How do you handle your child literally gagging himself?

Question

because he doesn't like what he's given for meals?

My 3 year old is getting into this terrible habit. He actually vomited on his plate two nights ago at my in laws house after taking a small bite of mashed potatoes! It's getting down right silly!

I don't know if he's doing it because he is that determined not to eat the food or if there is a real underlying problem, but he has NO trouble eating PB&J and other foods he likes. But I'm not going to give him everything he wants just because he gags. He has to learn to eat what is given to him.

What can we do about this behavior? Is there anything that can be done? Should we just let it go and he'll eventually learn to eat what he's served or would it be a good idea to consult his pediatrician?

Answer 1

Maybe he really does not like mashed potatoes. My sister is 39 and still gags on green beans. I get what you are saying but I think everyone has a few foods that they seriously hate. I don't think people gag on purpose. It could be a texture thing as well maybe he does not like mushy things. Maybe it is too many new things at once and he remembers the last one was gross, it could be a million things. I make my kids try the food, if they do not like it fine but they have to swallow the bite. My mother in law says a child has to try a food 4 or 5 times to really know if they like it. It does not need to be 4 or 5 bites in a row. Just try the new food a few more times and if they dont like it, then they dont like it.

I guess if he refuese to try anything else then tell him ok you are done and get him down from the table and when he is hungry re-heat his dinner.



Edit: That is odd if he use to like them. I know my kids have gone through phases were they eat something like applesauce a lot and then they don't want any for a few months or longer, I guess they get tired of it. Then after awhile they start eating it again. I guess I would say pick one method and just stick to it like you would for any other behavior issue. I let my kids become picky eaters and it seriously is one of my biggest regrets, so pick something and just stick with the same as you would for hitting or breaking any other rule.

Answer 2

I would ignore it and not feed into his behavior. Maybe he'll eventually realize he's not getting the reaction he hoped for from you guys and just stop. Another idea would be to reward him with something he really likes ( cookies or candy for example) if he does as he's told and eats say.... 5 bites of his mashed potatoes or whatever the dinner is that he doesn't like. Try negotiating with him because kids love feeling big like they have some control of the situation. It boosts their confidence. I do this with my oldest son, he's 3 and a picky eater. If he can't bring himself to eat all of the food on his plate that he doesn't like, i make a deal with him and tell him he has to eat 3 more bites before he can get up and play. Most of the time he'll do it, although sometimes i have to feed him the bites myself. If your not the type of mom who likes to give they're child lots of sweets or just don't like this method, simply let him down from the table and when he gets absolutely hungry later, see if he will finish the same plate. That will be the true test to if he absolutely hates something when he won't even eat it if he's starving. At that point, give in and introduce another healthy option. It seems that all kids love sweet potatoes and they're so good for you! Bake them and add some cinnamon and butter, it's delicious. If nothing seems to work then i would suggest talking to his pediatrician, but chances are you can stop this on your own and it just will take some patience and a little negotiation to get him to eat the things he's not too fond of. Good Luck!

Answer 3

My honest opinion is the more you make a battle over this, the more he will fight it. I wouldn't give in during the heat of the moment though. I mean once you have said "you have to eat it" then obviously that's that. Personally I wouldn't let it get to that. You know him best and so if he says he doesn't like something and you know it will get to that point if you pick the battle then you can just choose then not to pick that battle. I would tell him he doesn't have to eat the potatoes but he needs to replace them with something Else that is healthy such as fruit or veggies or even some bread with peanut butter which is actually even healthier than potatoes.



I just don't believe in making a battle over food and I think it can make a child even more picky. As a child I was forced to eat foods I hated and it make me even more picky. I was afraid to try new foods because of that fear they would make me eat it even if I didn't like it. I think as long as a child is eating healthy foods from each food group then it's pointless to make food a battle. I could see if he never ate any veggies and you had to get him to eat some but something like potato which anyone can live without, not worth it.

Answer 4

I'm not a mom, so I'm sorry if my answer is not that valid. But I do hang around a lot of moms.



One in particular has a 2 year old. He can get very stubborn sometimes. When he doesn't want to eat what's before him, she'll take his food away. When he gets hungry, he'll ask for what he wants, but instead she'll put before him the stuff he rejected initially.



Maybe you could do that with your child. While he is 3 years old, he is learning and able to understand, "Hmm. I'm hungry. Mom has some food!"

Answer 5

I think making him eat the vomit would get the point across - it's completely safe and wouldn't harm him. But I don't think that's probably the way to go about it - quite frankly if I made my son eat what he threw up, I'd probably throw up.



If it's a new occurrence and only occurs with food he doesn't want to eat, you can be fairly certain he's doing it on purpose. Try sending him to his room for time-out while you clean up the mess. Then have him come back to the table and eat. He then has to sit at the table until he eats his allotment of food. Even if it means everyone else is done and leaves the table and the table is cleared except for his plate. After dinner he needs to go directly to his room and stay there until bed time.



Don't send him right to his room to stay after the occurence, because then he's winning since he doesn't have to eat the food.



Edit:



As for the people who say don't fight this battle, I completely disagree. If you can win this battle now you won't have to deal with it for the next 18 years. You'll have a teenager who'll eat anything and is open and mature when it comes to food. And the issue goes further than food. It's a control issue. By standing your ground he's learning that you're in charge.



My 3 1/2 year old eats anything. He eats what we eat. I've never catered to him on food. He loves raw mushrooms and puts onions on his sandwiches. He'll eat spicy chili or raw bell peppers. He loves carrots and broccoli. He'll even happily chow down on sardines. He eats things that even I try to avoid due to distaste. And when he's in a picky mood we just tough it out and he learns that sometimes you eat what you don't like.

What works well for me is to compromise with him and give him a goal. "If you eat 5 more bites of potatoes then you can have another strawberry." I only negotiate with food items already on the table, I don't go get something special for him.

Answer 6

Give him food he likes, I am sure no one forces you to eat food you dislike. Or give him a little of both, some PB&J and a little mashed potatoes, you cannot force kids to eat something they don't like, as much as many parents try.



"""He can't live off of PB&J, bananas, chicken nuggets, apple sauce and macaroni."""



If I could live off Ramon Noodles and bananas in college, he could live off that LoL.



This won't be forever, he will eat other things, just let him get over it. Give him the food he likes.

Answer 7

Its a temper tantrum. Thats it, and nothing more. It may have been an accident or a real vomit the first time, but at this point, I promise its on purpose, and its a tantrum.



When he does this, clean it up, dont make a big deal about it. But DONT offer him the pb&j. He cant eat that and only that. But, he has seen now that the easy way to get what he wants is to make a big deal, and then you will give it to him.



At 3 years old, when he is hungry enough, he will eat what is offered. Offer the regularly scheduled meals, but no snacks until he eats. If he doesnt eat the offered meal, then he doesnt eat. He doesnt get the pb&j, and he doesnt get a snack. After missing a couple meals and realizing that you arent gonna give him pb&j, he will stop doing it.



Take control of this tantrum now. If you continue to enable it and encourage it, the next thing you know you will have a teenager who doesnt listen to a thing you say. Those things start now. The parent does what they need to do to stop the tantrums, having no clue what the future effects are. The child sees it works in this situation, and tries it in another. The parent knows giving in worked in that situation, so they do it again and again and again, and the pattern starts. Its a very hard pattern to stop once it goes that far.

Answer 8

I would consult a pediatrician to make sure there is no problem and if not then have him eat what is on his plate. When my daughter doesn't want to eat what she is served I don't make her eat I just wrap it up and she can have it for the next meal ( even if its breakfast) she knows she won't eat anything else until it's half way gone. When they are really hungry they will eat.

Answer 9

Just let him do it, but tell him that if he gets hungry again, too bad. He can only eat at meal time and that's it. Maybe that will make him think if he does that at dinner time and can't have anything else until next morning. I agree with the other mom, if you give in to him, it will never end and no matter how old he is, he will continue to do so.

Goodluck

Answer 10

I think if my son did that I would laugh at him. He seems to be doing it for attention. It's just like when they hold their breath when they are mad- you just have to ignore it. What are you going to do? Make him 5 choices for every meal? That's ridiculous.



My son is only 15 months but has started doing things to get a reaction out of me. It's sooooo funny.

Answer 11

he is 3....personally, this i a battle i just will not try to fight....it is somethng he will definetly grow out of....as long as he is eating, that should be the important thing... when he gets older then..yes.....he has to eat what you make...i have a 14 year old who is sooo picky when it comes to food....at this point, i tell him..yo dont like what i made?? okay well then you go make something for your self then.....i wont make special meals just because he wont eat what i have made....but when they are little..that is adifferent story



EDIT: actually midnight: i have only raised my 14 year old since he was 9.....he is a child from one of my husbads previous relationships..... soooo with that said....i will not let my child starve and tell them they cant eat.....is notlike i am saying..oh you dont want these mashed potatoes sweetheart..oh here is an icecream cone instead......i will offer somethin i know he will eat with nutritional value......

Answer 12

Edit: Okay, here's some more advice...it's most likley just a phase. My daughter is very picky and she knows that if she does not eat what we serve then she doesn't eat. She will eat every other meal throughout the day but she doesn't like dinner (for some reason) don't offer the pb&j, just clean him up and let him figure it out himself. Just ignore him when he cries and tries to gag himself, and if he throws up then just wipe him and change his clothes and then eventually if he's hungry he will eat. They will eat if they are hungry...that's what i've always heard.



Here this may help too: http://books.google.com/books?id=l8qsg_DjdTYC&pg=PA47&lpg=PA47&dq=child+gags+himself+when+eating&source=bl&ots=gvDspOd8oG&sig=WksJ2CuOes4yB4V3sHGtwSDkiNU&hl=en

Answer 13

I totally agree with you on certain aspects but you should not let him try to out grown this phase. Continuing to let him throw up his food will cause damage to his organs and esophagus, acid will begin to do what it supposed to only do in healthy stomach. Break down and damage other organs.



You should also take him to his Dr. and get help before it gets out of hand.

Answer 14

"Bella- I'm sorry you felt the need to be so rude here. I'm not going to block you or report you. I'm not that childish."



Oh my LOLZ. I answered this person's other question on this and was swiftly blocked.



I <3 Yahoo! Answers...

Answer 15

hey im 14......i think u shouldnt do that! if he doesnt like it, he will never like it! my mom used to try to make me eat the food but everytime i tried eating it, i felt like vomiting cuz i really hated.....its the worst! ur like not letting your child enjoy food!....my mom decided buying me food that i like and that is healthy, and eventually i learned eating more things when i grew up, its normal to eat a few stuff when ur young. if u love u gotta help him, would u like if someone made u eat rats ??? its awful to eat stuff u dont like, u gotta be in your son's shoes too. there is nothing wrong with him, he just doesnt like it ok???