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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Yo ask what helped with afrid?

33 replies

Newchangee · 22/09/2026 18:12

My 11 year old daughter has AFRID which is basically an eating problem where she only eats certain foods and gets upset even looking at foods not on her safe list. I am fed up of the NHS. They have done nothing to help her, they keep asking for forms and then do nothing. The mental health practitioner has told me he can tell she has ADHD and Austism but does nothing to address her eating. I’m fed up.

I saw on social media a hypnotherapist who specialises in this but I’m worried as DH is saying no as it will mess her up, I’m so lost. Her life is already impacted as she doesn’t get invited to things as she will get upset seeing certain foods (pizza, ketchup, any sauce of any kind). She eats only plain pasta, plain rice, fridge raiders, crisps and biscuits. Sometimes toast with tiny bit of butter.

OP posts:
AgnesMcDoo · 24/09/2026 11:54

Nothing works.

it improved a lot with age though.

i gave vitamin tablets and focused on the foods that would be eaten.

but don’t force it and don’t make food a battleground

WhatHappenedToYourFurnitureCuz · 24/09/2026 11:59

There's no evidence that hypnotherapy works for ARFID. CBT has the strongest evidence but I don't know if that's age dependent. Could you look into CBT?

TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne · 24/09/2026 12:03

One of my sons has ARFID and the other is fairly restricted in what he'll eat.

They're both autistic and as babies ate anything that was put in front of them.

It was at about the age of two that they started rejecting things.

They're both adults now. The one with ARFID lives almost exclusively on Huel and also eats chips and vegan burgers. He also likes chickpea curry. But that's all.

There's nothing you can do in my view.
I also have two daughters who eat anything. It's not you, it's the child.

drspouse · 24/09/2026 12:06

WhatHappenedToYourFurnitureCuz · 24/09/2026 11:59

There's no evidence that hypnotherapy works for ARFID. CBT has the strongest evidence but I don't know if that's age dependent. Could you look into CBT?

The book I linked to above is basically CBT but parent-led, and requires the young person to do nothing.

Fullofthejoysofspring · 24/09/2026 21:11

PotatoesAreLife · 22/09/2026 19:34

Please research the hypnotist you’re looking at. If it’s David Kilmiurry he’s a scammer.

Really? I thought he was supposed to be good

MeridaBrave · 24/09/2026 22:33

Look up Felix Economides on you tube. We went in person when DS2 was 13 and by then he really did want to get over it. I think Felix’s treatment will only work if the child really does want to get over it. In DS case his friends going out to restaurants and he wanted to go witn and “eat like a normal person”.

it wasn’t an immediate cure as he found that while the phobia was gone he didn’t like any of the foods he’d been avoiding. But in the 3 years since he’s become more adventurous and no eats normally.

Shouldbedoing · 25/09/2026 08:03

Felix Economakis
We saw him for age 8 DC

FizzyColaBottle8 · 25/09/2026 08:09

I have no advice but do you follow Hannah on Instagram?

Recent autism diagnosis but had Arfid for many years. She’s very brave trying new foods and her mum always advocates for her.

www.instagram.com/myarfidlife?stkn=azk4bHk4a25hcW10

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