutrition. This is the most difficult part of being the parent and it requires a lot of help and support.