Name: Joanne

Kitchener, Ontario, CAN

Number of kids: 1

Ages of kids: Almost 5

Problem: My daughter refuses to eat vegetables or fruit. She also refuses to try new foods. Every meal is a fight despite all attempts to minimize this. The only vegetables she will eat is corn, and fruit is apples. Even these are a fight. As a result, she is usually constipated, hates having a bowel movement and will only do so approx. every four days and only at night. She cries through the whole event but does not realize what she is doing because she is half asleep. She honestly believes that she does not have to poop. I not found any advice on this type of problem at this age. Despite her small appetite, she has a huge belly. I am beginning to wonder if it is something medical. Anyone out there with advice?

Solution submitted by Sherry from Harrison, AK: I've had the same problem with my 10-year old all his life. One difference though, my son's didn't have a bloated belly or have painful bowel movements! If you haven't already, get her to the Doctor ASAP! That's As Soon As Possible to you civilian types! I don't mean to alarm you but there is such a thing as an impacted bowel, and tragically, if left untreated, it is capable of killing a person. Your daughter could have any number of conditions, but having a bowel movement only every 4 days or so, and then a painful one at that is just not enough! What I did with my son for a very long time just to get SOME fruits and vegetables down his was feed him lots of unsweetened applesauce and babyfood spinach. His problem was that he had a very over reactive gag reflex from being on a respirator for some months as an infant. Anything chunky, and boom! It wouldn't even make it don't his throat. Half chewed and up it came. So in his first few years of life he probably ate literally gallons of applesauce and spinach. And it didn't seem to have done any harm. At 10 years he weighs 103 lbs. and is always the tallest boy in his class. Even now, sometimes, he'll start gagging on something, but he can control it if he tries. I won't tell you that my son LOVES fruits and vegetables now, but he will eat them in their whole form now that he can control that gag reflex.

My advice - get your daughter to a doctor, and have her digestive system checked out. If that's o.k., well, there will always be applesauce and babyfood spinach. It's better than nothing. Good Luck!

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