Beyond picky eating - PDD-NOS - Page 2

[landona mama]

my son is two he was diagnosed with pdd and borderline autisum, i cant get this kid to eat anything but a bite of a cracker here n there im worried, he has gone from eating pasta to not touching it except if it has cheese on it and it has to be loaded. then he will eat the cheese and thats it. ne suggestions?

[Piglet68]

We, too, have struggled with picky eating. My son, who is HFA, is picky but the few foods he likes at least have some variety to them. I also managed to get him on a GFCF diet this past summer without too much trouble, but we have brought back the dairy b/c the fake stuff is so highly processed. We're just one month into that and it's too early to tell if GF alone will produce the same results (reduction in the frequency and severity of his meltdowns).

DD, OTOH, is insanely limited in her tastes. She basically lives on bread and cheese. She refuses to eat any homemade bread (and I've tried dozens of recipes, from "healthy" to plain ol' white bread). She will only eat store-bought bread or buns. She eats cheese and that is pretty much the only protein source she has these days (she will, infrequently, eat sausages or tofu prepared in specific ways). She won't eat a single vegetable (except corn on the cob, which I don't really count as a vegetable) and the only fruit she eats are bananas (also very high in carbs). Given that DH and I are on a low-carb, grain-free diet this is pretty tough for us to swallow, if you'll pardon the pun. 

We tried getting her to go GFCF and it was a nightmare. She basically lived on rice crackers and rice chex for a month and was so miserable we stopped that experiment. At 9 years old it is not possible to restrict everything she eats, so if she is not on board there's no point. 

I make three separate meals, three times a day. We don't eat at the table because DD gags and freaks out at the sight or smells of foods she doesn't like. Plus it's impossible to coordinate getting three different meals all on the table at the same time. 

All the above tactics mentioned by others failed with us too. 

But also, like others, my kids are super healthy. DD had one ear infection when she was about 9 months old and that is it for both of them. Both got chicken pox (deliberately exposed) and breezed right through it. Her version of a virus is a 12 hour fever that rages then quits suddenly and she is back bouncing around like usual. That same virus has knocked me flat on my back for days. So while my head knows her diet is not well-balanced or even healthy, she certainly shows no signs of ill health herself.

My only hope is that as she matures her science-loving mind (which understands the importance of nutrition - she just can't bring herself to eat "icky" foods) will win out and she'll make choices for herself because she can feel the difference good eating makes. 

[madmaz]

 Firstly, i fully recognise what you are saying and so understand. My DS is 5 and is one of the most picky eaters i have ever come across. He will only eat nutrigrain with yoghurt, no milk for breakfast and after that the only other food he will currently eat is bread. Plain bread, no butter no filling or spreads. He has one slice of bread for lunch and one slice of bread for dinner. If we are really really lucky he may have 2 grapes as well.  He will only drink water or chocolate milk. We have been a bit cunning and  started buying Up and Go's in the chocolate flavour. He has been having food therapy for the past 9 months and still no budging. If we put any other foods in front of him he will gag, and burst into tears. I don't want to turn every meal into a fight but he seriously needs to start eating more. He is on the 95% for his height and yet is only on the 50% for his weight. Doctors are now considering peg feeding. I don't want this to happen, but how do i change his eating?