If
we allowed our patients to eat pasta and tomato sauce
or baked potatoes without butter, they would gain weight
but we would discharge children who were so afraid to
eat cheese, chips and chocolate that they would not be
able to socialise normally at school. At Rhodes Farm the children eat
a wide range of normal foods, including chicken burgers,
pizzas and chocolate bars. We do not want to
send home children who are too frightened to sleepover
with their friends in case they order a take-away pizza.
We are also concerned about the
way they eat. We
help them to give up anti-social eating behaviour and
rituals.
The
children are weighed twice a week and their calories
are changed to see that they gain exactly the
correct amount of weight. If
a child does refuse to eat, they would be fed
by a nurse. As a last resort we would feed them
via a naso-gastric tube. This, however,
happens only once or twice a year and we admit
1 or 2 new children every week.
