Need help with feeding

bliss611 · July 2014

DS has been slowly limiting what he will eat over the last few months. He's been a picky eater for a little over a year and would only eat certain things - but there were enough nutritiously varied things and with some creativity on my part, it wasn't too bad.

But over the last few months, the list of foods he eats has been shrinking. Honestly the last few days, all he is willing to eat is chicken nuggets - NOTHING else - no fruit/vegetables, no pasta/rice/bread, no milk, no snacks (crackers, goldfish, etc), not even juice! I'm sure he would eat junk food but that's a treat here and there and I don't want to offer it when he isn't eating enough real food.

I honestly don't know what to do. It's starting to effect his digestion because he isn't getting enough fiber to poop properly. I have an appointment with his pediatrician on Monday. Just trying to see if any of you have any ideas.

He is 4 yrs old & recently diagnosed as being on the spectrum (symptoms are closest to PDD-Nos). He has plenty of sensory issues but never had any sensory issues with food in the past.

TIA!!

greyt00 · July 2014

Is he in any sort of therapy? DS1 is a horrible eater. We didn't know what to do. Once we got a diagnosis of ASD, we got him on a wait-list for full-time ABA (we waited 4 months) and 1st priority once he started was an eating program. He was already in occupational therapy, which I had started with the intent of getting help for eating, but it didn't really turned into that. She uses a floortime approach and is working on many aspects of his sensory issues/rigidity/dislike of anything new. That's great but it's not going to get him to eat new food any time in the next few years. That being said, DS1 *always* had issues (he ate baby food well into his 2nd year).

Ask your dr. about Miralax for the short-term to avoid him getting too constipated. I hope this turns out to be a short-lived phase.

bliss611 · July 2014

He is in OT (along with PT and ST) but it was for other sensory issues (sleep issues, noise, and anxiety in groups were the big ones) and improving fine motor skills.

Food was never a big problem with him. He ate baby food just until he could properly eat real food & quit without an issue. He wasn't even a picky eater for the most part. Only issue I had with him was drinking milk once we weaned him off the bottle but a little flavoring solved that.

I don;t even have any major rigidity issues with him - outside of the recent food issues. He likes to pick his clothes, likes t-shirts and pants but will tolerate long-sleeves and shorts as needed. Doesn't respond too badly too changes in routine or anything.

thanks for the tip re: miralax

Unknown · July 2014

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bliss611 · July 2014

If cravings have to do with what's bothering him, it's not gluten or dairy. He dislikes milk, yogurt, cheese, bread of any type, crackers, etc. If he is sensitive to gluten, the craving theory does not apply to him.

That said, I've tried casein-free with zero effects.

Waiting for dev-pedi for guidance/monitoring before trying GF since he has always been under-weight & I don't want him losing weight in the transition.

Honestly, the whole bio-med is too much for me to figure out since there are sooo many things that could be the cause. Gluten, corn, soy, additives... can't figure out how to start ruling things out...

bliss611 · July 2014

Thanks USM123. He actually LOVES pediasure. I cut it out a while ago when I tried eliminating soy proteins from his diet. But since that hasn't helped at all - I should just bring it back.

Does the regular one have fiber or is it one of the specialty ones?

I will talk to his OT about feeding next week as well.

bliss611 · July 2014

wife07mom09 said:

bliss611 said:

If cravings have to do with what's bothering him, it's not gluten or dairy. He dislikes milk, yogurt, cheese, bread of any type, crackers, etc. If he is sensitive to gluten, the craving theory does not apply to him.

That said, I've tried casein-free with zero effects.

Waiting for dev-pedi for guidance/monitoring before trying GF since he has always been under-weight & I don't want him losing weight in the transition.

Honestly, the whole bio-med is too much for me to figure out since there are sooo many things that could be the cause. Gluten, corn, soy, additives... can't figure out how to start ruling things out...

And no reason to make the already complicated feeding issues more so. If you have a child with GI issues, celiac disease etc then maybe worth a try but for most people biomed tx is not helpful and there is no science behind it.

That's pretty much how I feel about it. May or may not have merit but is too complicated for it to be my first strategy. I tried casein free for a while after his dx because he had digestive issues related to that as baby. I quit casein/whey while nursing with no improvement and a few weeks later soy as well which helped him quite a bit at the time. Since removing soy proteins was what actually helped so I do try to minimize that as much as possible in his diet still.

When I tried recently, I thought CF was helping but it turned out to be OT

Thanks for the input - there's a major push for it n SN communities and I almost feel peer pressured to try it! Have to remember and take it all with a grain of salt

greyt00 · July 2014

I'd be curious to try CF but DS1 barely eats anything as it is. We are still very dependent on milk. It is lactose free, though. Our hands are tied until we can expand his diet. Trying to get him on some other proteins, fruits and vegetables. DS1 did test negative for celiac.

ToastieSimons · July 2014

Definitely continue pediasure with fiber. Have you discussed with the dr adding in Miralax?

Has he been slowly getting more and more constipated?

My boys aren't on the spectrum (as of now) but DS2 is an AMAZING eater. Eats everything under the sun. But as his constipation problems ramp up, the foods he'll eat are less and less. Right now because of traveling he's so constipated and all he'll eat is baby food. It seems like as the constipation increases it causes belly pain, reflux and stomach upset. I would discuss with his doctor to first manage the constipation and then review his feeding difficulties. It's not uncommon for pickiness and food refusal to accompany constipation.

hopecounts · July 2014

Pediasure is a good option.
Just be very vigilant about teeth brushing and dental visits as I know a few people who used it whose kids had more then typical cavities when they were on it.
It had a great deal of sugar so as with milk it is best to brush shortly after they have it as much as possible.

bliss611 · July 2014

USM123 - if you do try CF at some point keep in mind calium is a big concern without milk. So make sure you get foods supplemented with it (i.e. OJ)

bliss611 · July 2014

Thanks everyone - will pick up pediasure with fiber.

And DS does constipate easily so maybe the lousy eating is from the constipation and not the other way around... worth testing it out.

Unknown · July 2014

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bliss611 · July 2014

Thanks McRib. That's what I did with CF (re-introduce it after elimination) and had no adverse reactions. Not ready for GF. Even CF was hard. And I find corn almost impossible to eliminate without cooking everything from scratch which I just can't.

But will keep your offer for resources in mind if we decide to go for it.

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