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Food refusal - 4 year old daughter

maaya

Hi

Hope you dont mind me posting, my 4 year old has been identified as having an aspergers personality and I am supposed to use autistic strategies to help her.  

I have been told to reduce her anxiety around food by letting her choose from a buffet style selection and make not comments on what she eats. So everyday she has a peanut butter sandwich for lunch and baked beans and a slice of bread for tea.  My difficulty is that she wakes at 4 in the morning and cant sleep - I assume she is hungry but obviously I dont give her any food at this time, only snacks of cherios/fruit in between meals.

I would love to know how others have managed meal times.  I desperately need some sleep as I cant cope with her during the day otherwise...

Thanks

  • My boths boy have big issues with food and also slept very little when they were younger. Your daughter may not be waking for food. Children with ASD find it hard to sleep as they find it hard to relax and turn off their brain. She may be waking beacuse of an outside noise, sun coming through the window, looking for reassurance from you, something she is worrying about.

    We couldn't flush the loo, click a light switch, make any noise near where my sons were sleeping. 

    I know the sleepless nights are hard, but try to eliminate as much noise as possible. Some children are also easily stimulated with toys in their room, posters on walls, mobiles etc. You can get someone to help you create a better sleep environment, who understands about autistic children, through your local autistic services. 

    Try not to worry about what she eats. I actually get my sons to eat dark chocolate if they are stressed as it is good for lowering anxiety. Can you plan a late supper before bed? As long as she is eating well during the day, a treat at bedtime, before teeth brushing is fine. My sons still have this, even though they are now 16 and 18 and are big healthy boys.

    You could also leave something safe she is allowed to play with in her room if she wakes early. 

    There's no easy reply. I found that once my boys started full time school that they slept better, being more tired. Now they have turned into typical teenagers who are hard to get up in the morning. If you have anyone to help you, who can look after your daughter for a couple of hours, have a nap yourself. 

    Really hope things improve for you .