Infants naturally wean after a year or so because their stomachs become mature enough to handle semisolid foods. This process is complicated if a child is fed via a tube for any medical reason. Similar to adults, a child that was accustomed to eating solids or cooked semisolids in the past might find it easier to adjust after being removed from a feeding tube. A child that has never had solid foods will take the most time to adjust.
Tube formulas for children can vary based on the age of the child as well as the recommendation of the doctor. Children past a certain age should be fed a formula other than milk, especially if they have an ethnic background that is lactose intolerant. The formula for children might be specially formulated to contain the calories and nutrients that a growing body needs, but it will be more similar to adult formula the older they get.
A weaned child should be able to eat either semisolid or cooked solid food and digest it without any complication. The stomach and intestines of children have to adjust to plant-based food, mostly because plants have a great deal of fiber as well as substances that are affected by gut flora. The digestive tract has to adjust to increased amounts of fiber, especially if it has not been experienced before.
The general process of weaning is first to consume formula with increased amounts of fiber and then to switched to food that has been cooked, mashed, and is served as a paste. This paste might have other additives such as sugar or probiotics added in order to meet dietary and therapeutic needs. Solid food might be eaten once the stomach is fully adjusted to cooked and processed food.
As a comparison, an adult who has been on a tube for a very long time might find that their digestive tract has atrophied due to the lack of solid food. They might have trouble swallowing if the esophagus has not been exercised in a while, and the intestines might have trouble passing solid food if they have not been exercised with solid food for a long time.
A weaned child is one that can eat a variety of solid food due to gradual acclimation. Drinking formula from a can or cup exercises the esophagus while eating food with increasing firmness helps to exercise and acclimate the stomach. Since the gut has its own autonomous nervous system, it can only train itself due to experience.
