Toddler losing weight - food ideas

[doadeer]

My son is 2 and has been diagnosed with ASD, eating is a real challenge. He is very tall for his age and I've noticed he has lost weight. I'm a bit worried he is looking too slim at the moment (can't get him to sit on scales to test)

His food is very limited despite my best efforts - he's always been given vegetables and proteins each meal - he only eats:

Porridge
All fruit
Toast with almond or hazelnut butter
Wrap with butter as above
Dry rice
Homemade tortilla pizza with mozzarella
Yoghurt
Occasionally sausage

Does anyone have ideas for meals and snacks I can try, he's pretty much a self imposed vegetarian, he also has issues with textures eg I tried to make power balls and he didn't like that.

He ate homemade pancake yesterday with nut butter on then he refused today.
I'm really at a loss. It's very stressful

You could ask your paediatrician for a referral to a dietician, or if it is a sensory issue, to occupational therapy if they deal with sensory problems in your area.
In the meantime, this is a really good website:

kidseatincolor.com/

Some of the website is paid for downloads, but go onto the blog - specific advice about 2&3yr olds

If you do want to weigh him then could you try the method to weigh a cat? So you step on the scales and weigh yourself and then pick him up and weigh you both?

Avocado mashed on toast is good - had healthy fats
Smoothies with fruit you know he likes and some sort of fat - whole milk or yogurt?
My little boy loves tuna and rice salad -
It’s just cooked rice with a can of tuna, mayonnaise and then any veg that he will eat - eg sweetcorn, peas, tomatoes, carrots?
Will he eat eggs in any form- obviously they’re a good source of protein. Maybe omelette fingers, or even quiche?
Homemade sausage rolls, maybe even a picnic style lunch and eat it on the floor together might make it seem a bit special?

You could try increasing the calories in the foods he will eat - maybe stir a bit of double cream into his porridge, cook his rice with a knob of butter, give him full fat Greek yoghurt if he'll eat it (I add a squirt of honey and a few sprinkles to make it more child friendly).

I thought eggs too, start with maybe a plain omelette cut into strips then if that is ok try adding things e.g. ham, peas, peppers so it is more like frittata.
What about hummus spread on a wrap instead of nut butter? Different taste but similar texture.

Also I know it is hard but to focus on the positives, the things he does eat are healthy, it's not like he will only eat chips or something.

I agree with upping the fat and calories in the food he already eats if you can get away with it! Does he drink milk?

I’d be thinking about cheese, if he’ll eat it. Maybe start with mozzarella as he likes it- melted and give him stuff to dip- breadsticks, veg sticks etc (like a slightly shit fondue)

Would he maybe have a try of some very plain, homemade arancini? Again, could put cheese in the middle.

What about peanut butter blondies (maybe try one of the lower sugar high protein recipes)? Not healthy but you could follow a paleo or clean eating recipe or something which might help.

Smoothies are always suggested on these threads but the texture can be a bit much sometimes I think.

Make sure everything is full fat- yogurt etc.

Would he eat a baked potato with butter and cheese mashed in?

That's a great range of food, well done!
Offer more nuts and high fat foods- ice cream, full fat yogurt and cheese, what about custard?
Popcorn with butter on?

Sugar is the only thing you want to avoid, from a health point of view. Fats and complex carbs are fine for little ones.

@DelurkingAJ

If you do want to weigh him then could you try the method to weigh a cat? So you step on the scales and weigh yourself and then pick him up and weigh you both?

That's a brilliant idea! So simple I feel stupid for not thinking of it

[quote JumpLeadsForTwo]You could ask your paediatrician for a referral to a dietician, or if it is a sensory issue, to occupational therapy if they deal with sensory problems in your area.
In the meantime, this is a really good website:

kidseatincolor.com/[/quote]
Yes it's in progress but everything has huge waiting lists. And recently we found out the one we were due to see doesn't deal with SN cases so I need to ask to be referred somewhere else

Thank you these are great ideas.

Unfortunately he is revolted by potato (I love them!!) and eggs. I've tried egg fried rice but he launched it across the room as it wasn't his normal dry rice 🙄 I do put butter in it. I also try boiling veg in the rice water to try and impart some nutrients. I guess lots of people eat rice every day over the world right?!

I'm trying to get him over to other cheese but he only tolerates mozzarella.

I am not remotely picky, I eat tons of veg and prepare all sorts of dinners, it's so frustrating.

I'll keep trying your suggestions

@picklemewalnuts

That's a great range of food, well done! Offer more nuts and high fat foods- ice cream, full fat yogurt and cheese, what about custard? Popcorn with butter on?

Sugar is the only thing you want to avoid, from a health point of view. Fats and complex carbs are fine for little ones.

Thank you this is very reassuring. ❤️

If he's losing weight, I would think that encouraging more of the foods he does eat would be the first thing (perhaps with little calorie-increasing changes like NannyR suggests). If that means toast with nut butter twice a day every day, the variety is probably less important than getting enough food into him.

In terms of foods you might try that are similar to things he likes, what about breadsticks, crackers, or toasting muffins, all a bit similar to toast? Potato scones or naan, similar to a wrap. Hummus, a bit like nut butter. Perhaps soft cheese, a little bit like yoghurt. You could thin it with a little milk or yoghurt to make a dip (or just make the texture more familiar) at first, if that would help. For veg, I'm trying to think what is most fruit-like. Perhaps roasted root veg? You could glaze them in honey or something else sweet for good measure. Or the sweetest cherry tomatoes you can find, although it's not a good time of year for that.

Ok so you could maybe try:

• Plain pasta with butter - since he eats rice with butter. Maybe orzo pasta first as it’s rice shaped?
• Have you tried bacon/bacon bits, or salami, if he will occasionally eat sausage
• If he eats homemade pizza, is that with tomato sauce, if so you could try pasta with tomato sauce?
• If he eats all fruit that’s amazing. Might he like the sweeter veg? Roast sweet potato or butternut squash, carrots (raw or cooked), peas, sweetcorn. Cherry tomatoes?
• Hummus?

Overall though I would say for the moment just feed him more of what he eats. Even if it’s in weird combinations!

I would say to try not to stress about it as then he will pick up on it and it will become a battle. He already eats a reasonable variety - 2yr olds without ASD can be v suspicious of new foods and do go through a v fussy phase (good evolutionary reasons for this!)
Also try making food part of messy play or helping cooking where there is no expectation to eat, but he will get used to playing with different textures and will be more willing to see it on his plate when offered as a new food

My son's diet was quite restricted when he was young- he's a great eater now. We offered nice things to try based on what he already likes, like the oat balls you mentioned, or egg fried rice. We only added it as an extra, so a bowl of rice as he usually has it with a little egg cup of egg fried rice on the side. My son liked pizza, so I introduced pizza sauce in an egg cup to dip other foods into.

He started to tolerate a wider range of foods, knowing he'd never be made to eat anything and would always have food he did like.

Try dipping fruit in chocolate or homemade Nutella- add some cocoa and oil to the nut butter.

Get him to help decorate his own pizzas- he may try different things on them because he likes the look or activity.

Any way of extending the range that he eats will help- so toast with a different topping for example.

It all expands the range of foods he tolerates, and reduces the fear of unfamiliar foods.

My toddler has to have a high calorie diet. The dietician suggested buying ground almonds and stirring them in to anything she will eat, as 5ey have almost no texture or flavour. My toddler has yet to notice. Also peanut butter is stirred in to lots of things! Oh and stirring cream in to yogurt, porridge etc.

I've just checked his BMI for height and weight and he is 19th percentile. When he was born for weight only (didn't take into account length) he was 91st I think. He was over the 100th percentile for length at birth and 9lbs 3.

DH is very slim and muscular so I didn't expect us to have a little chunky monkey.

We had a blood test recently and his cholesterol was a little high, I was worried it was too much peanut butter so we switched to almond butter.

That is a normal bmi percentile for a 2yr old (should be between 2nd and 85th.) The centile when he was born is different to bmi percentile. His height should be dependent on yours and Dhs height, then weight should be in proportion with his height.

Also at that age, they tend to lengthen out and lose their toddler belly - ask his Health visitor to check his weight abs height and they can tell you whether there is an issue.