To think this is child abuse

[Shelvesoutofbooks]

Warning as this is controversial.
Someone who I know (will try to keep it vague so I wouldn't out myself) has a child who recently ended up in a&e for passing out. This is the 4th time this happened in last 2 weeks but the child has had a fever so has been brought in to a&e. Said child is 3year old and weighs 8.5 kilo and is strictly fed an organic vegan diet. Child attends nursery 5 mornings a week for 3 hrs a day and has lunch there. A vegetarian nursery that has been given the instructions not to give the DC any dairy.

The DC is happy to eat meat and other animal products as when I saw the child at gatherings/parties it has eaten anything with the child's mother not saying anything. But still 98% of the time the child has an extremely healthy diet. (I am very certain of this as)

When the child was brought to a&e and the doctor questioned why the DC was underweight so much the mother simply claimed the child was a fussy eater and refuses to eat. When asked what kind of diet the child has she said everything and that the child is an omnivore.

Now, this was a lie. I was gobsmacked when I heard her say it but didn't want to ask why she was lying.

So far they diagnosed the child with anemia and the child is undergoing dozens of other test to find out "why it refuses to eat". When given some food in the hospital by nurser child happily ate anything it was given.

Ainu to think it's basically child abuse? The poor child is anemic and is passing out because it's not fed properly. I wanted to tell the doctor the mother was lying but my DH said it'd be best to leave it.

I've tried talking to her before how she should be forcing a vegan diet on a child that small but her response was that "meat eaters force their kids to eat meat and other unhealthy stuff, so she can make her kids eat vegan food if she wants to".

What an awful diet. Poor kid. That's starvation rations and almost no fat. I'm glad you've decided to report it.

Why do you refer to the little boy as "it"? That's bizarre.

Surely if the doctor suspects there's an issue with the child's welfare the hospital will report it to social services anyway, nevertheless I think you should speak to the mum about your concerns.

Speaking to her directly should be your first port of call before you contemplate other measures; I know you have said that you did try to speak to her in the past but you should try again and this time tell her upfront that she needs to take proactive steps to ensure the boy is fed and at a healthy weight.

I wouldn't go running to social services behind her back, she's obviously someone you know quite well if you were at the hospital with her; Give her a chance to see sense and if she doesn't then look at an alternative avenue.

If you think the OP is a troll, then report

Emerald

People do that when they don't want to say the sex of the child.

I don't think she should speak to the mum. The mum has lied.

FFS! It's not about whether a vegan diet is healthy for a child! IT's about the fact that this woman is STARVING her child! 8.5 KG at 3 Years!!!!! My DD is tall but petite and she's 17kg at 3!!!! There are babies born weighing 8.5 Fucking KG!!!

And the fact that the mother is lying about the child's diet?! When the OP has seen that the child will eat whatever it can when it can!

THIS IS ACTUAL ABUSE!!!!
For Christsake, if the OP had said that the child was overweight and the mother was lying about the diet you'd all be screaming to call SS on them, and what horrible abuse. But if the child is underweight and on a "healthy" diet, while lets discuss the benefits.
OP you HAVE to tell the doctors what you know.

Daniel Pelka's mother springs to mind.

Do you also have food issues? Is this why you did not speak up at the hospital

What?

beached I know the link you provided well.

My point is the majority is from fish and dairy.

How much does iodised salt contain? There must be a limit to the amount you can have. And the link specifically says do not eat seaweed.

And the vegan society say sea vegetables are not reliable as may contain too much.

In fact answered my question via the vegan society: I'm not sure the salt guidelines for children.

Iodized salt is another option, but be careful. Check the label to see exactly how much iodine, and sodium, your table salt contains. For example, your salt may not be iodized at all. Alternatively, you may find just half a teaspoon of table salt contains your RDA. As little as four teaspoons may contain your daily upper safe intake of iodine.

There is no easy way to know how much iodine is in your food. Many crops are low in iodine, because they are grown in areas with iodine-deficient soil. Sea vegetables can have too much iodine, and be contaminated with toxins. The BDAA*says: "do not use seaweed or kelp supplements as an iodine source" because of these uncertainties.

Jonesy Please report the below. You could maybe speak to the school?

I know a woman with a son in my DD's class. DD is 9. This lady claims the child is allergic to everything and he's also a vegan. He's TINY and when he came to mine for a sleepover one day (for 24 hours as the Mum buggered off for longer than she said!) he ate everything he could get his hands on.

I asked him when I saw him with a biscuit "Are you sure you can eat that! It's got dairy and gluten in it" and he said "My Nan lets me all the time and I'm ok. Mummy says I can't that's all"

I don't know what to do about that. He seems happy but thin and what he said made me think that his Gran is aware the diet is bullshit.

The quote below is from the American site.

Might be good to look at uk vegan guidelines. I have to go to work however!

Definitely report.

Sounds a touch like fabricated induced illness.

Is it not possible to get a measured iodine supplement...if the cows milk is affected by how their udders are cleaned then that source is not entirely natural anyway?

Feel free to report but I'm sure the hg will let you all know I've been on mumsnet for a while.

This is not fake. It's a sad reality.

No, mum's not a part of a religious group.

The poster who said excessively healthy, yes that's what I meant. I meant extremely healthy as in it's extreme not very healthy. English isn't my first language and we are not in the UK.

No I'm not lying about being in the room.

We're off to visit the child today, and I'll have a chat with the doctor and see where to go from there.

My DD always says how she loves my friend's DC because they're so easy to carry. I feel so awful for not reporting this sooner. And they're such a lovely child aswell.

Are there any more sites you can recommend I forward my friend? Our group is very close and I'm sure others will get involved in helping the child. Do you think if I report her lying to the doctor that the social services might take the DC away? She has other DC who have a different diet due to being in a boarding school. Will this cause them trouble?

yum no it's not natural but iodine deficiency and cretinism and thyroid issues reduced hugely in the 1930s when dairy farming improved their hygiene standards with iodine.

It sounds as if it is 100% worth supplementing - but more I was wondering if there is a supplement that can be derived from the cleaning agents, given the problems with salt not being 100% a good solution for young children who shouldn't eat too much salt. My dc don't eat much fish I am having a dilemma now about whether to buy organic milk or non organic milk.

why are people so sure that the doctors will get to the root of the problem straightaway>

Daniel Pelka was seen by doctors

otoh when my dd was taken to hospital with a perfectly genuine (and actually quite easily recognisable) health conditions the doctor who saw her thought she had been abused

doctors are only human

they are certainly not clairvoyant

they need to be told the facts

Thanks for the advice violet I keep a pretty good eye on things with the kids, and have expert advice from a dietitian. I've been vegan since I was 17 so I have 10 years under my belt and my 13 year old was vegan from age 4 and my 8 year old from birth. We're all happy and healthy.

The issue here isn't veganism (since this child isn't vegan) I would also speak with the mother first rather than rush to social services.

Yum

www.drsircus.com/iodine/iodine-supplements-and-dosages/

I put a drop of nascent iodine in dds Yoghurt when I think about it. But not every day.

Interesting thanks dragon. I will have to read it properly!

There are babies born weighing 8.5 Fucking KG!!!

I don't think so.....you know thats 19lb!

Spartacus I realized that after I wrote it. I was confusing kgs with lbs. my DD is 17 kg though.

There are babies born weighing 8.5 Fucking KG!!!

I think that's more like a 1 year old. How does the OP know all this detail anyway?

Yes I realized that after I wrote it. The trouble with always translating kgs into lbs for my parents.

8.5 kg is still far too light for a 3 year old unless they are also incredibly tiny in stature.

My little boy was on the 2nd centile and is very small (always has been bless him) but at 18 months old he is 9kg!

9kg at 18 months isn't that small, my DD is a kilo lighter.

My ds was 10kg at his 2 year check. He was very very small and skinny and still wore 9-12 m trousers. That was his natural build and he ate well so it is possible. But he was noticeably much smaller and skinnier than his peers. So I'm guessing that an 8.5kg three year old would really stand out and be unusual.