What support is actually out there?

[mommavee]

Hi everyone

my DD is 2 and due her 2 year review soon. Not really expecting much from the HV to be honest, as she hopefully starts nursery in January anyway. I’ve had concerns regarding ASD / SPD since around 18 months of age which HV have already been out and spoke to me about 6 months ago and said they’d review again at 2 year development check. One of my concerns are DD’s eating habits which still haven’t improved. and I’ve spoken to the HV twice as well as the GP twice. She’ll only eat the same food, won’t eat whole foot categories (meat, veg etc) and it just seems more than ‘just being picky’. All HCP’s have said is as long as DD isn’t losing weight they won’t intervene. At the minute her weight is fine, I just stress. She has daily multi vitamins to help replace the ones she may be missing in food. I’m trying to research different resources online I can use at home to help DD’s eating / encourage a variety of foods but I just feel like I’m on my own. Does anyone else have any experience of this and whether there is support out there? Or is it really a case of just getting by as we are?

Have a look at ARFID. Rachel Bryant-Waugh and Gillian Harris have resources about it. There is a good ARFID service at the Maudsley if you can get a referral. Sensory OT can also help.

Allowing DD to eat safe foods is the way to go while. You can encourage her to try other foods alongside this. It is brilliant takes a multivitamin and is putting on weight.

We were referred to an NHS paediatric dietician with less problems than you are describing. I didn’t push for it, almost the opposite, so asking for a referral may be worth it. She was surprisingly knowledgeable and understanding of the issues, not patronising and very practical. She examined what DS was currently eating routinely and occasionally and what nutrients would therefore be missing from his diet and then discussed realistic ways of getting those things in (which in our case included calcium and iron supplements). Very much of the opinion that fed and watered with whatever would go in was best, after that you consider meeting all nutritional requirements and only once that was being achieved do you start considering whether it can be made healthier or not.

@BlueBrick @DiaphanousDrosophilia thank you both for your replies! I’ll have a look at ARFID. I’ve been just serving what DD will eat basically, and then one new food at a time in a small portion on the side of the plate etc. I don’t really know what else to do and it stresses me out daily:(

I did ask the GP whether we could be referred to a peadriatician dietician and she point blank said they wouldn’t unless she was losing weight and advised on the vitamins, so I just feel like no one really cares. When I’ve had DD weighed in clinic with HV I was met with a Really patronising HV who put me off ever going there again so now I just weigh at home. Just feel like basically I’ve got to struggle along until DD decides one day if ever that she wants to try other foods

I think you are doing the right thing. Just keep going and try not to stress about it, particularly during meal times. Mine still pretty much only had milk and little tastes of things a 2yrs. Things improved over the next few years until he was eating a reasonable variety, but then went backwards. His diet is now quite limited, but still reasonably healthy.

Two is still very young which is maybe why you are meeting resistance with professionals, as it’s not too far off what is normal for that age group. I don’t think DS saw someone till he was 5 or maybe 6.

@DiaphanousDrosophilia yeah I do think age has a massive part in it. She’s only just accepting to drink out a beaker instead of a bottle, so she’s not really drinking her milk now either. I feel like DD’s diet is mainly consisting of beige foods/ crunchy foods such as crisps etc. she’s a lot more into snacks than anything else at the minute. I guess all I can do is keep offering safe foods!

thank you!