Is there a sort of equivalent of sleep consultant but for food?

[Needfoodsupport]

I’ve been concerned about DS eating for a while and just lately I’ve gone from concern to very worried.

Probably a daft question but is there anywhere I can go for expert support or advice?

Sorry missed the second page - was presuming you had done the health checks. They still need to be done - can you pay privately for a paediatric referral? Your HV and GP would be the normal starting point.

@Needfoodsupport have you measured his height and weight and looked up his red book- is he underweight/ falling down centiles? If so that would be important info for the GP to have, which might make them more likely to offer further referral.

There are behavioural therapists who work with poor eating habits that would offer the type of thing you’re looking for, OP. There’s also the ‘Fun with Food’ programme, which is a reputable programme. There are people who practice this sort of thing privately, although finding private therapists is sometimes as difficult as getting NHS attention. There are specialists within the NHS who deal with non-medical things like behaviour. Do beware though if you look for a private service, as an ‘industry’ it’s largely unregulated, and people who don’t know what they’re doing can cause more harm than good. Look into the controversy around ABA and it should inform you around the pros and cons of this type of industry/service.

Solid starts on Instagram

@breatheinskipthegym

Thank you. That really is helpful. I think if someone could ideally come to the house and work with DH, DS and myself then we might be able to hopefully change things for the better.

I know what you mean regarding charlatans - it’s a worry. I will look into ABA. It actually looks as if I might have found someone so will update.

Yes, there are consultants who do what you’re looking for. Paediatric occupational therapists and speech therapists sometimes offer these services, and there are also consultants who only work with childhood picky eating problems.

Some people just aren't interested in food.
How does eating work in your house? Do you sit down to breakfast lunch and dinner every day? Eg Does your husband come home from work and at 6.30pm, and you call them all to dinner? I call Dh and ds's. Dinner ready in 5. Okkkkay dinner! I dish up shepherds pie and peas and carrots. Do you do that? Does he eat anything at all? Talk about your day?

May be worth looking at a Speech & Language Therapist (SALT) - they deal with eating issues in children.

Where are you based?

I’m looking for similar.

Ds is also 2. He did eat well for a while, but then he has been ill on and off the last 6 months, and now it’s dire.
I asked paediatrician but they wouldn’t do anything as he isn’t underweight yet, but he was born 4kg, tall and had been on 95% centiles or off the charts as a baby. Now he’s about 20% weight wise, 80% height.

Yesterday was the best he ate in months:

kinder chocolate from advent
breakfast: 1/2 homemade waffle and yogurt
Snack: some mini pretzels
Lunch: bite of cheese
snack: banana
dinner: 1 sausage, 1 green bean.

I obviously give him full meals, containing all the right stuff, but he just ignores. Ie dinner was sausage, parsnips, roast potatoes, carrots, green beans last night, something he would have eaten all 6 months ago.

If it’s any help. Main thing I am trying to do is get more food in via snacks. Recently he will come into our bed most mornings and often eats some dried cherrios whilst we have tea. Seems to prefer waffles or pancakes for breakfast so I have started making both every week at least one morning. Greek yogurt if I can persuade him.

I still get him to sit at the table for every meal, even if he just licks a blueberry and decides nothing else for that meal.

Then keep a diary and ask nursery to write in red, blue at home and black elsewhere.

I experienced similar problems with my eldest child and wanted to reassure you that things did eventually improve. We also had a difficult weaning journey due to illness. She is now 6 - we have had endless ups and downs but things steadily got better and better from around 4.5yrs old and today it is hard to imagine how bad things used to be when she was 1-3years old.

She would also eat well in childcare but not at home. We did have a few meals which she would reliably eat but it was literally just 3 things and if we made them on repeat she would get fed up too. She was not underweight and meeting all milestones so GP had no concerns and HV wasn’t helpful - received a lot of contradictory advice.

I joined a fb group for fussy eaters and learnt about Division of Responsibility with mealtimes - we are responsible for deciding and making the meal, the child is responsible for what they eat. The food is served and no more spoken about the meal, no encouragement, praise or punishment. Each meal contained a safe food they had previously eaten and enjoyed. This approach is endorsed by dieticians for fussy eating. I would gradually change the appearance of a food she liked so she ate in different formats. It is a long slow process and there are lots of meals they don’t touch a thing but you do eventually see small improvements

I don’t think this alone was responsible for where we are now - I feel I can attribute a lot to her growing up and learning about healthy eating and what nourishes the body. It has motivated her to try foods and eat well.

It does get better so please be patient. Keep offering, don’t pressure and stay consistent. Consistency is the biggest key to success

Best advice so far after don’t pay unqualified Instagram money spinners

division of responsibility.

you provide the range of choice, always include one safe food.

child decides what goes in their body.

if you genuinely believe they will starve themselves using this method than keep a food diary and when they are not growing properly medical professionals will take that seriously.

i know this is hard to hear but this isn’t about food.

this is about power and control.

so back right off, all the way even past the scary bit and focus on helping them learning what healthy choices are and why, on doing simple kitchen tasks themselves like slicing boiled eggs with those funny slicers or chopping pears into slices for you both.

Focus on making it fun while you get to the table and keep chat light while there. Comment on your own food instead of their plate and don’t drag it out!

Another recommendation for this. It's not some random on Instagram just making money out of something they claim to be an 'expert' in, it's actually a team of doctors, OTs and feeding specialists. They have a lot of free advice but also run courses on weaning and toddlers (including food refusal and picky eating). Can't recommend enough.

Ah yes @SomePosters I forgot the helping in kitchen part. Both DC are heavily involved in food prep - we taught her to cut fruit and veg from 2yrs old as this gives more opportunities to put in their mouth and try. Same for all other cooking. They absolutely love being involved in the kitchen.

I had a quick look at Solid Starts - from what I can tell, it also revolves around DOR for fussy eating - all my research led me back there when I was struggling a few years back