Advice for my sister

Little_Belle

Hi all, -long time since I posted on here!!

I was after some advice for my sister. Her finances are very very ummm low (best way to describe?) and so for her the cheapest possible food is what she buys, which we all know is not really very good for her or her family... i know you can eat healthily for not very much money but i mean its cheaper to buy cheap sausages with probably more rubbish in than a middle of the range sausage with more real sausage in it... if you know what i mean?

Anyway, I have tried to suggest to her that making sauces in batches is cheaper than buying a jar sauce or suggested it might be better to do jacket potatoes and cheese and beans than dried mash potatoe with beans and cheap sausage (do you get my ramblings here or should I start again?)

However she would quite happily do things like that but her eldest son (12) is a VERY fussy eater. he won't eat jacket pots will only eat the dried mash or chips he wont eat stews he wont eat veg or home made lasgne etc etc etc i have said that she should do what my husbands mum did to him which was if you dont eat it you go hungry... (countless times my hubby went without dinner and the dogs had it purely because he went eurgh i'm not eating that!)

She has the added problem that he steals food. Even if she gives him nwhat he wants for dinner and he eats it all she finds him stealing food. and it's not even things like chocolate bars all the time, she once found empty packets of angel delight in his room where he had eaten the powder!! Or he has been caught stealing from the local shop, the police have been involved but it goes in one ear and ou the other. she has tried alarms on the cupboards but it doesnt deter him short of chaining everything up I don't know what to suggest.

She really wants to lose some weight i don't think the processed foods are likely to help that but doesn't want to be cooking two separate meals because she can't afford the extra food or the extra fuel for doing so...

I just wondered have any of you had a similar problem / any more suggestions?? he has been diagnosed with ADHD but they haven;t said they will help with the behavious like this in fact they have halved his meds because they said the higher dose obviously isn't doing anything...

Im sorry for the ramble, im trying to get it all out in my very short lunch break

Hope someone has some advice?

Thanks LB x

ifonlyitwaseasier

didn't want to read and run,

has she tried having nothing with e numbers in and trying a reward chart with him for things he'll try and things he actually eats? maybe mash veg into the potato and tell him it's that colour cos it has ketchup in it? (worked on my hubby til he saw the sweet potatos!)

good luck and i'm sure the brain boxes in here will come up with more ideas

ioiwe x

Beki

Hi (((big hugs))) for your sister! xx

Has her son been tested for prader-willi syndrome? the stealing food etc would fit in with that...

mioliere

Hi Lille Belle - Like Beki, your post made me think of Prader-Willi syndrome, too. Here's a link to the support group's website. http://pwsa.co.uk/main.php

I hope your sister manages to sort things out - it must be a nightmare for her and her son. Good on you for helping her.

slig

What about having a box that he is allowed to take things from at any time of the day or night? It could include things like packets of raisins, dried fruit, homemade biscuits, etc. Perhaps to start with she could put in some less healthy stuff too, like crisps and chocolate bars, but gradually increase the percentage of healthy stuff. Maybe he could decorate the box.

Nitha

How about pureeing veg like for baby food but mixing it into the instant mash for her DS. She could then have the veg unpureed or make a soup with it? My DS is 18 months and going through a fussy phase and we puree veg and fruit and put it in other sauces. Just don't let him know - I imagine a pre teen would not be impressed with baby purees!

buxtonrabbitgreen

Maybe he is just really hungry. I know one of mine when he got to that age did nothing but eat and grow. He lived on copious amounts of bread and peanut butter and mars bars between meals, and still ate his dinner. Could she find out what he likes that is really filling?