Resistant Eaters Awareness, Day 3

Drum roll, please! This is our last Resistant Eaters Awareness post! You've survived!

So, some of you are asking, "What does he eat?". Well, mostly he eats plain pasta (finally! We can now eat out at Fazolis!), plain white bread slices (only 2 brands), occasional chicken nugget (the shape is important to him and he has to be very hungry), various crackers, various cookies, Pringles, chow mein noodles (the crunchy kind in the can), peanuts, kid's yogurt (has to be colorful and contain no fruit slivers), cucumber slices, raw carrots, cherry tomatoes, pop tarts, Cocoa Pebbles cereal, Cookie Crisp cereal, popcorn, pretzels, dinosaur oatmeal (it's instant oatmeal that has dinosaur eggs in it which 'hatch' when the hot water is added), certain granola bars (chocolate chips mostly), fruit snacks (the chewy shaped ones), mini donuts (chocolate or powdered sugar), Aunt Millie's brand chocolate chip muffins (new food, yay!), and some fruits. Other foods are very hit or miss. Every now and then he'll eat mac n' cheese (specific shapes).

He does NOT eat "normal" kid stuff. That's right, no PBJ sandwiches, no waffles, no pancakes, no scrambled eggs, no hot dogs or other meats, no Cheerios or other cereals, no corn or green beans, no grilled cheese, rarely cheese, no sauce on anything, no cake, no brownies, very little ice cream, etc..... and for Nathan and me the hardest might be no deep-fried fair foods. :)

You may not understand the everyday ramifications of this. Just imagine trying to travel (and packing every bite of food) or even going to the mall for an afternoon. We can't just 'grab something' while we're out always. We even take a lunchbox into restaurants with us. Or, when it comes to sending him to a school that meets over lunchtime or if we want to send him to a camp-- we have to figure out what to do.

Finally, I'll share with you our plan for his future:

I'm currently seeking someone who specializes in food issues to help Keegan on the side. The therapy I really want him to have is $350 out of pocket every visit (which we won't be doing unless we hit the lottery), so I'm trying to find someone who can help for less. Not just any occupational or speech therapist can help; they need to be someone who specializes in this.

I'm also trying to be more consistent. I often make Keegan a custom meal just so that I know he's well-fed and will behave for school or other activities. I just hate dropping off a child and saying, "By the way-- he hasn't eaten in 24 hours and will throw tantrums-- Good luck!". However, if I continue to do that-- he will never learn. He MUST learn to eat what we're all eating and hunger needs to be the consequence. This is an extremely difficult, long, and painful road for me. It also means I need everyone else's help. He cannot learn that he can refuse dinner and then just get snacks from a loving grandparent or teacher to fill up. I need the village's help! :)

We also continue to pray for him, of course. And, your prayers are much appreciated too! We are so thankful that despite his food issues, he is very healthy and happy. We are so blessed!

For those of you wanting more resources, I recommend the book, "Just Take A Bite" by Lori Ernsperger.

Thanks for taking the time to learn more about Resistant Eaters this week. I really owe you something exciting! Now the pressure is on!