My Child won't eat

[Love2bake]

Anyone watching.

I get the feeling this programme is going to make me

my kid eats but is still small in younger age group clothes!

Bloody hell, bobbies parents are driving me insane!

STOP standing over the poor boy.

Was just going to say that LTH. Who the hell would eat, with 2 giants stood staring at them.

did not recognise that it was Liza Tarbuck narrating!

So what happened with Rachel? Think I missed that bit

do you know what, i am appalled that their HVs weren't giving them the advice to Back The Fuck Off a long time ago...

I watched this with particular interest as my 10 year old DD has a problem eating. From what I can see we are also following the same thing that was featured in the programme and to be honest, I finally saw a light at the end of the tunnel.

Good god.

did she just say "bobbie si a nicer person...."

FGS, he's about 3 yrs old!

my ds is on a [self] restricted diet of 5 things and we have been to the specialist eating cliic at GOSH and they couldnt help, we have tried everything and still at the age of nearly 9 he wont eat..and no its not faddiness and no we cant force him to eat,he has a major meltdown ..[is on autistic spectrum] if not given food that he knows is safe he wont eat!!fullstop, he WOULD starve himself to death literally..we got to 3 days and couldnt bear to do it to him anymore..were having cognitive behaviour therapy at the moment but its not working food wise so please dont jump and automatically blame the parents..it can be a true phobia like my sons..his started because as a baby he reacted to foods [allergies] and since then wont eat.. sorry to go on but ive been there and there are a lot of people who say things like its our fault..dont judge!!

honestly you lot. judgy judgy pants this evening!
unless you have a child with a very limited diet you really don't have any idea what it is like.
but i stll have no idea how to get my child to eat - perhaps i should move to birmingham and ask for a referal?

i think that the majority of us on this thread understood about the two kiddies but the boy on milk was from the mothers anxiety.

My ds also has food issues and has been refered to a psychologist. He is 10 now and watching this programme was like watching him.
Unless you're got a child like this, you really don't have a clue what you're talking about. Comments like 'let him starve' or 'my child's fussy too' just don't help. This is not just fussiness. It's a real fear of food or certain foods. I have sat with my son in tears and hyperventilating at the thought of eating one piece of pasta.
Some of the comments made here are just pathetic and ignorant.

Nigella, ds3's main source of calories is from biscuitsand chocolate.....I'm really not judging.

Sadly didn't see this, I do have a child who has a restricted (his choice?) diet. He is 3.10 and has severe SN.

jj DS also suffers from a metabolic condition similar to diabetes which means he can become keytotic within 6-8 hours (so if doesn't eat enough at teatime/drink bedtime milk he will have pear-drop breath by morning) so cannot risk him not eating at a mealtime or trying to make him very hungry to make him eat something new/different. When he gets to this stage I give him chocolate buttons - yes even for breakfast!

Been to feeding clinic/salt/physio etc

Today at teatime he said "more bocli" - he has only been eating brocolli for 1 week.

So my approach of feeding him only what he would eat plus whatever veg/food DD and I were having - which started off as mashed potato with cheese (cream and butter added) has now progressed (via pizza, yorkshire puddings and pancakes) into a vegetable YIPPEE! Mind you it has taken over 2 years.

If you read this, most people are very understanding about Bobby and Rachel, but the parents (mother) of the boy with the bottles of formula we were judging. She babied him and wouldn't let him eat normally, 'in case' he was sick. He was quite able to eat, she was holding him back.

Appreciate that, but some of the earlier comments like 'fucking ridiculous' 'crazy people' and '9 times out 10 it's not the kids problem' really don't help.

Actually Bobby's hovering, pressurising parents seemed to be at the root of his problem as he ate well once they relaxed at meal times, something they did acknowledge.

The interesting case was Rachel who only ate chocolate as there was no obvious cause with her, unlike the other two. Did I miss a bit? Was there any outcome with her?

Hoorah, the doctor lady actually agreed with the way I do things. I neeeeed DH to watch that programme.

DS2 is fussy. He does actually eat a fairly heathly diet but not a very varied diet iyswim. I think he has a slight phobia of trying new things.

Anyhoo, doctor lady said on there to keep giving them the things you know they will eat and gradually introduce other foods. No pressure. Exactly what I do with DS. DH thinks I am wrong and believe me it causes many a tense meal at the weekends.

In the past 6 months using this method I have got DS to start eating roast chicken, roast potatoes and fish and yesterday he ate parsnips These are all things he absolutely refused before. I have to introduce the idea slowly, but it has worked. Like I say, his diet isn't that bad, but he doesn't eat a lot of 'family' foods, which is what DH wants him to eat. Dh seems to think we should put things like spaghetti bolognaise in front of him and leave him to it....IT WILL NEVER WORK!!!!

I don't get why that boy was still on milk?? He seemed to eat fine at nursery. Was it just his mum being far too over prtective? I missed the first bit about him so was a bit confused?! Still having night feeds at 3.5, poor woman and the poor kid had the runs all the time. I wonder what damage it's done to him in the long run. And poor Bobby with his mum hounding him, 'do you want this??Do you want that? Do you want some chocolate?? Blah blah blah, I felt pressured just watching it! I guess once your child has started being fussy it must be scary so you just fuss and panic and try to get them to eat anything just so they eat.

I agree squirdle, it would work if he was just a bit fussy perhaps but not if he has a genuine phobia of new things. It would be like someone leaving me with a spider and wanting me to 'grow to like it'- not gonna happen!!! I think she had the right idea about removing all the stress and panic of meal times.

Agree with the comments that unless you have been through it yourself, you really don't know what you are talking about. Having had two children who I weaned easy peasily and who would eat everything I put in front of them, I had my third baby who did not eat anything until he was 14 months. He was largely weaned on ice cream and chocolate because it was the only thing he would eat. There is very little help to get out there. Most HVs and GPs tend to assume its a parental issue as I see many on this thread do also. If I could have a penny for evertime I had someone commenting "have you tried dry carrot sticks?" or some other "good advice" I would be a rich woman

Btw, the reason for giving chocolate if a child won't eat (I think I saw someone commenting earlier on in this thread)is that you are really trying to find food your child like to get your child positive experiences with food. You then hopefully progress to other food types.......

but it generally is a parental issue, fairymum, from all the stuff i've seen. that doesn't help the people who have children who are highly sensitive to texture etc (rachel i note was on the autistic spectrum of behaviours) but it doesn't alter the fact that most people on here nad on House of Tiny Tearaways etc have some success when they back right off.

Aitch I actually agree, both my DC have been fussy - DD because she is a pita has sensory issues (has SN too) and DS ditto (SN). But I'm sure my insistence that DD ate the lovingly prepared shepherds pie/spag bol etc made it worse. When I've stopped pressurising her she improved slowly.

I do not give DS chocolate instead of eating, I give him it to stop him being admitted to hospital for a hypo. It is 'emergency' treatment only, he dislikes the carbohydrate drinks supplied by the hospital (pretty yuck tbh).

Despite the fact I have a DS who once ate as little as 5 things, I would not have given him 'new foods' like ice cream and chocolate to try because of course they are going to be tastier and easier to eat than mashed potato or cheese on toast.

FWIW - the programme did mention that the girl who would only eat chocolate was on the autistic programmne. Some very judgemental mums out there who should really thank their lucky stars that they have not been through it.

My DS1 was food phobic for about 2 years. Would only eat - yogurt, bread, raisins, bananas, weetabix, porridge and cheese. Yes, healthy but not ideal. When I got to the stage of "past caring" he gradually improved. He is still quite fussy but a heck of alot better and does sit down and eat normal meals. What the Dr. suggest of giving them the food they will eat and gradually extending their diet really does work.