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I guess it has to do with the lack of social skills or rather the inability to see things from another point of view. Most of us pick up on those clues while some kids with ADD or autism need to be taught. Hopefully this makes sense, I've seen my older kids behave act in ways where they seem oblivious to the fact that they're being selfish/greedy while at other times they're generous to a fault with acquaintances.
Anyway I'm running into a minor problem with one and I'm trying to come up with ideas. I'm really trying to cut back on our groceries and while I have one kid who will eat anything, another just doesn't seem to get it that the pricier things are meant to last longer than a day - so will use 1/2 the cheese on one meal or eat the whole box of blueberries (maybe leaving 10 of the worst ones for the rest of us) or use all the pasta sauce they want, leaving a few TBS for their sib.
They'll ignore the 10 lbs of apples or other large quantity items that can be eaten more. Of course I want them to feel they have enough food at home yet this isn't very fair to the rest of family who miss out. I can buy more of the pricier things but it defeats the purpose of trying to save $$.
I'm actually thinking of doling out portions only this seems so odd for family living, you should be able to eat comfortably at home. Because of my hours, I'm not always home to scoop up portions myself. Buy excess pasta, which they love ?- its the sauce/cheese thing they get greedy about. They've never liked eggs, rice, beans - and will gladly skip eating when its served.
I have tried saying something only it's just not sinking in - or they don't think its something they need to keep it mind. No weight or eating disorder issues, lifelong dislikes of certain textures.
Last edited by midwestmom; 04-14-2009 at 08:27 AM..
Reason: grammar
I think this is a kid thing too, not just special needs kids.
Some people have a drawer that the kids can eat freely out of.
I told dh when we have teenagers, I may want a second fridge out in the garage for them to select from. My neighbor told me her 14 yo ate a pound of smoked salmon just because it was in the fridge and he thought it would make a good snack. She has to grocery shop every 3 days because if she keeps a weeks' worth of food in the house, it is gone long before that.
lisdol,
I know what you mean, I had a friend with 4 teen boys who were always hungy, she had to get a supersize fridge. The difference I guess is that my kid isn't still a kid or a ravenous, growing teen (the life skills meter is skewed in other areas too)- though solutions might be appropriate for any kind of kid.
Maybe shopping more often would help, if I kept the budget in mind. Thanks.
This isn't a difficult problem. If he can't understand "don't eat this" then lock it up. Simple as that. Have a certain cabinet the he is allowed to eat freely from, and don't allow unsupervised access to the other food.
This is a common theme with all of our kids. We have a snack drawer that they have access to at certain times (pretty much anytime as long as it is not getting close to meal time). As for portions, wh have made the over porportioned child give some back. We explain that there needs to be X amout for everyone and if everyone has had their first serving, then you can go back for more.... that being said, the children HAVE to eat all they put on their plate if they want screen time after dinner.
As for special items (like the blueberries) I would pull out the amount the "greedy" child can eat, put in a container with his/her name on it, just to give him/her limits. Maybe put a red dot sticker on foods that he/she doesn't have free access to. For example, the blueberry container has a red sticker on it, but the apples do not. There is a cheese container with his/her name on it and there is one with a red sticker. This will also teach him/her cause and effect.... cause... he/she eats their weekly allowance of cheese by Tuesday, effect... he/she has to wait until Saturday's shopping trip to have more cheese.
In our home it is ketchup, Doritioes, and fettichinni (michalina meals)
Food cravings for gluten and casein (wheat/flour and dairy products) are common in children with ADD/ADHD and autism. There are many studies and web sites on the topic explaining this in full detail, including the chemistry behind it. Here's one for starters.
I think even for NT people carbohydrate foods (like bread or cereal) have an effect on serotonin levels. I could sit and eat a loaf of that hot from the bakery french bread smeared with butter (I wouldn't, but it would be soooooooo good).
I wanted to thank everyone for additional suggestions. My "greedy" child is a young adult who contributes to the household so a list of what's allowed or off limits on the fridge might work well...along with the stickers. Actually would be a good reminder for both of them. I do work so there's no way to supervise all the time. I was thinking of trying the once-a-month cooking plan where you attach the ingredients (ie.put 1/2 cup cheese in baggie in freezer with the entree) to ensure we had what we needed.
I have read about the food cravings and tried elimination for my youngest- with no change in behavior except when her school had this one chicken sandwich for lunch - there was a slightly diff chicken sandwich that didn't cause tantrums and Oscar Myer bologna (all other lunchmeats are fine). It seems to be more of a problem with certain additives. I'm not sure about my older one - definite pasta addict but its also very easy/quick to cook and there are other favorites that aren't wheat-gluten.
What I've had to do that actually started for my diabetic child is separating things into appropriate portions. I also write on the ziploc baggie the amount (ie 1 oz, etc) and, in the case of my son, the carb count (that's how we control his diabetes). Works wonders for everyone else, too!
Hope this is helpful!
~D
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