My 8 yr. old is a good eater he loves vegies !!! He seems to know all the foods when in front of him bot does not like ice cream and will not eat french fries go figure, and my 3 yr. old doesnt eat anything only foods he knows chicken nuggets french fries no hot dogs no vegies and loves ice cream. Now me and my 2 yr. old eat anything so i usually end up making two- three meals a night.
I hear you about making multiple dinners. There are days we have to make 3 different meal because my ds (NT) has oral sensory issues that are almost opposite than our autistic dd. The one thing we all can agree on is PIZZA. Needless to say we eat this at least once a week.
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I was once told by the doctor who runs the school my son attends (he is like a phd I guess) that with kids on the spectrum you have to pick your battles they have so many other things to work on and get through that what they are eating is really not that important as long as they are eating!! I guess as long as they are growing and gaining some weight they aren't doing so bad and as long as they get a multi vitamin everyday. I think all of us Moms have so much work to do with our kids and so much to worry about that we should give ourselves a break when it comes to how they eat. So if he eats dry cereal for dinner who cares??
But it does become a pain in the rear when you have to make them there own dinner when everyone else is eating what you cooked
Nita, Just bumping this up to tell you that I rented the Garfield movie and so far no success on the lasagna or pasta...BUT....he is jumping on me in the morning from the foot of the bed and yelling "CANNON BALL" lol Karrie Anne, It's the Garfield movie with people that was in the theatre I think in November of last year. It is available for renting or buying now in the stores. Bill Murray did the voice for Garfield. It's a cute movie. Nita, That's hilarious that he is doing that to the dog!! That is one of the most funny things about this movie! Karrie OMG that is soooo funny Karrie!!! Well for me it is I can imagine how it must be for you especially being pregnant!! It took Nick quite a while to connect the lasagna to Garfield he also has a couple of the cartoon versions of Garfield. He tries to jump on our recliner when the dog is in it to send the dog flying through the air like Garfield does to Odie!!!
Nita Which Garfield movie is this? Anne [QUOTE=karjab30] Nita, Just bumping this up to tell you that I rented the Garfield movie and so far no success on the lasagna or pasta...BUT....he is jumping on me in the morning from the foot of the bed and yelling "CANNON BALL" lol Karrie My grandson is four and has been in a preschool class for children with developmental disorders (formal autism evaluation is tomorrow). He will not eat anything but a few things. He is interested in food as he knows the name of about every food that exists but rather than eat it he will try to feed US the food in question. He likes to play with it but wont eat it. He will ONLY eat Berks hot dogs (not any other brand we have tried and he knows the difference); he will only eat MC DONALDS french fries and no other kind; he loves pizza but it has to be from a pizza place and will not eat frozen pizza made. His list of food that he will eat cant be more than twenty things. Is this something the rest of you have dealt with? Anne I had to put a lock on the pantry door because of fruit snacks!! He would go into the pantry and take out his "nemo snacks" and try and eat them all in one sitting. Gonna have to get the Garfield movie. I can't get him to eat any pasta's except mac-n-cheese. He used to eat ravoli but won't touch it anymore. I think he is starting to not want the mac-n-cheese too because the last few times I put it on his plate he would not touch that either. OH but he loves buttered toast. When i'm eating toast he goes nuts like I have candy or something..LMAO Karrie Mine's a horrible eater too. I think he's a "crunchy" kid for the most part, except for breakfast...best meal...just like Karrie: pancakes, waffles, dry cereal. He'll eat grilled cheese sandwiches (orange cheese only) and that's about it...we also supplement with pediasure...thank god for that. The other food is pizza, and finally he'll eat homemade pizza, used to only be delivery. And let's not forget mom's chocolate chip cookies or oreos. Drinks only milk and water. After (CVS) illnesses he'll eat about a pound of spaghetti, light on the sauce. (not kidding about the pound, but after 6 days of not eating, I'm not surpised.) And the spaghetti can only be spaghetti noodles, not elbow mac, fettuccini, mostaccioli or anything else....just spaghetti. (with sprinkle cheese - aka parmesan) That's about it for my guy. No fruits, veg, meats, or juice at all. ~Lesley Hi Anne, Yes, it is something I have delt with and I assure you many other people here have as well. My son would only eat cold McDonalds french fries, Cheese pizza only from a specific pizza place, wouldn't drink store brand lemon lime soda although he drinks name brand lemon lime soda,...... Hes now going on 10 and still has many eating issues. ALthough we have finally gotten him to eat pizza from other pizza places and even a few homemade types and some frozen brands, same with french fries. He is still particular on some items. I am excited anytime he is able to try a new food because he gags from the smell and texture. There is only a handful of things he will eat. I continue to encourage him to try new foods. Someone once told me only introduce one food at a time and to try the same new food every day for 3 days in a row. One of these past threads might be of interest to you.... Sensory Integrative related feeding probs Functional Feeding Issues in Autism
Yes this is a very common thing it seems with our children. My son eats only about 20 different items also. He doesn't eat anyting that I cook unless it is corn or if I'm lucky mac-n-cheese. His diet consist of chicken nuggets, pb&j, cereal. He will eat most junk food though..go figure. OH and he also loves McDonalds but his cheeseburgers have to be plain. He won't eat traditional pizza but will eat cheese sticks from papa johns and he calls that pizza. He won't eat frozen pizza either. His best eating time is breakfast but it seems to have to be sweet. Pancakes, french toast, waffles or cereal. He won't eat eggs bacon or anything like that. I give him flinstone vitamins because it was the only vitamin that I could get him to eat. He was picky about those too..LOL With my son I have not figured out what exactly it is like some people have. I don't know if it is texture or what. He does seem to have problems with temperature though. Everything has to be at room temp. I found out that he will eat some fruits besides apples if they are room temp. Didn't even know he liked grapes...he would never touch them until I had some sitting in a bowl one day and they sat there for a while and became room temp. He finished the bowl for me..LOL I just assumed he didn't like them until that point. Anyway...just wanted to let you know that yes a lot of our children seem to be picky eaters. I know with my son..a lot of it is due to sensory issues. Take care and WELCOME!!! Karrie Yes I feel for you in this situation. My 2 yr old ds is the same way. He will only eat very few diff things. And he has gotten worse in the last couple weeks. I know about children at diff ages when not growing much will eat less, and I know about pickiness in nt children too. My 4 yr old nt dd has had pickiness and has gone through periods of less eating. But even at her worst, I still never had the headache I get w/ ds trying to feed him. He at least used to eat frozen peas. Now he rarely will even touch that, so no veggies anymore. He does good on fruit (will eat bananas and a specific brand/style of canned fruit cocktail. no other will do as I tried a diff one when the store was out of his and he refused it). He won't eat most meat. He will eat Mcdonalds chicken nuggets and fries. He will sometimes eat scrambled eggs. I mostly try to get protein in him by using peanut butter on bread (he'll eat that 75% of the time), cheese (only individually wrapped slices), and yogurt. He eats most anything crunchy, and will eat cereal thank goodness. I give him a lot of cereal. Anyhow...yes it is frustrating and I worry. It's so hard to feed him, but he is growing and seems healthy so I try not to fret too much. And I give him a daily vitamin too. Sometimes a drink nutritional supplement. Good luck w/ this. Amber I feel so much better knowing there are other kids like this! Thanks for all the responses. I started to make a list of what he will eat but it was so short I didnt bother listing.. He will eat goldfish crackers (but nothing similar), Pizza, Berks Hot dogs, cherrios, Doritos Nachos but only the chedder, Peanut butter sandwiches but not with jelly or anything else, ring bologna (but only regular and only one brand), chicken flavor lipton noodles, combos cheese pretzels, mc donalds french fries, raisins, vanilla pediasure (but only that brand, no take offs), Flinstone vitamins, and pringles (no other kind of chips). Oddly enough even though the snacks he will eat have cheddar cheese he will not eat cheese of any kind. I have tried to get him to taste things and he closes his mouth real tight and if I manage to get it in he gags. He has licked a few things at my urging but still wont eat it. I am going to go through the list of what the rest of you said your child will eat and try those things one at a time just in case there is a theme to this. :) Anne Tom used to eat ravioli and wont anymore either. What garfiled movie gets em to eat the lasagna???:):) Tom lOVES fruit snaks. Just not to eat. He plays with them. He sorts them and plays with them like toys. Anne [QUOTE=karjab30] nita, I had to put a lock on the pantry door because of fruit snacks!! He would go into the pantry and take out his "nemo snacks" and try and eat them all in one sitting. Gonna have to get the Garfield movie. I can't get him to eat any pasta's except mac-n-cheese. He used to eat ravoli but won't touch it anymore. I think he is starting to not want the mac-n-cheese too because the last few times I put it on his plate he would not touch that either. OH but he loves buttered toast. When i'm eating toast he goes nuts like I have candy or something..LMAO Karrie [Tom used to eat bananas but lately he doesnt want them, and he also USED to eat yogurt. QUOTE=Ftlse]Yes, my son is a picky eater as well. He's a good eater at breakfast - waffles, pancakes, french toast, or cereal bars (quaker oatmeal fruit bars). He used to eat scrambled eggs but has since stopped. He loves bread, but won't eat any sandwiches. I actually found a half a loaf of bread hidden in his bed one day! I've had to start hiding the bread. I've also had to hide goldfish and animal crackers. He loves fruit snacks!!! He would scale the refrigerator for them! His food obsession is bananas. He would eat bananas all day if I let him. The most I've ever let him eat is 5 in one day! He breaks it in half and then shoves the whole thing in his mouth at once. But then again that's how he eats most things. Recently he's been on an orange and apple kick! So he's good about eating fruits! :) He loves yogurt and yogurt milkshakes, likes some cheeses, but he won't drink milk. He loves juice and water though... I haven't tried the ensure, I think I'll have to try that. He's not very good about eating meat, chicken nuggets sometimes. He loves pizza, but it has to be from a pizza place... French fries always from a fast food place or restaurant. He loves the Flintstone vitamins. I was once told by the doctor who runs the school my son attends (he is like a phd I guess) that with kids on the spectrum you have to pick your battles they have so many other things to work on and get through that what they are eating is really not that important as long as they are eating!! I guess as long as they are growing and gaining some weight they aren't doing so bad and as long as they get a multi vitamin everyday. I think all of us Moms have so much work to do with our kids and so much to worry about that we should give ourselves a break when it comes to how they eat. So if he eats dry cereal for dinner who cares?? But it does become a pain in the rear when you have to make them there own dinner when everyone else is eating what you cooked
Personally- I think variety is overrated. This is DS's Diet: Breakfast: pancakes, waffles or cereal bar. Milk. Lunch: sandwick- turkey or PB&J. Milk. Snack- cookies, plantain chips, ice cream, fruit, apple sauce. Dinner: Some type of rice- fired rice, rice and beans or rice and chicken. Water/Juice. As long as the child is getting adequate calories, protein, fat and vitamins and minerals, I wouldn't worry. You could keep a food diary for a week and visit a nutritionist to make sure you have all the bases covered. Pediasure is a great supplement!.
Nita ~ hint about the lasagna...Hooray for you by the way!!! With the sauce, you can puree carrots and they'll never know...the carrots absorb the sauce flavor and is completely camoflauged. I used to do that when he ate spaghetti more regularly, but now he associates spag. with his illness and only eats it when he's better.
The more I read the more I see I'm not alone and that he has very
similar food issues. Great idea about the puree'd carrots.
Maybe my husband will eat them too if I do that! :)
The more I read the more I see I'm not alone and that he has very similar food issues. Great idea about the puree'd carrots. Maybe my husband will eat them too if I do that! :)
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