Non Gluten Intolerant Kids Won't Eat Bread?

[norahsmommy]

My youngest (12 months) is gluten intolerant. She isn't diagnosed, but she projectile vomits when I give her bread and she gets really cranky and cries all the time if there is alot of gluten in her diet, plus she gets really bad constipation and foul smelling stool that is very strange colors. Anyway I have been trying to keep gluten from her diet as suggested by an allergist and have transitioned the house to gluten free because I kept contaminating her food in our very small kitchen. I do have some regular bread that I use to make my husbands lunch and my 6 yr old daughters lunch for school. Every day this past week she has had a different sandwich and she hasn't eaten more than a tiny bite of a couple of them and thats it. My 3 yr old also will not eat bread anymore. Bread is just about the only gluten thing in the house at the moment. Is this just a coincience or are they having problems with bread? They also wont' drink milk anymore. I bought some goat milk to see if they liked that better and they love it so I don't know whats going on. They were complaining their stomaches hurt and it seemed that was after they had cow milk. My 3 yr old drank 4 cups of goat milk in a day and didn't complain the whole day except after pounding the last glass. She is so tiny I am always trying to fatten her up! My kids are weird I guess. If it helps, the older two are small for their ages. My 3 yr old is 35 inches tall and 22 lbs, she has not gained any weight since her 2 yr check. My 6 yr old is 47 inches tall and is 43 lbs. I cook with almond milk becuase it seems my youngest has problems with milk in her diet on top of gluten. She won't drink the goat milk though. Since I am on the topic. Since she has trouble with milk should I eliminate all cheese, cream cheese, butter, yogurt and sour cream from her diet too? She has been eating small amounts of sharp cheddar and it doesn't seem to bother her, but other cheeses do.

[kareng]

Do you think that the 2 older kids might think that if little one gets sick from bread, they shouldn't eat it either. Might be hard to talk to the 3 year old but I would talk to the 6 year old and see what she says. If you tell her you're worried about 3 year old & are wondering if she can help you. Mine are 3 years apart and the older boy always was helpful in figuring out the younger one.

Maybe she is just like me when I was little. I found sandwiches very boring. Plain white bread everyone else likes I thought was, not yucky, just not delicious.

[norahsmommy]

Do you think that the 2 older kids might think that if little one gets sick from bread, they shouldn't eat it either. Might be hard to talk to the 3 year old but I would talk to the 6 year old and see what she says. If you tell her you're worried about 3 year old & are wondering if she can help you. Mine are 3 years apart and the older boy always was helpful in figuring out the younger one.

Maybe she is just like me when I was little. I found sandwiches very boring. Plain white bread everyone else likes I thought was, not yucky, just not delicious.

I will ask my 6 yr old whats going on. My 3 yr old is such a picky eater its rediculous. I kind of feel like I am messing up my kids diets and possibly making them sick from having mostly gluten free options in the house. Its probably not the case but its how I feel. I don't have alot of garbage food in the house, mostly home made gluten-free or some packaged gluten-free snacks. I cook healthy meals but my 3 yr old doesn't eat much if any. I offer snacks and peanut butter and she doesn't really want it. She does eat gluten-free crackers and rice cakes now and then but thats not very caloric. The only thing I have found that she likes is whole goat milk. She drank 4 glasses in a day. It seems like as soon as she gains a pound or 2 she gets sick and looses it. She just got over 6 days worth of diarhea and 3 days of vomiting in the beginning of that.

[cassP]

dont be surprised either if they simply have an innate intelligence- they may be developing intolerances to gluten and lactose- and may be completely aware that it doesnt feel good to consume it.

imho- i dont know why everyone thinks they should be drinking milk. imho, most people dont do well with dairy. we didnt grow up with it in our house- and when i was a kid and spent the night at a friend's house, i always remember being completely nauseated (psychologically, not physically) when i would be served a big glass of milk with my dinner food like spaghetti yuck

[SGWhiskers]

Gluten free food is healthy food. You are doing them no harm by feeding them gluten-free foods. You mention cooking whole foods and offering fruit and peanut butter. Even a picky eater will get better nutrition from this than fast food and white bread. Make sure your kids are getting their vitamins since our grains are not fortified like wonder bread and cereal. Aside from that, be glad you are offering healthy foods. Your kids will grow up with a healthier outlook on eating. If you are worried about calories, consider talking to a nutritionist about ways to sneak in calories.

May I suggest protien shakes? Choose a chocolate protien powder (consider soy or hemp if you suspect dairy issues), add the favored goat's milk, and a banana to the blender. Give the kids choices of extra ingredients like peanutbutter, coconut, cinnamon, or fruit. Throw in a splash of honey or agave if the end result is not sweet enough. It probably will be with chocolate, milk, banana, and peanutbutter. Use a ripe banana for more sweetness. I have a friend who sneaks spinach or cooked carrots into her smoothies. Try some smoothies with just juice and fruit.

As a kid, I disliked sandwiches. They didn't make me sick, but I never appreciated bread. I took yogurt every day for lunch until high school. Soy yogurt is an option if you are worried about dairy.

Kids sometimes respond to helping prepare the meal/snack. I'm sure chasing 3 little ones leaves less time for preschool style help with snacks, but it's worth a shot. What about leaving something out to snack on at all times for the 3 year old. Maybe she prefers to graze instead of eat all at once. Maybe a bowl of trix cereal or some grapes? How much water is she getting through a sippy cup? Maybe consider she is filling up on water instead of food. Is her food bland? It is OK for kids to have salt and seasonings like adults. Try a dash of cinnamon on the fruit or honey on the veggies. Cut the pork and chicken into dipping strips and give BBQ sauce thinned with katsup.

Since you are certain about the baby needing to be gluten-free, you may want to consider blood testing for the older ones keeping in mind that they may show a false negative because of their age. It just may show a positive and then you have some answers about if you should be worried about forcing gluten on them. You might also want to try a serious gluten challenge and a dairy challenge. If the kids won't eat the bread, try cereals, pancakes, waffles, pasta, or even thickened soups during the challenge.

[Christine E]

My youngest (12 months) is gluten intolerant. She isn't diagnosed, but she projectile vomits when I give her bread and she gets really cranky and cries all the time if there is alot of gluten in her diet, plus she gets really bad constipation and foul smelling stool that is very strange colors. Anyway I have been trying to keep gluten from her diet as suggested by an allergist and have transitioned the house to gluten free because I kept contaminating her food in our very small kitchen. I do have some regular bread that I use to make my husbands lunch and my 6 yr old daughters lunch for school. Every day this past week she has had a different sandwich and she hasn't eaten more than a tiny bite of a couple of them and thats it. My 3 yr old also will not eat bread anymore. Bread is just about the only gluten thing in the house at the moment. Is this just a coincience or are they having problems with bread? They also wont' drink milk anymore. I bought some goat milk to see if they liked that better and they love it so I don't know whats going on. They were complaining their stomaches hurt and it seemed that was after they had cow milk. My 3 yr old drank 4 cups of goat milk in a day and didn't complain the whole day except after pounding the last glass. She is so tiny I am always trying to fatten her up! My kids are weird I guess. If it helps, the older two are small for their ages. My 3 yr old is 35 inches tall and 22 lbs, she has not gained any weight since her 2 yr check. My 6 yr old is 47 inches tall and is 43 lbs. I cook with almond milk becuase it seems my youngest has problems with milk in her diet on top of gluten. She won't drink the goat milk though. Since I am on the topic. Since she has trouble with milk should I eliminate all cheese, cream cheese, butter, yogurt and sour cream from her diet too? She has been eating small amounts of sharp cheddar and it doesn't seem to bother her, but other cheeses do.

[Christine E]

My 6 year old son was diagnosed Celiac at 13 months. He is about the size of your 6 year old now, small. He also will not drink milk. I always assumed he was sensitive and knew to avoid it. He drinks OJ with Calcium added, and doesn't have a problem with cheese, pudding, ice cream or yogurt. His nutritionist suggested adding a tablespoon of olive oil to his food, which adds 100 calories, and good fats (good for brain development).

Also, my 10 year old who is not gluten-free is extremely picky. He eats fewer food items than the gluten-free child, who is limited in diet! He is sensitive to textures of food, even prefering certain brands (of hot dogs, cheese sticks), and will refuse to eat if he doesn't like the smell, look, or feel of a food. People without picky children tend to think this is a parenting issue, but the child gagged when he licked pineapple! And my husband is just about as picky, so I guess I know where it comes from. Good luck

[Christine E]

Oh, and neither of my kids will eat peanut butter or drink shakes, smooties.