Thursday, April 2, 2009
HELP!
So I'm at my wits end and I'm turning to all of you for any advice. My little bean won't eat! UGH! She has NEVER been a good eater, but now it's gotten even worse. I've tried all the classic kid favorites like: PB&J, mac n' cheese, corn dogs/hot dogs, chicken nuggets (which use to be a favorite, not anymore) and pizza. She wants non of it. Help. SOS. So she'll snack on crackers occasionally and she'll do fruits and veggies when she feels like it (She already has put herself on a diet:) The trouble is she is underweight for her age. My pediatrician has said, let her starve until she is so hungry she will have to eat. Well let me tell you, Ella could care less about food (something she did NOT inherit from me) she WOULD go the whole day and not eat. So frustrating!! The real problem is she is a chocolate milk junkie. She would just live off milk if I let her. I need to ditch the sippy and get her to eat a real meal. Have any of you gone through this with any of your kids?? How did you get them to eat. I have learned through many battles and I fail every time, that you can't make a kid eat if they don't want to. The more I force it, the worse it gets. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks. I'm one desperate momma!
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I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with Ella and eating. Bummer! If it's any consolation, it's said that the more independent and stubborn a child, the more self-esteem they have later. :) One problem we had with Alex is that he would "water log"(fill up on chocolate milk) and then not want to eat. We still have to bargain with him that when he is done with his food, that he can have chocolate milk. Also, with Alex we have to make sure he is putting on weight because of the medication he is on. Carnation Instant Breakfast is high calorie with whole milk. It has vitamins and minerals and tastes just a lot like Nestle Quik. Zone bars are packed with vitamins, minerals, and protein. Our Dr. told us to not hold the fat. Whole milk, whole milk cheese, veggies in cheese, etc. Good luck with Ella! You are such a good Mom Kristi! Just keep with it and you will figure out what works for the both of you.
I have the same problem with my daughter. She LOVES LOVES LOVES Choc. milk. I have read many article about getting your kid to eat. Many places i have read tell you not to force them to eat cause later in life they could have a obesity problem, which could stem from forcing them to eat when they didn't want to. Which I don't want to be the cause of.
I have been rewarding my daughter when she does eat. Even if it isn't much. Like three bites of taters and some beans. She will get a desert which would be some sort of fruit and then other times it would be ice cream or a cookie.
I have also noticed that she has days when she eat somewhat ok and other she wont eat at all. Our Dr. told me to keep record of what she eats. After doing so for a couple weeks, we have noticed she usually balances herself out.
Sorry for the novel.. I hope it helps.
I have also been think about getting this:
http://deceptivelydelicious.com/
I have done it twice so far. Its a phase that they go through, but she'll be fine. Try not to worry to much. They do suggest that you limit the milk when they're going through these phases. Milk is very filling and comforting. My boys would've done the same thing- drink nothing but milk all day and be fine. You just have to keep offering them good healthy food - trying new ways to tempt them- until they relinquish their power struggle :) I made the mistake of trying to force it, like you said, and it definitely made things worse... I think it was something Dr. Phil suggested on one of his shows, but poor Dillon has a vivid memory of that one time I belted him to his chair and said he had to take on bite of corn before I'd let him out! YES... I did that. I felt uber guilty and let him out once he'd cried for 20 minutes straight without giving his corn a sideways glance! All I have to do is threaten to go and get the belt and he'll taste ANYTHING! Bad mamma. ;0) James says to tell you that at her age she should only be allowed 16 ounces of milk or less per day. The rest should be water and maybe 4 oz of juice. Oh.... and he says "HI" too ;0)
Isn't this the worst? Try fixing those most loved foods (PB&J, etc) in a different way. Like cut the sandwich with cookie cutters so it's a heart. Or take ham and cheese and bread and make them little pieces so she makes her own sandwich. My kids love to dip anything...carrots in ranch, grapes in yogurt, etc. And seriously, I know it's hard, but just ditch the cup. It's hard for maybe a couple weeks (YIKES, I know!) but so worth it! Good luck, keep us posted!
Hey Guys!
It's been a long time since I've talked to you guys but every so often I check on your blog. I'm glad I spotted this post because I have a cousin that has this same issue with her little boy. I'm not sure if your little food critic is old enough for this or not, but they actually take him for food therapy classes once a week. Sounds crazy, I know but it is totally working. I work for a pediatrician and none of them had even heard of this until I told them about my cousin and they were thrilled to know that this is available. I'm not sure of anyone specific in sunny CA, but you can call an Occupational Therapist on your insurance plan. They can set up a food evaluation and see if they can help.
Anyway, let me know if you have questions about it and I could even give you my cousin's email (Dan knows her-Stacey (Robinson) Dixon). She's always willing to share her advice on the subject.
Hope that helps. Good luck!
My kids haven't ever been very picky... but Emmaline has always been underweight. Our pediatrician has us put a tablespoon of dry milk (basically cheap protein powder)in anything we can hide it in. Usually put it in her yogurt. When my kids have ever had any problems with not eating the good stuff- I totally cut out any snacks. I also find that the healthier I eat, the better they eat 'cuz they are always watching. Agree with everyone else, don't let her know you think it is a big deal. I have never heard of any kid voluntarily starving themselves so I think she'll be fine =)
I've always thought that when I child is hungry, they will eat. Kids aren't going to let themselves starve. Holland is currently my picky eater, but Alexis went through a similar stage as well. I'm guessing that's what your little one is going through as well... a stage. My suggestion is much like the other mothers above, ditch the cup until after something is eaten. That's what I have to do with Holland now. She doesn't get a "drink" until she eats her food.
Good luck!
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