My heart is heavy you guys. Four times in a week I’ve heard from a mama who has a gagging child.
OMG I can’t take it anymore. Mine is almost 8 and he still does this. WHY oh WHY? When does it end? Or does it?
Children who gag when new foods are introduced are big huge red flags. Is this happening in your house? I hope you are paying attention. I know. You’d rather bury your head in the sand. Hope the kid outgrows it.
Dear mama,
Don’t do that!
your kid’s health appreciates it!
jenna, aka food with kid appeal
but the pediatrician said when he’s hungry he’ll eat
I’m not saying that some children aren’t engaged in power struggles with their parents, but if your child consistently can’t tolerate more than a few foods, and further, upon introduction of new foods, all new foods, gags or vomits, your child is in serious distress. It’s my opinion that’s it’s not just emotional distress. It’s my opinion that your child has some major digestive distress that causes his appetite to be so low, that he never really feels like eating.
Can you imagine that mama? Never feeling like eating? Like every meal was when you were full of fever with the worst flu ever, or a terrible migraine, or right after your dog died. You get the picture. Humans occasionally suffer from appetite loss. But when humans are in constant appetite loss, what drives them to eat?
The other possibility is that the digestive distress has actually caused physical damage to the parts of the body that are involved in chewing and swallowing. If your child favors purees well into toddlerhood (or beyond) this is a good sign that the child has anatomy issues that need to be addressed.
if your pediatrician insists that it’s a “mother feeding” problem and not a “kid health” problem after months and months of no improvement it is time to find a second, third, fouth opinion.
Just give it a shot. If you withhold food for a meal or two, when kiddo gags and doesn’t eat, and he’s STILL not motivated to eat, I wager you have more on your hands than a power struggle.
mama, you are NOT crazy
If you have been dealing with a gagging-at-meals child for months, or worse, years, and everyone tells you that it’s simple, just do this or do that, then you probably feel like the worst mother of the year.
Ok. Just knock that off.
Dig deep. Use your mama instincts. They’re there. You are NOT the worst mother of the year. There is an actual real problem going on with your child and you KNOW that’s the truth. The problem is that you’ve never solved this problem before and neither has anyone you’ve counseled for solutions, like your pedi, or your mother, or your sister.
Those folks have had their fare share of dinner time shenanigans and they might have solutions to those problems, but your kiddo’s problem is DIFFERENT. So it requires a different solution.
I’m here to tell you that you’re a good mama. You’re still heavy hearted about this issue of feeding your child. You know something is. Um. Not. Right.
You’re still looking for solutions even though every solution you’ve heard of so far, and implemented, isn’t working. Deep breath mama!
so now what?
Well, here’s the hard part. There aren’t that many health care practicioners who are aware of the link between digestive distress and extreme feeding issues. Your challenge now is to either find a medical practicioner who can help you, or figure it out on your own by doing research. There is plenty of literature on line to look at, so start googling. Once you have some clues (hint: search leaky gut, gut dsybiosis, gut permeability), see if you can find a practicioner who is familiar with the treatment of these issues.
how do I find a practicioner?
- Check in yahoo groups to see if your city has an “organic” or “raw milk” group. people who are into either one of these things are more likely to use medical professionals who understand the link between nourishment and well being.
- Check to see if your city has a holistic mom’s group. Network with other moms. These mamas are likely to have referrals for you.
- Visit the whole foods or local natural foods store in your area. See if there are any referrals on the bulletin board or ask staff who they use.
- Visit a farmer’s market. Ask the farmers who they recommend.
why can’t i just bury my head?
Because if your child doesn’t eat real nourishing food, his brain and body are starved. Starved brains don’t learn to potential. Starved bodies to perform to potential. Starved organs decline in childhood. These things shorten life, worse, create disease. Ack!
you can do this, yes you can
Ok. So. I agree. This is a hairy problem. It sucks that it’s not easy to solve. Don’t fret. This is happening in kitchens all over the country. That’s a bad thing, but it also means that you and your child are NOT alone. There is not some freak of nature thing happening to your child. There is a resolution. I can’t tell you what, exactly the resolution is. But i can tell you that if you just keep at it, you will arrive at your destination.
Which is a child. That can eat food. Without gagging.
Believe it mama. It can happen.
Spill it
What’s your story? Leave a comment telling us your sob or success story. I’m here to learn! See what others have had to say (scroll down to the comments section).
