Feeding An Extremely Limited Child

[jillflip]

We started the gluten free diet with my son who is almost three. Before gluten free he was very limited in what he would eat...even more so now. He only eats four things and none of them are nutritional.

Any suggestions?

[cruelshoes]

My kids have always been much more willing to try new things that they had a hand in preparing. We have a garden every year,and always try to plant a few new things. They are more willing to try them if they planted the seed, watered it, harvested it, etc.

There are some great kids cookbooks out there, some even geared to younger kids like yours. Maybe you could check out some story books about food and after reading them try the foods mentioned in the book together. It's sneaking new foods in under the guise of play.

Younger kids always love to help in the kitchen. Kids as young as yours can help tear up lettuce for salad, mix things with supervision, etc. After helping prepare it, new foods might not seem so scary.

Good luck with your kiddo!

[Ursa Major]

Children won't starve themselves. My suggestion is, that you don't offer those junk food choices he likes any more at all. If he won't eat at mealtime whatever it is you offer, he'll have to leave the table hungry.

At all times have little bowls of nutritious foods sitting around, for him to help himself if he so chooses. Like cut-up apples, orange sections, carrot sticks, celery sticks, taco chips, rice crackers etc.

I am sure that after the initial screaming temper tantrums, he'll come around eventually.

He may not eat a thing for a day or so. But once he gets really hungry, I am sure he will grudgingly start eating what you want him to eat. Just don't pity him, and don't give in.

Once he starts eating good stuff regularly, you can then give him things like gluten-free cookies for treats. Just don't try to entice him with gluten-free junk foods at first, or you'll have the same problem as before.

[Darn210]

What does he go for now and maybe we can help you build off of that . . .?

Try pureed fruit popsicles. I use V8 Splash juice, and ripe bananas (a good way to use bananas that are too soft to eat) and add frozen fruit and puree it all in a blender. My kids drink them as smoothies and then I put the rest into popsicle molds and they eat them as popsicles. The key is to end up with a red popsicle (because all kids know that red tastes better ) so I use a lot of strawberries and V8 Splash Very Berry.

My kids would eat apples but not with the skin. The loved the apple dippers from McD's. So I got some carmel sauce and let them have it at home . . . only with apple slices with the skin on them. After a few times, I started restricting how much carmel sauce they got . . . they really had to stretch it out. Now they eat the apple slices with the skin without the carmel sauce just fine. I've done the same thing with nutella . . . letting them have it with something until they got used to the something and then slowly taking away the nutella.

[gfpaperdoll]

What 4 things does he eat?

How about pork & beans with sauted hot dog coins mixed in?

baked potato?

home made french fries?

spaghetti sauce? you can blend anything up in tomato sauce.

My son lived on Pork & beans & hot dogs, potatoes, PB & grape jelly on crackers, spaghetti, & beef. He lived.

[Mom23boys]

  Ursa Major said:

Children won't starve themselves. My suggestion is, that you don't offer those junk food choices he likes any more at all. If he won't eat at mealtime whatever it is you offer, he'll have to leave the table hungry.

At all times have little bowls of nutritious foods sitting around, for him to help himself if he so chooses. Like cut-up apples, orange sections, carrot sticks, celery sticks, taco chips, rice crackers etc.

Those are my thoughts too.

I have a wire shelf in my kitchen. The bottom shelf is loaded with fruits and veggies that don't need to be in the fridge. They can have anyone of those at anytime (Mine are 8,6,4) as long as they sit down and don't roam with the food.

[shelland]

When I want my daughter to eat something healthy that she's not crazy about: I wait until she is hungry (she tells me) then I sit down with her and a plate of whatever it is. I make sure that we both eat it and that no other food is in sight. If I have to spoon feed it to her (she's still not great with a spoon) I read to her while she eats. She loves having books with supper!

[kbtoyssni]

I'm wondering what the four things that he can eat are and why he won't eat other things. I'm assuming it's because he doesn't like other food or refuses to eat other food. If he is a celiac, gluten will have an addictive reaction in his body. So if all he wants to eat are gluten things, this craving will subside after a few weeks. If all he wants to eat are non-gluten things, it's probably because he's figured out subconsciously that gluten makes him sick, and he doesn't want to eat that stuff. It's very likely that after a few weeks he'll be more willing to eat other foods. And I second the comment that a kid won't starve himself. Offer him safe foods. He might get a bit hungry, but eventually he'll eat the food you give him. If he is celiac, it's also likely that his stomach is upset a lot, and he doesn't get the same hunger pangs or doesn't recognize hunger over stomach pain. This will also subside in time.