bid Report post Posted May 26, 2005 (edited) Hi My 4 year old (middle of assessments...) has a very restricted diet. He also has severe (life-threatening) allergies to all dairy and egg. He goes to a specialist allergy clinic, and earlier on in the year when he was weighed he had put on only 1.2kg in weight in a whole year! We have great problems getting him to eat a balanced diet because he won't eat so many foods He was given an uber-supplement by the hospital dietician, which he refuses to take...it did look horrible I must say! Does anyone know of any 'build-you-up' shakes we could try...the sort of powders you add to (soya) milk?? It would need to be dairy and egg-free...and taste nice! He does love his soya milk, so I just thought this might be a wayof getting extra calories into him. Yesterday we got a letter from the hospital cancelling his appointment in Jan and rescheduling it for June!! I'll give the dietician a ring too, but though they are very nice, they don't seem to ever really come up with anything that helps! Thanks! Bid Edited May 26, 2005 by bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mossgrove Report post Posted May 26, 2005 I am not sure how useful it would be, but you might want to try something called fortisip which is more commonly used for people whe are temporarily unable to eat and provides a full range of nutrients. It come in cartons in milkshake and fruit juice styles but you would need to double check whther the fruit juice versions contained any milk protiens. I don't think it's very nice though! You'll find plenty of info by googling. Simon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted May 26, 2005 Thanks Simon I just wondered if anyone had tried anything like this...I know there are quite a few reluctant eaters on the forum! Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sel Report post Posted May 26, 2005 Hiya, I have much the same prob with my son, Especially when he is on his med's (Ritalin) he hardly eats a thing. I do two things to help him, I give him weekends and hols off his meds, so at least he has got a bit off a hunger then!!. I also give him complan drinks, which is a powdered milkshake ( although the now do soups i believe ) which i make up for him. Also the other thing that he has and i know this sounds weird, but those slim fast bars. I know he is not on a diet!!, but the contain loads of vits and minerals. The other thing i have found he likes are nuts. So i often give him a bowl of nuts just to pick at. I don't know if any of these are of any use to you with your son allergys though!!. Sorry. I also give him a jelly multi vit every morning along with his eye-q and ritalin!!. I know it is really worrying when they don't eat. My son is nine almost 10 and only weighs around 4 stone, which is less than his 6 year old brother!!. Hope this helps Take care. Sel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted May 26, 2005 Cheers Sel! Complan was the name I couldn't remember! I'l go and read the ingredients label to check for 'nasties'!! Do you feel your son is basically healthy although he's very light? Thanks again, Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mossgrove Report post Posted May 26, 2005 Isn't Complan milk-based? Simon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted May 26, 2005 Sigh...probably! Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest flutter Report post Posted May 26, 2005 (edited) could you make your own? i have a good smoothies book, if you wnat me to look in it shout and a machine which little one had me buy, but before that i used hand blender ? Edited May 26, 2005 by flutter Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted May 26, 2005 (edited) ooohh, that's a good idea Flutter! Hadn't thought of that, although wouldn't it be just fruit and soya milk? What could I add to bulk up on the calories? Thanks again, I'll have a think about that one! Bid Edited May 26, 2005 by bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sel Report post Posted May 26, 2005 Hiya Bid, Just to answer your question, Although K is very light , skinny and we can't get any trousers to fit!!. He seems healthy enough. A bit pasty but fine. We have had blood tests done all came back ok. I was skinny as a child ( Dunno what happened though!!) so may be he takes after me. I,ve just looked at the complan stuff, sorry but it is made from skimmed milk and other milk type products!. The slim fast bars don't seem to have an ingredents list that i can find. I was told, not to worry, kids will eat enough for them. I don't know if you saw that program on tv the other night, I forget the name of it. Where a mum was worried he little one was not eating enough. She put the roughly the same amount of food that the child had eatten along with same amount fluid that the child had drunk into a clear sandwich bag, to show mum exactly how much little one had actually eatten. It was really quite alot. It was suprising. Its more difficult for you i know with little ones allergys. try not to worry too much, believe me he wont starve, honest!!. love sel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
baddad Report post Posted May 27, 2005 (edited) Hi bid - I've just been through all my gf/df cookbooks (and in the process discovered that one of the most expensive ones has gone walkabout - who the hell did I lend that to?!), but the only smoothie recipe I found was Almond and Banana, which if you take the almonds out leaves you with...pureed banana! In your position, I'd probably invest in a regular 'smoothies' recipe book, and look for ways of adapting them. Three immediate ideas; soya yoghurt, soya custard and Swedish Glace ice-cream as 'starting points' then bung in loads of fruit and stuff and any 'bulky' ingredients you can get away with. Can't see you getting away with 'Roast beef and 3 veg' shakes, but you might get away with dried fruits, and seeds and acceptable grains if you blitz it long enough. Oh, and on acceptable grains 'Kulfi' style rice desserts would probably blitz quite nicely into shake-like drinks, or - even simpler - ground rice or tapioca (?) Very best BD Edited May 27, 2005 by baddad Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted May 27, 2005 More good ideas, thanks! Lets hope this doesn't join all my other 'good ideas' that I suddenly remember 6 months down the line...but haven't got round to doing!! Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sarahjane Report post Posted May 29, 2005 Hi don't know if it is any help but one of my children was born prem and struggled to gain wt at the start of his life a calorie booster was added to his milk. I'm afraid i can't remember the name but it was done through a dietician at the hospital. I am also not sure if it contained added vits or not but might be worth mentioning to dietician. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
call me jaded Report post Posted June 5, 2005 'Scuse me for butting in. But are you having investigations done? Don't want to 'dis' a professional but I have found that dealing with the underlying problem has been more productive in the long run. Have a look at Brainchild nutritionals or the Kirkman's stuff for suitable supplements. Sounds like he would [/i]really benefit from removing gluten, and, ummm, soya is number three (after gluten and dairy) on the list of allergens. BW Jaded Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
florrie Report post Posted June 12, 2005 You could try looking in a good health shop. I know the one I go to, does a nutrtional powder shake for children, I'm pretty sure, it is free of the usual nasties and dairy gluten etc. take something called living fuel, made out of rice protein and all sorts of good nutritional support added but it is not for children. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted June 13, 2005 (edited) Sorry Jaded, only just seen your reply! 'Investigations'!! Well, he was treated at Great Ormond Street for bowel probs when he was a baby...negative for coeliacs and another disorder that I can't remember. Treated with sodium chromoglycate to dampen down the allergic reaction in his gut so food no longer whizzed through! He outgrew these problems by the time he was 18 months old. Now seen at the specialist allergy clinic at St. Mary's Paddington...usual skin pricks and blood tests done every year to monitor his severe allergies. Interestingly when he was a baby he had an intolerance to both wheat and soya, but outgrew the severe abdo pains by the time he was 18 months old, about the same time that his bowel probs resolved themselves. I've been thinking about whether to get a urine test done at Sunderland for gluten...obviously his diet is dairy-free anyway. I also wonder because he would happily live on bread and soya milk, and I understand there is often a craving for the very foods that are causing the problems. Mmmmmm... Food for thought (groan!) Thanks for your ideas! Bid Edited June 14, 2005 by bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bevalee Report post Posted June 14, 2005 Hi Bid Don't know if its any use to you. But have you tried Ultralife? My sister has a problem with her little girl. She is severely anaemic & under weight because she won't eat a thing. She will take the shake and its dairy free and suitable for all sorts of people with dietary problems. www.ultralife.uk.com Give then a call, the number is on the web page. They can answer all of your questions then. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bid Report post Posted June 14, 2005 Thanks Bevalee I've phoned them and they're sending an info pack. Although they don't send free samples, if you don't like them you can send them back for a full refund. So, maybe this will be what I'm looking for! Bid Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gillian1 Report post Posted June 21, 2005 Have you tried Minadex. This is basically a build up tonic for children when they have been unwell or have lost their appetite. I gave it to my 3 year old on advice from health visitor when he stopped eating altogether. After about 4 days he started eating again. I think that this is free from milk etc. It also has added vitamins. It is made by seven seas and you can get it in boots and other chemists. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites