Feeding Therapy Recommendations
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Anonymous
| My 2 year old has stopped growing (height and weight) due to her extremely picky eating (around 12 foods, none consistently safe). We have an appointment at Children's in 6 months for the Feeding Disorder program but they don't keep a waitlist or cancellation list and I'm looking for something to do in the meantime. We've already done the Kids Eat in Color picky eater course so I think we need some type of feeding therapy. Any suggestions? Ideally in the NW DC/Chevy Chase/Bethesda area as I have another child with special needs and appointments we need to accommodate for that child too. |
Anonymous
Anonymous
| I feel your frustration. We are in a similar situation with our SN 2 year old. Our kid qualified for early intervention speech services, but since his therapist is also a feeding therapist, we split our sessions between speech and feeding therapy. It’s helped somewhat. The biggest takeaways for me were to stop pressuring him into trying new foods and to stop trying to trick him into eating new foods (like by mixing new foods into things he already eats). We just put the new foods on the tray with his preferred foods, then ignore him and try to pretend we don’t care whether he eats the new foods or not. He usually won’t eat the new foods, but sometimes he will. When we started six months ago he would only eat purées, but now he occasionally eats pasta, rice, beans, and ground meat. He is a more adventurous eater at daycare, which apparently is not uncommon. Maybe it’s the peer pressure? Until he starts eating more, we are giving him PediaSure to increase his calories, as well as mixing formula into his daily morning oatmeal. |
Anonymous
| Playwell - can come to your home which is super convenient! |
Anonymous
| Sounds like Arfid |
Anonymous
|
My kid has ARFID -
1) Understand that there is a sensory component to this and don't brand the kid "picky" or difficult. They can't help it. Also, you are not a "failure" as their parent. Take the emotion out of it. My kid is older but their therapist said that me asking my kid to try rice as though I had put a bowl of vomit in front of her. Don't make meal times fraught and stressful for the kid (and yourself). 2) Getting them to eat - whatever it may be - is the most important thing. So give them what they WILL eat, without judgement. 3) Over time, your child can work with a therapist or OT to broaden what they eating through "chaining" i.e. if you like pasta with butter, try a different shape, then eventually try red sauce, etc. 4) Chocolate milk and/or boost could be a way to get calories into your kid. Good luck - this is hard stuff! What makes it even harder is that people judge you and your child - they assume the kid is manipulating you, and you are a pushover. 
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Anonymous
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Thanks for the recommendations. Sadly kid won't drink milk, chocolate milk, any flavor of pediasure, ensure, or carnation instant breakfast. She will no longer eat purees either which she dropped about 6 months ago now.
We already don't ask kiddo to eat anything. We just put it on a plate with safe foods and hope for the best. But often nothing is eaten at all or just one bite of a safe food and then there is just endless crying. We have been trying chaining for about 6 months by picking a safe food and trying to change it slightly but so far its just resulted in the elimination of the safe food, so we've put that on pause for now. |
Anonymous
That must be so frustrating. Wish I had more suggestions for you. Hang in there! |