[Rose5000]

Originally Posted by Kiara.I

I'm going to flip it around for you. Actually, your children aren't doing the eating thing RIGHT--that sounds like it's because your son has sensory issues. So ditch the idea of the perfect poster child who eats what he's told, when he's told, and accept the child you ACTUALLY have--the one with major sensory needs, so that you need to do some complicated dance to keep him fed.

May I read this above sentence to my husband?

And yes, I do think you should address his eating with the therapist (wait, did you mean his therapist or your counsellor? Well, by all means talk to your counsellor about it too, as in, "How do I deal with these feelings of frustration and helplessness around my child's issues? How can I make this more emotionally healthy and productive?"

I meant his therapist, when he gets one. Those are good questions for *my* therapist, too.

Yes?
Okay, like rjy9343 said, you choose the lesser of two evils. If you need to wash carrots down with licorice, maybe that's what you need to do. But I'm pretty sure that providing unlimited access to junk food to a child who *has repeatedly shown* that he is not good at self-regulating would be irresponsible.

yes, I will not put out a whole bucket of licorice again (like i did once : () but I *could* use a little lightening up in some areas, for example, letting the gatorade bottles hang out in the kitchen cupboard instead of hiding them in the bedroom, that way, he can get plenty hydrated, a huge area of weakness for him. Just today, after trying just that, he announced to me that his urine is no longer deep orange, but almost white. which means he is getting some good hydration.: )

I usually just serve it. BUT, I am dealing with neurotypical children who have not shown any texture sensitivities of any kind. I just serve it because experience tells me that I can. If experience tells you that you can't, then it doesn't matter what I do. You need to do what YOU need to do.

THANKS.

Have you tried the "set menu of 5 options for breakfast" thing? If so, is it working?

UMM....no, not yet.

Should you consider a similar idea for dinner? That he can select what he's having, and then once you've made it, that's what he gets?

MAYbe.

I do think that at 10, he can probably afford to just be hungry for a couple of meals if he decides to be extra contrary. I mean, he has food issues. Granted. If you've made him what he's said he wants and THEN he refuses to eat it and wants something else? I'd be inclined to say, "Tough cookies. Next meal at: " Has experience shown you that this would be effective with him?

EXPerience has shown me that he doesn't like what is made? he will go looking for something, anything that will taste good ......and sometimes that leads to finding nothing, walking out to his screens which masks the hunger..

....Or does he actually need to have multiple meals available at any given time?

HMMM..... he needs to have me make sure that there are things that he does like both in the house and cooked so when hungry he can find *something* (!) I'm not quite sure how a person / a mom would do that one---multiple meals at same time available. can you picture that better and then i can give a better answer?