Patrick is a skinny kid. He's always been above average in height. In weight however, was average or above average as a baby, but under average as a toddler. Patrick looks like my husband when he was a child, but with a darker skin tone, eyes and hair. We like to say that Patrick is a Mexican version of Tim. The fact that Tim was so skinny, but healthy as a child, made us think that Patrick's low weight was only a matter of genes.
Patrick was breastfed from newborn up to the age of 8 months. I think I could have done it longer but I had gotten back to work for a few months then, and it was getting more and more difficult to manage both. So I started giving him Similac. He started eating solids at about 6 months, but it was quite a slow process, which I'm relating to his low tone in the mouth (it was difficult for him to chew and swallow some foods). Patrick didn't pass stools everyday. Even when he was breastfed, he would go 3-5 days without passing a stool, but it didn't seem to bother him at all, so the doctor said we shouldn't worry. When he turned 1 year, we began to give him whole milk, and more foods were added to his diet. That's when I feel the real constipation problems began.
Without getting into too many details, I can say that he was in severe pain when trying to pass a stool. Because of it, he was eating less and less every time. We thought lactose was the problem, so we tried so many milks for months, from lactose-free, to almond, soy and coconut. The problem seemed to ease a little for awhile but it always came back. We took him to his pediatrician and it was suggested that we gave him Miralax. Miralax was doing the trick often, but I didn't like the idea of having a toddler taking medicine to be able to go potty. We also had to give him suppositories when the problem was really bad. So we kept trying things, like reducing the intake of bread and pasta and adding more fruit and fiber, reducing milk and adding more water... but nothing seemed to eradicate the problem.
Patrick started to be a really picky eater, occasionally eating amazingly well, but most of the times being chased to get him to eat. He loves everything eggs and enjoys fresh fruit and berries, but getting him to eat lunch and dinner is usually a battle. About a year ago, we tried adding Carnation Instant Breakfast to his milk, and it seemed to be working at first, but after a couple of weeks, he didn't even want to eat his fruit or yogurt snacks. The doctor figured that the Carnation was probably making him too full and instead of helping, it was making things worse. So we stopped the Carnation, and we continued to hope that each day would be one of those lucky days when Patrick happened to eat everything we gave him.
I got a wake up call when at one of his appointments we realized he hadn't gained weight in the months prior. And then after that we noticed he started to lose weight, so we made an appointment with a nutritionist and a gastroenterologist at Children's Hospital. They ran a number of tests, to see if he had any sort of allergies or intolerance to gluten (celiac disease), but everything came back OK, and we were told (again) that Patrick needed to be on Miralax daily. I still hate the idea of having him on Miralax, but like the doctors said, by trying to avoid to have him take medicine, he is not eating, hence missing out on nutrients that are important for his development. They were right on that, because now that he is passing stools everyday, his appetite is significantly better, so it's easy to get him to eat his veggies, fruits, meats and such.
He is still a picky eater sometimes, but most of the times he eats well. He is back to having Carnation Instant Breakfast and looks like he is slowly putting on some weight. Best of all, he isn't suffering due to the constipation issues. It broke my heart every time he had to go through that pain. But now I have my happy Patrick again. His mood is so much better now, which makes him be more willing to sit and play with me nicely for long periods of time, learning new things. The difference is amazing, like two completely different boys. We also added Magnesium: My husband sprays some on his skin at night few times a week, or we add Epson Salts to his bath. It makes him so relaxed, and a happy little boy.
I found in several forums moms talking about giving Fish Oil to their kids with developmental delays. Most moms then would say that their kids were doing significantly better (like talking more, or improved motor skills), however, some of them didn't want to attribute the improvements to the Fish Oil, but rather say the improvements were due to their kids getting older. I figured I didn't lose anything by trying so we added Fish Oil to his morning shakes. After a couple of occupational therapies, where Patrick played and behaved like a perfect little boy for the whole sessions, his therapist asked me what did I think had made the difference, to which I responded that he was eating significantly better every day. I told her about the magnesium baths, and then I told her about the fish oil. And as I said that, I heard myself saying "I'm not sure if that really made any difference though, maybe he is just getting older, hence more mature". That's when I remember these other ladies suggesting that the Fish Oil wasn't the real cause of their kids improvements, but only a matter of coincidence. I realized then that it couldn't be a coincidence that all of our kids happened to "grow and mature" when they started to take the fish oil. So I'm going to give Fish Oil its very own credit, too.
If you have a picky eater like mine, chances are his nutrition is causing some of the behavior issues you are dealing with, along with some of his developmental delays. A better nutrition didn't "cure" Patrick, but it's definitely speeding up his development. He isn't constipated any more so he is happier, and he is more often with a satisfied tummy, therefore he is willing to relax and pay more attention on how to do new things that were past due, like making puzzles. Instead of throwing the puzzle pieces to anyone who passes by, my boy is finally using the pieces for what they were made: making puzzles!!
Patrick was breastfed from newborn up to the age of 8 months. I think I could have done it longer but I had gotten back to work for a few months then, and it was getting more and more difficult to manage both. So I started giving him Similac. He started eating solids at about 6 months, but it was quite a slow process, which I'm relating to his low tone in the mouth (it was difficult for him to chew and swallow some foods). Patrick didn't pass stools everyday. Even when he was breastfed, he would go 3-5 days without passing a stool, but it didn't seem to bother him at all, so the doctor said we shouldn't worry. When he turned 1 year, we began to give him whole milk, and more foods were added to his diet. That's when I feel the real constipation problems began.
Without getting into too many details, I can say that he was in severe pain when trying to pass a stool. Because of it, he was eating less and less every time. We thought lactose was the problem, so we tried so many milks for months, from lactose-free, to almond, soy and coconut. The problem seemed to ease a little for awhile but it always came back. We took him to his pediatrician and it was suggested that we gave him Miralax. Miralax was doing the trick often, but I didn't like the idea of having a toddler taking medicine to be able to go potty. We also had to give him suppositories when the problem was really bad. So we kept trying things, like reducing the intake of bread and pasta and adding more fruit and fiber, reducing milk and adding more water... but nothing seemed to eradicate the problem.
Patrick started to be a really picky eater, occasionally eating amazingly well, but most of the times being chased to get him to eat. He loves everything eggs and enjoys fresh fruit and berries, but getting him to eat lunch and dinner is usually a battle. About a year ago, we tried adding Carnation Instant Breakfast to his milk, and it seemed to be working at first, but after a couple of weeks, he didn't even want to eat his fruit or yogurt snacks. The doctor figured that the Carnation was probably making him too full and instead of helping, it was making things worse. So we stopped the Carnation, and we continued to hope that each day would be one of those lucky days when Patrick happened to eat everything we gave him.
I got a wake up call when at one of his appointments we realized he hadn't gained weight in the months prior. And then after that we noticed he started to lose weight, so we made an appointment with a nutritionist and a gastroenterologist at Children's Hospital. They ran a number of tests, to see if he had any sort of allergies or intolerance to gluten (celiac disease), but everything came back OK, and we were told (again) that Patrick needed to be on Miralax daily. I still hate the idea of having him on Miralax, but like the doctors said, by trying to avoid to have him take medicine, he is not eating, hence missing out on nutrients that are important for his development. They were right on that, because now that he is passing stools everyday, his appetite is significantly better, so it's easy to get him to eat his veggies, fruits, meats and such.
He is still a picky eater sometimes, but most of the times he eats well. He is back to having Carnation Instant Breakfast and looks like he is slowly putting on some weight. Best of all, he isn't suffering due to the constipation issues. It broke my heart every time he had to go through that pain. But now I have my happy Patrick again. His mood is so much better now, which makes him be more willing to sit and play with me nicely for long periods of time, learning new things. The difference is amazing, like two completely different boys. We also added Magnesium: My husband sprays some on his skin at night few times a week, or we add Epson Salts to his bath. It makes him so relaxed, and a happy little boy.
I found in several forums moms talking about giving Fish Oil to their kids with developmental delays. Most moms then would say that their kids were doing significantly better (like talking more, or improved motor skills), however, some of them didn't want to attribute the improvements to the Fish Oil, but rather say the improvements were due to their kids getting older. I figured I didn't lose anything by trying so we added Fish Oil to his morning shakes. After a couple of occupational therapies, where Patrick played and behaved like a perfect little boy for the whole sessions, his therapist asked me what did I think had made the difference, to which I responded that he was eating significantly better every day. I told her about the magnesium baths, and then I told her about the fish oil. And as I said that, I heard myself saying "I'm not sure if that really made any difference though, maybe he is just getting older, hence more mature". That's when I remember these other ladies suggesting that the Fish Oil wasn't the real cause of their kids improvements, but only a matter of coincidence. I realized then that it couldn't be a coincidence that all of our kids happened to "grow and mature" when they started to take the fish oil. So I'm going to give Fish Oil its very own credit, too.
If you have a picky eater like mine, chances are his nutrition is causing some of the behavior issues you are dealing with, along with some of his developmental delays. A better nutrition didn't "cure" Patrick, but it's definitely speeding up his development. He isn't constipated any more so he is happier, and he is more often with a satisfied tummy, therefore he is willing to relax and pay more attention on how to do new things that were past due, like making puzzles. Instead of throwing the puzzle pieces to anyone who passes by, my boy is finally using the pieces for what they were made: making puzzles!!
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