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

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

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

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

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

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
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

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.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      131,544
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    Jem68
    Newest Member
    Jem68
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121.4k
    • Total Posts
      1m

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Beverage
      I had a very rough month after diagnosis. No exaggeration, lost so much inflammatory weight, I looked like a bag of bones, underneath i had been literally starving to death. I did start feeling noticeably better after a month of very strict control of my kitchen and home. What are you eating for breakfast and lunch? I ignored my doc and ate oats, yes they were gluten free, but some brands are at the higher end of gluten free. Lots of celics can eat Bob's Red Mill gluten-free oats, but not me. I can now eat them, but they have to be grown and processed according to the "purity protocol" methods. I mail order them, Montana Gluten-Free brand. A food and symptoms and activities log can be helpful in tracking down issues. You might be totally aware, but I have to mention about the risk of airborne gluten. As the doc that diagnosed me warned . . Remember eyes, ears, nose, and mouth all lead to your stomach and intestines.  Are you getting any cross contamination? Airborne gluten? Any pets eating gluten (they eat it, lick themselves, you pet them...)? Any house remodeling? We live in an older home, always fixing something. I've gotten glutened from the dust from cutting into plaster walls, possibly also plywood (glues). The suggestions by many here on vitamin supplements also really helped me. I had some lingering allergies and asthma, which are now 99% gone. I was taking Albuterol inhaler every hour just to breathe, but thiamine in form of benfotiamine kicked that down to 1-2 times a day within a few days of starting it. Also, since cutting out inflammatory seed oils (canola, sunflower, grapeseed, etc) and cooking with real olive oil, avocado oil, ghee, and coconut oil, I have noticed even greater improvement overall and haven't used the inhaler in months! It takes time to weed out everything in your life that contains gluten, and it takes awhile to heal and rebuild your health. At first it's mentally exhausting, overwhelming, even obsessive, but it gets better and second nature.
    • Jsingh
      Hi,  I care for my seven year old daughter with Celiac. After watching her for months, I have figured out that she has problem with two kinds of fats- animal fat and cooking oils. It basically makes her intestine sore enough that she feels spasms when she is upset. It only happens on days when she has eaten more fat than her usual every day diet. (Her usual diet has chia seeds, flaxseeds, and avocado/ pumpkin seeds for fat and an occasional chicken breast.) I stopped using cooking oils last year, and when I reintroduced eggs and dairy, both of which I had held off for a few months thinking it was an issue of the protein like some Celiac patients habe mentioned to be the case, she has reacted in the same fashion as she does with excess fats. So now I wonder if her reaction to dairy and eggs is not really because of protein but fat.   I don't really have a question, just wondering if anyone finds this familiar and if it gets better with time.  Thank you. 
    • Chanda Richard
      Hello, My name is Chanda and you are not the only one that gose through the same things. I have found that what's easiest for me is finding a few meals each week that last. I have such severe reactions to gluten that it shuts my entire body down. I struggle everyday with i can't eat enough it feels like, when I eat more I lose more weight. Make sure that you look at medication, vitamins and shampoo and conditioner also. They have different things that are less expensive at Walmart. 
    • petitojou
      Thank you so much! I saw some tips around the forum to make a food diary and now that I know that the community also struggles with corn, egg and soy, the puzzle pieces came together! Just yesterday I tried eating eggs and yes, he’s guilty and charged. Those there are my 3 combo nausea troublemakers. I’m going to adjust my diet ☺️ Also thank you for the information about MCAS! I’m from South America and little it’s talked about it in here. It’s honestly such a game changer now for treatment and recovery. I know I’m free from SIBO and Candida since I’ve been tested for it, but I’m still going to make a endoscopy to test for H. Pylori and Eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Thank you again!! Have a blessed weekend 🤍
    • knitty kitty
      Yes, I, too, have osteoporosis from years of malabsorption, too.  Thiamine and magnesium are what keep the calcium in place in the bones.  If one is low in magnesium, boron, selenium, zinc, copper, and other trace minerals, ones bone heath can suffer.  We need more than just calcium and Vitamin D for strong bones.  Riboflavin B 2, Folate B 9 and Pyridoxine B 6 also contribute to bone formation and strength.   Have you had your thyroid checked?  The thyroid is important to bone health as well.  The thyroid uses lots of thiamine, so a poorly functioning thyroid will affect bone heath.  
×
×
  • 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.