Top tips on supporting children with ARFID:
Is your child living with ARFID? In our previous blog we shared some tips on how our patches can help to bridge the nutrient gap if your child is struggling to eat a balanced diet due to this eating disorder. But (obviously!), that's not the only way you can support them. There are plenty of other ways to help and we're sharing just some of them here:
1. Don't be afraid to ask for help in dealing with ARFID:
It can feel very overwhelming and upsetting if your family is affected by ARFID. You want to provide your child with everything they need to grow and stay strong and healthy, but mealtimes can become distressing and upsetting for everyone. Many parents also worry about the effect a limited diet is having on their child. It's A LOT to deal with, but you don't have to face it alone. The charity Beat is a great place to start if you need some guidance, you can find details on their helpline here.
Beat advise the parents of children with ARFID to make a GP appointment in the first instance to discuss the condition. Your doctor can then refer you to a dietician, psychologist, or occupational therapist, to provide more specialist help and treat the root cause of the disorder.
2. Make mealtimes as low pressure as possible:
Children with ARFID often feel very anxious when they know they are going to be expected to eat something. You don't want to encourage any negative associations with mealtimes, so it's key to keep things as relaxed as possible. Don't pressurise your child to try new foods, and if you do want to introduce something different, give your child a very small portion initially, alongside familiar 'safe' foods. Allow your child to explore the new food at their own pace, even if this means just smelling it or touching it to start with.
You might need to offer the same food several times before they will accept it, and even then they still may not eat it, but it's important to stay patient. Try not to put any time pressure on meals (if possible!). Giving your child a supplement, like our Kids Multivitamin patch, could also help you relax around mealtimes, because it will give you the peace of mind your child is getting the nutrients they need.
3. Try some sensory play with food:
Lots of children with ARFID have strong sensory aversions to the look, smell, and texture of food. One method of helping to desensitize them is to introduce some sensory play with food, so they will be interacting with it outside of mealtimes and there's no expectation to eat it. You could try painting with liquids like sauces and soups, making pictures with dried food such as pasta, beans, and pulses, or building with food boxes and cans. This can help your child become more comfortable interacting with food in a low-pressure environment.
This tip isn't appropriate for every child, and older children are unlikely to want to engage in this kind of activity, but it's worth a go to see if it could help.
