My son is 10. I am a single mom and I work 2 jobs. My son is incredibly picky and it is getting worse. I think there are psychological reasons for this but his pediatrician just kind of ignores me when I ask what to do. I need help! When my son was 13 months old, he had to have heart surgery. It was a surprise diagnosis and 2 weeks later he was in surgery. As a result of his heart condition he also had to have blood pressure medicine. Up to this point, he had been an ok eater. He didn't like mashed potatoes but that was all. But he was falling off the bottom of the scale as far as weight. He weighed 7lbs 13ozs at birth and just under 20lbs at 13 months old. It turned out that he had a congenital heart condition called co-arctation of the aorta. Basically, his aorta was almost pinched off. He had blood flow through collateral arteries and veins but no pulse below his nipples. Anyway, when he came out of surgery and woke up, he was starving. He ate sooo good. But then, they started putting the blood pressure medicine in his food. Things like apple sauce, yogurt, peanut butter. Apparently, it tasted awful. After a week in the pediatric cardiac ICU, he came home. He weighed 15lbs at that point. He had to have this blood pressure medicine 3 times a day. It was at this point that he started refusing any food that wasn't crunchy. So we had to force the medicine into his mouth. This went on for over a year and I was so desperate for him to eat that I would get him what ever he wanted. So it became that he only eats chicken nuggets and french fries, and fish sticks. The only vegetable he will eat is fried okra. He will also eat granola bars and cookies, some toast but no bread, no cheese, no sauces. he will eat bacon and donut holes. Ice cream cones but not ice cream. He never eats 2 foods mixed together. I know this is killing him. He is now overweight. I make him try new foods, he has been to food therapy for over a year. When he was in therapy, he would eat what they gave him. And then refuse to eat it for me. I asked him why and he said he does it so he can leave. The other day I told him I would buy him a new video game if he would try one bite of everything we had a Thanksgiving dinner. He tried a bite of turkey and a bite of cornbread dressing (corn bread is a favorite). After those two bites, he told me he felt like he was going to throw up. I know I should have the strength to sit down and force him to eat something else but I can't. I have 2 jobs and I am always tired. At school, he won't even get a lunch tray. For his first year, I made him lunch. I phased that out thinking he would eat what the other kids ate. Instead he would go all day without even any milk because they wouldn't let him have just milk and no food. I really feel like this is a sensory/psychological problem rather than just "picky eater". He also has issues with certain clothes, has never worn socks and only likes to wear soft pants. Please don't tell me I need to force him to eat or starve him. I don't have the time to try to force him to eat. I once decided I was going to make him try sausage (because he ate sausage before the heart surgery). After 3 hours, he finally tried it. And hated it. And I hated myself. I don't have the energy for that ever again. I also don't want to make his relationship to food any more complicated than it already is.tl:dr 10 year old son won't eat anything but fast food. I think there is some deep rooted psychological trauma associated with food due to heart surgery and subsequent medication when he was 13 months old. I need suggestions that don't involve "force him" or "you are the parent, you make the rules'. via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2PUymY7
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