“Sorry,” Declan gulped then continued to gag with tears starting to slide down the sides of his face.
“It’s okay,” I said looking at the bite of cheese sandwich sitting between the two of us on the couch. “I guess we should have probably done this in the kitchen. Are you okay?”
“Yeah, but I don’t like that. The bread. It feels weird,” Declan gagged and started wiping his tongue with his hand.
“Okay,” I replied, “Thanks for trying. Do you want to try the peanut butter and jelly one?”
“No!” Declan yelled and ran out of the room.
School is just around the corner. This will be the first year Declan will be going to school for a full day.
Which also means – what the heck is he going to eat for lunch?
Declan’s food habits are different. For breakfast he may call for mac and cheese. Or chicken. And if not, he will ask for one of those two items for lunch. And throughout the day he will pick at the fruit I have on the table. Or climb to a high cupboard to find other snacks.
And then he will sit with his device and eat an entire container of chosen snack.
No other child in the house eats sandwiches. But I thought I would give them a try for the sake of school lunches. It didn’t go so well. This time, at least.
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“Let me starve, Let me starve,
I don’t want to eat anymore….
Here I stand, In the living room
Cause being hungry never bothered me anyway….”
Catelyn was hysterical with her new rendition of “Let it Go” sung off the cuff when I told her it was dinnertime. Bobby wasn’t helping the matter much with his added laughter.
I controlled my smile – but had to give it to her – that was pretty good.
“C’mon, Cate it’s dinner. Time to eat.”
“I’m not hungry. I just ate pancakes.”
“That was 5 hours ago. It was called “lunch.””
“FINE. I will eat a yogurt.”
“Fine. Let’s go. Everyone to the kitchen.”
Cate has a completely different problem with food than Declan. Where Declan will find a food he likes and over eat that food, Catelyn doesn’t eat. So many foods offend her that she steers clear of most and gets through what she can.
I was relieved when she finally weighed in at 60 pounds this past year. Including the dog, Catelyn is the smallest person in this house.
And to complicate matters, Catelyn is a vegetarian. That doesn’t eat vegetables.
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My kids have issues with food. In my last post, “Weight Gain Concerns in Children with Autism” I wrote about the challenge facing many children on the spectrum of becoming overweight or obese because, one reason, many people on the spectrum have heightened senses, which makes them averse to new tastes and textures and susceptible to unhealthy eating patterns.
And now I am seeing Declan fall into an unhealthy weight range, I need to make some changes for him – and Cate – so they can develop healthy eating habits for the long-term, even with their food aversions.
Autism Parenting Magazine provided me this infographic on the subject. It provides some useful information and ideas to help with picky eating.
If you click on the infographic you will be taken to Autism Parenting’s blog and be provided more information on the subject.
I like the program’s rules about introduction of new foods! the child is not forced to eat the new food, just given the opportunity to discover a new favorite food if they choose to do so! Hey, I liked pickles with chocolate cake when I was 3 years old. Still love dill pickles, but do not like chocolate cake these days. Not that cake makes me sick, but why ingest the added calories? Am not a little kid anymore!
Me too! That is a good idea. I’m with ya – the last thing I need are those extra calories 😉
We struggle with picky eating in our house. I could probably count on my fingers all the things B actually eats, luckily some of them are fruits. I shall definitely give this ago ☺️
I feel the same way! It would be easier for me to tell you the things my kids (and husband) eat rather than all the things they don’t. Glad you found this helpful! I am going to try some of the things out too 🙂
Great information. When my kids were young, our neighbor’s son was autistic and a very picky eater – they were lucky to get him to eat, let alone anything healthy. He adored bacon and Oreo cookies. He’s an adult now, and I wonder if he ever outgrew those eating habits. I wish you well on your struggles, hope school lunches go well for you.
Thank you so much!
Yes, my son has issues as well due to the medication he takes, which causes lack of appetite and thirst. It can be a challenge at times. I thought he would never get up to 100 lbs. And he did!!! Keep up what you are doing and I like the picky eater sheet. It gave me some ideas. Thanks for sharing.
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Stephanie
This one really hits home for me. My son is a very picky eater and when I try to give him new foods it results in a epic meltdown and hours of crying. I hope it gets better.
Oh man, that stinks – I am glad this post resonated with you. Hopefully there is something that may help
My son is very picky, his diet consist of maybe 5 items that he will eventually eat when we let hunger do it’s job. Thanks for sharing!
I can relate! You bet!