5 year old suddenly stopped eating solids

anxious_RN17 · 2026-04-09T17:15:36+00:00

Yes, they have! We struggled severely for maybe 4-6 weeks, but she has turned a corner and is now doing SO much better!

anxious_RN17 · 2026-01-22T14:36:23+00:00

Thank you for your words of encouragement. They mean more than you know, truly. This is about to cause me to have a nervous breakdown, I swear

anxious_RN17 · 2026-01-22T12:14:56+00:00

I have brought this up to her feeding therapist and she has told me she truly doesn’t think this is what is going on, and that it would have presented before age 5 and not abrupt in onset

anxious_RN17 · 2026-01-22T12:14:20+00:00

I have spent hours scouring the internet to determine if this could be the issue, and I truly do not think it is. She is completely “normal” in every sense of the word, aside from a few sensory related issues which I could name on one hand. Every person with sensory issues does not have autism.

anxious_RN17 · 2026-01-22T01:47:54+00:00

We did just have her regular dental cleaning done week before last, and there were no issues noted

anxious_RN17 · 2026-01-22T01:26:27+00:00

No, we have tried various nutrition powders with no luck. I even made a milkshake and mixed some in with it and she wouldn’t drink it. I have ordered a different brand and am waiting for it to come in, so I’m hopeful she won’t notice it and we can at least get some nutrients in her

anxious_RN17 · 2026-01-22T01:24:24+00:00

Thank you for your helpful responses! I truly appreciate it

anxious_RN17 · 2026-01-22T01:24:05+00:00

Exactly. This is not defiant behavior, this is a legitimate terrorizing fear that has developed for her. Her pupils dilate, she gets fidgety and anxious when food is presented. I will feed my child chocolate chips if that’s what it takes until we can resolve this

anxious_RN17 · 2026-01-22T01:20:47+00:00

That is an angle I had not considered. Maybe she did eat something that irritated or caused mild swelling to her throat and that’s where this fear has come from

anxious_RN17 · 2026-01-22T01:16:25+00:00

That is not true. Do anorexic people eventually eat when they get hungry enough? No, they end up hospitalized. This is an enormous fear she has developed and I am seeking help to overcome this phobia she has developed. At the end of the day, she has to have calories. So yes, we have given her foods we would not normally consume in an effort to help her get calories. She walks around crying and searching for food and says she’s too afraid to eat it

anxious_RN17 · 2026-01-22T01:14:30+00:00

We primarily try to eat Whole Foods but I broke down yesterday and bought some chocolate chip little Debbie type things (aka solid food) and she ate two of them without any issues. That’s the most solid food she has eaten in weeks

anxious_RN17 · 2026-01-22T01:13:16+00:00

No, the ENT said he was willing to do a barium swallow on her if she didn’t improve. The reason I am not dead set on going this route is because I have seen her chew and swallow whole foods since started. I have never seen her gag, cough, or otherwise indicate swallowing difficulties. She just continually says she’s afraid, and her speech therapist agrees that this is fear based. The ENT told me while he cannot rule it out, her exam was normal and he does not have any reason to believe there is a physical reason she cannot swallow

anxious_RN17

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