Hello, I'm asking if anyone else's 3 y/o gets fixated on a snack and only eats that for weeks at a time. Enzo will sometimes eat rice or different meats. However lately all he wants are Eggo waffles or pb&j sandwiches; the latter he's getting tired of. And when he does eat he stuffs his mouth with so much food he vomits. I try to chop it up but he gets mad cause he wants to eat like a big boy. I've attempted to give him vitamins but he tosses them away and throws up the pediasure. He's already lost a couple of pounds. Is this normal or am I worrying about nothing? I feel so lost!
He has Down syndrome and is in preschool now to help with his developmental disability. He still isn't talking but is in speech therapy at school several times a week.
You don't have a "typical" kid so you need advice from a doctor. I wouldn't "allow" him to just eat one or two things, no matter what his disability, it simply isn't healthy for him. My kids now at 13 and 16 will go through phases where they will only eat bagels and cream cheese for breakfast for months and then all of a sudden hate them and move on to something else. lol Good luck.
After your SWH; I see that your son has been evaluated and receiving help with speech. This tells me that it's likely his mouth and muscles are a part of the reason he acts this way. May be a big part. I urge you to talk with his speech therapist about occupational or feeding therapy.
My grandson still stuffs his mouth. We've been told he isn't able to "feel"the food unless his mouth is stuffed. My grandson also eats so fast he vomits. All a part of sensory issues. He often responds to coaching. "Slow down. Take a break from eating. Swallow what's in your mouth now. Take one bite of this and then you can have that. When you eat half,.you can hAve dessert. The understanding is, if he makes an effort he gets dessert. Same expectation for all the kids (ages 5 and 3), one bite becomes two, becomes three over weeks or even months. His parents praise their effort. The 5 yo was just diagnosed with autism. She is a very picky eater. In fact, she eats so little, I'm spruced her weight and height is within the normal range.
My daughter was advised to make eating about effort while giving very little attention to actually eating.
My grandson did those things. He was diagnosed as autistic as well as having developmental delays. I don't know if your son is autistic. I suggest he be tested for disabilities that will hinder success in school.
Fixation on one thing and stuffing his mouth with too much food are symptoms of autism. Throwing his vitamins, refusing to co-operate with you. If he acts angry and aggressive, has frequently tantrums, can also be symptoms.
Federal law requires school districts test and treat, if that is needed, for any disability that will make learning difficult. This service is available from birth. It 's part of "No Child Left Behind" legislation. The title of the office that provides this service for my grandchildren is Multnomah County Special Education District.
They will first do a phone.interview to determine if your child may be eligible for an evaluation. If so, they start gathering information from others.
I suggest you call and make an appointment. It is possible that he is fine. If he needs services, they'll talk with you about the services they will.provide.
You can also have a pediatric doctor what he thinks. You can find one at a teaching hospital. My 5 yo granddaughter was just evaluated at the state teaching hospital. She was evaluated by the district and then referred to the hosoital clinic. She is autistic. Her mom and dad attended an IEP meeting today to discuss what she needs and how the district can help her. IEP stands for Individual Education Plan. My grandson was diagnosed and began treatment a couple of months before he was three. He continues with an IEP at 12.
Do you have someone you could talk to - someone who works with your son? at the preschool even? Just get their expert advice? Or his pediatrician?
I can just respond on what was typical for my kids - yes, my kids would eat only one kind of sandwich. Here lately for one it is PB and honey. Every single day.
But if your son only eats Eggos and PB and J and the odd other thing - that's a problem. You have to try introducing other foods into the mix to get him to have variety. Vitamins are a great idea until you get there if he will actually eat them. Sometimes a registered dietitian who works with kids can help give tips on foods that have been successful with kids such as yours - picky and may have a reason to prefer some and not others. They work with kids with all kinds of food and eating issues and can be very helpful. I have a relative who does this at the hospital. Can be very successful.
Throwing up the pediasure and stuffing his mouth till he is sick - I'd work with whoever you have as a resource for your son's down's syndrome. If you don't have someone helping you - can you request that? Sounds like these behaviors could be related to that. That part is not so typical - from my personal experience.
Good luck :)
You're the adult. It's up to you to take his food away when he doesn't mind. YOU tell him if he doesn't take small bites he won't get to eat. Then you follow through.
He's taking such big bites he's gagging on it and puking it up. He's going to choke to death if you don't put a stop to this. Our boy would choke a lot. I had to sit with him in arms reach so that I could grab him up and get the food out of his throat and he took small bites. It's horrifying to watch your child choke.
Please get a handle on meal time. He's 3. If you don't break this stuffing his mouth full habit it's only going to get worse as he gets older. He will go to pre-school or pre-K in a year or two and they have 15-25 kids to watch, if they eat in the classroom, and those teachers will not be sitting beside him watching him as he crams his mouth full and chokes.
