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Eating ( or not)

jamse37

jamse37

Active Member
Hi all
Me again.
Another one about my three year old.
She doesn't and has never eaten. She lives on cows milk and is very healthy. Only now she has been referred to gosh ( children specialist hospital London) about her eating.
So a many of you are probably already thinking No there is no way she could ever cope with going there. She can only cope for a very short period with anyone coming into her own home before a meltdown. So basically gosh is never going to happen.
Obviously we are desperate for her to eat.
Have/did any of you not eat as youngsters but found a way to eat discover food.
We have spent way to much money ( it doesn't matter) on different foods but all to no avail
She is extreme hyper oral
Advice contributions gratefully received as always and
How do I like a post?
 
She is to smart.
I should have added we have tried pretty much everything you could think of.
Thanks all the same.
 
A diet based on cows milk inevitably leads to iron deficiency in children. I would be concerned about that.
Obviously, you didn't choose for her to have such a diet.
Do you still put food in front of her? While most children do not have food aversion to the same degree that she does, most of them do have aversion to a certain degree to new foods during the first few years of life. And what one is supposed to do is to keep putting that food in front of them, meal after meal, until one day they finally decide to eat it.
Best not to get upset or emotional in front of the child about their refusals (not that you necessarily do).
YOu probably have tried all that. Sorry, I don't have magical perfect advice; that's just the best I can say from my years as Child Caregiver.
As for liking a post, there should be faded symbols in the bottom right hand corner of the post.
 
My parents had problems getting me to eat when I was a very young child. I simply wasn't hungry. I liked ghost stories, so my father had to sit and tell me ghost stories to get me to eat even a few bites. I don't know if you've tried bribery of this sort, or if it would even work, but it did work for my parents.
 
How does she react to being around food (even if not eating it)? Is she willing to at least smell it?
Maybe touch a bit to her tongue?
 
If it is about texture, maybe she'll agree to drink the food. I somehow can't imagine that her taste buds are already sufficiently developed for her to take issue with the taste, unless it's a really strong taste. You hear of kids who are older than her eating entire onions without flinching.

This one might seem like a desperate measure, but I drink lots of coke to feel hungry. I guess it helps stimulate ghrelin production, or helps my body realise that it is not getting its nutrients, or something like that. It's probably not the sugar, though; my guess would be the colouring/E-numbers. I have no idea how it would affect a toddler, so please don't jump into it. Consult a doctor first. I'm only mentioning it because without it, I can go for any length of time without getting hungry.

There could be other chemicals that do the same thing. I've never checked.

Another, probably more effective, option is of course to put her on an IV drip or give her a blood transfusion, although those wouldn't last indefinitely.
 
Ylva said:
If it is about texture, maybe she'll agree to drink the food. I somehow can't imagine that her taste buds are already sufficiently developed for her to take issue with the taste, unless it's a really strong taste. You hear of kids who are older than her eating entire onions without flinching.
Click to expand...
Young kids have a pretty strong sense of taste. But it's still an interesting suggestion.
 
Thank you all.
Yes we have tries everything!!
She won't drink anything other than milk which I suppose is a blessing she has that
We offer her food / snacks all the time but just won't eat.
Occasionally she will eat maybe some pasta the size of your thumbnail. Then refuse If you put new food she has not seen before on palate it's meltdown time.
She will happily feed you. Make food with you. But won't smell kiss lick it.

Have I said that she licks the stair carpet on a regular basis to calm herself ?

We try to get iron supplements into her but obviously don't succeed very often.

Hopefully one day soon she will just eat. You never know
 
Maybe if you explain how her body and digestive system work? How they need fuel in the form of fats and proteins?
 
Does she have her meal at the same time as you? If not, let her see you eat. Make a fuss of some food as 'adult only food' that she's not allowed.

You've probably tried rewards for eating, but I'll suggest it just in case.
 
She is offered food same time as us in between times first thing last thing all times. Nothing works.
Just now I gave her some frosties.
She tried one said mmmm that's nice then refused any more. This is a very common sequence.
Rewards have been tried but she just gets more upset over it all.
 
How much milk does she drink?
Skim or full cream?
Milk will make her feel full, especially if it's not skim milk.
Can you slowly reduce how much she is allowed and/or water it down so she starts to feel hungry? She might then have more desire for solids.
Try not to get stressed about it though. It will make it worse.
 
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I am wondering a few things. What else is going on around in the room or environment during meal times,( including you: are you stressed?) And 2. My daughter didn't eat much until 4 years old although she would graze on tiny bits of a variety of (healthy) food. I followed my own creativity and put out on separate bowls about 12 different foods. This gave her control and a possibility of her body choosing what it needs, nutritionally. 3. When I was little I literally ate my blanket. I still have oral fixation and food control issues. I am slender, but I learned to eat right after I got to be grown up - in my twenties. Stay calm and carry on, offer her healthy food in the same size along with those pasta bits you mentioned.4. It's excellent she's happy making food with you. 5. Skim milk is not good, I hope you are giving her whole.
 
I wasn't that picky, but I was a really picky eater. My mom had a rule of "try just one bite to see if you like it, then have whatever you want". That's the only thing I can think of. I honestly wouldn't know much on how to handle a picky kid, mine eats anything and everything, even things me and my husband don't find appealing. One extreme to the other, I guess.
 
She has whole milk. We tried semi skimmed for a week but she drank less and still didnt eat so it was then a panic so we went back to whole milk.
We do her a plate of six or seven different food items at a time.
 
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