Need some thoughts on DS1

[Fishie Kisses]

Need some mealtime help and maybe some advice from you gals.

Jordan is, 99% of the time, a total and complete blessing to have around. He is SO SO smart too and constantly aims to please, especially at school. Literally every single day his teacher tells me what a great day he had and how good he was. He is super affectionate and a social butterfly. But sometimes at home he will just SNAP! Like total meltdown. Last night was one of those nights. It was after midnight when he finally went to sleep because of the fit he was throwing. There was no reasoning with him. No option of redirection. Spanking would have been completely pointless. It was like a friggin psychotic break. It doesn't fit any disorders I can find except maybe ADD. With as many drugs as my worthless ex did in his life, it wouldn't surprise me a bit if there was a chemical imbalance in his brain.

The only thing my mom and I can come up with is that he's reacting negatively to something he ate. She said my brother would have similar meltdowns if he had nitrates and processed foods (lunch meats, hot dogs, ready to eat meals, etc). Jordan had lunch meat with his dinner last night. So, I'm going to track the breakdowns with what he eats that day plus eliminating processed foods as much as possible.

Or maybe this is just normal 3 year old behavior??

I've been doing awesome with dinners. It's homemade and healthy every night. Breakfast he always has a bowl of cereal (Life or Cheerios) or a banana (or 2), so I know that's healthy. My issue is lunch. Give me some ideas for healthy, and easy(ish) lunches that don't have processed crap (so no hot dogs or lunch meat) and he can't eat nuts (so no peanut butter).

[veveland]

It doesn't sound like anything totally out of the ordinary for a three year old (your DS sounds a LOT like mine, but mine is five now). For him, sometimes if dinner is a bit later or he doesn't eat much lunch or snack, his blood sugar bottoms out and it sets off a chain reaction similar to what you described.

As for lunch ideas...grilled cheese or quesadillas? We sometimes do all finger foods (fruit, pretzels, cheese, carrots/dip), English muffin or pita bread pizza, hummus, mac and cheese.

[Fishie Kisses]

Originally Posted by veveland It doesn't sound like anything totally out of the ordinary for a three year old (your DS sounds a LOT like mine, but mine is five now). For him, sometimes if dinner is a bit later or he doesn't eat much lunch or snack, his blood sugar bottoms out and it sets off a chain reaction similar to what you described. As for lunch ideas...grilled cheese or quesadillas? We sometimes do all finger foods (fruit, pretzels, cheese, carrots/dip), English muffin or pita bread pizza, hummus, mac and cheese.

yeah, we have been eating way too late recently because of my parents' work schedules. Like 7-8pm...WAY later than we ever ate when we had our own place. I'm going to start feeding the kids separately so they eat at a decent hour.

[veveland]

That might help. It may not be the same, but for my DS, once he hits that point (even after he eats), it is just out of control for him. If you have to eat later, maybe let him have a late snack (like 5-6pm) to tide him over? I always keep a nutrigrain bar in the diaper bag for DS in case we are out and get stuck eating late.

[sstarfish]

I agree w/ the PPs, and I just wanted to point out that artificial colors can have an effect on behavior in some kids, too.... and Life cereal has artificial colors I was pretty shocked to see that, I mean it's BROWN, but I guess they needed to make it a nicer brown?? Just a thought. My 3 yr old has meltdowns too, but it's if she's hungry or tired usually.

[RainandRedemption]

Sounds like a 3yo to me. When he does this you could try giving him protein, a warm bath and bed. If you need addition resources to calm him maybe try a lavender kid calming bath fizz, or a calming cd. You could try a liquid calcium/ magnesium (very calming to the nerves), or hylands calms forte.

[epiclesis]

Just wanted to throw out there that you CAN get healthy lunch meat and hot dogs.

I get both at Trader Joe's. Uncured hot dogs with no nitrates or nitrites.
The lunch meat is all natural with no nitrates, nitrites, hormones or antibiotics.

[JamieJLD]

I think you are on the right track, but I would also recommend jotting down a short note about the situation before and after the meltdowns. What he ate, what time, what he was doing immediately before the meltdown and what he did immediately after. Keeping notes like that will help you more quickly narrow down environmental causes.

Good luck! Meltdowns are no fun for anyone.

[weldababy]

I don't have a lot of toddler experience yet, but I do have some lunch ideas. When I cook, I often cook a lot and freeze. So, when you make french toast, freeze a bunch. I then take out a slice the night before so it's thawed for the next day. I do the same with grilled cheese and cut the sandwich in half (he's only 2). But, there are some times when he's just had cottage cheese, beans and a fruit for lunch...that's ok too. Yes, we live in Wisconsin, so a lot revolves around cheese!