Jump to content

  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):

    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Celiac Disease And A Clingy Toddler

Nicholasmommy

Recommended Posts

Nicholasmommy Apprentice
Nicholasmommy
Posted

Hello, about a month ago my son had blood work down that indicated he has celiac disease. He was on gluten light for a couple weeks. Recently I decided to not do the biopsy and I took him completely off gluten. He is doing much better with his eating and has so much energy now it is crazy! He has been jumping off the walls!

The one thing is that for the last couple weeks he has been very clingy. He is always wanting me to hold him, read to him, or play with him. He also wants to sit on my lap during meals. He often cries and clings to my leg asking to be picked up. I pay tons of attention to him, taking him to classes, the park, reading to him, etc. Do I know it is not b/c he is attention deprived. I have been giving him extra loving and cuddles b/c obviously he needs it. Yet I do need to go to the bathroom sometimes and cooks meals.

I guess I am just wondering if anyone eles has experienced this? How long did it last? What did you do?

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Genna'smom Apprentice
Genna'smom
Posted

Hi

I jsut wanted to let you know that I am in the same boat. Even after 1 year of gluten free she is still like this BUT she has a lot of behavior issues that did not get better being gluten free so not sure. I did read that children often do this and after a while of being gluten free they get better. I do lock the bathroom door so I have a moment of peace and I pick her off my leg and sit her in front of TV while I am trying to cook dinner and if she comes back and I just let her cry and take her back in the other room. Good luck and I hope you get some other answers as I do not think my dd is typical......

Bonnie

swalker Newbie
swalker
Posted

I put my daughter in a sling and wore her. She was close when she needed to be and I could still get things done.

dandelionmom Enthusiast
dandelionmom
Posted

It could be a very normal toddler phase. Or it could be a reaction to the changes in his lifestyle. I think giving him the extra attention right now like you are already doing is the way to go. He'll probably adjust soon. All 3 of my kids went through phases like that (1 has celiac, 1 doesn't, and 1 is unconfirmed). I don't think it lasted more than a couple of weeks but it is hard to remember now!

Guest simrnz
Guest simrnz
Posted

Don't worry, being clingy is a very common symptom in celiac diagnosed kids. This thing could be due to reduced appetite, nausea, they may be withdrawn also. I'm not sure about whether the kid will recover this condition when gluten is cured, because kids deprived in childhood go on showing personality deficits on an ongoing basis. I'd advise you to NOT SHOW extraordinary attitude towards you kid just TAKE CARE BUT DON'T MAKE HIM FEEL HE'S DEPRIVED IN SOME WAY AND HE NEEDS SPECIAL CARE. This will make him demand extra care for rest of his life and he'll develop an insecure attachment with you.

B'sgirl Explorer
B'sgirl
Posted
Hello, about a month ago my son had blood work down that indicated he has celiac disease. He was on gluten light for a couple weeks. Recently I decided to not do the biopsy and I took him completely off gluten. He is doing much better with his eating and has so much energy now it is crazy! He has been jumping off the walls!

The one thing is that for the last couple weeks he has been very clingy. He is always wanting me to hold him, read to him, or play with him. He also wants to sit on my lap during meals. He often cries and clings to my leg asking to be picked up. I pay tons of attention to him, taking him to classes, the park, reading to him, etc. Do I know it is not b/c he is attention deprived. I have been giving him extra loving and cuddles b/c obviously he needs it. Yet I do need to go to the bathroom sometimes and cooks meals.

I guess I am just wondering if anyone eles has experienced this? How long did it last? What did you do?

Sounds like my son. I recommend reading a book called Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. It has nothing to do with Celiac but I found it to be very helpful. Even if your child doesn't fit the exact mold it is helpful. He just had a sudden influx of energy after going gluten-free and we had to find ways to manage it. Being clingy can also be a sign of overstimulation. Is your child extra sensitive to textures of food, the feel of clothing, etc? The book has advice on how to avoid emotional meltdowns and lots of other things.

ChemistMama Contributor
ChemistMama
Posted

Did you only go gluten free? Usually if there's villi damage there may be some lactose intolerance. My Ped. GI Dr. said that for the first 6 weeks of going gluten-free you also go milk free, only lactaid milk and cheese. Give the villi a chance to heal. My son was super clingy before he was diagnosed and it took awhile (a few weeks) for him to be less clingy. Your little guy may still have some lingering GI problems, and the only solace he knows is mom! Also make sure you explain to him that the foods you give him won't hurt his tummy...that went a long way to get my 18 month old to start eating again!

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):

Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):


Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Go to topic listing

  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Celiac.com:
    Join eNewsletter
    Donate
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):
    Celiac.com Sponsor (A17):



    Celiac.com Sponsors (A17-M):



  • Recent Activity

    1. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Jmartes71's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      12

      My only proof

      You're right, doctors usually only test Vitamin D and B12. Both are really important, but they're not good indicators of deficiencies in the other B vitamins. Our bodies are able to store Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D in the liver for up to a year or longer. The other B vitamins can only be stored for much shorter periods of time. Pyridoxine B 6 can...
    2. NanceK
      - NanceK replied to Jmartes71's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      12

      My only proof

      So interesting that you stated you had sub clinical vitamin deficiencies. When I was first diagnosed with celiac disease (silent), the vitamin levels my doctor did test for were mostly within normal range (lower end) with the exception of vitamin D. I believe he tested D, B12, magnesium, and iron. I wondered how it was possible that I had celiac disease...
    3. knitty kitty
      - knitty kitty replied to Larzipan's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      39

      Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?

      Segments of the protein Casein are the same as segments of the protein strands of gluten, the 33-mer segment. The cow's body builds that Casein protein. It doesn't come from wheat. Casein can trigger the same reaction as being exposed to gluten in some people. This is not a dairy allergy (IGE mediated response). It is not lactose intolerance...
    4. trents
      - trents replied to Larzipan's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      39

      Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?

      Wheatwacked, what exactly did you intend when you stated that wheat is incorporated into the milk of cows fed wheat? Obviously, the gluten would be broken down by digestion and is too large a molecule anyway to cross the intestinal membrane and get into the bloodstream of the cow. What is it from the wheat that you are saying becomes incorporated into the...
    5. Scott Adams
      - Scott Adams replied to Larzipan's topic in Related Issues & Disorders
      39

      Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?

      Wheat in cow feed would not equal gluten in the milk, @Wheatwacked, please back up extraordinary claims like this with some scientific backing, as I've never heard that cow's milk could contain gluten due to what the cow eats.
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):


  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      132,367
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748
    Pauline14
    Newest Member
    Pauline14
    Joined
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):

  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.5k
    • Total Posts
      1m
  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):



  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):


  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • knitty kitty
      My only proof

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      You're right, doctors usually only test Vitamin D and B12.  Both are really important, but they're not good indicators of deficiencies in the other B vitamins.  Our bodies are able to store Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D in the liver for up to a year or longer.  The other B vitamins can only be stored for much shorter periods of time.  Pyridoxine B 6 can be stored for several months, but the others only a month or two at the longest.  Thiamine stores can be depleted in as little as three days.  There's no correlation between B12 levels and the other B vitamins' levels.  Blood tests can't measure the amount of vitamins stored inside cells where they are used.  There's disagreement as to what optimal vitamin levels are.  The Recommended Daily Allowance is based on the minimum daily amount needed to prevent disease set back in the forties when people ate a totally different diet and gruesome experiments were done on people.  Folate  requirements had to be updated in the nineties after spina bifida increased and synthetic folic acid was mandated to be added to grain products.  Vitamin D requirements have been updated only in the past few years.   Doctors aren't required to take as many hours of nutritional education as in the past.  They're educated in learning institutions funded by pharmaceutical corporations.  Natural substances like vitamins can't be patented, so there's more money to be made prescribing pharmaceuticals than vitamins.   Also, look into the Autoimmune Protocol Diet, developed by Dr. Sarah Ballantyne, a Celiac herself.  Her book The Paleo Approach has been most helpful to me.  You're very welcome.  I'm glad I can help you around some stumbling blocks while on this journey.    Keep me posted on your progress!  Best wishes! P.S.  interesting reading: Thiamine, gastrointestinal beriberi and acetylcholine signaling https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12014454/
    • NanceK
      My only proof

      By NanceK · Posted

      So interesting that you stated you had sub clinical vitamin deficiencies. When I was first diagnosed with celiac disease (silent), the vitamin levels my doctor did test for were mostly within normal range (lower end) with the exception of vitamin D. I believe he tested D, B12, magnesium, and iron.  I wondered how it was possible that I had celiac disease without being deficient in everything!  I’m wondering now if I have subclinical vitamin deficiencies as well, because even though I remain gluten free, I struggle with insomnia, low energy, body aches, etc.  It’s truly frustrating when you stay true to the gluten-free diet, yet feel fatigued most days. I’ll definitely try the B-complex, and the Benfotiamine again, and will keep you posted. Thanks once again!
    • knitty kitty
      Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?

      By knitty kitty · Posted

      Segments of the protein Casein are the same as segments of the protein strands of gluten, the 33-mer segment.   The cow's body builds that Casein protein.  It doesn't come from wheat.   Casein can trigger the same reaction as being exposed to gluten in some people.   This is not a dairy allergy (IGE mediated response).  It is not lactose intolerance.  
    • trents
      Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?

      By trents · Posted

      Wheatwacked, what exactly did you intend when you stated that wheat is incorporated into the milk of cows fed wheat? Obviously, the gluten would be broken down by digestion and is too large a molecule anyway to cross the intestinal membrane and get into the bloodstream of the cow. What is it from the wheat that you are saying becomes incorporated into the milk protein?
    • Scott Adams
      Has anyone had terrible TMJ/ Jaw Pain from undiagnosed Celiac?

      By Scott Adams · Posted

      Wheat in cow feed would not equal gluten in the milk, @Wheatwacked, please back up extraordinary claims like this with some scientific backing, as I've never heard that cow's milk could contain gluten due to what the cow eats.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

NOTICE: This site places This site places cookies on your device (Cookie settings). on your device. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.