Fussy eaters, how to introduce new food?

[Lalegid]

Ok i'm having trouble with this at the moment, Gideon is just so fussy, some days it seems like he eats nothing and goes to bed hungry :( I just need some ideas! We don't have a diagnosis for him yet, he's nearly 3 and probably has mild autism.

He eats rice bubbles for breakfast (as long and they're not soggy), he will eat crackers, is turning his nose down as sandwiches these days. Used to eat apple but spits it out now. Likes cous cous and noodles, and creamed corn. Will eat mince and sometimes sausages (as long as they aren't cooked in gravy or have sauce on them!)

I would like to introduce him to new fruits and vegetables but have no idea how to do this? Any help would be appreciated :)

[LIZARD]

This is a hallmark of the disorder, unfortunately. :( It can improve with time, a LOT of patience, and work together with a sensory-based occupational therapy program (aka "sensory diet"), but try not to hold your breath. My son is 14 and still has serious issues with this. There are foods I can get him to eat that are out of his short list of preferred foods, but it's taken a LOT of effort from both of us. Get the dx and pursue the therapy.

Good luck!

LIZARD :)

[Keggy]

From reading this post as well as another one you did, I have to say I wonder if he has a chiari. A chiari can cause our kids to be like this, especially when you said he is turning his nose down at sandwiches and likes crackers. It is something you really should look into. He is going to prefer crispier foods, toast rather than bread.. not so much sandwich because it tends too be too much bread in a small mouth and leads to the same sensations that bread will give. The chiari would give him a swallowing issue that you just may not be aware of. Does he ever choke on his food? How was he when he was younger before foods were introduced (vomiting etc)
How is he with soups without chunks in it?
Liz mentioned her son has the same problems (her son has a chiari as well) just as my daughter did. After her surgery she began eating a lot more different types of food. SHe was so off put by sandwiches though she still doesn't eat them, only open face.
I have a website I haven't updated in awhile.. has some infor www.geocities.com/keggy11789
The best way to introduce foods is too have them around all the time and have him see you and anyone else in the family eating and enjoying it daily. Don't force or even push him to try it, just wait and see if he does it on his own over a period of 4 weeks. Like a bowl of seedless grapes would be a good start. You can also limit other snacks to a bare minimum. There is this famous doctor who said don't eat until the blandest of foods seem appealing. If he is not given other things the grapes will naturally draw him in, they are pretty and tasty.
You may find he will come to like brocolli and other veges that he can eat cooked with his fingers better than fork foods. You can try serving them with cheese or something he likes to make them more appealing. Just once he tries it don't push him to do more, and don't make a big deal over it at all at this point.

[Lalegid]

Hi Keggy,
thanks for the link, that was intersting to read :) I don't think he has a chiari from the sounds of the symptoms though, I think his problem is with textures of things. I will definately get some grapes with the groceries this week and see how he goes with them (they are round, he's bound to like them!)

[LIZARD]

Drew has a big texture issue and didn't show obvious Chiari signs until about 3-4 years ago. That's when we realized he couldn't sweat, was hardly ever thirsty, and was always hot. We live in RI, so we get nasty winters fairly often, but they make no impression on him whatsoever. :( His favorite uni is a T-shirt and cotton pants. He had never had any type of seizure (I have epi) or complained of frequent pain (although he will occasionally tell me the back of his neck hurts).

LIZARD :)

[RathyKay]

Welcome! I couldn't decide which thread to post on. I've been bad and have been spending more time playing games than posting lately.:o I don't have any Chiari experience, but it's definitely something to look into. I am a diet nut. If you haven't already read, many autistic kids have problems with gluten (the protein found in wheat, rye, and barley... your standard flour) and dairy. My son is not technically autistic, but he has a few quirks and has responded well to a lot of autistic treatments. We went dairy free over 4 years ago. Turns out, dairy was Tom's biggest seizure trigger. A year and a half later, we went gluten-free. Gluten gives Tom some brain fog and interferes with his fine motor skills. Once we went off of gluten, his pickiness greatly improved. The gagging over foods he didn't want to eat went away, along with the vomiting that sometimes occurred with the gagging. In addition, I can get him to eat a bite of something he doesn't want in exchange for a bite of something he does want.

Tom is a small kid, and I remember those days of really wanting him to eat. If he gagged and threw up, he ended the meal himself. Back then, he was on seizure meds and we had problems if he didn't eat enough... meds on an empty stomach sometimes led to vomiting. And he slept worse than if he ate his dinner. Rather than become a short order cook, I made extras of meals he did like. I would start by giving him a plate of what the rest of us were eating, and then giving him leftovers of the meal that I knew he liked. If we were out of those leftovers, cereal was offered. (It's vitamin fortified! And he would eat it.) At this point, all I remember is that my two "wonder meals" were split pea soup and spaghetti made with brocolli. I felt they were pretty healthy meals, and he did like them.

If you're interested in eliminating dairy and gluten, you need to give it a fair trial. Dairy takes six weeks to get it completely out of your system. Gluten needs to be eliminated for a while too.

[mrsdoubtfyre]

often reading them books, showing OTHER kids doing things, can help.

Long before you introduce new foods, you can do that. Set him up for
how other kids do new foods.

You can also hide things in creamed corn, to get more nutrition into him.
Protein? Soy Isolate will mix in and be invisible. Or unflavored whey protein.

Will he take creamed corn on crackers? Slowly change that to a dip, and then add finely chopped veggies in the dip and slowly increase their size.
Finely chopped red pepper, broccoli etc.

Kids love finger foods. So keep it that way.

[Lalegid]

thanks for the tips, I am planing to put him gluten free next year (it's an expensive diet, at least in NZ it is. Next year when DH is in his new job we will be able to afford it) and we will try dairy free too.
reading stories is a great idea too - I haven't tried giving him creamed corn on a cracker, i wil see how that goes down.

[LIZARD]

thanks for the tips, I am planing to put him gluten free next year (it's an expensive diet, at least in NZ it is. Next year when DH is in his new job we will be able to afford it) and we will try dairy free too.

I seriously advise you to get him tested for Celiac first. GFCF doesn't work for everyone, and you could waste a LOT of money, time, and sanity trying to find out. If he's neg for it, he can still be gluten sensitive, but you have to know what you're getting into. I was dx'ed with Celiac in May, and it has been quite the learning experience. You have to MAKE SURE he doesn't get a CRUMB of gluten into his body. It's like cleaning for lice--EVERYTHING has to change. Also be prepared to have your family do it, too. There is no way a kid is going to be GF while the rest of the family eats whatever they please.

Just thought I should warn you...

LIZARD :)

[mrsdoubtfyre]

Check his mouth with a flashlight now and then and make sure there
are no sores there. Kids may bite their cheeks and get sores on them which then leads to food refusal. They can also bite the inside of the lower lip.

Also some viruses or food allergies show up this way.

I'll never forget when my son was playing with a little flute (pipe).
He stumbled and it hit the roof of his mouth...and boy let me tell you that
was a painful week for him (and me).:eek:

[Lalegid]

He has been tested for celiac already (he had some tummy problems and weight loss about a year ago, we still don't know what caused it) - so he isn't celiac. But we will still cut gluten out and see how it goes :)
I'm not sure if he will open his mouth for me to look inside it, I will have to try that. He hates having teeth brushed... he could be biting his cheeks (he bites his fingers and other objects a lot, also grinds his teeth).

[Keggy]

Actually, the only symptoms my dd had was her autism, sensitivity to lights and certain sounds, textures with food which caused her to gag on occassion. You mentioned most of these, thats why I brought it up. Chiari is fairly common in kids with developmental issues.

[Lalegid]

When we see our specialist in Jan/Feb I will ask them to check for chiari. Thanks :)

[Keggy]

When we see our specialist in Jan/Feb I will ask them to check for chiari. Thanks :)

There is a pretty good chance that your specialist will find this ridiculous, I wouldn't mention it. What I suggest you do is ask for a baseline mri. It was reccomended in JAMA a few years back (I think 99). It is a reasonable request and most neurologists will do that.

Some docs will say they are very common in children with disabilties, and they have no meaning, and others will say its too rare to be a possibility. Then you have the doctors who see the chiari and blow it off as insignificant, some don't even mention it on the mri report.

After the mri is done you can pursue seeing if there is a chiari.

[Lalegid]

The only problem is I would have to pay for an mri - it wouldn't be covered by the public health system. So that would be really pricey, I'm not sure that we could afford it :(

But I will look into it anyway, and see where we get to. Hopefully we will have a great specialist who will take our concerns seriously :)

[Keggy]

The only problem is I would have to pay for an mri - it wouldn't be covered by the public health system. So that would be really pricey, I'm not sure that we could afford it :(



Sorry to hear that, that sucks :(