My nephew hates the smell of very random foods...even to the point where he vomits upon smelling. What's up?

Question

My nephew, who is 3, hates the smells of certain types of food. He hates the smell of cereal, for example. When we went to breakfast last week he walked by a plate of scrambled eggs and vomited right after. He wasn't feeling sick--and when we asked what he was wrong, he specifically pin-pointed the eggs. As anybody ever heard of something like this, or know any ideas on how to make it better? The fact that I can't eat a bowl of cereal next to him is so crazy to me! Thanks.

Answer 1

ask the pediatrician for a referral to an ENT and therapist who specializes in care of sensory affected patients.

Answer 2

He should be taken to an allergist and tested for food and environmental allergies.

Answer 3

Is he a picky eater? Do certain textures or tastes bother him, or is it just smell? I am wondering if he has some other sensory sensitivities; does he hate certain textures to touch (like sticky things? Does he hate having his face or fingers sticky from jam or syrup?)  If any of these things are true, he should be seen by an Occupational Therapist with training in Sensory Integration.  If eating, chewing or swallowing are issues, he should have an eval by a speech/language pathologist.

If everything is fine except for smell, I would slowly and gradually try to sensitize him to these smells, bit by bit.

Answer 4

I am like that with certain foods. More so after I had my last baby. My biggest offender is the jar of dill pickles in the refrigerator. UGGHH I caught a whiff and could not eat my dinner or anything else that evening. I think some people are just more sensitive than others, and, in my case, I believe it is hormone related.

Answer 5

I agree with the people who mentioned sensory issues. My son has some sensory integration problems- he can't stand for people to touch his hair, hates loud noises, is a VERY picky eater- he actually chokes and gags if he doesn't like the texture or taste of something and is very reluctant to even try new foods. It sounds like this might be your nephews problem with smells- he's overly sensitive to them. These things will get easier for him to deal with if he is seen by an occupational therapist. =]