kindergarten eating

[Guest guest]

Hi,

I thought I'd chime in here on the kindergarten eating dilemma.

My daughter, belle, started kindergarten this fall and she too

has lost about a pound. I've alerted her lunchtime teachers about

her need to eat, they assure me they encourage her, and even

allow her to take a portion of her lunch up to the play yard to

finish while the other kids play. However, her boxes still come

home mostly uneaten and boy do we pay for it later in the

afternoon with her moodiness.

She had been on periactin for about 1 1/2 years. It was

successful in stimulating her appetite, and I feel also

responsible for her first ever catch up growth. We decided to give

her a drug vacation this summer, just to see what would happen.

Well the appetite immediately slackened. But the overall change

in her energy, personality, ability to focus, engage and

communicate was so positive that we haven't wanted to dope

her back up. She's a kid for whom periactin's side effects are

pretty severe.

But now here we are facing the reality that she is not able to eat

what she needs to without being medicated. The medication

makes her eat. It also makes her sleep, and for a very active little

girl, a good night sleep is heartily welcomed. I am sad, however.

I have been so happy to have belle " back, " and am now I

resigned to the fact that she needs periactin and will have to

again be doped up. We will resume dosage tomorrow evening.

Hopefully we will soon see some improvement in her

kindergarten eating.

Pamela

mom to belle 6 years (last Sunday!) 43 inches 34 pounds