Help!!!!!!

I have a 4 year old son, when he was younger he ate everything as in baby food. now every mealtime is so stressful for the both of us. he only will eat baked fries, baked chicken nuggets, and of course pizza. every time I finally get him to try something it gags him and he vomits. He does not like sauces, condiments, gravy....etc.I seriously need help....he was sick recently because he will not eat or drink enough. This is really hard for me to see him this way.




he is 8 lbs underweight what he should be....his doctor recommended he finish his medicine for the keytones showed in his urine. he has...and we still are struggling. Ive made an appt somewhere else for a second opinion but no opening till december....



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Jul 12, 2016
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starstarstarstarstar 		My struggle with my 4 year old picky eater
by: Gabby

Hi everyone,

Maybe someone can help me. I suspect my 4 year old son has SPD. Right now we are overseas so I could only talk to his pedi when we get home. Which I suspect she would tell me he will grow out of it. My gut tells me he is more than a picky eater.

When we started on purée at about 6months. He ate everything I cooked for him. Then one day he woke up and decided he is not eating except milk. Only pediasure in the states and not pediasure anywhere else in the world. He ate bananas as a young toddler and now runs away when he sees a banana. Now he is into apples and grapes which is a hit and miss. He was eating rice with plain fried omlette for a while and now would only want plain rice. Mac and cheese was served every meal by now he also decided he doesn't want it anymore. He doesn't gag or vomit but would always comment our food that we are eating is gross. Also, he was eating plain bread back home but now in a different environment would only eat doughnuts and Yakult.

I am feeling so helpless and I do not where to get help for him. I have sent him for a speech evaluation just couple months ago and was told he did not need speech therapy. He is a late talker but now he won't stop talking. He is not autistic but he would grind his teeth every night when he sleeps. Somebody please help me. We just had the worst day due to his eating resistance. Other than that he is a sweet boy. Should I just give him what the doughnuts he wants?
Oct 28, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Here's what helped me.
by: Anonymous

I had SPD when I was younger and just found out that it had a name. This is what I remember about food maybe it will help. My parents believed that a child should eat what is put in front of them. I never wanted to be disobedient but could not eat the food. I would sit at the table for hours. Things that were bland were the best. It wasn't just texture but smell and taste. Somethings I would eat with the least amount of agony were white bread with butter, watered down mac and cheese, but only the kind that came in a box. French toast as long as I couldn't see the egg on it. I would eat a plain hamburger from Mac Donalds as long as there was nothing on it but meat and bread. Banana baby food. Salt helped things go down. I remember I was about eight when I discovered pizza. My mom would hide vitamins in a chocolate shake which I would only drink when it wasn't cold. I didn't like surprises so it helped when I knew ahead of time what I was going to eat. You are doing a good job, don't get discouraged. I know it must be very frustrating as a parent but it was also frustrating for me. I wanted to like food. It will get better!
Oct 27, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		few things to consider-
by: Anonymous

do you suspect spd? have you done the checklist on this website? do you think it's texture related gagging? could it be related to certain smells? my son has mild spd and has struggled with certain foods from the time he was small. so i can relate. at one point, he ended up in the hospital with dehydration because he was not getting enough nourishment.

have you tried having him help you make different foods? that has helped my son to even at least try a 'taste' of things he has refused for long periods of time.

there is such a thing as food therapy. my son did food therapy with an occupational therapist for about six months and that helped. it helped me as well to know how to shed a more positive light on the issue and how to talk to him about it without pressuring him or getting frustrated.

we do a lot of smoothies/protein shakes in our house. have you tried that? if he will eat pureed or smoother textured foods/drinks maybe smoothies would work?

and as previously posted, might not be a bad idea to consider the size of tonsils if you think that the issue is not spd related.

good luck!
Oct 26, 2011
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starstarstarstarstar 		Here is what I found out when my child was chocking on food
by: Anonymous

I know your troubles. My son was three when he needed his tonsils out due to chocking on food constantly. You may want to have the tonsils checked if you also notice breathing problems when laying down or lack there of. My son is now seven and still only eats certain things but he does eat. If you have him checked out and there are no medical problem then it could be textures and for a child with SPD that is also a big thing.

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