5 1/2 year old niece only eats hot dogs…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My 5 yo is in a hot dog phase. She has grassfed organic beef dogs with shredded cheese on with brioche buns. On top she pico de gallo. Seems like a compete meal until she moves into the next thing.

As long as it's a brioche bun!

[Anonymous]

Yes, please harass and badger the child so she develop food and self image issues that will haunt her for the next 90 years. Insist she 'diets', purchase a scale for her, and frame a BMI poster she can mount on her bedroom wall.
Never too young to teach her to hate her body and how she looks! A girl can never be too thin!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I make what I make and our kids eat it or they don't. At the age of five she has no access to other food, unlike teens. How can she even get the idea that only hot dogs would be available? Someone had to keep buying them again and again until consuming them daily became part of the established food culture of the home. I think it is a mistake to try to force kids to eat things because the conflict makes them the center of attention. They should be free to choose what they eat but not what I provide.

How nice for you. If you had a child with ARFID, it would die. Good job, I guess?

My best friend is a world traveler. She will eat anything under the sun. Her first child refused to eat. They managed to figure out that she would eat plain pasta with butter. That's all she would eat for a long time. It had nothing to do with her parenting - her food choices were diverse and nutritious.

I am an adult 'picky eater'. Some textures and tastes can make me gag so I avoid them. My parents also did the it'll be there until you eat it and it didn't work, because I would throw up anything I managed to eat that wasn't plain. Despite that, my child eats many foods that I don't and is willing to try things.

It's not the parenting. You people are uneducated and wrong. Keep thinking that torturing kids with eating disorders is good parenting though.

+1 many times it’s a texture aversion or smell aversion. These are neuro atypical children, Op.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child with restricted eating. I think the kind way to interpret op’s post is that she is concerned about her niece and whether her sibling has sufficient information. I’m sympathetic to that—I had a sibling with a child that could not speak at 3, and he legitimately did not realize how far behind his child was, and that they should be receiving therapy for it. It’s very likely that OP’s niece is autistic or has an anxiety disorder or OCD. They should be working with medical professionals. That’s a really hard conversation to have in a productive and tactful way. I would start with something like “so how’s everything going with Larla?” And maybe progress from there to “how long has she been on the hotdog kick?” One of my kids had an issue that no one flagged for me — I do wish someone had educated me that this condition even existed so I could have sought treatment for it when she was young. There’s a way to express concern and help potentially educate but it has to be done from a place of kindness, not condemnation.

You know it’s common for children, especially autistic children, who don’t speak until later to start talking in full sentences when they are 5. There is nothing wrong with that. Don’t assume you as an outsider know what is best for a child.

I’m not an outsider—it’s my brother! And I have a child on the spectrum. Why would I not share information that might help my nephew with my brother? If I saw a large tumor growing on my nephew’s leg, would I say nothing, or would I ask my brother if he’d had it checked? When people love and care about each other, there is a way to have these conversations. I really appreciate the neighbor that gently flagged for me issues with SPD. I understand many people on this board are getting help and don’t want to share that information, but can they entertain the possibility that there are parents who are not knowledgeable about these things and might not know that there is help out there? I’d rather be slightly offended than be in a situation where my child is not getting the help they need because I’m not familiar with the issue and people are too afraid to say anything to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Immigrant here. Honestly this kind of behavior does not occur in my country. One dish is prepared for each meal and the WHOLE family must eat whatever is served. Don’t want to eat it because of ‘pickiness’ then fine, go hungry. They eventually will eat some of what is served.

We don’t coddle the children like they do in the US.

complete rubbish!! Researchers at Childrens National Medical Center have traced this problem with eating to a specific gene. These kids would starve to death versus eat what they perceive as atrocious. It’s extreme. It’s called problem eaters, not picky eaters. It’s a real problem.

How common do you think this really is? It is much MORE common for parents to satisfy the tantrums thrown by kids who want to eat foods that we are genetically programmed to desire: high fat, high sugar, high salt.

Exactly. Never heard of anything remotely like this growing up in the 70s. I'm not saying it doesn't exist but it just wasn't tolerated.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Immigrant here. Honestly this kind of behavior does not occur in my country. One dish is prepared for each meal and the WHOLE family must eat whatever is served. Don’t want to eat it because of ‘pickiness’ then fine, go hungry. They eventually will eat some of what is served.

We don’t coddle the children like they do in the US.

complete rubbish!! Researchers at Childrens National Medical Center have traced this problem with eating to a specific gene. These kids would starve to death versus eat what they perceive as atrocious. It’s extreme. It’s called problem eaters, not picky eaters. It’s a real problem.

How common do you think this really is? It is much MORE common for parents to satisfy the tantrums thrown by kids who want to eat foods that we are genetically programmed to desire: high fat, high sugar, high salt.

Exactly. Never heard of anything remotely like this growing up in the 70s. I'm not saying it doesn't exist but it just wasn't tolerated.

This ignorant “point” has already been covered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Immigrant here. Honestly this kind of behavior does not occur in my country. One dish is prepared for each meal and the WHOLE family must eat whatever is served. Don’t want to eat it because of ‘pickiness’ then fine, go hungry. They eventually will eat some of what is served.

We don’t coddle the children like they do in the US.

complete rubbish!! Researchers at Childrens National Medical Center have traced this problem with eating to a specific gene. These kids would starve to death versus eat what they perceive as atrocious. It’s extreme. It’s called problem eaters, not picky eaters. It’s a real problem.

How common do you think this really is? It is much MORE common for parents to satisfy the tantrums thrown by kids who want to eat foods that we are genetically programmed to desire: high fat, high sugar, high salt.

Exactly. Never heard of anything remotely like this growing up in the 70s. I'm not saying it doesn't exist but it just wasn't tolerated.

Yeah, I can’t remember ever reading online about so many kids with restricted eating back then. I can’t think of a single internet message board for parents where this was acceptable back then.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child with restricted eating. I think the kind way to interpret op’s post is that she is concerned about her niece and whether her sibling has sufficient information. I’m sympathetic to that—I had a sibling with a child that could not speak at 3, and he legitimately did not realize how far behind his child was, and that they should be receiving therapy for it. It’s very likely that OP’s niece is autistic or has an anxiety disorder or OCD. They should be working with medical professionals. That’s a really hard conversation to have in a productive and tactful way. I would start with something like “so how’s everything going with Larla?” And maybe progress from there to “how long has she been on the hotdog kick?” One of my kids had an issue that no one flagged for me — I do wish someone had educated me that this condition even existed so I could have sought treatment for it when she was young. There’s a way to express concern and help potentially educate but it has to be done from a place of kindness, not condemnation.

You know it’s common for children, especially autistic children, who don’t speak until later to start talking in full sentences when they are 5. There is nothing wrong with that. Don’t assume you as an outsider know what is best for a child.

I’m not an outsider—it’s my brother! And I have a child on the spectrum. Why would I not share information that might help my nephew with my brother? If I saw a large tumor growing on my nephew’s leg, would I say nothing, or would I ask my brother if he’d had it checked? When people love and care about each other, there is a way to have these conversations. I really appreciate the neighbor that gently flagged for me issues with SPD. I understand many people on this board are getting help and don’t want to share that information, but can they entertain the possibility that there are parents who are not knowledgeable about these things and might not know that there is help out there? I’d rather be slightly offended than be in a situation where my child is not getting the help they need because I’m not familiar with the issue and people are too afraid to say anything to me.

Yes, you are so open and honest about your child "on the spectrum" and with "SPD" (not a diagnosis). Your child has autism.
You have an autistic child. Can't even bring uour self to type it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 5 yo is in a hot dog phase. She has grassfed organic beef dogs with shredded cheese on with brioche buns. On top she pico de gallo. Seems like a compete meal until she moves into the next thing.

As long as it's a brioche bun!

Is this a catchphrase from a movie or something? You're the second poster to write this

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My 5 yo is in a hot dog phase. She has grassfed organic beef dogs with shredded cheese on with brioche buns. On top she pico de gallo. Seems like a compete meal until she moves into the next thing.

As long as it's a brioche bun!

Is this a catchphrase from a movie or something? You're the second poster to write this

No, it's the ridiculousness of the post that people are reacting to.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child with restricted eating. I think the kind way to interpret op’s post is that she is concerned about her niece and whether her sibling has sufficient information. I’m sympathetic to that—I had a sibling with a child that could not speak at 3, and he legitimately did not realize how far behind his child was, and that they should be receiving therapy for it. It’s very likely that OP’s niece is autistic or has an anxiety disorder or OCD. They should be working with medical professionals. That’s a really hard conversation to have in a productive and tactful way. I would start with something like “so how’s everything going with Larla?” And maybe progress from there to “how long has she been on the hotdog kick?” One of my kids had an issue that no one flagged for me — I do wish someone had educated me that this condition even existed so I could have sought treatment for it when she was young. There’s a way to express concern and help potentially educate but it has to be done from a place of kindness, not condemnation.

You know it’s common for children, especially autistic children, who don’t speak until later to start talking in full sentences when they are 5. There is nothing wrong with that. Don’t assume you as an outsider know what is best for a child.

I’m not an outsider—it’s my brother! And I have a child on the spectrum. Why would I not share information that might help my nephew with my brother? If I saw a large tumor growing on my nephew’s leg, would I say nothing, or would I ask my brother if he’d had it checked? When people love and care about each other, there is a way to have these conversations. I really appreciate the neighbor that gently flagged for me issues with SPD. I understand many people on this board are getting help and don’t want to share that information, but can they entertain the possibility that there are parents who are not knowledgeable about these things and might not know that there is help out there? I’d rather be slightly offended than be in a situation where my child is not getting the help they need because I’m not familiar with the issue and people are too afraid to say anything to me.

Yes, you are so open and honest about your child "on the spectrum" and with "SPD" (not a diagnosis). Your child has autism.
You have an autistic child. Can't even bring uour self to type it.

Not pp. But even though SPD is not an official diagnosis, it is possible to have SPD without a ASD diagnosis.
Please read:
https://www.ivyrehab.com/news/sensory-processing-vs-autism-whats-the-difference/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My son is very picky specific to protein sources and anything not plain. He loves hot dogs, but wouldn't touch even chicken nuggets for years. Or when he would eat them, only microwaved so they were soft, not crunchy, if they were crunchy he would gag. Would not eat pizza. No beans. Specific kind of cheese such as cheese sticks. Any "real" meat like homemade chicken or steak or even meatballs, hamburger, might come back out if the texture bothers him and/or taste is surprising. I've constantly worried about if he's getting enough protein and iron. Thankfully, inexplicably, is ok with plain vegetables and most fruit.

He's gotten a little better, but it's still tough. He has a sensitive gag reflex and it gets overactive with food that is unfamiliar.

I grew up with a strict single, widowed mom who was born in the 1930s (adopted me so I had a much older parent than others my age) who did the whole eat what's on your plate or go hungry, and eat enough of it or you'll sit at the table for hours. So I tried that, I was used to that. However, my son will starve. Or you can push him to take a bite and he might start to retch and has even vomited on the table. He's had a referral to a nutritionist for small growth year on year and picky eating. Now that he's older, he is better at verbalizing what is happening or what he is feeling when he starts to retch/gag. This is helping us to take steps to work past it because we can talk about figuring out how to get past that sensation and he is becoming slightly more willing to try some new things.

DHs parents are very picky and I think he gets it from his side. My FIL who is in his early 70s will only eat meat and potatoes and white wonderbread and balks at any vegetable that isn't a potato. If he takes a bite to be polite, he has the exact same look on his face as my son of trying to sort of force himself to swallow it. My MIL is OCD and bothered if different food touches on her plate.

If I hadn't had my son, I just wouldn't understand it as an outsider. I have a 2nd child who is slightly picky, but it's not the same at all. Please don't judge, it's just some kids are different.

Vomiting at the table can be more than a problem for the nutritionist. It can be a control issue that would better be dealt with by a therapist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Okay, I get that there are children with neurological and genetic eating issues. And I get fixating on bread or potatoes, noodles or something that would be realistically served with some frequency in your home as part of a balanced meal. But hot dogs? Let’s face the fact this family has some trashy eating habits for a child this young to have the degree of exposure that would result in a preference. Someone is purchasing those hot dogs again and again. It find it very sad and I am not above the occasional Costco dog.

What if it weren’t hot dogs? What if it were boiled eggs? What if it were plain oatmeal?

What if the kid who only ate boiled eggs was with you at Costco, and the parents had been trying everything they could think of to get them to try something else, anything else, even if it’s not the healthiest item? You tried to get them to sample all the foods but they wouldn’t even try the juice or the cookie samples. Then, on your way out, they smelled the hot dogs and said that smelled good, and you’re feeling stressed out from all the food rejection, and you think, “I’m not above a costco hot dog, and I’d love for this kid to eat something besides a boiled egg,” so you get one. Guess what that kid wants for dinner. And breakfast. And lunch. Why do you think it took several exposures to a food for them to love it? It was the right food at the right time. It tasted good, it felt good to eat it. It’s consistent and they don’t have to wait long for it to cook. It’s plentiful so they never have to worry about running out. It doesn’t matter if it’s hot dogs or boiled eggs or steamed broccoli or Boston cream pie flavored yoplait. The problem isn’t the parenting or the single food of choice, it’s the anxiety and whatever else is the underlying cause of the restrictive diet (in our case, autism among other things), and judgmental know it’s alls like you. Every comment about food to a kid like that is going to spark that fight, flight or freeze response. None of those responses promote eating. Not only is it counterproductive to the kid’s problem, but it makes the parent feel judged, and that’s the opposite of helpful. Grow up and worry about your own plate, and maybe quit eating hot dogs at Costco if you’re going to judge other people’s eating habits.

Our friends with an autistic DS catered to his tantrums and gave him chicken nuggets for every meal. He was 350 pounds by the time he finished high school and now they must institutionalize him because physically, they can't handle him. Anecdotes aren't universally applicable. Once that parent bought the Costco hotdog, they didn't need to go back and provide that again and again, because the job of parents is to do the hard thing when it is in the best interest of the child, even when they are throwing tantrums about food.

You clearly have NO CLUE what some people go through. GTFO with your “I have all the answers” BS.

Ps - you’re not nearly amazing as you think you are

Signed,
Parent of two really good eaters who has no skin in this game but can’t stand people like you

Wow... amazing argumentation there. Yes, I am a health professional, and the number of kids who really, truly can't tolerate a wide variety of foods is much smaller than the posters on this thread would lead us to believe.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Okay, I get that there are children with neurological and genetic eating issues. And I get fixating on bread or potatoes, noodles or something that would be realistically served with some frequency in your home as part of a balanced meal. But hot dogs? Let’s face the fact this family has some trashy eating habits for a child this young to have the degree of exposure that would result in a preference. Someone is purchasing those hot dogs again and again. It find it very sad and I am not above the occasional Costco dog.

What if it weren’t hot dogs? What if it were boiled eggs? What if it were plain oatmeal?

What if the kid who only ate boiled eggs was with you at Costco, and the parents had been trying everything they could think of to get them to try something else, anything else, even if it’s not the healthiest item? You tried to get them to sample all the foods but they wouldn’t even try the juice or the cookie samples. Then, on your way out, they smelled the hot dogs and said that smelled good, and you’re feeling stressed out from all the food rejection, and you think, “I’m not above a costco hot dog, and I’d love for this kid to eat something besides a boiled egg,” so you get one. Guess what that kid wants for dinner. And breakfast. And lunch. Why do you think it took several exposures to a food for them to love it? It was the right food at the right time. It tasted good, it felt good to eat it. It’s consistent and they don’t have to wait long for it to cook. It’s plentiful so they never have to worry about running out. It doesn’t matter if it’s hot dogs or boiled eggs or steamed broccoli or Boston cream pie flavored yoplait. The problem isn’t the parenting or the single food of choice, it’s the anxiety and whatever else is the underlying cause of the restrictive diet (in our case, autism among other things), and judgmental know it’s alls like you. Every comment about food to a kid like that is going to spark that fight, flight or freeze response. None of those responses promote eating. Not only is it counterproductive to the kid’s problem, but it makes the parent feel judged, and that’s the opposite of helpful. Grow up and worry about your own plate, and maybe quit eating hot dogs at Costco if you’re going to judge other people’s eating habits.

Our friends with an autistic DS catered to his tantrums and gave him chicken nuggets for every meal. He was 350 pounds by the time he finished high school and now they must institutionalize him because physically, they can't handle him. Anecdotes aren't universally applicable. Once that parent bought the Costco hotdog, they didn't need to go back and provide that again and again, because the job of parents is to do the hard thing when it is in the best interest of the child, even when they are throwing tantrums about food.

You clearly have NO CLUE what some people go through. GTFO with your “I have all the answers” BS.

Ps - you’re not nearly amazing as you think you are

Signed,
Parent of two really good eaters who has no skin in this game but can’t stand people like you

Thank you

Signed,

Parent of an autistic 6yo who weighs 35 pounds and has been to multiple nutritionists, Children's National, etc.

ps to those who think these kids and their "tantrums" are being "catered" to. YOU.DO.NOT.HAVE.A.CLUE. The terror of your child literally not eating is real and, btw, the nutritionists, etc all say the same thing-get them to eat anything and go from there. This process takes YEARS and it is so isolating to feel that kind of pressure. OP is likely not privy to any details regarding the niece's situation because the parent's can FEEL the sneering judgement emanating from her.

Yes, we've read your multiple posts and understand. But YOU and your child are not representative of the vast majority of children with disordered eating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a child with restricted eating. I think the kind way to interpret op’s post is that she is concerned about her niece and whether her sibling has sufficient information. I’m sympathetic to that—I had a sibling with a child that could not speak at 3, and he legitimately did not realize how far behind his child was, and that they should be receiving therapy for it. It’s very likely that OP’s niece is autistic or has an anxiety disorder or OCD. They should be working with medical professionals. That’s a really hard conversation to have in a productive and tactful way. I would start with something like “so how’s everything going with Larla?” And maybe progress from there to “how long has she been on the hotdog kick?” One of my kids had an issue that no one flagged for me — I do wish someone had educated me that this condition even existed so I could have sought treatment for it when she was young. There’s a way to express concern and help potentially educate but it has to be done from a place of kindness, not condemnation.

You know it’s common for children, especially autistic children, who don’t speak until later to start talking in full sentences when they are 5. There is nothing wrong with that. Don’t assume you as an outsider know what is best for a child.

I’m not an outsider—it’s my brother! And I have a child on the spectrum. Why would I not share information that might help my nephew with my brother? If I saw a large tumor growing on my nephew’s leg, would I say nothing, or would I ask my brother if he’d had it checked? When people love and care about each other, there is a way to have these conversations. I really appreciate the neighbor that gently flagged for me issues with SPD. I understand many people on this board are getting help and don’t want to share that information, but can they entertain the possibility that there are parents who are not knowledgeable about these things and might not know that there is help out there? I’d rather be slightly offended than be in a situation where my child is not getting the help they need because I’m not familiar with the issue and people are too afraid to say anything to me.

Yes, you are so open and honest about your child "on the spectrum" and with "SPD" (not a diagnosis). Your child has autism.
You have an autistic child. Can't even bring uour self to type it.

DP. Since you're being such an assh@ole, please note the PP does not have 'an autistic child'. She has 'a child with autism'. People first language, please. Sheesh.