Why does this happen when my daughter eats??

[Alix]

Ditto to the texture stuff. I used to hurl mashed potatoes anytime mom made me eat them. Texture will do it every time.

What a trooper that she tried to eat it. Maybe let her try stuff like that in smaller amounts? Or mixed with something crunchy? Like for example....yogurt with granola in it.

 

[velochic]

Does she complain about how certain clothes feel, or not like but a certain pair of shoes, or like to spin in a circle, or get on a kick of eating only 1 food? My niece was diagnosed with SID (sensory integration disorder) and the very first indicator was exactly as you are describing... the other symptoms came as she got older. You might google it and see if it sounds familiar. Good luck!

 

[Fisher's Mom]

And this girl is such a hearty eater I really don't see it being her bite sizes.

I just find it so odd that it could be a mental thing..... How do they manipulate their bodies to do this esp. at such a young age?

The reality is it is probably a combination of things and you will probably never really figure it out because she will move on to another stage! Here's my 2 cents, for what it's worth.

Some children are very sensitive to smell, taste, mouth feel, etc. Some children have a desire for independence at a very early age. Some children have a very strong gag reflex. In other words, all kids are different. If your child is healthy, active, bright and alert - your job is to make nutritious and tasty foods available to her. Her job is to decide which of it to put in her mouth and how much to eat on any given day. Like CJ said, a child can (and often does), eat the same thing everyday for a week and still be healthy. And as long as you make nutritious foods available rather than unhealthy foods, anything she eats will be good for her.

I encouraged my children to try a bite of new foods and sometimes they would/will. Sometimes they wouldn't/won't. However, I wouldn't suggest your daughter try something she doesn't want right now since she actually gags. Aspirating food is a much bigger danger than her not trying one bite of any particular food. Just try to smile at her odd and changing food tastes and know that she will eventually outgrow this.

 

[suziquzie]

My middle one (5 in a couple weeks) WILL NOT eat mashed things.... potatoes mostly. Detests gravy.
When he was small, he ate meat, and only meat. NO VEGGIES. Now he eats all his veggies and just a little meat. He's coming around, he will now eat ham until its coming out his ears, steak (of course, hes a MAN!), meatballs....

Just keep pluggin' along. Serve it, don't worry TOO much.... easier said than done I know!
Then, once you are feeling more comfortable with all of it.... have another baby. You will once again be clueless!!!

Sorry. Had to say it!

 

[deelady]

Just keep pluggin' along. Serve it, don't worry TOO much.... easier said than done I know!
Then, once you are feeling more comfortable with all of it.... have another baby. You will once again be clueless!!!

Sorry. Had to say it!

NO WAY JOSE!! We are very happy with just one!! And if/when I deside to go back to teaching...I'll have plenty to handle!!

You guys have given me another view of the issue....thank you! I guess I was overly worried on her not being open to different foods....but I guess I need to be grateful that although she is a picky eater, there is still plenty that she does enjoy and they are all healthy. You guys have also given me confidence that this is most likely a typical stage she will eventually grow out of...and I'd better chill out before I do make it into a long term issue (by making her try a bite) I guess I was just being stubborn because I felt like she was just being stubborn!
As for the gagging, it only happens once maybe 2x's a months so its not too much a worry for me...now if it was daily or even a couple times a week then that would be a different story!

Thanks for all the input again I really do appreciate it....just wanted to compare notes on anything you guys might have experienced similarily.

{{{{Hugs!!}}}

 

[Alix]

Oh my deelady, the threads on here about picky kids are legend. I know I've started a couple of my own. The key (as everyone has said) is to just let them go at their own pace. They will usually eat all the nutrients they need over the course of a week. So don't stress if all they eat one day is pasta or something. I read long ago that a kid needs to be exposed to something roughly 21 times before they even taste it.

 

[deelady]

LOL I must have been a very unusual kid then because my parents always told me that as a child I would eat anything and EVERYTHING! I was even known for asking for canned sardines as a snack!!

 

[Alix]

Yep, that is MOST unusual.

 

[suziquzie]

Oh my deelady, the threads on here about picky kids are legend. I know I've started a couple of my own. The key (as everyone has said) is to just let them go at their own pace. They will usually eat all the nutrients they need over the course of a week. So don't stress if all they eat one day is pasta or something. I read long ago that a kid needs to be exposed to something roughly 21 times before they even taste it.

Or in my case 84 times!!!!
He ate SOUP last week. He SCREAMS at the WORD soup!!

Then he asked for seconds....
I sincerely gave up figuring him out that day.

 

[Alix]

Or in my case 84 times!!!!
He ate SOUP last week. He SCREAMS at the WORD soup!!

Then he asked for seconds....
I sincerely gave up figuring him out that day.

OMG, I'm ROFLMAO. They do confound us don't they?

 

[deelady]

Or in my case 84 times!!!!
He ate SOUP last week. He SCREAMS at the WORD soup!!

Then he asked for seconds....
I sincerely gave up figuring him out that day.

how old is that one suzi??

 

[Fisher's Mom]

You guys have given me another view of the issue....thank you! I guess I was overly worried on her not being open to different foods....but I guess I need to be grateful that although she is a picky eater, there is still plenty that she does enjoy and they are all healthy. You guys have also given me confidence that this is most likely a typical stage she will eventually grow out of...and I'd better chill out before I do make it into a long term issue (by making her try a bite) I guess I was just being stubborn because I felt like she was just being stubborn!
As for the gagging, it only happens once maybe 2x's a months so its not too much a worry for me...now if it was daily or even a couple times a week then that would be a different story!

Thanks for all the input again I really do appreciate it....just wanted to compare notes on anything you guys might have experienced similarily.

{{{{Hugs!!}}}

The reason it's driving you crazy is that you are a really good mama, girlfriend! (Oh, and only reason we know so much about this is we've been through it, too!!!!)

 

[deelady]

The reason it's driving you crazy is that you are a really good mama, girlfriend! (Oh, and only reason we know so much about this is we've been through it, too!!!!)

Awww thanks FM!! {{{Hug!}}}

 

[kitchenelf]

LOL I must have been a very unusual kid then because my parents always told me that as a child I would eat anything and EVERYTHING! I was even known for asking for canned sardines as a snack!!

That was my snack of choice too! Weird, huh?

 

[CharlieD]

I'm sorry this is happening to you, I mean to your daughter of course. ALso I am sorry but I did not read the whole thread so maybe I am repeating somebodies advise. There is special food therapy you can take child to. Just press your doctor for it, like our doc wouldn't tell us about, but it is available, our friends are taking their kids to. It is for very picky eaters and it is helping. Please talk to your doc, push for it. It might help.

 

[deelady]

Yes that is pretty weird!! I guess we were even Foodies as kids huh?! lol

Thank you CharlieD if things do not improve I will definately look into it!

 

[deelady]

Ditto to the texture stuff. I used to hurl mashed potatoes anytime mom made me eat them. Texture will do it every time.

What a trooper that she tried to eat it. Maybe let her try stuff like that in smaller amounts? Or mixed with something crunchy? Like for example....yogurt with granola in it.

Oh and Alix...she loves yogurt so no problem there! Odd huh!? Its so random with her....thats why I think its a stubbornness thing sometimes!

 

[suziquzie]

how old is that one suzi??

That one will be 5 2 weeks from today!!

 

[PieSusan]

Happy Birthday to her!!!

 

[ellakav]

I know I'm late on the uptake here, but I saw this and had to laugh because I have a 2 1/2 year old son who has some of the weirdest
behaviors with food! at least it's weird for me - according to his doc
this is totally NORMAL for the age. toddlers are very texture-oriented
and sometimes they decide they don't LIKE the texture of a food like,
the day after they ate it with no problem! or one day they will not eat
a thing and the next they clear out the pantry. or, the one I love,
the screaming temper tantrum because you did SOMETHING they don't
like with their food but you don't know what because there is still a
communication gap. recently my son has decided he does not like bread.
so he rips his sandwiches apart and licks the contents out of the inside
and then if I don't catch him right when he is done he rips the licked up
bread into shreds and flings them everywhere. and the other day after
he decided that 3 bites of his mac and cheese was enough he sank his
hands into the bowl and started squishing it between his fingers and then
tried fingerpainting the table with it...
ya gotta love toddlers.
but his doctor does assure me that this is all normal, especially for boys
and that with time, patience and a whole warehouse load or two of kitchen
wipes and paper towels, this too shall pass.