Food/Nutrition

Let's start with nutrition and RAD. If your children did not receive proper nourishment their first few years you may want to read these:

http://attachment.org/pages_parents_articles7.php



http://attachment.org/pages_parents.php click on "nutrition" on the left.



Then there are the food issues such as over eating, not eating at all, hiding food, stealing food. much much emotion about food. Since anorexia and bulimia are such an issue with kids I think it important to be very careful here about giving food to much importance or power. When my boys were little they would check out cookbooks from the school library and sit and go over and over the photos. If someone asks them to list what I do for them fixing them food is always the first thing they say. I remember once when I did not feel well and said I was going to bed. It was in the afternoon. Bears first reaction was to mournfully say "but who will fix us dinner?". They think about it all the time. No matter how angry they are with me if I am preparing a meal they have to come look and see what it is. I try hard not to make food an emotional issue at home. You want to eat. Fine. Don't want to eat. Fine. If the not eating became an issue it would be definitely time to seek out a professional. As far as hoarding I have heard of people preparing a bag of somewhat healthy snacks to keep in their room. They are told to just let you know when they need it filled. I try to be reassuring about food with them. I say things like "I enjoy fixing you good food." I have had them help make the menu for the week and talked about the food groups. Kids with RAD are so drawn to sugar. If your child is still going through that part of the process make sure you have a snuggle time when you feed them sugar in the form of ice cream or caramels each day. You should be the one putting the food into their mouth and it should be done during a loving sweet time. It like mother's milk to them and fills a craving in their hearts from that lack of nourishment and nurturing they did not receive as infants. I used to be very big on not having a lot of candy and sweets. I wanted my kids to be healthy. Kids with RAD emotionally need that sweetness. They crave it. It will probably subside as they begin to heal. Have a healing day!