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ds1 - 7 - scared stiff of food

11 replies

chim000 · 16/06/2009 19:39

Until tonight I didn't realise just how bad this was. He's never been one for trying new foods and always makes a fuss if he has anything different from the usual on his plate. I just couldn't handle it at meal times and took the lazy, easy-at-the-time option of just giving chicken nuggets & chips or similar at meal times. I've very gradually been able to get him to eat an incredibly small roast dinner. But I am one of the least patient people I know so have just not had the patience to deal with it every single night. Now tonight comes and we go to his junior school open evening. They have there a selection of the school meals as they do not just go along with the generic menu set by hte council, they do their own, so I went over to the front to try some with the boys. ds1 said he didn't want to go but I took him down, by the time we reached the front of the hall he was screaming, I mean real, full on, proper screams. By the time we got to the table he was hysterical, I wanted him to come close to the table so he could see what they do but he started pulling away from me so much that I lost my grip and he landed on the floor. Seriously, you'd have thought I was trying to force him into a pit of very hungry crocodiles the way he was behaving. I picked out a few bits but he refused point blank to try them, really getting proper scared over it. They even had samples of puddings on the table including chocolate cake. I tried to get him to have some of this but even that he shrunk away from. I tried telling him it was nice and would he like a small bite but he said 'I don't know what htat white stuff is'...it was bloody icing sugar ffs. Seriously I don't know what to do. How can a child be that scared of food?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
chim000 · 16/06/2009 19:43

Blimey, sorry that's a bit of a mega-paragraph isn't it. Basically how on earth can a child become petrified of food, of being near a table of food and how the hell do I get him out of it?

OP posts:
chim000 · 16/06/2009 20:58

bump

OP posts:
chim000 · 17/06/2009 10:20

bumping again - anyone got any ideas or advice please?

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spinspinsugar · 17/06/2009 12:36

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spinspinsugar · 17/06/2009 12:38

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chim000 · 17/06/2009 15:43

He just said the only reason he behaved like that was because he doesn't want 'hot dinners'. He doesn't want them becasue 'I don't like 'em'. I will have a look at the other thread this evening once they are in bed.

I was talking to my boyfriend last night about it and it had me thinking about why he is like it. When he was little xp used to force feed him . I remember I used to scream at him not to, but in teh end I had to always stay out of the room cos he wouldn't stop. Could this have an effect on him now? I know it has an effect on me although I've only just realised it, but I've been thinking about it a lot today.

OP posts:
screamingabdab · 17/06/2009 17:45

chim000 To answer your question, kids can have food phobia, and I would strongly suggest you go to your GP and ask for a referral to see a Clinical Psychologist (Tanya Byron from House of Tiny Tearaways is a Clin Psych, in case you are not sure what they do).

Good luck. My DS1 also has issues with new foods, although I have been able to sort it without outside help. If it persisted to the age your DS is, I wouldn't hesitate to get help.

screamingabdab · 17/06/2009 17:46

And yes, I'd say the force-feeding was an issue.

screamingabdab · 17/06/2009 17:52

Just to say, a Clin. Psych would look at the history, and probably treat using a cognitive behavioural approach, as mentioned by spinspinsugar above.

x

spinspinsugar · 17/06/2009 22:27

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annoyedmum · 17/06/2009 23:32

House of tiny tearaways used to have children with food phobia on quite often,also featured on a few episodes of freaky eaters.

There was a really lovely young man on freaky eaters whose parents had shouted/harangued him as a toddler at mealtimes and he couldn't eat any hot food AT ALL and he was 22..Part of the help involved throwing water or something at a model of his dad and shouting out how it had made him feel.

From what I remember on HOTT the approach tended to be centred around taking pressure off the child to eat[not standing over them,watching,or nagging etc] and praising for attempts at eating food even small licks/bites.

Also the child buying food and handling food at home~chopping it up etc before trying to improve the eating problem itself.

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