Locking up food!

[bluedaisyma]

Sorry your little boy is going through this, mama. Sounds like you have some good suggestions! If there are only a few forbidden things, can they be hidden in your room?

sry 4 abbrev, im 1 hnd-ed typng & nak frm my iPhone

[Tris]

Is it the 7 year old? There has got to be a better way than locking it up, he's going to need tools to deal with this. Can you take him to a nutritionist/ is he seeing a therapist?

[ashersmomoo]

Originally Posted by Tris Is it the 7 year old? There has got to be a better way than locking it up, he's going to need tools to deal with this. Can you take him to a nutritionist/ is he seeing a therapist?

No, it is the little guy that just turned 5. We are currently looking into therapy.

[Tris]

Originally Posted by ashersmomoo No, it is the little guy that just turned 5. We are currently looking into therapy.

That's so tough If this is a mental long term thing I'd definitely look into therapy. Obviously he hasn't always been able to steal food, what did he do when he was younger? Is this a sudden thing? I've actually never heard of the inability to distinguish fullness, so that has got to be a stressful thing to deal with!

[CaliRoll]

Originally Posted by Tris Is it the 7 year old? There has got to be a better way than locking it up, he's going to need tools to deal with this. Can you take him to a nutritionist/ is he seeing a therapist?

Originally Posted by Tris That's so tough If this is a mental long term thing I'd definitely look into therapy. Obviously he hasn't always been able to steal food, what did he do when he was younger? Is this a sudden thing? I've actually never heard of the inability to distinguish fullness, so that has got to be a stressful thing to deal with!

Our friend's daughter has Prader Willi syndrome. She's missing a gene that, in part, may make her unable to realize she's full. Right now, she's very petite and they almost have to force feed her. She was diagnosed as failure to thrive as an infant. But this will dramatically shift soon:

"Children have an intense craving for food and will do almost anything to get it. This can result in uncontrollable weight gain and morbid obesity. Morbid obesity may lead to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and joint and lung problems."

My point is that sometimes its not something a child can just "deal with" when it comes to food. If a parent has reached the point of *having* to lock up the food, there is usually a strong enough medical or physical issue to warrant it. And it is not always a problem that starts early, but rather as their illness progresses or their organs grow.

[Tris]

Oh it certainly sounds like its something he can't deal with, I hope I didn't come off like it was a small issue. I just would want to make sure my kid had all the tools he could to deal with it because once he's older and say, in high school or even out of the house, monitoring his food intake is going to be nearly impossible.

[jessicanashville]

Originally Posted by ashersmomoo Being sick will not stop him. He is not the victim of any abuse or neglect or behavioral issues or special needs. The problem stems from feeding issues as a baby. He had very severe GERD and silent aspirations. Because of this he was on medication and only drank VERY thick breast milk through a premie nipple for 13 months. He was essentially over full and starving. His ability to gauge hunger was lost. They told us at Children's Hospital that he had a 500% greater chance of obesity because of this. I want my baby to be healthy and happy and whole. I cook 90% of our food entirely from scratch. The only junk DH brings in. He can eat as much fruit and veggies as he wants and I cook 3 meals of whole food daily. He also recently started playing hockey. I want to help him learn how to eat, but in the meantime I worry for his health. He has nightmares that people are calling him fat. He eats every meal like he is starving. It's all we can do to work with him on not using his hands and taking a drink and a breath between bites. And trust me, I work very hard to shield him from having emotional issues. I do NOT want that. But I can't let him be diabetic and morbidly obese by age 10, can I???

Sorry you have to deal with this... Sounds like you are a very loving parent who is only thinking about the health of your child, hopefully it's a very short phase.

[7mom7]

Originally Posted by ashersmomoo Being sick will not stop him. He is not the victim of any abuse or neglect or behavioral issues or special needs. The problem stems from feeding issues as a baby. He had very severe GERD and silent aspirations. Because of this he was on medication and only drank VERY thick breast milk through a premie nipple for 13 months. He was essentially over full and starving. His ability to gauge hunger was lost. They told us at Children's Hospital that he had a 500% greater chance of obesity because of this. I want my baby to be healthy and happy and whole. I cook 90% of our food entirely from scratch. The only junk DH brings in. He can eat as much fruit and veggies as he wants and I cook 3 meals of whole food daily. He also recently started playing hockey. I want to help him learn how to eat, but in the meantime I worry for his health. He has nightmares that people are calling him fat. He eats every meal like he is starving. It's all we can do to work with him on not using his hands and taking a drink and a breath between bites. And trust me, I work very hard to shield him from having emotional issues. I do NOT want that. But I can't let him be diabetic and morbidly obese by age 10, can I???

I'd probably do the same thing...I'd rather lock up the food than medicate my child for illness that comes from being obese. Sounds to me like you've got your kiddo's best interest at heart and you're doing the right thing. I'd argue that there could be more issues later in life from being bullied about your weight than from having a loving parent lock up food for your own good.

[ashersmomoo]

I just wanted to thank you ladies for your support and kind words.