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Behaviour/development

Eating problems......at the end if my tether :'(

1 reply

JTK90 · 16/11/2016 17:30

Not sure if this is in the right place but here goes....
My DS who is 4 has always been an amazing eater up until about 1 year ago. Before that he would eat curries, vegetables, fruit, literally anything put infront of him he would eat! Since then he's become VERY fussy. He will only eat chicken nuggets and chips or sausages and chips, plus the usual crisps and other rubbish like that. Last week we had to take him to the hospital because he hadn't been to the toilet (no. 2) for over a week, and they advised me to improve his diet. I've been taking baby steps, so serving his usual food plus a little bit of veg on the side. Again it's been over a week since he's been to the loo and he's complaining of the same pains again. I'm exhausted from the contant fights and crying at meal times...I'm drained and feel like a failure! Any advice on how to deal with my EXTREMELY fussy eater...it's making him ill!

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SilverLinings2014 · 16/11/2016 23:00

I can understand why your worried and frustrated op.

I think you can change it but it will take a lot of time and effort (and masses of patience) so first I would say get to the doctor for a prescription of movicol to help him go to the toilet. Severe constipation can be serious so although you want his diet to improve, I think you need to have some short term help with the constipation so you can focus on gradually improving diet - can't believe hospital didn't advise this actually.

For the food I think you've made a good start by giving his usual food and a bit of something new but think you need to try to relax (I know that must be hard) about whether or not he eats it. Just let him get comfortable with it being on the plate for a while. No pressure to eat it. Eat with him/ as a family and let him see you enjoying the veggies etc that he has on his plate.

A lot of food resistance from small children is about power. It gives him control over you to refuse food/ make you prep something different and if he's getting a reaction he'll keep doing it. If he refuses to eat or complains about what you serve tell him he doesn't have to eat it. If he cries acknowledge he's upset because he doesn't want x on his plate or because you've served sonething different etc, but again, he does t have to eat it. Then relax and enjoy your food. It will gradually improve if you're consistent...might take a while though at 4, esp if he's been used to the way things were for a long time.

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