Child with Down's Syndrome refusing food

[megs_95]

In my class there is a four year old girl with Down's Syndrome. She has always been very picky about foods (which I believe is common for young children with DS) and difficult to feed, however the two staff she had a real bond with have left. Since they've gone she refuses to eat anything and is very adamant about it, and the only thing she will touch is her yoghurt for afternoon tea. Mum has been really helpful and given us a lot of tips and things to try, but so far we haven't had any luck and all she eats in care is yoghurt.

I feel terrible that she's not eating here anymore, because she's in care for 8 hours a day 3 times a week and all she has is yoghurt! I've done my own bits of research and can't find anything that could help. Is there anything else we could try? It's so frustrating and I'm really worried about her lack of food throughout the day

[Lorina]

Is a hard situation to deal with as it seems she is acting out because her close carers have left....

Yes it is a worry especially since she is not getting enough nutrition throughout the day it can easily make her tired and lethargic. However you can't force feed a child and if and when she is hungry she will eat more. Although I know this doesn't stop you from worrying about it.

Is her mum able to bring in lunch from home in a special lunch box until she start eating again? Or even if she brings in her feeding utensils (plates, cups, etc) from home that can be used within the service. Or since it seems like she is refusing food since her carers left can you print out photos of these carers and give them to her. Maybe you can talk to her about it. If you have photos of the two educators playing with her you can create a special photo book that you can give to her... Just throwing ideas out there...

I think that once this child forms a strong bond with another educator within the room she will begin to eat again. As long as her parents are supportive and you are being supportive I don't think there is much else you can do...

I really hope your situation improves,

,
L.A

[Janiedaniel]

Hii Megs I think this will help
As child progresses toward sitting up and begins to show an interest in what you are eating, you look forward to introducing food. Introducing purees and later food with more texture or table foods may result in the child not accepting the food. Babies must learn to coordinate tongue and jaw movements and if he has a habit of protruding his tongue this may add to the problem of food being pushed back out. To address this:

Consider if the baby is really ready for solids; you may want to try again in another month.
Check positioning. The best position is sitting upright, with his legs, head, back, and feet supported.
Start with small spoonfuls of food so that the child can learn to control tongue and jaw movements.
If he thrusts his jaw or tongue forward, present the spoon firmly on the center-front of his tongue with gentle pressure. Resist scraping the spoon off on the child’s upper lip and let him clear the spoon himself.