My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Parenting

11yo restricting diet, I need help.

10 replies

boredofmyoldname · 25/09/2017 18:20

DS has been very, very fussy only eating about 15 different foods since he was 2 years old, none of which are particularly healthy.

Sausages, skinny fries, waffles, chicken dippers, weetabix, corn flakes, banana, raisins, smooth fromage frais, toast/bread with butter or jam, cheese toastie, specific Asda pepperoni pizza, grapes, fish fingers, crisps, sweets. That was literally it.

Health visitor gave us the old "he won't starve himself" line but unfortunately that's exactly what he did, 3 days later we were sat in hospital because he'd eaten so little and Dietician checked weight/height/general health etc and referred for allergy testing which came back negatibe. He was deemed healthy and not at risk so told just to feed him what he'll eat in the assumption he'd grow out of it.

Fast forward 9 years, DS is skinny but not seriously underweight and has now reached the point where he complains he's bored of the same foods not bothering eat then anymore but either refuses to try or gags on everything and more than once he has vomitted on the spot with one bite, most recently of a cheese sandwich.

More worryingly though he's having cereal in the morning, eating a bite of a sandwich from his packed lunch and leaving his fruit yogurt then refusing dinner unless it's a cheese toastie or chicken dippers and skinny fries. Then he's begging for toast later because he has hunger pains.

I'm at my wit's end now, I feel guilty and I don't know where to turn. The GP has said other than prescribing him liquid food supplements or if he refuses that discussing fitting a feeding tube there's not much else they can do.

Surely I'm missing something? There must be a way round this that will encourage him to eat normally :(

OP posts:
jellycat · 25/09/2017 18:25

There is a disorder, basically food phobia, which might be what your son has. I can't remember the name (will go and have a google). My son is similar but has improved a lot over the past year or so (he's 12). I sometimes get him to try something new by cooking him his usual 'alternative' as well as the new food so there is no pressure on him IYSWIM. Then he will often try the new food. I'll see if I can find the name of the disorder because I am sure there is loads of information online.

boredofmyoldname · 25/09/2017 18:27

Thank you.

I normally make his alongside ours but he refuses to try new stuff and when he does he just retches then throws it up.

OP posts:
oldbirdy · 25/09/2017 18:31

Not a long term solution but I give my DS complan made with full cream milk as "milkshake" with breakfast and supper (not instead of it, as well) so I know he is getting a full range of vitamins. Made with fc milk a sachet is over 300 cal so that is useful as well.

jellycat · 25/09/2017 18:32

The disorder I was thinking of is Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. I watched a programme about it a while back. It was an episode of 'Doctor in the house'. The doctor put lots of edible insects on to plates and offered them to the family, and they all recoiled in horror from it. Then he said that was how the child felt about trying all new foods. I really recognised my Ds's response to food in this. If you think it might be that, have a look online and maybe see your GP. It can be addressed but you have to tread carefully so worth getting professional advice.

Crumbs1 · 25/09/2017 18:33

It's either behavioural or phobia. Either way ask for a CAMHS assessment.

jellycat · 25/09/2017 18:39

Oh dear! I sympathise - it is really hard. I think you do need to see your GP. You might need to get a referral to a psychiatrist. I still have to cook alternatives and pick certain vegetables out of ds's food - he does not eat normally at all, but things are gradually improving. My ds has been like this since he was less than 18 months old BTW.

BrendaSmith56 · 25/09/2017 18:40

CAMHS were not much use in my dd's case.
The senior consultant ( I thought he must be newly qualified he was so hopeless) suggested to her that she tried a pepper and said that her weight wasn't low enough to warrant any treatment.

Belle1409 · 25/09/2017 18:44

Could he be dyspraxic and it's the textures he doesn't like? For example, my DH won't eat a banana due to the texture but would have a banana flavour milkshake and he is dyspraxic.

jellycat · 25/09/2017 18:44

Sorry, just re-read your OP and see you have already consulted your GP. I think you need to go back though. Whatever is causing this, I think you need to get specialist help for him at this stage.

jellycat · 25/09/2017 18:49

I can't do a link at the moment but if you google the BBC 1 programme 'Doctor in the house' and go to the website, there is a clip from the programme I mentioned called 'Would you eat edible bugs?'

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.