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#1
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7 yr old eating problems
My 7 yr. old was eating a taco salad at school during lunch, and choked
on one of the chips. It was stuck in this throat for a few seconds, then he choked it out. It scared the heck out of him. I happened to have be there with him when it happened, although I didn't realize it was happening until just before it was over. Now he has a fear of choking. He chooses his food based on whether he thinks he could choke on it. He eats very slowly now. He has lost weight. He was actually a bit overweight before, so he looks fit now. I suspect that is why others haven't really noticed this problem he is having. This has been going on now for a few weeks. I would like advice on how to help him get over this fear. Thanks. |
#2
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"Johnniec" wrote:
My 7 yr. old was eating a taco salad at school during lunch, and choked on one of the chips. It was stuck in this throat for a few seconds, then he choked it out. It scared the heck out of him. I happened to have be there with him when it happened, although I didn't realize it was happening until just before it was over. Now he has a fear of choking. He chooses his food based on whether he thinks he could choke on it. He eats very slowly now. He has lost weight. He was actually a bit overweight before, so he looks fit now. I suspect that is why others haven't really noticed this problem he is having. This has been going on now for a few weeks. I would like advice on how to help him get over this fear. Maybe you could explain to him (or have his doctor explain to him) how his mouth and throat work. Chewing food thoroughly is a good idea, and the original incident was likely caused by his not chewing the chip well enough. Give him the feeling that he can be in control of what goes down his throat not _only_ by choosing soft foods but by chewing well anything he puts in his mouth. Maybe you can call it a science experiement -- using foods that he used to enjoy but has been avoiding. Meanwhile, make sure there's plenty of nutrition in the foods he does it. Good luck! Peggy -- The Duke showed his lower teeth. "We all have our flaws," he said, "and mine is being wicked." --James Thurber |
#3
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In article .com,
Johnniec wrote: My 7 yr. old was eating a taco salad at school during lunch, and choked on one of the chips. It was stuck in this throat for a few seconds, then he choked it out. It scared the heck out of him. I happened to have be there with him when it happened, although I didn't realize it was happening until just before it was over. Now he has a fear of choking. He chooses his food based on whether he thinks he could choke on it. He eats very slowly now. He has lost weight. He was actually a bit overweight before, so he looks fit now. I suspect that is why others haven't really noticed this problem he is having. This has been going on now for a few weeks. I would like advice on how to help him get over this fear. Eating slowly is not a serious problem---it may even be healthier than rapid eating, as one is more likely to stop when satiated. You may have to schedule meal times to last longer, so that he has sufficient time to eat an adequate amount. Neither dismiss his fears (he knows that choking *can* happen to him) nor dwell on them, but teaching him coping strategies to minimize the risk without introducing other risks (like not getting enough to eat). You may want to cut up some of his food into smaller pieces, so that there is less chance of choking, and encourage him to chew food thoroughly. Serve lots of milk (assuming there is no allergy to it), to make sure he gets enough protein. If he is refusing meat (the most likely cause of choking), try getting him to eat tofu, which is also an excellent protein source, but of softer consistency. If he shows extreme fear, like refusing to eat anything, seek professional help. ------------------------------------------------------------ Kevin Karplus http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/~karplus Professor of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz Undergraduate and Graduate Director, Bioinformatics (Senior member, IEEE) (Board of Directors, ISCB) life member (LAB, Adventure Cycling, American Youth Hostels) Effective Cycling Instructor #218-ck (lapsed) Affiliations for identification only. |
#4
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In article ,
Kevin Karplus wrote: In article .com, Johnniec wrote: Now he has a fear of choking. He chooses his food based on whether he thinks he could choke on it. He eats very slowly now. He has lost weight. He was actually a bit overweight before, so he looks fit now. I suspect that is why others haven't really noticed this problem he is having. Eating slowly is not a serious problem---it may even be healthier than rapid eating, as one is more likely to stop when satiated. You may have to schedule meal times to last longer, so that he has sufficient time to eat an adequate amount. This can be a problem for lunchtime in school though. Most schools allow very little time for the kids too eat. I have a slow eater, and there is a very real issue with letting him have enough time to eat without sacrificing supervision somewhere. --Robyn |
#5
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"Robyn Kozierok" wrote in message ... In article , Kevin Karplus wrote: In article .com, Johnniec wrote: Now he has a fear of choking. He chooses his food based on whether he thinks he could choke on it. He eats very slowly now. He has lost weight. He was actually a bit overweight before, so he looks fit now. I suspect that is why others haven't really noticed this problem he is having. Eating slowly is not a serious problem---it may even be healthier than rapid eating, as one is more likely to stop when satiated. You may have to schedule meal times to last longer, so that he has sufficient time to eat an adequate amount. This can be a problem for lunchtime in school though. Most schools allow very little time for the kids too eat. I have a slow eater, and there is a very real issue with letting him have enough time to eat without sacrificing supervision somewhere. But, he might find foods that he can eat relatively rapidly. He can snack when he gets home, too. Jeff --Robyn |
#6
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In article , Robyn Kozierok wrote:
In article , Kevin Karplus wrote: In article .com, Johnniec wrote: Now he has a fear of choking. He chooses his food based on whether he thinks he could choke on it. He eats very slowly now. He has lost weight. He was actually a bit overweight before, so he looks fit now. I suspect that is why others haven't really noticed this problem he is having. Eating slowly is not a serious problem---it may even be healthier than rapid eating, as one is more likely to stop when satiated. You may have to schedule meal times to last longer, so that he has sufficient time to eat an adequate amount. This can be a problem for lunchtime in school though. Most schools allow very little time for the kids too eat. I have a slow eater, and there is a very real issue with letting him have enough time to eat without sacrificing supervision somewhere. I have a slow eater also---he brings a lunch from home and rarely eats more than a third of it during school lunch time. It isn't so much that there isn't enough lunch time as that there are much more exciting things to do (like lunch time art or practicing with his theater group, which is a bunch of third graders who get together to practice dialogue from the Harry Potter books). Lunch time is the main social and play time of the day at his school with only one short midmorning recess (the theater group is mainly a recess-time activity, but occasionally spills over into lunch time). We make sure that he has an after-school snack, which often consists of what he didn't eat at lunch plus a cup of chocolate milk. School lunches around here are nutritionally poor---mostly fried foods with a high calorie count. We let our son eat them once a week if he wants, but he has not been requesting the school lunches much this year. His favorite lunch foods (cold tofu with soy sauce, applesauce, plain bread, kiwi fruit, ...) don't match the school lunches well. ------------------------------------------------------------ Kevin Karplus http://www.soe.ucsc.edu/~karplus Professor of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Santa Cruz Undergraduate and Graduate Director, Bioinformatics (Senior member, IEEE) (Board of Directors, ISCB) life member (LAB, Adventure Cycling, American Youth Hostels) Effective Cycling Instructor #218-ck (lapsed) Affiliations for identification only. |
#7
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I wouldn't worry about his weight loss...that probably stems from his
taking his time, paying attention to what he is eating, not wolfing down his food while talking etc....that is one of the first things they tell you when you are trying to diet (turn tv off, pay attention to you're food...it doesn't disapear as fast). He's more than likely filling up faster because he is more conscious of how much he's taking in. I would give him some time...I think he will probably get over his fear on his own. The more time passes since the incedent, the more likely he is to forget all about it and resume eating like normal. șoș Dana șoș Remove NoSpam to reply http://community.webtv.net/DisneyDanaNoSpam/MyPugs |
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