My 6 year old daughter eats so slow

JuniperFromGallifreyWell I have been dairy intolerant since my childhood, but would still have a little and just suffer the consiquences (itching and throat mucus), so this was the first thing I stopped eating after seeing the herbalist. Within a couple of days she was a different baby. Unfortunately some damage had already been done to her esophagus from the silent reflux though and then of course all the vomiting from age 18 months to 30 months also took its toll.

FODMAP was never mentioned, but she seems ok with most everything other than she had a slight reaction to celery a couple of times before I realised.

Anyway, I will start tomorrow with trying things differently and see how we go. Feeling optimistic

Sounds like a plan!

My son has vegan days, but only because his dietary needs, which are different than mine, require him to steer clear of particular fats. It took us forever to discover he had an egg allergy. His cousin has turned out to be the exact same.

Because of my issues add being female, I require much more iron and b vitamins and full fat milk/yogurt. Mind I barely go through 1L per week. I also cannot get nutrients like a vegan - with severe IBS and gluten issues, I cannot have legumes or high fibre veg on top not having millet, teff or quinoa. Add keeping a hormone balance, it's important for me to get natural sourced vitamins, so anything from the sea, and red meat 2x month. Most humans like myself need more animal fats for health and will never be able to go plant based, unfortunately.

We're all so different. It's a shame you were dismissed. Did the herbalist recommend changing your diet to a low FODMAP though (just as a guide to start and then see how they respond to various additions)? There's always the possibility Babies have allergic reactions to what the mother is intaking when nursing (I suppose this is why there's a list of things we can't eat with newborns).

But yes, the Little and Often is perfect for small humans!

Thanks Martin. Yes, making it more fun is probably a good suggestion also. I'm very big on making food nutritionally beneficial, but should probably try and inject an element of fun when I can. I do draw a silly face on her banana every day that she takes for her school snack

It sounds like me as a child. I had no interest in food before reaching 8 or 9 years of age. I just wasn't very hungry, ever, and there were always more interesting things to do than to sit at a table eating. Apart from not reaching my full height potential - my father was 6ft and I'm 5ft 8in - the lack of interest in food had no deleterious effects on me. The only thing I can suggest, is trying to make food and the process of eating more interesting for your child. Arranging food into words, faces or by colour on the plate might have some effect.

Hi JuniperFromGallifrey

Thank you so very much for taking the time to respond. You know I had never even considered the little and often approach and I think that could definitely be a way forward.

As a child I never ate at the table unless it was a special occasion. It was always a tray on the knee Infront of the box in our house. My husband on the other hand religiously ate at the table so this was his preference. We do find though that when we were letting the kids eat their lunch Infront of the TV, Emma would zone out focusing in whatever she was watching and not eat at all, hence eating away from the TV in the kitchen.

Dietary wise, Emma was born severely dairy allergic reacting to my *** milk. She had terrible silent reflux until I took her to a herbalist at 6 weeks old after being dismissed as a neurotic mother by the doctors. It was the herbalist who realised she had an allergy.

This last year as a family we have gone vegan/plant based for our health, so most of what we eat is made from scratch. I'm pretty confident she gets good nutrition, with lots of fruit, veg and pulses.

I am definitely going to try a little and often approach though once she's home from school and at weekends/ holidays. 

Thanks again for giving me an alternative.

Kerri

All this to say, at dinner, give her the amount she'll be able to eat in the same time it takes you. This could be 1/6th of her normal portion. If she's still hungry, allow her to have a small amount more in the living room with you perhaps. Then maybe a piece of fruit. 

I'd pick your battles with this. Is there a reason she needs to sit at the table to eat while you sit there and wait with her? I might air put health first. Worry about social 'obligations' later. Go about having your evening. It might relieve everyones frustration and she can eat small or as needed wherever. 

My grandmother told me to never overwhelm my son - especially with food. Children eat when they're hungry. Teaching them to wait a little is fine, but humans were not naturally designed for a Three set-like-clockwork meal a day.

Months of vomiting would make me scared of food, to be honest. 

I have dietary issues. Not just a gluten allergy but various high-fibre foods. I need to fast one day a week (I eat a little trail mix and have an apple) - I cannot digest things properly. I eat 2 small meals a day and pick at things in between. I was undiagnosed my whole childhood and had severe problems but was dismissed. You, on the other hand, sound like a good parent. So perhaps there's a better way to feed her.

I've had several GPs advise me to eat small amounts 6x a day. So that's a whole salad spread out half the day and a banana and then maybe an egg and then a little something else later.

There's no rule book saying both male and female regardless of size or weight should all eat the same portions per day. In fact, Jane Goodall ate a few bananas every day for months - no years on end. She was healthy and happy and lived quite long. Kids don't need much. Maybe give her a small something for breakfast and then let her ask for food when she's hungry. 

How would your daughter feel about a protein smoothie? or just a handful (her handful, not yours) of nuts and an hour later some veg? I would give her much less and allow her to properly digest it. 

Food sensitivity is archaic at best to work out. Not to mention the empty calories in nutrient depleted and GM foods. I have issues they can't even diagnose. Gluten allergies are under-funded research (and the government allows a micro-percent of gluten in 'gluten free' foods!!). Fibre issues under-funded. Candida, the list goes on. It's great you've got her on vitamins, but be cautious with the Vitamin D. I've opted for a kids multi with my son and for myself. My son takes Ashwaganda instead of Vitamin D (along with 1/2 a multi -the dose is not the same for all body types) but only every other day and we did it instead of anti-depressants which made a massive difference. He's now 25. Taking Vitamin D daily, was an overdose for him and giving him severe headaches. 

When I was young, undiagnosed issues meant I wasn't even getting the nutrients I needed, as this is part of how gluten was interfering with my whole biology, so no amount of vitamins could help (probiotics are different). Luckily, children regenerate better than adults.