I recently took my 5yo in for his annual checkup and found that while he is still growing height-wise (50th percentile) he only gained one pound in a year and dropped significantly in his weight percentile (now only 5-10). I was always a scrawny kid and so I guess I never really noticed that he's not been gaining weight, but now that we're paying attention, we realize he's not eating nearly as well as he used to. He now chews and chews and chews his food and seems not to want to swallow his food. Anything that has a texture is becoming a problem (i.e. he eats yogurt and applesauce just fine, but food he has to chew is an issue.) Also, since he's started kindergarten, he's much more on his own to eat his food. In preschool, I think his teachers must have pushed him to eat, but now no one is doing that for him.
Also, when he was very small (1 yo) he was in Early Intervention because he wouldn't take any food with textures. We couldn't get him off of baby food. After a few months working with a therapist he was great and had been ever since until the last 6-8 months. He seems to be having a relapse now, not sure why.
Anyway, I'm not really looking for advice right now (we've had plenty and tried many things!) I'm looking for a dr or therapist that can help. Also, I think someone needs to help set my husband's expectations about how much he should really be eating. He's so worried about it that I think he's trying to force him to eat too much sometimes. And I certainly don't want him to develop bad eating habits as a result of this. Thanks for your help!
I don't know a doctor/ therapist but I did want to tell you that it seems you are the right track. That's the first thing that came to mind is a doctor.
Hi C.,
I've heard of a similar problem with a 9 year old boy. He didn't like textures and he didn't want to eat. The doctor was seriously concerned about him. My friend suggested a Fiber product for him to drink, that tasted good, and the boy started gaining weight. (I don't remember the name but I can get it to you if you want.) What he was actually doing was cleansing his colon so he could actually absorb nutrition so his body somewhat kick-started itself to working properly. His parents thought therapy would help also but it was a simple fix of the digestive system. She also took him to a good chiropractor.
I know this might not be the answer you are looking for but Fiber never hurt anyone and it is necessary for a healthy body. Let me know and I'll check on it for you.
S.
Ask the pediatrician if his tonsils are enlarged. My daughter always had trouble swallowing things and would chew forever. She also snored. After a tonsillectomy, she is so much better! She never realized how much the tonsils were affecting her eating. They really narrowed her passageway and it was just exhausting to try to get the food chewed small enough and down. I would imagine that rough textures would be harder to get past swollen tonsils, too.
I wish I could give you advice on referrals- but we decided not to go that route with our daughter. I can tell you, however that you are not alone. Most parents do not understand the impact it has on your life when your child keeps dropping in the charts and all you hear is that "giving in to them is losing the battle". I cannot count the amount of advice I recieved from other parents and grandparents on my own daughter (who is now 2). I can tell you this- My mother-in-law never eats vegetables and eats one meal a day. She is one of the fittest people I know. Anthropological studies show that we were not originally made to eat as much as we do (and that is world wide, not just America). Humans can survive and even thrive on eating much less- even children. Food consumption is mostly based on cultural events- conversation with family everyday, weddings, funerals, birthdays...most every event we think of involves food. None of this may help you, but it is a different perspective than you get from most people (I have learned) and it may give your husband some hope to hang on to in such a trying time. Good luck.
Try giving him pancakes, scramble eggs, mashed potatoes, soup, bananas, yogurts, ham or turkey meat for sandwhichs, chessee, etc Good luck
Floortime atlanta (www.floortimeatlanta.com) is a great therapy group. They will help with expectations and understanding how huge this is for the child...as well as how to support them in a variety of ways.
Next, you need a DAN! physician. If you can get an appt with J. Buckley in Cumming, GA (she is based out of FLA), that is your best local option. We used a doc in CA who I owe more than I can imagine to bring my son out of all his problems (including eating). Her name is Dr Rachel West (www.drrachelwest.com) and she will work though labwork and over the phone, if you can get past the physcial need to sit in front of someone. She is more complementary medicine, where Buckley is more conventional. Either way, they both will help you get to the root of why your son is developing sensory problems manifesting in food texture issues and resulting in nutritional difficiencies. You cannot solve the problem until you understand the root.
Best of luck to you, J.
I have eating issues with my 3 yr old and was told to read: How To Get Your Child To Eat But Not Too Much by Dr Ellyn Satter. I bought it used off amazon, with shipping I think I paid $5 total. It REALLY helped me, but my daughter is younger. The Dr who recommended it to me, said if we did not see Marked changes to see an eating disorder specialist/Psychologist named Lisa Salzberg. Her husband is Dr Salzberg in my Pediatrician practice. I would give her a call. You might want to check out this book. It totally flipped my thinking on food and getting your kid to eat. I found with my daughter (not insinuating the same for your son) it was a total control issue. She found she could push our buttons by refusing to eat, pretty exciting for a 3 yr old. I basically was doing everything wrong: withholding dessert, praising my good eater of a son, literally putting food on the fork and feeding her, etc. This book breaks it down that as a parent you get to be in control of 2 things: When and What. They do the rest. You decide when they eat (time) and what they eat (the food you put before them) No short order cook, making different things. You place food before them, healthy balanced meal and when meal time is over food goes away, no having it later. No praising, no nothing. Take food as a topic off the table...it was hard at first to break old habit, but amazingly enough, she eats better, our choices are better, she has put on weight and we have seen great improvement. You might be a bit further down the road, as your son is 9, so try to give Dr. Lisa Salzberg a call. I think you can google her, she might be part of a bariatric medical group out of peidmont. I hope this helps. I know it can be so frustrating and a lot of people don't understand (ie: grandparents who tend to want to forcefeed, you have to put your foot down and explain to all caregivers what the deal is and to help get them on the same team to help your child) Feel free to email if you have any ?? I will keep you in our prayers, as I know this can be difficult to deal with. I got a lot of eye rolling when talking about it as many don't think it is a big deal.
C.
C.,
I do not have any referals for you. I would suggest googling your issues and see what comes up.
I can tell you I would only give your child food without additives or preservatives. Your little ones body may be having a reaction to foods with additives and preservatives. It is really worth a try. Stick with all natural products and see what happens. It can make a world of difference.
Also, you can look into purchasing a Vita-Mix blender which can puree anything into a smooth consistency. It will also make soup from raw vegetables, even ice cream. It is the best blender out there. It is expensive, but well worth the dollars. Do not try and get a different brand, nothing compares.
I make fresh fruit smoothies and add protein powder every morning. I love it.
I sure hope you find the solution to all of this. Good luck to you.
C., I just recently heard a presentation given by Heidi Liefer who is a feeding specialist and works for Children's Healthcare here in Atlanta. If you want I can forward an email from my mom's group that contains a copy of her presentation and her contact information. I thought she was fantastic. I'd be happy to pass it along.
My son and daughter both were diagnosed with oral sensory issues because they wouldn't eat textures. They are both currently in occupational therapy for it at the Children's Healthcare of Atanta Rehab center in Marietta. The phone number is ###-###-####. Good luck. This is a very real medical issue and I totally know what you are going through.
