Won’t eat!!!!

[Reality_sucks_mum]

Any tips on how to make your autistic 3 yr old eat? Mine will only eat yoghurt and is turning away from it. He is only 14 kg( the same as his 1 yr old brother. )

I’m worried he will become sick

 

[Mia]

I'm not a parent, but grew up in a household with many picky children who were likely on the spectrum. My Father used to put snacks out, like grapes, oranges, sliced celery and apples and tell us not to touch them as they were only for adults. It created the desire to have those foods, or at least to try them because we wanted to be like adults. So when we were offered them, we usually liked most of them. Whatever my Father ate I wanted to try.

You could try leaving things around, like fruit pieces, or vegetables or cheese, or biscuits at his level to reach and see if he'll try them. Maybe trial some things like bowls of cereal or such. I remember being that age, and not liking eating in a highchair, (which restricted movement) but liked eating in a small children's chair in front of the television.

 

[MaeveTheRaven]

Have you tried to use a hand blender to make other foods to be yogurt texture? Maybe blend them with yogurt, so the taste will be similar?

 

[Tom]

Tagging onto what Mia wrote, you might experiment with changing up the environment along with some new food availability. At three its hard to reason, and maybe more like hit and miss. If you have a very set meal routine perhaps there is something in the routine or feeling he doesn't like, or it might be his cue to make a fuss. Kids on the spectrum wanting only a few or even one food is far from rare btw. Wish I had more to suggest. Good luck! Oh, one last thought was there are these health shakes that dieticians recommend (and supposedly taste good). I know they have them for adults, not sure about kids.

 

[Fino]

This might overly obvious and you tried it, but have you taken him to a grocery store and had him pick things?

 

[Gracey]

Try to stay relaxed or indifferent around meal times.
If you're feeling stressed he may be able to pick up on that.

I've tried something like Mia suggested.
Fresh fruit and vegetables only I put it inside tiny air tight storage boxes. One type to each box.
(boxes uniform shape and size)

Mine would stack or arrange boxes of fruit and veg' first. Usually by colour. They'd eat it eventually.

I made animals on their plate too.
Cooked, mashed potato and cooked sausage cut into strips can be arranged to resemble a hedgehog or cat with face and whiskers.

When straight up food-on-plate became a battle of wills,
I had to try to get creative. Generate curiosity.

 

[Peter Morrison]

I was a horribly finicky eater, as early as 3 years old too. My mother would leave sliced hard boiled eggs and strips of bologna on a shelf that I could easily see and reach. I always ate the egg whites, but left the yolks. I don't know why I was like that. I can enjoy almost any food today. If you implement a similar program, offer some variety. I like Mia's idea of colors and bite-sized pieces of good, nutritional fruits and vegetables. Experiment, and see what works best.

A simple psychological trick with kids is to offer then a choice between 2 things. Never ask "Would you like green beans?". Ask them "Would you like green beans or lima beans?" There is something about the choice that gives them a sense of control. All you want is for them to eat some kind of green vegetable.

As a kid, there were certain types of food I never wanted to try. I didn't like the way it looked, or I didn't like something about the consistency. Kids will eat when they are hungry, and there are still lots of food varieties that a 3-year-old hasn't yet seen, never mind tasted.

I'm sure you are aware that you should consult a physician over nutrition and weight issues. Also, if you are experiencing the same heat and humidity discomfort that is plaguing parts of the US and Europe, make sure to drink extra amounts of fluids - beyond the simple desire to drink something from casual thirst. We need to double down on our water consumption when heatwaves arrive. Eat healthy, be healthy.

 

[anacrusis]

I do hope you've got some professional help with this one - the worrying thing being that he really does need a wider range of vitamins and minerals in order to grow properly than you will find in yoghurt. They say that you may need to try a new food with any child up to 15 times before they become used to it enough to accept it, and I've heard (but don't have any references to hand) that this may well need to be more times than that even, if the child is autistic. It depends on how your local services are set up - where I live, it would be a dietician attached to a paediatric clinic who would help, preferably one who knows about autism also. Please do so soon - the longer you wait on this one, the harder it becomes, and lack of suitable nutrition does affect growth and development.

 

[Nick12]

DO YOU KID LIKE TO EAT BABY FOOD I STILL EAT BABY FOOD SOME TIMES I LIKE THE TASTE AND THE TEXTURE OF IT

 

[AluxCinAmoon]

Personally, my main sensory issue is finding certain food textures/temperatures disgusting. Is it possible that this is why he's a picky eater?

 

[talentedcrazyman]

Our 6 yr old son has been diagnosed with ARFID a year ago and has been following ABA related therapy for it to moderate succes with progress in baby steps. He started out as a picky eating toddler but regressed to needing to be tube fed.

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a new diagnosis in the DSM-5, and was previously referred to as “Selective Eating Disorder.” ARFID is similar to anorexia in that both disorders involve limitations in the amount and/or types of food consumed, but unlike anorexia, ARFID does...

www.nationaleatingdisorders.org

I'm not telling you your child has ARFID. I am just here to tell you it's not your fault or your child's. My advice would be to consult a professional, with experience in the field of children and eating disorders, advise and guide you. If we had known earlier it would have saved us so much pain and frustration.

Sorry for this being my first post but your story just touched me and I just felt like telling a bit of our story.