BabyWhispererForums.com
EAT => Food Allergies => Topic started by: ~*Nicole*~ on June 01, 2012, 15:24:33 pm
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We are still struggling. Not like we were earlier in terms of reflux and pain and diaper rash and poop issues, etc. But overall still having feeding issues. We are confused and not sure what steps to take.
*Are NWs teething pain, tummy pains, both???? Seem to correspond to dairy (but could be other things, too....wheat?) BUT LO is also teething and has been teething pretty much since 9 months of age without much stopping. Gums always appear swollen with little white spots trying to poke through....then teeth follow and other areas become swollen. Seems never ending. But even so, has had periods of sleeping through the night. Cow's milk intro (as per GI) caused constipation and appeared to coincide with a cold....so lots of NWs. Took him off, went to coconut milk....cold went away about the same time (would have likely done so anyway as it was over a week at this point and on it's way out anyway) and NWs went away again. Can't ever seem to figure out which thing is the CAUSE...but always does seem in distress and in some pain/discomfort when wakes. Often looks for a bottle and will drink a full bottle. Last night he was up....my mom said he had mac n' cheese for lunch....so could be milk or pasta or both??? Or nothing and maybe just teeth? or OT???
*LO does NOT eat well. Mealtimes are NOT enjoyable. I know he can sense I am stressed, but it really is hard to try to stay calm. I often give him a variety of choices and then eat my own food and try to just engage in my meal and model eating, but most "meals" are thrown to the floor by him. Lots of screaming, standing in the highchair, whining and pointing for other things on the counter or the fridge...never seeming content with what is offered. Then if he does acquire something he is asking for that ends up being pushed away, he shakes his head, SCREAMS, throws it on the floor, spits it out, and starts the pointing, SCREAMING, whining, and standing up again. Most often the WHOLE meal goes this way. I try hard to move things away rather than let him throw them. I try to just give bites rather than put things on his tray for him to make a mess with. I try to stick to my original choices. When it is apparent he is not going to eat them, I take him out of his seat, but then he is grabbing at my legs and screaming and I pick him up and he is back to pointing at the food in front of me or on the counter/table and the whole thing continues. There is NO distracting him with a toy/game/activity....and me and DD have a hard time eating our meals as a result. It's like he's hungry but isn't happy with any of the food he's given. I never know what foods he will eat and what he will refuse or how much of something he will take before he starts the refusals. It is very emotionally taxing (and to think I am at work all day and only do dinners and weekend meals!)
Okay.....so he does not get rashes/eczema. He used to have yeast on his face and a yeast based diaper rash. It seems to have cleared up. He does not get hives. He does not have wheezing or other indications of trouble breathing. All symptoms seem to be happening intestinally. He gets constipated for the most part or appears (from what I can only guess based on his body language) to have abdominal pain. His reflux also does flare a bit....but is much better than when he was younger.
The GI said she was going to send us for allergy testing if he still couldn't handle cow's milk....but what will that entail? Will it even show anything if he doesn't really have typical allergy symptoms; ie; rashes, etc.?
The mealtime thing is really exhausting. Actually, often his personality is really exhausting. I love him dearly, but he sure can fuss and whine and SCREAM. He is doggedly persistent. I mean....really could carry on and on and on and on for AGES....like an hour or more pointing and fussing about wanting something until you want to pull your hair out. Toys, activities, all the "redirecting" type things do NOT take his mind off of what he wants. So I feel like he is going to continue to wear us out and wear us down during meals if it keeps going this way!
If you've read this far....thanks. Thoughts?
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I'm afraid I don't have any thoughts, honey, but I couldn't not post some hugs. Sorry you have it so rough with him at the moment. I wonder if it is the combination of milk upsetting his tummy and then a fear of eating things because it's painful that is causing the worst of the behaviour?
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We had a patch of food refusals and meal time antics at this age as well. Like you, DD could sense my stress and I am certain that it made things worse. I only found that things did get better when I would offer 2-3 things in bite-sized pieces for her to try. I also found that eating with her helped as long as it was the same foods that I was having.
As for the milk issues - the "cold" may have actually been a reaction to the milk hun. Very common for a milk allergy to manifest as a runny nose.
Allergy testing for the milk would likely be a scratch test but it's not reliable at this age. A good friend of mine had her son tested and it came back neg. i was certain he was MPI so she took him back a couple weeks later and the same test came back positive.
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Re the meal times - why don't you post on the Eating for Toddlers board - or have a browse over there for ideas? How long has it been going on - could it be a 'phase' :P
Have you ever tried cutting dairy out totally? Might be worth a try for a few weeks. Would give you a quick answer to the is it milk question?
The allergy tests could be a scratch test or a blood test.
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I agree with kara - the perma-cold was pretty much the only tangible symptom of mpi that I had for e, but when I stopped giving her dairy she started sleeping much better too.
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We had real issues at around 12 months and until a few nights ago with DD and I'm pretty sure it was introducing cow's milk but I remember we couldn't transition DS until later either - around 16 months I think.
With DS it was definitely intestinal and refluxy issues. Constipation alternating with really mucousy nappies. With DD we went from happy independent sleep to screaming in the middle of the night and refusing to go to sleep without us in the room, lots of shouting like she was in pain. We cut out cows milk and right back on other dairy (she was having a yoghurt a day and loves to eat cheese) and it's taken until now for her to get back to sleeping well. Someone told me that the dairy reaction can be cumulative so it was just too much for her system.
As for the screaming at dinner - how does L eat? Finger food, spoon? Is there anything that is a sure fire winner? Any fruit? Abi has got a little better of late but used to be sooooo fussy. Sometimes it was almost like I had to kick start her appetite and then she would eat well. Blueberries were our go to here. She would wolf down a handful of those and then be able to contemplate anything else I was offering.
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Have you ever tried cutting dairy out totally? Might be worth a try for a few weeks. Would give you a quick answer to the is it milk question?
We were totally dairy/soy free for a good while there. He used to do purees pretty well and tolerated chicken, sweet potatoes, squash, apples and pears well. Every time we introduced other things that didn't go well, we went back to those and let his belly settle.
Then he seemed to turn a corner and did well with cheerios, baby oatmeal, bananas, berries, peanut butter, rice based things. I'd guess this was a bit after 9 months...nearer to 10 months (b/c I went to the GI around 9 months and I remember being upset that DS was STILL unhappy, discontent, having food issues, fluctuating between loose stools and constipation....and she told me that she felt he'd "mature" and really improve by 10 months....and I didn't believe her and then he DID seem to....for awhile)
We went back to the GI around 12 months and as he had been doing well for near to about 2 months...she said to try some dairy, so we did a bit of cheese and yogurt. Seemed to go well....so we let him eat goldfish crackers, and stopped worrying about hidden dairy. By his birthday we had allowed most things except full blown cow's milk. She said since he was doing well to go ahead and try it. After a couple of weeks or so it seemed he was not tolerating it well...and TBH I am sure I was SUPER light on the dairy and when we went to trial the cow's milk, that is when I allowed a LOT more hidden dairy, etc.
I guess the dairy or teeth question is more, "How do I know if he grew out of it and it's teeth or if it is still an issue??" as I know dairy WAS an issue.
Re the meal times - why don't you post on the Eating for Toddlers board - or have a browse over there for ideas? How long has it been going on - could it be a 'phase' Tongue
Ummmm...I've browsed over there and also been on some threads....I can go back or post there if I do need ideas....I'm more curious about the allergy information at the moment though. I THINK it's been going on nearly 2 months....which now that I am TYPING that out does seem to coincide with allowing more dairy into his diet. (And likely soy as well)
As for the screaming at dinner - how does L eat? Finger food, spoon? Is there anything that is a sure fire winner? Any fruit? Abi has got a little better of late but used to be sooooo fussy. Sometimes it was almost like I had to kick start her appetite and then she would eat well. Blueberries were our go to here. She would wolf down a handful of those and then be able to contemplate anything else I was offering.
He was spoon fed, then when the fussiness started I tried to let him just finger feed. Most ended up on the floor...which I didn't care about until he didn't gain any weight for 3 months....so now I try to do a combination. I put things on his tray and try to spoon some food into his mouth. He loves bananas and will eat them any time offered and also strawberries, blueberries, grapes, apples....any fruit really. Also, loves crackers and cereal/snacky type things like cheerios, granola bars, rice cakes, etc. Does not seem to do well with meats, pastas, and only does a few veggies atm.....Will eat frozen waffles/pancakes a bit.....does not like eggs as of yet. I need to go find replacements for the crackers, waffles, etc. that I had started to let him have as I know they have dairy/soy...and bread......now I'm thinking all of these things are making him have belly issues.....but it's so hard to be sure!
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Do you think he's ok with eggs? A winner, which Abi would eat when she was being really fussy here is banana 'pancakes' - which are super easy and both LOs still gobble them up. 1/2 a banana mashed up mixed with one beaten egg then dolloped into a frying pan. They're really soft.
It definitely sounds like it's a reaction to the dairy.
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I do think he's okay with eggs. I never had to cut them out and he has had some bits of them. No reactions. He hasn't eaten a large quantity of them. Something, taste/texture, about them he doesn't like...so he usually spits them out. I can try those "pancakes" though!
We're going backwards now here.....with him waking and wanting to have a bottle at night....he's starting to take too many calories overnight and I am sure this affects how much he takes in the day....He took two a bottle at 12:45am and again at 5:30am. AND we've been up for the day since then. He even said "bottle" at :30am and then said "thank you" when handed it.
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Have I posted this article on any of your threads? http://www.diannecraft.org/article-001.htm It's what got us on the road to completely revamping our eating. We started with adding probiotics to the diet, lots of them, and eventually we ended up taking out dairy (we do only yogurt now) and gluten and most other grains besides (gearing up now to remove even trace gluten as Josie appears to be having an immune response to it :(). It's a lot of work at first with a steep learning curve, but their whole demeanor changed even with just introducing the probiotics, let alone eliminating the other stuff.
And many folks who can't do dairy also can't do soy, as the proteins are apparently similar enough that one can be recognized as the other. :(
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deb-You know what you have linked that...and I have read it in the past! I had forgotten about it. I think what I really need is the guidance to do a more systematic elimination with specific trials so I can "KNOW" for sure that those foods are the culprits. Plus I need more info on probiotics, etc.
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I know a lot of people swear by pro-biotics so def worth investigating. For us, they gave Olly wind ::)
Is he back on milk now? You said that he was off it with the cold.
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No I kept him off but hes still having hidden...and I never took him back of soy. He is drinking neocate, water, diluted juice (started bc of constipation), coconut milk, or a mix of formula and coconut milk.
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Right - and so he is still having NWs? It is a tough one. I guess I would strip it right back and talk out all hidden dairy and soy. Maybe his little tummy needs a complete break to heal itself then start with hidden again if you felt that he tolerated it OK?
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So....while we are still having some NWs...they seem to be NON-pain related. Or if they have anything to do with pain it seems mild as his body language is totally different.
He's doing formula/coconut milk bottles and we really haven't restricted his diet too much as he did make improvements before I got around to doing a good food shop for better options for him. I limit dairy.....and have just steered clear of the cow's milk but overall things seem much better. He is even eating a bit better overall rather than spitting everything out.
Hasn't gained much weight but at least did gain slightly.
When he is waking.....it was 2x night for this past week...once near midnight...took a bottle and went back to sleep and then once at either 4 or 5 am...and then NOT wanting to go back to sleep at all. He is clearly still tired but acts like he wants to party for 45 minutes to an hour!!!! I'm trying to work that one out....
BUT it does appear that all this nonsense has to be related to the cow's milk. It just HAS to be. SOOOOO I'll hold off a bit and wait to trial it until he's a bit older. Coconut milk is fine with me :)
Thanks for hanging with me through this.
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Can I ask, why coconut milk? We've put Abi back on just formula - but I'm all for coconut milk if it's good!!
Great news that the pain seems to be gone :)
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Coconut milk has plenty of good fat naturally, so it can make a decent dietary replacement in many ways for dairy milk. :) Rice milk, for example, is pretty low in fat, so that's one reason it wouldn't be as good a replacement especially for young kids who need that fat to grow nerve coatings and supply energy.
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Yes I selected coconut for the good fats. We are running out of the prescription f formula so need to take him off or order more through the doctor whoI am having my doubts about.
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Okay, so we're now on four days of loose stools, still cutting canines that are taking ages to work their way in....and a broke out with a fever this morning. Went to the ped. to check him over and pick her brain....hadn't seen this one in ages....but she thinks I should follow a new plan. This will include, seeing a different GI, possibly having him scoped....and addressing the behavioral aspect of his refusal to eat foods. Basically, she wants me to stop giving him any bottles overnight, limit his liquids to 12 oz. coconut milk or formula per day (6 oz. morning and night for example), give NO juice and only offer him 3 meals a day. No snacking. No giving him his "preferred" foods...or if I did give them, give in moderation as part of a whole meal...as opposed to letting him have more and more of them and fill up on them.
Thoughts????? Does it seem odd to not offer any snacks in between meals to you???
I'm in for a rough few weeks with him I think.
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Maybe not offer so much as "not refuse" if he seems to want/ need them. I'd follow his cues still, as much as seems sensible. :)
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Perhaps the 12 oz of coconut milk/formula would be like a snack -- maybe give that between meals? Seems like going from breakfast all the way to lunch would be a long time!
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So far today has gone something like:
Woke at 5:20ish a bit fevery...gave a bottle of water. He dozed in my arms a bit but wouldn't go back down in the crib. He barely drank the water but wanted to hold the bottle like a security blanket while in my arms. I gave up trying to get any more sleep myself so brought him downstairs around 6:20/30.
6:45-Gave breakfast of eggs and a slice of toast with jelly. Ate the toast. Took two tiny bites of egg and then played with the rest of them refusing any more bites. I just let him play with them until I was finished with my breakfast and could tell he was done eating.
Ran a urine sample over to the doctor to check he doesn't have a UTI. He fell in the playroom and hit the back of his head on the floor. :( Urine looked good to them but they are sending it out to be sure. Got the name of the GI doctor she wants me to take him to.
Came home and spent awhile trying to distract him from pointing at the cabinet and fridge and saying "cake" which is his word for any food item that he likes/wants. Took him up for a nap, for which he went ballistic, screaming and shrieking. Took a bit to settle him.
Napped about 9:30-maybe 10:30.....woke screaming/shrieking while I was on the phone making GI appt. Had to call them back. Screaming carried on for 10-15 minutes. He wouldn't be held, kept throwing himself down and rolling around on the floor screaming and not allowing me to comfort him. Would run away from me. :( :( :(
Realized he's probably starving. Made some tortellini with beef and mixed veggies. Tortellini has some ricotta in it but I couldn't think of much else to make quickly that was "meal" ish and not snacky or similar to the toast he already at for breakfast. Added some olive oil and garlic powder for flavor. He ate a few tiny pieces of veggies. Saw a green bean and a carrot piece go in. Did not notice if any tortellini went in but it didn't seem like it. I offered him a bite of tortellini and he refused. I let him play with it all again for a bit....then cleaned him up and took him out of the seat.
SIGH. BIG BIG BIG SIGH.
This is going to be a VERY long week.
So what is that....like 100, maybe 200 calories so far today? 1 slice of bread with sugar free jelly (couldn't find the regular jelly earlier so used DH's). Oh I gave him the 6 oz of coconut milk after breakfast as a "snack" and he barely drank that, but did have some of it with his "lunch". There is still some in the cup. So honestly, he might have had 40 calories from that?
I don't know if I have enough umph in me to handle this.
Any "meal" ideas to try????
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Ok, so what are you avoiding right now? What do you have luck with? It seems like ( based on the rest of this thread) that he's eaten different things at different times and the doctor doesn't want him eating some things too.
(((hugs))) that sounds rough!
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Well until we have more guidance from the newly recommended GI and more testing done, besides just trying to limit dairy and avoid cow's milk entirely, we are going to give him whatever else we would normally make for ourselves or DD as true "meals" so... the things to avoid for "snacking" purposes are....cheerios, goldfish (dairy AND snacking purposes), crackes, rice cakes, granola bars, chips, pretzels, bananas and fruits (though I imagine she wouldn't mind me offering them as part of a meal so long as they were a smaller portion and given with other things and not give him more if that's all he chooses to eat)...all the things he will gladly eat while refusing more proper foods.
I'm just so tired. He has a really stubborn, demanding way about him at times and it can be very exhausting. Limiting his foods was much easier when he was younger. I love him to pieces, but he sure can shriek and climb and grab and tantrum and yell and cry and hang and all of those wonderful toddler behaviors.
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(((hugs))), Nicole. Sorry you are having a tough time.
Is the doctor restricting his foods because she suspects other intolerances or just so that he is properly hungry when it comes to mealtimes? I'm sure you said already, but my brain has turned to mush through lack of sleep so I can't remember anything (as witnessed by me leaving my keys in the front door yesterday - again! ::)).
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I used to make some banana bran muffins from an Annabel Karmel recipe that the kids have all liked. James generally eats Cheerios and fruit for breakfast, but I remember the girls eating pancakes and sometimes eggs at this age (no luck with James on the egg front yet), or maybe smoothies (I'm sure you could substitute coconut milk in there for regular milk) - does he drink through a straw? Lunch - maybe something in the sandwich family --- we did melted cheese on toast for aged with the girls, but you can spread fruit as well, tortillas perhaps? James likes quesadillas and there's no end to the amount of stuff you can put on there, beans spread quite well. He generally eats yogurt, avocados, and some other fruit/veggie for lunch. Will he dip things? What about hummus or something else to dip? What about baked bits of sweet potato, so kind of like a chip, but minus the grease and salt in the kinds they sell at the store? James devoured some broccoli I made the other day in a sauce made out of veggie stock, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger -- it was fairly light on the soy sauce as well, so not too salty either. Does any of this help? :)
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Yes it does! Just need some ideas so I can offer a few choices at each "meal". And I'm burnt out so the ideas are not coming from me. Lol
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Clare-Sorry was on my phone last time. Yes she wanted him to be properly hungry. Thing is after the last two days...he surely WAS hungry....throwing awful fits, screaming for food and pointing at the cabinets and fridge and having tantrums where he threw my phone, grabbed my glasses off my face and threw them, threw himself on the floor, tried to pull me by my clothes or push me from behind, screaming/shrieking, even pushed over a side table with a lamp on it...and then would be FINE instantaneously if given food that he would eat. Like a rice cake. I honestly think he was STARVING but would still refuse certain foods. But those foods he has basically ALWAYS refused.
I was just about to lose my sanity when we went to the GI today (the NEW one) and she actually LISTENED to me (over DS's screaming tantruming the WHOLE time). She got a full history. Asked to have the ped. send over his weight/growth chart records. Is having us get blood work done and me send in stool samples to check for blood. Wants me to move to Neocate Jr. and give up to 8 oz 3 or 4 times daily to increase hypoallergenic intake of calories. Wants me to avoid dairy/soy and switch to prevacid. Said in a month we'll go back and see if he's improved. If not, will send for endoscopy to try to see for indications of food allergy. Said his behavior may well be linked to the pain of reflux and/or allergy and in the meantime to try to get him to eat normal meals and snacks but to go ahead and give the neocate and just boost his calories as he's still small, etc. So less worrying about the food refusal than the ped. indicated.
I feel like at least now someone is going to say something beyond "he'll grow out of it" and "wait"...and she is actually going to run tests and LOOK to see what may actually be CAUSING the trouble.
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Oh, so glad to hear that you have found someone to listen - that's about 75% of the battle. Also glad that she is allowing you to feed him when he is hungry - that will make things a lot easier for you, I'm sure. Hope you get answers soon.
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Me too. I knew he was a stubborn one, but I was quite shocked at how long he could go on for and how intense his temper was! I thought DD was intense...I was surely mistaken!
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Yay! So glad you had a good GI visit. :) I hope it leads to some answers for you.
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Okay....so we're still a mess. We had a string of good days...he ate a bit more and was STTN and whatnot. But now we're kind of back to a TON of food refusals and poor sleep and screaming. Through the past few weeks his stool has still been looser (not watery, but not as firm as you'd think it would be) and very pasty and dark in color. I had gotten stool samples to mail to the GI and stupid mommy mush brain...I addressed the envelopes incorrectly and they got returned to me...so not sure if there is blood present or not....none that I can SEE, but he never had any visible...just tested positive with the kit at the ped's office.
Either way, seems to me that avoiding dairy and soy as much as we can.....(he ends up accidentally taking food off of DD or whatever and getting a tiny bit when it's unavoidable)....would improve the stools and it doesn't seem to be the case. Unless prevacid can make the stools this way? The GI didn't mention this. OH, but I forgot the dark color could be the formula...maybe it's also contributing to the consistency.
Anyway, I can not seem to get him to eat much of anything besides:
*cheerios
*fruit (including dried fruits like raisins)
*chicken nuggets and occasionally plain chicken that I've cooked
*waffles or pancakes
*a tiny bit of pasta (which he wasn't eating before so that's an improvement)
*rice cakes
*coconut milk yogurt
He generally spits out, mashes onto his tray, throws onto the floor, screams NO and pushes away most other foods:
*vegetables
*meats: Tried hamburgers, hot dogs, pork chops, grilled chicken, meatballs, meatloaf, sausages (both the Italian style and ground/patty breakfast style).
*beans
*fish: Tried cooking fillets, wouldn't eat, tuna fish from a can which he wouldn't eat and also fish sticks,which he took a SMALL amount of.
He also won't take any formula or coconut milk in a cup....only a bottle...which the doctors want him to be off of. But he is not going to take in anywhere near the amount the GI wants him to if I give him cups...he just throws them and refuses to drink. He'll take a small amount of coconut milk sometimes in a cup...but generally will only drink water or diluted juice from a cup (the juice we are now cutting out of his diet to avoid filling him up with basically empty calories).
If I let him...which I have to avoid now as it is not only "snacking" which I want to avoid as much as possible, but most of the ones we have around are NOT dairy/soy free..he would eat ALL day: crackers, granola bars, chips, cakes, cookies, etc.
I try to be really non-chalant. I try to let him "play" and touch and taste and eat meals WITH me and DD. When done I try to just move along....but he is generally screaming and grabbing for our food or pointing at cabinets. So we're still at the point where he is hungry and refusing at the same time. Holding out for what he wants and spitting out and throwing what he doesn't. He is generally discontent when it comes to eating and I try SO hard not to let him realize I am stressed out...but I am and it's hard to hide it. I even try to have me and DD eat the SAME things as him, dairy free and all (or slightly modified, but looking the same).
Sorry this is really long.
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(((hugs))), Nicole. I'm sorry that it is not really getting better. I don't have any real suggestions - x has suddenly turned really picky too, so he is not eating very much, although not quite to the extent of l.
Does he do better when it is something that he can pick up and eat himself? One of the problems that I am having is that x really wants to feed himself but he doesn't understand enough to put a spoon in his mouth so he literally doesn't eat anything if I let him feed himself. He will eat bagels, though, and cheese scones which I make with goats/sheeps cheese and mushed up veggies - do you think he would eat that?
Btw, I really wouldn't stress about the bottles - definitely bigger issues to deal with!
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Almost all foods I give him he feeds himself. Even yogurt and applesauce he only tolerates me feeding him for about half the container. Then he tries to spoon feed himself but doesn't get the spoon in the right direction...though he will allow me to "help" him a bit.
I've never tried goat/sheep cheese. I wonder if he would tolerate that and if I could use it to substitute in for other cheeses in meals, etc.???
He makes a right mess, but he DOES eat more than he otherwise would b/c I allow him to feed himself. It also allows him to touch, play with, and taste foods even if he doesn't swallow them which is a step in the right direction I suspect..
Can you share how you make the scones?
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Sorry it's taken me so long!
4oz self-raising flour; 2oz plain or wholemeal flour; 0.5tsp baking powder; 0.5tsp mustard powder; 0.5tsp salt (optional); 1oz butter, softened; 4oz cheese, grated; 1 egg; 2-3 tbsp milk
Preheat oven to 200C/400F
Mix flours, baking powder, mustard and salt. Rub in butter until it looks like breadcrumbs (you can put it all in a food processor), add 3oz of cheese and mix. I add puréed veggies at this point - anything you like: spinach, tomato, sweet corn, peas etc. then add more flour until the dough looks right. Mix the egg and milk, then add a little bit to the dough - add more flour if you need to. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 0.75in then cut out shapes. Put on greased baking tray and cook for 10-15 mins, until they look risen and golden.
I've got a mini quiche recipe too if you want it.
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I was googling after you mentioned using goat cheese and it says it is very similar to cow's milk protein so I may need to skip cheese. I wonder if he'd eat it with the other stuff? Might need to try it out.
I've made variations of quiche and mini quiche, but yes, please do share!
So I finally got the new formula ordered and delivered. Though I chose to only have 4 cans of the "plain" flavor delivered as opposed to the 12 the GI prescribed to be sure he likes it first. He did not like the vanilla flavor. He took the plain last night and this morning (even some plain in a cup w/ breakfast!!!) So that is a plus.
He is still not eating much. And I keep giving in to his requests because I'm so stressed about the lack of calories. Esp. as he's taken to waking at night again and wanting a bottle, which it seemed during the periods of time when he was eating more during the day he wasn't doing and was STTN. Last night out of salmon, green beans, mashed sweet potatoes, and rice, he ate some green beans. (Although that's all DD ate as well :( )
His stool is still a bit gross and for a few days he was going 3 or 4 times. It also burned his skin a bit the other day and clearly hurt when I wiped him as he would scream. I am thinking there is something else going on.
This is so frustrating!
He will eat coconut or almond yogurt. I am thinking of trying a smoothie again.
And he'll eat dry cat food....UGH!
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And he'll eat dry cat food....UGH!
I think they all give this one a shot ;) DD has tried it too - though she wasn't a fan!
Huge hugs hun....
How old is Lucas now? You need a new ticker ;)
I almost wonder if you are in a phase similar to what we had around 12-14 months of age... it seemed to coincide with the move from mostly purees to table foods... we had a tonne of refusals and a huge change in appetite/volume taken. It only got better when I just followed DD's lead... molars may have played a role too (might be something to that burning poop he had).
As for the docs telling you to refuse certain things like Cheerios etc... just know that my younger sister is healthy as an adult and now eats more than Cheerios and raisins each day even though my mom thought she never would!
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Quote from: ~*Nicole*~ on Today at 01:12:13 AM
And he'll eat dry cat food....UGH!
I think they all give this one a shot Wink DD has tried it too - though she wasn't a fan!
Oddly enough, BOTH of mine were huge fans. He keeps going back for more...as did DD when she was younger. ICK.
How old is Lucas now? You need a new ticker Wink
Whoops! 14.5 months. I will rectify that when I finish this post! Thanks hehe
I almost wonder if you are in a phase similar to what we had around 12-14 months of age... it seemed to coincide with the move from mostly purees to table foods... we had a tonne of refusals and a huge change in appetite/volume taken. It only got better when I just followed DD's lead... molars may have played a role too (might be something to that burning poop he had).
That's a good though...and maybe it is and we just have to ride it out...but I'm not so sure. I feel like it has been going on for far too long. :( There have been several teething episodes as well as him having been on table food for quite some time now. I was following his lead until we realized he basically gained no weight between 9 and 12 months. I had noticed he was spitting out and refusing a lot of food but wasn't overly concerned until both the ped. and the original GI we saw were concerned about his lack of weight gain at his 1 year check up. We thought teething was the culprit at the time, but he cut his molars and the trouble continued. Then he started teething his canines and although he still is, the food issues pretty much remained constant throughout. Looking back, he had started to spit out purees as well, but I had thought it meant he wanted "real" foods so gave him those.
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he had started to spit out purees as well, but I had thought it meant he wanted "real" foods so gave him those.
DD did this too - refused purees but wasn't really all that great with most table foods yet (she was teething molars and refused to chew most things)... it was tricky for sure!
As for the weight gain issue - DD isn't a huge gainer either... she was always very steady around the 50th centile... then she slowed down when she learned to crawl and much more so when she started to walk/move more.... she was the same weight from 12 months until just a few weeks ago!
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See, that's the thing. He does really well with chewing. When he wants something, he'll chew it no problem. It's the refusal that gets me. Esp. when I assume he's full and take him out of his chair. Two seconds later he might see DD with food and scream like he wants it. Or try to try MY food, even if it's the same food he had. Then of course he spits it out when he realizes that it was the same. I am worried that he behaves like he is still hungry, but then won't eat....unless it's something he really wants/likes.
(AND....I FORGOT the ticker!!!)
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Nice new ticker ;)
Hmm, it really just sounds like a fussy toddler thing to me... I don't think it's anything serious in terms of intolerance/allergy...
This one might fall under that category we all love: Toddlers will not starve themselves.
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So you think that rather than him refusing to eat a lot of foods being BECAUSE of any intolerances, it is a separate thing. So there is "reflux/intolerance" as one issue and "picky toddler refusing to eat a lot" as another issue???
I know they will not starve themselves, but he does seem pretty intent on surviving on the bare minimum...which has to affect his overall growth and development.
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So you think that rather than him refusing to eat a lot of foods being BECAUSE of any intolerances, it is a separate thing. So there is "reflux/intolerance" as one issue and "picky toddler refusing to eat a lot" as another issue???
Yup - I am sure that there is some level of overlap, but more than anything, picky toddler asserting his choices ;)
he does seem pretty intent on surviving on the bare minimum...which has to affect his overall growth and development.
Is he falling off of his growth curve at all? How are other aspects of his social development?
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UGH addressing this picky stuff is going to be such a pain.
Socially he is totally fine. Mobility/language, etc. is totally fine.
Growth, yes he has fallen off his curve. That is the only concern at the moment.
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Fallen off a lot or just a faulter?
For example - my wee one has bounced from 3rd to 25th centile for height and 25th to 50th for weight... my doctor has never been worried about it though.
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I do think that this is prime pickiness age, and in the absence of other concerns about his development I wouldn't stress hugely about his weight - x has dropped off his curve again, and I remember m falling off her curve at this point when she lost 2 pounds because she refused to eat. I don't know if his medical issues make things different, but I would be inclined to stay pretty firm on mealtimes, let him have healthy snacks as you see fit and sit tight and wait for it to pass.
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^^^^ This.
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I don't know if his medical issues make things different, but I would be inclined to stay pretty firm on mealtimes, let him have healthy snacks as you see fit and sit tight and wait for it to pass.
I try to do this at home. It is very hard with all the screaming and screaming. But overall, at home I am much more strict. It is quite difficult when we are out. At the beach, a birthday party, someone else's house. Of course, it being summer, we are doing these things more often. He sees other people eating food and wants it, tries it, spits it. Ends up those days he doesn't eat much OR he finds a way to get junk, either from grabbing off of tables or what other kids have abandoned. It's much harder with him being quite a mobile little climber!!!
In regard to his growth curve. Yes, he's fallen a few times. I wasn't too concerned about the first drop. I used the babycenter.com percentile calculator but he went from somewhere in the 50-75% at birth down to the 25-50% range around 1 month. That seemed normal to me. Then he dropped again to 10-25% range around 4 months. Again, probably no big deal. But then he dropped at 12 months down to the 5-10% range. I'm not sure exactly, but I am also concerned his height is dropping off as well. I have to look into that as I don't have the most current lengths listed and will have to get a copy of his whole growth chart from the pediatrician.
I found a site that plots your baby's growth chart and did one for both DD and DS. They were born at a similar birth weight in that DD was 8 lb. 15 oz. but born on her due date and DS at 8 lb. 7 oz. born at 39 weeks. DD did drop off her curve but nearer to that 9 month-12 month range when she started walking.
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hmmm, that is a little concerning to me too hun...
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hmmm, that is a little concerning to me too hun...
Yeah, it just doesn't sit right with me. :(
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I try to do this at home. It is very hard with all the screaming and screaming. But overall, at home I am much more strict. It is quite difficult when we are out. At the beach, a birthday party, someone else's house. Of course, it being summer, we are doing these things more often. He sees other people eating food and wants it, tries it, spits it. Ends up those days he doesn't eat much OR he finds a way to get junk, either from grabbing off of tables or what other kids have abandoned.
James doesn't even climb, and I'm finding this right now too. It's so easy at home, but we've been traveling too and I'm finding that I just have to do my best to try to find him something healthy to eat. Do you think he'd eat from one of those pouches -- James will eat those pretty readily but he's still ok with spoon feeding -- but if L will just suck it out of the pouch maybe that would work??
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I do end up falling back on the pouches when I need x to eat as he will scarf them down in no time!
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Pouches? You mean purees? He was spitting them, too.
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Do you not have something like this over there?
http://www.ellaskitchen.co.uk/ellas_range/stage-2-baby-food/
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I've never purchased them but the site says they have them at Target and Shoprite which are both easily accessible to me. The only food sort of like this that I tried in the past was the little containers of "toddler" meals made my other baby food companies. Like this: http://www.beechnut.com/Our%20Baby%20Food/product.asp?P=38886&Category=2&SearchValue=70&SearchVals=&ListValue=2&SearchType=By%20Product%20Type&ProdType=
Although I sought out brands/varieties that did not have dairy/soy in them (which was quite limited). He didn't like them at the time, but it couldn't hurt to try them again and in that squeezable version he may prefer the "do it yourself"ness of it!
:)
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I still keep pouches around too... tough I do supervise A as she likes to squish said pouches!
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I think x likes being able to do it himself, so it might work. There are a few brands that do pouches over here, and there are loads which are just fruit and/or veg rather than full meals so they can be quite a good supplement.
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Nicole, I meant the pouch things that the other ladies referenced. I use then when we travel and I need to get some "real" food in him.
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Well I actually did go out to the store. Only found fruit/veggie ones...none of the more "meal" type ones with chicken, etc. I'll see how he takes to the fruit ones for breakfast. If he likes them perhaps I'll try ordering a couple of the other varieties from somewhere.
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I only have the fruit and veggie ones too... I have bought some with brown rice too though...
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Fruits are one thing he will eat. Need to get other stuff into him, especially protein and fats. Lol
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The Ella's kitchen brand makes a few with meat or beans. I think I got the ones I have at Target, though I could be wrong. I definitely got them at a store as opposed to ordering them from somewhere.
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Well the fruit/veggie mixed pouches were a no go. He would taste them and suck a bit, then toss them aside and refuse any more. Also, I tried the toddler meals like pasta stars with chicken and veggies. Very soft but actual pieces of food, sort of like a thick, mushy soup. Also a no go. Out right refused and spit those.
On the brighter side, even though they aren't the healthiest foods, he has started eating turkey dogs and some sliced deli meats like turkey/ham/chicken breast. He doesn't eat a ton, but at least he is eating some and they are some protein and readily available in stores and easy to bring with us when going out and about. So that has been a plus. I also found some things at our local Christmas Tree Shops store that were allergen free. A cookie dough mix, just need to add sub. milk and butter, etc., some crackers, some cookies, some veggie chips kind of thing, etc. That was nice. Oh and he's also started eating a bit of pasta.
Still not taking a lot of calories. I was supposed to offer the formula 3 to 4 times a day 6-8 oz. Honestly, he really only drinks it about twice a day. He has a BT bottle and then I was offering it in the morning which was hit or miss. Recently he has been waking early and I've given him 8 oz which he usually takes and then goes back to sleep. I haven't even bothered tackling why he is waking b/c it was an easy way to get more calories into him and he was going back to sleep so not fixing it was better for us at the moment.
A typical day for us is something like:
5/6am-Bottle of formula back to sleep
8am-wake up, prevacid and wait 30 mins.
8:30-Breakfast of: cheerios w/ almond milk or dairy/soy free waffles or pancakes and some fruit: bananas, berries, peaches, applesauce, etc. He usually does pretty well at breakfast but days I have offered eggs he hasn't eaten much. I offer almond milk, water, or formula in a cup. That's hit or miss. Takes a few sips then chucks the cup to the floor.
10ish-Snack, I offer various things. Fruits, yogurt, crackers, whatever I think up, usually with water.
11:30-Lunch of: PB&J, leftover dinner foods (meatloaf w/ veggies mixed in, pasta/veggies, etc.), chicken nuggets (haven't made my own yet but found some that appear to be dairy/soy free and he's been fine with), hot dogs, deli meats, one day I gave tortilla chips w/ refried beans mixed with salsa as a dip.
12-whenever he wakes, nap time
Sometime mid afternoon-Snack (he's been with my mom so not sure about what he eats at this point)
5:00/5:30-Dinner of: Sausage and spaghetti w/ veggies on side, fish with rice and veggies, meatloaf w/ corn and potatoes, etc. etc. You get the idea. Whatever I make for dinner I just make it dairy/soy free and give him the same as what we are having. He tends not to eat much of dinner most days. Generally never eats the meat, picks at the veggies and has a tiny bit of pasta. Anything else gets the taste, spit, chuck over the side of the highchair routine.
6/6:30-Bottle 8 oz formula
I tried roasted chickpeas, black bean burgers, potato pancakes with veggies in them, etc. etc.
DD has been picky lately too which is driving me bonkers!
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Nicole, my girls rarely ate much dinner as toddlers - they ate a ton for breakfast and lunch though, so try not to stress too much about that part of it. Glad he's eating some other things!
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We are going through a huge dinner refusal time too! Three days now and tonight was the first time that DD actually was hungry and cried for a bit before I clued in... good ol' baby cereal to the rescue :)
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Yeah, I think as long as he keeps adding things to his repertoire during the earlier part of the day that will keep mommy happy. He did get weighed yesterday after I posted this at an unrelated appt. They kept his clothes on but he was at 21 lb. 12 oz. which if I am remembering correctly is a gain since his last weigh in.
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Good news!