Mealtime Struggles

[Ratatosk]

DS is being a little stink about his eating (or lack there of) again. Tonight he dawdled. Slouched in his chair away from his food and when reminded to start eating he said that he was. He specifically asked for a grilled cheese sandwich made out of cheesy bread, with turkey and yogurt on the side. DH and I were having cabbage soup and knew he wasn't going to eat it.

DH and I both ate our supper. I finally gave up reminding someone to SIT UP AND EAT and finally went downstairs for half an hour to walk on the treadmill. Came upstairs and the grilled cheese hadn't been touched. Apparently he REFUSED to try it because he wasn't sure if he'd like it. Ugh! And because he dawdled so long at the table, after his bath, he didn't get any time to play legos and was pretty sad because it was time to do his vest.

We're frustated because he hasn't gained ANY weight since his appointment last June. Got slightly taller. I'm venting here because it'd be counterproductive to do what I feel like doing and YELL at DS. Ugh!

Tomorrow's another day, so I'll put on my stepford wife smile and say "mealtimes are HAPPY times" <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">

 

[Ratatosk]

DS is being a little stink about his eating (or lack there of) again. Tonight he dawdled. Slouched in his chair away from his food and when reminded to start eating he said that he was. He specifically asked for a grilled cheese sandwich made out of cheesy bread, with turkey and yogurt on the side. DH and I were having cabbage soup and knew he wasn't going to eat it.

DH and I both ate our supper. I finally gave up reminding someone to SIT UP AND EAT and finally went downstairs for half an hour to walk on the treadmill. Came upstairs and the grilled cheese hadn't been touched. Apparently he REFUSED to try it because he wasn't sure if he'd like it. Ugh! And because he dawdled so long at the table, after his bath, he didn't get any time to play legos and was pretty sad because it was time to do his vest.

We're frustated because he hasn't gained ANY weight since his appointment last June. Got slightly taller. I'm venting here because it'd be counterproductive to do what I feel like doing and YELL at DS. Ugh!

Tomorrow's another day, so I'll put on my stepford wife smile and say "mealtimes are HAPPY times" <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">

 

[Ratatosk]

DS is being a little stink about his eating (or lack there of) again. Tonight he dawdled. Slouched in his chair away from his food and when reminded to start eating he said that he was. He specifically asked for a grilled cheese sandwich made out of cheesy bread, with turkey and yogurt on the side. DH and I were having cabbage soup and knew he wasn't going to eat it.
<br />
<br />DH and I both ate our supper. I finally gave up reminding someone to SIT UP AND EAT and finally went downstairs for half an hour to walk on the treadmill. Came upstairs and the grilled cheese hadn't been touched. Apparently he REFUSED to try it because he wasn't sure if he'd like it. Ugh! And because he dawdled so long at the table, after his bath, he didn't get any time to play legos and was pretty sad because it was time to do his vest.
<br />
<br />We're frustated because he hasn't gained ANY weight since his appointment last June. Got slightly taller. I'm venting here because it'd be counterproductive to do what I feel like doing and YELL at DS. Ugh!
<br />
<br />Tomorrow's another day, so I'll put on my stepford wife smile and say "mealtimes are HAPPY times" <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">
<br />
<br />

 

[beansmom]

We have exactly the same problem at our house. I have tried a ton of different things. Right now we are trying something new that is working pretty well. I went an bought a roll of tickets. I set a timer for 30 minutes. If my daughter finishes her meal in less than that she gets however many tickets are left and puts them in a jar. She then gets a 5 minute grace period. After the grace period she has to start giving me a ticket for every minute it takes her to finish an acceptable amount of food. She can use her tickets to buy something or save them. She has really been wanting a pet so I told her when she has 1000 tickets she can have a pet. THis has been our most effective strategy yet...after the first week she was not willing to go past the grace period. SHe usually does not get more than 3 or 4 tickets per meal, but is not paying them anymore either. It has made meal time much more pleasant at our house.

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[beansmom]

We have exactly the same problem at our house. I have tried a ton of different things. Right now we are trying something new that is working pretty well. I went an bought a roll of tickets. I set a timer for 30 minutes. If my daughter finishes her meal in less than that she gets however many tickets are left and puts them in a jar. She then gets a 5 minute grace period. After the grace period she has to start giving me a ticket for every minute it takes her to finish an acceptable amount of food. She can use her tickets to buy something or save them. She has really been wanting a pet so I told her when she has 1000 tickets she can have a pet. THis has been our most effective strategy yet...after the first week she was not willing to go past the grace period. SHe usually does not get more than 3 or 4 tickets per meal, but is not paying them anymore either. It has made meal time much more pleasant at our house.

GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[beansmom]

We have exactly the same problem at our house. I have tried a ton of different things. Right now we are trying something new that is working pretty well. I went an bought a roll of tickets. I set a timer for 30 minutes. If my daughter finishes her meal in less than that she gets however many tickets are left and puts them in a jar. She then gets a 5 minute grace period. After the grace period she has to start giving me a ticket for every minute it takes her to finish an acceptable amount of food. She can use her tickets to buy something or save them. She has really been wanting a pet so I told her when she has 1000 tickets she can have a pet. THis has been our most effective strategy yet...after the first week she was not willing to go past the grace period. SHe usually does not get more than 3 or 4 tickets per meal, but is not paying them anymore either. It has made meal time much more pleasant at our house.
<br />
<br />GOOD LUCK!!!

 

[hmw]

SO sorry!! I hate food stress in all it's forms. i hate stressing over mealtimes, I hate stress over the scale... it is a very difficult part of this disease to cope with.

With the vast majority of typical kids giving us issues with eating, we can present healthy options we know they like comprised of all food groups, provide no 'junk' option between meals, and leave it up to them to decide how much of it to eat at mealtime. Children will not starve themselves as long as we leave the emotion part of it out of the equation (then they realize they have a very big stick with which to beat us.) We don't quite have the same luxury with our cf kids. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif" border="0"> Sigh. I KNOW there is no easy answer; we did it all/tried it all here so I can completely understand your need to vent!!

If he's usually a good eater, I would want to know if he's having belly aches, etc... I also worry if the lack of weight gain coincides with his enzyme change. If so, I would push for that letter from the dr to insurance to get him back onto Pancreaze. No weight gain for 5mo now has likely resulted in him crossing a percentile downward; his BMI has certainly dropped. I'd want to nip this trend NOW.

 

[hmw]

SO sorry!! I hate food stress in all it's forms. i hate stressing over mealtimes, I hate stress over the scale... it is a very difficult part of this disease to cope with.

With the vast majority of typical kids giving us issues with eating, we can present healthy options we know they like comprised of all food groups, provide no 'junk' option between meals, and leave it up to them to decide how much of it to eat at mealtime. Children will not starve themselves as long as we leave the emotion part of it out of the equation (then they realize they have a very big stick with which to beat us.) We don't quite have the same luxury with our cf kids. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif" border="0"> Sigh. I KNOW there is no easy answer; we did it all/tried it all here so I can completely understand your need to vent!!

If he's usually a good eater, I would want to know if he's having belly aches, etc... I also worry if the lack of weight gain coincides with his enzyme change. If so, I would push for that letter from the dr to insurance to get him back onto Pancreaze. No weight gain for 5mo now has likely resulted in him crossing a percentile downward; his BMI has certainly dropped. I'd want to nip this trend NOW.

 

[hmw]

SO sorry!! I hate food stress in all it's forms. i hate stressing over mealtimes, I hate stress over the scale... it is a very difficult part of this disease to cope with.
<br />
<br />With the vast majority of typical kids giving us issues with eating, we can present healthy options we know they like comprised of all food groups, provide no 'junk' option between meals, and leave it up to them to decide how much of it to eat at mealtime. Children will not starve themselves as long as we leave the emotion part of it out of the equation (then they realize they have a very big stick with which to beat us.) We don't quite have the same luxury with our cf kids. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif" border="0"> Sigh. I KNOW there is no easy answer; we did it all/tried it all here so I can completely understand your need to vent!!
<br />
<br />If he's usually a good eater, I would want to know if he's having belly aches, etc... I also worry if the lack of weight gain coincides with his enzyme change. If so, I would push for that letter from the dr to insurance to get him back onto Pancreaze. No weight gain for 5mo now has likely resulted in him crossing a percentile downward; his BMI has certainly dropped. I'd want to nip this trend NOW.

 

[Ratatosk]

He doesn't appear to have issues with stomachaches or fullness like he did before his obstruction. I just think we weren't giving him enough enzymes to begin with and in the past few weeks we've upped them and stools have been back to normal.

As for a eating, we've probably done it to ourselves by fixing separate meals, things we'll know he eats. But we've got a long history since infancy of eating struggles. So we fed him what we knew he'd eat. He has expanded his food choices significantly and will try things.

I think he's tired from school and we've let him dawdle at the dinner table. Tonight we're going to start placing a time limit on his meals. Half hour and the plate disappears. And we'll offer him something later for a bedtime snack.

And we'll see how he does today at daycare (no school today). I saw the menu and they're serving chicken with mashed potatos & gravy and apparently DS has a fear of gravy. I should greet him when I pick him up with last night's cheesy bread sandwich <img src="i/expressions/devil.gif" border="0">

 

[Ratatosk]

He doesn't appear to have issues with stomachaches or fullness like he did before his obstruction. I just think we weren't giving him enough enzymes to begin with and in the past few weeks we've upped them and stools have been back to normal.

As for a eating, we've probably done it to ourselves by fixing separate meals, things we'll know he eats. But we've got a long history since infancy of eating struggles. So we fed him what we knew he'd eat. He has expanded his food choices significantly and will try things.

I think he's tired from school and we've let him dawdle at the dinner table. Tonight we're going to start placing a time limit on his meals. Half hour and the plate disappears. And we'll offer him something later for a bedtime snack.

And we'll see how he does today at daycare (no school today). I saw the menu and they're serving chicken with mashed potatos & gravy and apparently DS has a fear of gravy. I should greet him when I pick him up with last night's cheesy bread sandwich <img src="i/expressions/devil.gif" border="0">

 

[Ratatosk]

He doesn't appear to have issues with stomachaches or fullness like he did before his obstruction. I just think we weren't giving him enough enzymes to begin with and in the past few weeks we've upped them and stools have been back to normal.
<br />
<br />As for a eating, we've probably done it to ourselves by fixing separate meals, things we'll know he eats. But we've got a long history since infancy of eating struggles. So we fed him what we knew he'd eat. He has expanded his food choices significantly and will try things.
<br />
<br />I think he's tired from school and we've let him dawdle at the dinner table. Tonight we're going to start placing a time limit on his meals. Half hour and the plate disappears. And we'll offer him something later for a bedtime snack.
<br />
<br />And we'll see how he does today at daycare (no school today). I saw the menu and they're serving chicken with mashed potatos & gravy and apparently DS has a fear of gravy. I should greet him when I pick him up with last night's cheesy bread sandwich <img src="i/expressions/devil.gif" border="0">

 

[hmw]

With all our kids (Emily included) if they don't eat dinner, 'snack' an hour later is made up of the reheated dinner plate, when we know that they like it. I've always figured if they are hungry enough for a good snack they will be hungry enough for the nutritious stuff first, and they need it. It's not punishment, it's just always how it's been, and when it's gone they get whatever they want (their definition of a bedtime snack=junk.) I don't make two meals, but do make an effort to include things the kids like along with foods to try. I never prepare food I hate, so won't make them eat food they hate either. (I still loathe foods that my parents forced me to eat over and over again 30yrs ago that they knew I hated!) All three of them are pretty good eaters, including a wide array of fruits and veggies (I refuse to sacrifice that with Emily in the never-ending quest for enough fat...)

 

[hmw]

With all our kids (Emily included) if they don't eat dinner, 'snack' an hour later is made up of the reheated dinner plate, when we know that they like it. I've always figured if they are hungry enough for a good snack they will be hungry enough for the nutritious stuff first, and they need it. It's not punishment, it's just always how it's been, and when it's gone they get whatever they want (their definition of a bedtime snack=junk.) I don't make two meals, but do make an effort to include things the kids like along with foods to try. I never prepare food I hate, so won't make them eat food they hate either. (I still loathe foods that my parents forced me to eat over and over again 30yrs ago that they knew I hated!) All three of them are pretty good eaters, including a wide array of fruits and veggies (I refuse to sacrifice that with Emily in the never-ending quest for enough fat...)

 

[hmw]

With all our kids (Emily included) if they don't eat dinner, 'snack' an hour later is made up of the reheated dinner plate, when we know that they like it. I've always figured if they are hungry enough for a good snack they will be hungry enough for the nutritious stuff first, and they need it. It's not punishment, it's just always how it's been, and when it's gone they get whatever they want (their definition of a bedtime snack=junk.) I don't make two meals, but do make an effort to include things the kids like along with foods to try. I never prepare food I hate, so won't make them eat food they hate either. (I still loathe foods that my parents forced me to eat over and over again 30yrs ago that they knew I hated!) All three of them are pretty good eaters, including a wide array of fruits and veggies (I refuse to sacrifice that with Emily in the never-ending quest for enough fat...)

 

[dlo2977]

I have had these struggles with my daughter and one thing I have found is that sometimes she just really truly isn't hungry (even if I think she should be!) For example if she hasn't eaten in a few hours, I assume she is hungry and will make her lunch. Often times she barely eats it and I get frustrated. My husband on the other hand doesn't freak out if she hasn't eaten in a while and waits to give her food until she asks for it. When she asks to eat she eats a ton! So if she doesn't touch dinner now I just let her be and give her a nice snack/dessert an hour or so later and she eats it. Now if she didn't have CF I would say too bad and not re-offer a new meal but since we need her to gain weight I am pretty lax about it...

 

[dlo2977]

I have had these struggles with my daughter and one thing I have found is that sometimes she just really truly isn't hungry (even if I think she should be!) For example if she hasn't eaten in a few hours, I assume she is hungry and will make her lunch. Often times she barely eats it and I get frustrated. My husband on the other hand doesn't freak out if she hasn't eaten in a while and waits to give her food until she asks for it. When she asks to eat she eats a ton! So if she doesn't touch dinner now I just let her be and give her a nice snack/dessert an hour or so later and she eats it. Now if she didn't have CF I would say too bad and not re-offer a new meal but since we need her to gain weight I am pretty lax about it...

 

[dlo2977]

I have had these struggles with my daughter and one thing I have found is that sometimes she just really truly isn't hungry (even if I think she should be!) For example if she hasn't eaten in a few hours, I assume she is hungry and will make her lunch. Often times she barely eats it and I get frustrated. My husband on the other hand doesn't freak out if she hasn't eaten in a while and waits to give her food until she asks for it. When she asks to eat she eats a ton! So if she doesn't touch dinner now I just let her be and give her a nice snack/dessert an hour or so later and she eats it. Now if she didn't have CF I would say too bad and not re-offer a new meal but since we need her to gain weight I am pretty lax about it...

 

[mag6125]

I can say from an older patient's perspecitve that like Dana said, there are a lot of times when I'm just not hungry. I'll try to eat some but its not usually as much as normal. Or if I've been sick and not eating a lot and losing weight when I do feel better it takes me a while to get my full appetite back because I get full faster until I get use to eating more again.

 

[mag6125]

I can say from an older patient's perspecitve that like Dana said, there are a lot of times when I'm just not hungry. I'll try to eat some but its not usually as much as normal. Or if I've been sick and not eating a lot and losing weight when I do feel better it takes me a while to get my full appetite back because I get full faster until I get use to eating more again.