Monday, July 19, 2010

"They" Say kid wont starve themselves

We have all heard the saying " They say" or "They" do this or I have heard "they" say this... who exactly is this THEY!

Well "They" say that kid won't starve themselves. I am telling you "THEY" are wrong. As previously posted Tyler is a VERY VERY picky eater. Since he was little he has had eating problems and gaining weight has always been an issue. We brought home our 40 week gestation baby at almost 5 pounds. He is almost 5 and dropped to 28 pounds (AGAIN) after his tonsil surgery. He eats about 5 things regularly. He doesn't really feed himself. ( Though yesterday he did feed himself applesauce and ketchup) He also takes a REALLY long time to eat. Like over 30 minutes. For those who are not aware after 30 minutes they start burning calories when eating.

Because he is constantly moving and his muscles are tight he tends to burn calories more than a typical kid. So ( sadly) when he does eat because he takes so long it burns off faster. He is also not a fan of many fruits or veggies and due to texture issues he won't drink juice. He drinks soda ( GASP!!! I KNOW!) He hasn't had milk in over a year and juice. Um no.

When we were introducing solids we were power packing and adding calories so we were adding things like Butter, fat and calories. Sure makes sweet potatoes YUMMY when it is packed with fat. When it isn't pack with fat he won't touch it.

So, we hear they won't starve themselves and today ( for the millionth time) we put his hunger to the test. He didn't ask for lunch so I didn't give it to him. I offered. He said no on everything. I ate and offered again.

We had to run to home depot ( my new favorite store) and he was SO stinking crabby. He was hungry. I knew he was hungry. I asked him if he wanted anything to eat. He said no. We stopped for a yummy crushed ice Cherry coke ( cause who doesn't' want one of those) and he still said he didn't want anything.

A HUGE meltdown in the driveway and I asked AGAIN if he was hungry. He said no. I made him a pizza. Still crabby and sad but he is eating it. ( and chips but food is food.... isn't that what "they" say!)

Ty is not as bad as other kids. Sometimes he eats and eats and never stops. Or he eats when he is bored. Probably not the best combination. But for sure I think the trigger to say he is hungry is not quite right.

So I don't care what "THEY" say. I am thinking "they" are wrong.


5 comments:

Unknown said...

I agree with you. My son is 18 he can go all day without food and suddenly turn into this huge eating machine. He is bipolar and I often wonder if his brain just basically relegates the eating sensors to the back of the list of what his head is going through. Then when there is nothing else to do he eats.. It has been a challenge cause he too is picky. Barbecue sauce is a staple we have to keep, everything gets it.

Cynthia said...

We're a 'Live to Eat' family, all of us but our son. He is 10 and will go long periods of time without eating because he doesn't want to stop doing what he's doing to eat. Where did this kid come from? The rest of us can't WAIT for the dinner bell! LOL!

Unknown said...

My son also has eating issues but will ask for food or milk when he gets hungry. This is why I am in no hurry to get him off the bottle at age 2, because he has milk and 1 bottle of pediasure a day and he is still below the third percentile! I have never heard that kids start burning calories after 30 minutes of eating. Can you explain why that is to me, or point me toward something that might explain it? Ugh! Yet another thing to stress about with his eating!

Shannon said...

I would have to say that an average child with a perfectly "normal" functioning brain probably won't starve themselves. However, children with damage to multiple areas of their brains may not have the proper regulators in place to tell their bodies to eat, or in some cases, to stop eating. The fact is, Ty is your child and you know him best. THEY don't have a fricken clue - and WHO IS THEY anyway? If you find out, please let me know!! :)

Christine said...

Thank you so much for saying this. I'm absolutely losing my mind over people saying "your child won't starve himself, he'll eat when he's hungry". NO, he won't. The first time I followed the advice "relax, don't worry about it, he'll eat what he needs". My son stopped growing. For 3 months he registered no change in height, weight or head circumference. In the last 4 weeks my son has lost 1lb 2oz. That's all the weight he gained in the 2 months prior. We've tried calorie packing and smoothies etc. He shudders when he sips any liquid that isn't water. It is so incredibly frustrating. I have no idea what to do.