Mom on the verge of a breakdown

by Susie
(Wisconsin Dells, WI)

I am so completely thrilled to find this website!! My son JJ is 5 1/2 years old. For the last 3 1/2 years or so, he has been the pickiest eater I have ever met in my life. His diet consists of.... Peanut butter (has to be the smooth kind from walmart), Pancakes (frozen or from a restaurant, cant be made at home), bacon (has to be pre-cooked, or very crispy), french toast sticks(wont eat regular french toast), chocolate milk (no white milk), Red juice or Orange colored juice (cant be ORANGE juice tho), Bisquits, Chicken Nuggets (either Wendys, Tyson, Sysco foods, or Burger King), French fries (either Culvers or crinkle cut at home), no veggies what so ever, no other meat, will eat an apple every now and then, but wont eat apple sauce, plain vanilla yogurt, Regular Nacho flavored Dorittos, corn chips, Pringles, wont eat regular potato chips, honey buns, brownies (no nuts)...the list of the things he WONT eat is far bigger than the things that he WILL eat.




I have tried everything, bribing, forcing, "going to bed hungry", stickers, , ect ect. I have mentioned this to his pediatrician numerous times and all they tell me is.."he will grow out of it, dont give him to him, he wont starve himself"....Ok...this child has gone 4 days without eating in the past because i wouldn't "give in" to him. Any mother in their right mind would feel terrible seeing their child NOT eat.

When we try to give him new foods, or make him TRY something new, he literally gags and then throws up. I dont know what to do. My husband sees it as our child being "stubborn", and that he "does it on purpose to get his way". I know there is a bigger issue with him, but no one listens to me. What am i suppose to do? He wont take vitamins, so I know hes not getting what he needs. He isn't underweight by any means, hes 59lbs, so hes a pretty good size child. He is starting school this September full time, and Im scared to death. Hes soooo emotional, he has breakdowns, and tantrums. Anything out of routine sets him off. Last school term, the teachers called me numerous times because of his outbursts of emotional breakdowns. Him going to school full time now, scares me to no end. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!! Thank you so much



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Aug 09, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		picky eater
by: Anonymous

I am on the same page as you with my son, who is 3. He has been a poor eater since birth, even with formula he only would take 4 oz, even when he was 1. My son was at Mt. Washington Ped. Hospital for 7 weeks in their feeding program, which helped with his behavior at meals times, but didn't work to really increase the food he ate. They told me not to worry too much with trying to get him to eat new foods, just try to increase the amount of food he does eat.

Well, that was not working, so he now get 4 cans of pediasure a day with his meals. This helped him gain some weight and grow a little. I would say that if you are worried that your son is not getting all the vitamins that he needs, see if you can get him to drink chocolate pediasure, maybe you would have to pour it into a different cup so that he doesn't know what it is. Hope that it helps :)
Aug 07, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Picky Eater
by: Anonymous

My 3yr old grandson began his picky eating at around 12 mos of age. He gagged and would vomit on just about everything we fed him. His diet now consists of sausage patties and MUST be Tenn Pride brand simmered not crisp,chicken nuggets from Mcd without the crust,apple slices on a good day,sour cream an cheddar lays chips choc covered raisins and anything chocolate. He is in therapy and will soon end now that he is turning 3 in a few weeks.I am terrified that he will go backwards even though we are much involved in his therapy and even more afraid when he begins school. He had RSV when he was 4mos old and was using breathing treatments for approx 6 wks I am wondering if the treatments had anything related to his sensory disorder?
Aug 06, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Failure to thrive
by: Anonymous

I have been diagnosed with failure to thrive. Basically that means that I could starve myself to death if i so choose. My Dr. explained to me that there are three types of food. Fat, protein, and carbs. As long as we get those three things we will be fine. Smoothies can be flavored to anything from apples to bacon. The important thing to remember is that you continue to try different things, remember the three true food groups as fore mentioned a count calories.
Aug 06, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I know where you are coming from
by: Jacki Brocktt

No matter what the food is he just might have a thing for some textures that do not feel right to him or possibly just a picky eater. Although as said he is not stubborn as put. Look at it from this prospective there are things that us adults would prefer not to eat because of the texture or taste. We all are different in what we at and for him there just might be a little extra that wont be on his plate at this point in time. I know how this all goes as my 10 year old daughter when she was a baby up until she was about 5 years old would not eat meat at all if she did she also would throw up.

Many times I asked her why she wouldn't eat and she would just tell me that she didn't like it yeah at first I thought myself she was being stubborn and picky but I just had to come to terms that she just didn't like it.

Another thing is she use to love pancakes and spaghetti but after she got over not eating meat she went to not liking either one of those two foods. It will get better with time. Just let him be and d give into him when you feel the need cause it is not healthy for a child to go for days without eating. I do have to say you sound like you're handling it pretty well so keep up your patience and like I said it will get better.
Aug 05, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		I understand
by: Anonymous

Hi! I just want you to know that I am right there with you! Our son is also 5 almost 6 and has many of the same issues. He is a super picky eater, often gets easily upset which brings on a tantrum, can't stand certain clothes, can't set still for long, etc. Luckily our pediatrician is great and never encouraged me to take extreme measures with him to get him to cooperate. There are good days and bad days!

We are getting ready to start kindergarten also and I am concerned about this. Our school is aware on our son's situation and we have an IEP in place to help him adjust to the school setting. I'm not sure if you have one, if not I'd encourage you to have your son tested and get the help he needs. Don't forget we are our children's advocate in these situations! I too find that many family members feel this is a behavioral issue, but I know better and am determined to help my son lead a successful life!

Good luck to you and your son in the upcoming school year! If you would like you can email me if you ever need someone to talk to about this! It's harder to deal with alone! Jamey :) mommy23@fidnet.com
Aug 05, 2009
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Gosh, sounds like me...
by: Tammy

As much as I hate to admit it.. that kind of sounds like me. I'm a mom of an SPD kid, but maybe I have it, too. I've been an extremely picky eater all my life........ I don't like most fruits and most veggies. I just this year realized that I like apple pie. It's totally a texture thing with me. I will gag on certain foods. I've also been fighting with my kids to make them eat healthier foods so they don't end up like me when they turn into adults. Every so often I decide to try a different food, or cook something differently to see if I like it.

Within the last year I started eating pumpkin pie, apple pie, apples with carmel dip, lettuce, and green beans. Though, by the time I doctor it all up with accessories to make it taste ok to eat, it's full of calories and fat. =-) but, i'm getting used to the taste of green beans and can almost eat them without the french fried onions and cheese on top. =-) Good luck with him. I'm glad you're looking for help for him at such a young age. I wish my mom had! Image, 30 years old and I still won't eat my fruit and vegetables! (apples are the only fruit I'll eat too.) Trust me though, this is just as stressful on him as it is on you. If he genuinely doesn't like it to the point of throwing up, get professional help.

Post it if you find it! I could use it too! =-)

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