8 Year Old Is Having Food Issues All of a Sudden... Please Advise

Have you had her evaluated by her pediatrician? I'm wondering if the "flem" was reflux, and when she eats anything substantial, it kicks up the reflux again.

After getting over an illness, it's fine to take it easy getting back to your usual foods.
People expect to be over it in a few days but I think taking it more slowly is alright.
Just make sure she has healthy choices to choose from.
I might cut out the snacks until she can eat her meals.
If she's too sick for one, she doesn't get the other.
Make sure the cereal she gets isn't the sugary stuff - cream of wheat is fine.
Scrambled eggs, soup broth, jello, etc are all fine.
She's not going to starve herself.
Just make sure she can't eat any junk.
Drinking enough fluids is important (water, tea, milk, watered down juice) but she can go awhile without eating a lot of solid foods.
Also - you are not a short order cook.
If she doesn't like what you serve for a meal she doesn't have to eat it - but if she's hungry later you can offer the plate she didn't eat before to her again.
As soon as she realizes she isn't going to get anything different, she might decide to eat when every one else is eating.

My first thought was that she's afraid of choking on the food. After being sick for a while, I can understand that. But you said that she eats fruits and snacks, which makes me think that it's not the consistency of the food that's the issue. Have you asked her why she won't eat? Did she just get out of the habit of eating regularly scheduled meals with 'real' food?

I've got a very picky eater. I'm convinced it's karma because I was incredibly picky when I was growing up! What my parents always did was make sure that there was at least one nutritious food at each meal that I would eat. Sometimes it was a side dish, sometimes it was the main dish. I had the option of making a peanut butter & jelly sandwich for myself if I needed more food during the meal. (I was too picky to even eat a turkey sandwich.) And when the meal was over, that was it. No snacks in between. (That changed as I got older and less picky.)

I agree that you should try not to make a huge issue out of this. You don't want to turn it into a power struggle. If you still have the problem a few weeks from now, call her pediatrician.

Is your daughter anxious at all? You mention being afraid and overwhelmed. The reason I ask is, when my daughter was feeling anxious, she had problems eating. She had the choking then afterwards (if she ate) nausea feeling. She was sticking to soft foods.

At first the doctor thought it could be reflux - my daughter had said she had a feeling in her throat. Anyways, it wasn't. It turned out to be anxiety.

I would look into it - because some kids end up having issues with texture and swallowing. I don't think you're overthinking - but just make sure you don't show your frustration or upset. If it is anxiety (and even if it isn't, and she is just feeling overwhelmed) - won't help. I know, easier said than done!

I'd take her in just to have her checked out - my son gets throat stuff - sometimes like a coating on the back of his through. He has sinus draining issues. Sometimes he gets that post nasal drip that makes his throat feel a bit thicker? than normal. A quick visit to paediatrician can rule that out.

Is this a control issue or a food issue? I think I would just offer her regular meals - the ones she would eat prior to getting sick. If she refuses, she can have a boost drink (or similar meal replacement drink) - no drama, no fuss, no engaging on your part. No snacks, no cooking separate meals, no feeding into the drama. She won't starve if she is drinking meal replacements (and likely eating at least some of what you are making). Give it a couple more weeks and then decide if it is a real problem. I kind of feel like at 8 yrs old, she should be able to use her words instead of having meltdowns over food.

Good luck!

I would just try to work with what she will eat. I would consider fruit to be "real" food. Does she like peanut butter or cheese? Would she eat peanut butter apples or peanut butter bananas? One of my kids will always ask if he can dip his carrot sticks in peanut butter :-) What about yogurt? (which some people would consider a snack) Cereal isn't that bad. It depends on what cereal, but you can work with that.

I would start with what she does eat and try to expand it little by little. With a little creativity, I bet you can turn her "snacks" into something healthy.

Try not to worry too much, but do call your pediatrician. The calmer you can be, the better.

Since it has been a few weeks, you are already dealing with a type of eating disorder. Having meltdowns because of not wanting to eat previously eaten foods regardless of the reason would be of great concern to me. Addionally, the more time that goes by, the harder it will be to break her of her new eating habits. Please seek professional help. You are not overthinking this. I bet it will only take 2-3 sessions to fix this now but the longer you wait the more her fears will gain legitimacy in her mind. Best of luck!

(I would call your daughter's pediatrician. Explain what is going on and let the doctor exam her throat and assure her she is healthy and can and should eat a variety of foods. Acknowledge her fear but come up with a plan that she eat so many bites of XY & Z.)

I haven't had a banana since I had pneumonia in 1976 because of a texture issue that made me gag.

With that said, I agree. was the phlegm a reflux thing> Is she having texture issues (like my banana thing)...could there be a food allergy thing that it's upsetting her tummy? Check in with her pedi

Hope she feels better

People can develop an aversion to food, after an illness or after nearly choking or after accidentally tasting something awful like spoiled milk.

A couple of things you can try are:

Take her to the dentist, and ask the doctor to examine her throat and back teeth. Perhaps during her illness something got caught in a back tooth and it's festering or causing irritation. Make sure that the dentist understands she's not there for a simple routine teeth cleaning.

Also, talk to her pediatrician. Explain what's happening and ask for a referral to a child nutrition specialist (not a vitamin salesperson, but a certified dietician who can help with food problems and eating problems). Or ask for a referral to an ear/nose/throat specialist to rule out swallowing problems or blockages or reflux. Or ask for a referral to a pediatric feeding program. My daughter went through two of those and they helped tremendously (her aversion to foods were due to her medical diagnoses).

If your daughter took any prescription medications while she was sick, ask the pharmacist if there are any side effects of the meds, such as a bad taste in the mouth, reflux, sore or dry throat, etc.

Make sure your daughter drinks a lot of water, and avoid sugary drinks. Fresh water, flavored with some strawberries or raspberries or blueberries (not the drops they sell that are supposed to flavor water, which are mostly food coloring and artificial flavors). Try having her drink water before trying to eat. Her throat may be dry. Or have her drink some caffeine-free pleasantly flavored tea, with honey in it before a meal.