Child Not Eating Enough

[chrissy]

i am really worried about making sure my kids get a fairly balanced diet, but i am especially worried about one of my girls in particular---she does not eat very much, and she is a very picky eater. she is already very, very thin and she wears her robe or her coat most of the time because she is cold. if you touch her, she feels like skin and bones. her sister is always bugging her about how little she eats, which makes her mad. she is in the 9th grade, and still wears little girl sizes, although we have been able to find some size 0 pants she can fit into. how do i keep from being a hovering mother? i don't know how to get across to her the importance of eating well.

christine

[KayJay]

That is tough, Does eating make her feel sick? I was so small in highschool and everything I ate made me feel so sick. Before going gluten-free. Sorry I don't know the story of your daughter but when did she go gluten-free maybe she still puts eating with pain and just doesn't want to eat? That is how I was and sometimes I am still that way.

My suggestion would be to make lots of good foods for her to eat when she is at home. Give her a lot of protein as girls need protein to grow on. I wouldn't say much about her weight or eating maybe find what she does like and make some healthy dishes with that. Like cocconut chicken or something tasty like that. Good luck with it all.

[chrissy]

we have only been gluten free since jan 1 of this year. my daughter has had no symptoms other than a rash that is very itchy--not sure if it is DH or atopic dermatits. her twin sister has been sick for months, and my 10 yr old didn't have obvious symptoms. the other 2 girls seem to be eating ok. i worry a little that my daughter could become anorexic----when she was only about 4 years old (and very small and thin) she used to cry because she was afraid she would get fat.

christine

[KayJay]

oh well maybe she should see a threapist if you think she is becoming aneoxic. That can be very dangerous. I hope you find something out that works soon. Keep us posted.

[Electra375]

Periactin is an antihistimine that is prescribed to have an appetite. In the prescribing information it states can be used for anorexia. Our pediatrician prescribed it after I found out about it from another Celiac mom. It does give my little boy an appetite after about 3 days. This medication is said to either work or not work, for use it appears to work.

It helps b/c he refuses to eat from the prior pain issue. We have been working very diligently with him to make sure he knows that this is "special gluten free and will not hurt your tummy". His not eating is part psychological from years of pain upon eating. If he were older a therapist with experience in this area would be our choice, fortunately he is little enough that mommy and daddy still mean something.

I wonder how little girls age 4 find out what FAT is??? My little girl is not even 2 yet, so I have some time, but maybe I need to be very careful about what she sees and what she hears b/c it is obvious these things are picked up somewhere when they are small. I'm overweight, so I do portion control and healthy weight loss management -- I hope not to project any negative thoughts on to her.

Which reminds me, my dh finally agreed to move the thread mill back up stairs for me to use -- I have not used it since he moved it down there 2+ years ago. I need to see if he is ready to move it now or tomorrow.