Really worried about my son...

shazrobo

i agree with patchwork cat, make him proper meals for now that dont require much chewing, shepherd's pie, fish pie etc
after a few days all will be forgotten, my son went through a similar experiance when he was around that age, unfortunatly my son was choking so bad, we had to call 999 to help us, but after a few days of eating foods that didnt require much chewing he was fine

pookienoodle

have you checked your sons throat to make sure there is no physical problem?
this would be my first job,then g.p to make sure there is no swallowing problem.
then i would do as others have suggested and serve naturally soft meals.
Will he eat solids like chocolate? these may help convince him all is o.k

rach29

I allowed my daughter to refuse food at about the age of 4/5. Until then she had eaten & enjoyed everything & anything. I took my doctor's advice which was "let her eat what she likes, she'll get bored before you do"

Well guess what? She's 16 now, drinks only Coke & Water eats no fruit, vegetables or dairy & survives on Chicken nuggets, sausages & chips or Waffles and toast! I promise you I got bored a very long time ago.

It's true your son is fearful of choking again but allowing him his own way at this point spells disaster for the future. I know you feel bad now watching him suffer but I promise you'll feel a whole lot worse & for a whole lot longer if you allow him to control his food in this way.

Is he scared to eat sweets or chocolate? let him have some & then point out that he didn't choke on them. Then serve up meals as normal & if he chooses to go hungry it wont last for long.

I hope this doesn't come over as harsh but I've lived with the guilt of this for 12 years or so (and will continue to do so for a long while yet)

tandraig

It wouldnt do any harm to have someone check your sons throat in case there is a problem there which you cant see. Is there a practice nurse who could have a quick look for you sooner than seeing gp?
I dont agree with making him eat if he gets so upset - all you will achieve there is to turn mealtimes into a battle of wills - which he will win unless you force feed him. and there goes your parental authority!
i would however make easy eat meals like cheesy mash and cottage pie until his throat has been checked.
after that i would re-introduce meat such as chicken and go back to basics with cutting it up small not talking while eating etc as the other posters have suggested.
I say this as it could be his throat was a bit damaged during the choking and although not sore normally it may hurt him to swallow food. a few days and he may be fine!

squidge60

My dd choked on potatoes (tinned ones)and refused to eat them again (but we didnt have them often so no big deal).Dont know what to suggest apart from maybe have a friend over for tea/eat out.tbh i think taking him to the docs just makes it a bigger issue ,which i would try and avoid .Give him a few days and he will proberly be fine.

Ruby_Moon

jodie114 wrote: »

last week, my son nearly choked on some meat, he was fine and been eating normally since. But the day before yesterday he started refusing to eat anything that needs chewing. He has eaten a cereal bar yesterday, without realising, but when i give him his dinner, or toast this morning, he seems genuinely scared in case he chokes again. What do i do? do i give in, and give him yoghurts, milkshakes etc, or do i persevere and let him lose out until he is ready to eat? the thought that he is going hungry is sooo hard though. He is 6. I have made an appointment with the gp, but the soonest was next monday.

Ignore him. Hes probably picking up your worries more than his own as 6 year olds tend to take things in their stride.
If you pander to him then you will be inviting the chance of an OCD to take over.
He most certainly will not go hungry. Even if hes crying and having a temptantrum about how hungry he is, he isn't starving.
He will snap out of it soon enough.

Ruby_Moon

pookienoodle wrote: »

have you checked your sons throat to make sure there is no physical problem?
this would be my first job,then g.p to make sure there is no swallowing problem.
then i would do as others have suggested and serve naturally soft meals.
Will he eat solids like chocolate? these may help convince him all is o.k

Seriously? You would do that and waste a doctors time because your child had not chewed his meat properly and choked on it?
No wonder people can never get appointment with their GP's.

emlou2009

before slating the OP and pookie for suggesting a GP visit over this, please be aware that there is actually a genuine medical condition where sufferers find it difficult to swallow and can choke on even soup. i am not saying that this is what has happened here, clearly it hasnt as the son has eaten a cereal bar since the incident, but a good friend of mine had an operation to relax the muscles earlier in the year, she couldnt even eat cup a soup before she had the op as the herbs would get stuck in her throat! i believe it was called achalasia or something, no doubt i've spelt that wrong!!
the condition was brought on after a choking incident, the poor girl couldnt relax her muscles enough to eat and it slowly got worse and worse until she survived on very sugary tea and water.

tandraig

thanks emlou2009 - thats one reason why i suggested that OP get it checked out. another could be that for psychological reasons the child has throat spasms making it difficult or impossible for them to eat lumpy food. I know some people think this is pandering to the child! but he may not be doing this deliberately!!!! its worth checking it out I think!
oh and as for taking up gps time - that remark is better aimed at people who expect their gp to cure the common cold or dress wounds which could be done at home or by practice nurse - not to a genuinely worried parent of a 6 year old!

busiscoming2

Surely if he had a medical problem it would happen regardless of what was eaten?