Little Bug has become more and more restricted in what he will eat. He used to be the kid who you put a plate in front of him and he ate it- without question. His favorites used to be asparagus, artichokes, steak, chili, sharp cheddar cheese, prosciutto, etc. Now, he won't eat them or many of his other favorites- chicken teriyaki, oatmeal, yogurt, carrots, broccoli.
At this point, we are having to make multiple meals to find something he will eat. Last night, DN made Dixie Chili for dinner- one of Little Bug's favorites. He wouldn't eat it. So, I made him a PB&J- nope, not that either. He asked for cereal, but wouldn't eat that. I tried toast- no go. I tried banana- nope.
He ended up eating corn. That's it. That was his dinner. As a parent, I worry for him. We need to take him to the doctor's just to make sure that he doesn't need more vitamins or supplements. While I don't want to force him to eat, I also don't want him to have an iron deficiency or something else.
If anyone has suggests or tips, please let us know. His OT told us that he needs to try a new food at every meal. S***- at this point, I would like to amend it to Little Bug will eat *something* at every meal.
2 comments:
Oh Blake, that's not just an ASD thing, it's a toddler thing. Bryce would eat anything we put in front of him until he was about 2, then all of a sudden, we were lucky to get 1 well-rounded meal in him a day! We were told by his pediatrician that at this age it is totally normal. We did however, go to Costco and buy a gummi-multi vitamin and calcium supplement just to be on the safe side. Bryce thinks they're candy and eats them willingly.
Basically, I stopped making 5 different meals. I just made 1 (that was kid-friendly...no more chicken-phad thai for a while). But the deal was, he could eat what we were eating now, or when he was hungry later. He too used sign initially for some words, "all done" being one of them. If he only ate a bite or two and then said all done, we let him down and set his plate on the counter. Inevitably, he'd want a treat or a snack later, and we'd set him back in front of his cold dinner. He got nothing else. It didn't take that little guy long to figure out that warm dinner tastes WAY better than cold, and mom and dad weren't giving in to his little tricks. It also taught him not to waste food.
This may prove to be a bit more difficult w/Little Bug, but rest assured this is a toddler thing. Since you're doing a picture schedule, maybe you could cut out his favorite foods and let him pick what he wants for dinner. Then make just that. If he doesn't eat it then, he'll eat it eventually. And don't worry, he'll eat when he's hungry. Do like your doc says and put a little something different each time on his plate. He may get in an exploratory mood and want to try it! Otherwise, more for you and DN later!
Hope this helps!
Kristy
I totally feel you on the frustration thing. Unfortunately for Little Bug some of it is related to ASD and SID as he has difficulty with touch and texutres-he is somewhat tactile defensive. But hopefully with OT, we can work past some of it and with time get past the toddler stuff as well. The idea about his favorite foods is great! Thank you, Kristy!
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