The child does not eat, what should I do? Advice from parents and doctors

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

Bad appetite in a child is always the cause of increased anxiety of parents. There is no need to panic. Initially, you should figure out why the baby refuses to eat. Often, problems with appetite in children are psychological in nature. If the child does not eat, but at the same time feels great and is not naughty, most likely there is no cause for concern. But it is still worth consulting with a pediatrician.

Imaginary lack of appetite

Often the baby eats well, gains weight, but the mother thinks that the child eats very poorly. It is believed that proper nutrition should consist of breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. If a child misses at least one of these components, then he eats poorly. In fact, this is an erroneous opinion that has been formed over the years. It is necessary to eat as much food as the body requires. It is very important that the child's diet includes all useful trace elements and vitamins. The number of foods consumed per day does not matter.

Every body is different. Babies have different metabolisms. One child may feel hungry as early as two hours after a full meal, while another will not want to eat all day. Guys who are leakingmetabolism is slow, at one time can consume much less food. A small amount of food will be enough for them to replenish energy.

The main indicator of normal nutrition is the well-being of the baby. If he is active, does not lag behind in development, happily communicates with peers, you should not worry about poor appetite. Things are more difficult with infants. To determine if the baby is getting enough food, it is worth doing a wet diaper test. To do this, you will have to give up diapers for one day. If the baby eats properly, during the day the mother will change diapers at least 15 times. If diapers remain dry within three hours, there is cause for concern.

Child protests

Even adults often protest through hunger strikes. If the child does not eat anything during the day, perhaps he is dissatisfied with something. With the help of refusing food, a small person seeks to attract the attention of others: "I will not eat anything until they do what I want." This is one way to manipulate parents. There are many reasons for protest. If the child's family is used to raising too strictly, he may express dissatisfaction by refusing food on an intuitive level. The kid will unquestioningly fulfill the will of the parents so as not to receive punishment. But problems with appetite are unlikely to be avoided.

If the baby in the family is surrounded by excessive care and attention, problems with food may also appear. The child does not eat if he wants to get more freespace. Children in such families often grow up selfish and capricious. They get used to things happening the way they want. The child does not want to eat soup - does not eat! And if the kid wanted a cake and juice, parents are happy to fulfill his whim.

If a difficult situation develops in a family, parents constantly swear or generally live separately from each other, very little attention is paid to the baby. This is another reason for not eating. For the same reason, the baby does not eat complementary foods. If the mother is nervous, the baby will be restless. He will strive to stay longer with his breast or his favorite bottle. The sucking reflex soothes babies. But a cold spoon, even with delicious porridge, can not always calm you down.

If medical reasons are excluded, it is worth looking into why the child is not eating. Why can he protest? Perhaps it makes sense to consult a psychologist.

Baby is uncomfortable at the table

Often a baby refuses food just because he is uncomfortable in the kitchen. Perhaps the room is too dark, or the table is too high for the baby. As a result, the child gets tired while eating. The result can be a lack of appetite. Another reason for not eating can be the behavior of other family members at the table. Many children develop squeamishness at an early age. If a person sitting next to you chews or leaves food on the face during meals, the child may lose the desire to eat.

From earlychildhood, you need to teach kids how to use cutlery. However, this should be done gradually. First of all, the child must learn how to use a spoon. Forcing a small family member to eat according to all the rules of etiquette is not worth it. Often parents are surprised why the child does not eat meat. The reason is the inability of the baby to properly hold the fork and knife.

The atmosphere in the kitchen should be conducive to eating. For small children, it is worth purchasing a special high chair in advance, which will be adjustable in height. If a son or daughter wants to sit on an ordinary stool, like adults, you should not interfere. So that the baby does not stain his clothes, it is worth putting an apron or bib on him. And you certainly can’t scold a small family member for getting dirty at dinner. The time will come, and the child will eat carefully, according to all the rules of etiquette. In the meantime, the main thing is not to frighten off a good appetite.

Child being entertained while eating

Many mothers and fathers entertain the child during meals, read fairy tales to him, furnish the dinner table with toys. All this is done so that the baby eats the entire portion. This method, of course, helps to feed a small family member. However, it cannot be called the best. The problem is that the child gets used to eating food with various entertainments. And if there are no familiar toys and funny stories, there is no appetite. Do not be surprised if the child does not eat in the kindergarten. What if in public institutions no one pays attention to one kid who is used to eating with songs?

The process of eating food for many children seems quite boring. After all, instead of lunch, you can play with toys, explore the world and watch cartoons. Some parents are quick to resolve the issue. They seat the child to eat in front of the TV. This is absolutely impossible to do. Firstly, the baby gets used to the conveniences and can no longer eat without a favorite attribute. Secondly, scientists have long proven that being distracted while eating is harmful. Food is poorly digested, and most of the useful components are simply not absorbed. Often, children who are used to eating in front of the TV suffer from gastritis and have problems with being overweight.

Eat food only at the dinner table. Even if the child does not eat a full dinner or breakfast, but only decides to eat an apple, it is advisable to do this exclusively in the kitchen. Parents should not set a bad example for their child by eating in front of the TV. It is better to come up with an interesting ritual when the whole family sits down at a round table during a meal and discusses important family problems and gives advice. It's both fun and safe.

Child afraid

The reason for refusing to eat may be the baby's fear of choking or experiencing pain. Very often, a child does not eat dairy products if one day he had to be poisoned by yogurt or low-quality ice cream. The kid may not even remember what exactly scared him, but the unpleasant emotions associated with this or that food product remain for a long time.

Worth wondering whythe child does not eat meat. Komarovsky argues that the rejection of these types of products may also be associated with fear. The baby will be afraid to eat the food that needs to be chewed for a long time. This is not only boiled meat, but also hard vegetables, fish, and some types of fruits. Prepare the baby for chewing should be gradual. Initially, ground mashed potatoes and soft fruits, such as a banana, a baked apple, are introduced into complementary foods. Next, you need to start offering the child food with lumps. Pieces that need to be chewed should be increased gradually. If the baby is choking, then the products still need to be mashed to a state of puree.

Bad food

From an early age, children develop their own taste preferences. Some kids do not like dairy products, others do not tolerate boiled vegetables. The daily diet should be formed based on the needs of a small family member. Many children only eat familiar foods such as pasta, potatoes, and sausages. Perhaps the child does not eat steamed vegetables just because he has never tried them. You need to be careful when introducing new foods to your baby. In order for a child to have an interest in a new product, it is important to present it beautifully. Boiled carrots can form a sun on a plate, and crushed potatoes can vaguely resemble a cloud.

Don't panic if your child doesn't eat fruits and vegetables normally. From delicious ingredients, you can always prepare an original salad dressed with yogurt. This dish is sure to please the little family member. Fruit salad is beautiful, tasty and he althy!

Cult of food in the family

In many families, a cult of food has been formed for several generations. The process of cooking and eating takes most of the time. If a small child ate, this is a real event, but if a little one refuses lunch or dinner, this is a disaster. A small person quickly grasps that with the help of food, parents can be manipulated. The child does not eat anything just because he wants to get what he wants from adults.

To restore the child's appetite, parents should pay less attention to food as such. If the baby is hungry, he will definitely eat. Sooner or later, a small member of the family will realize that no one pays attention to his manipulations, and will begin to eat food as expected. Particular attention should be paid to the well-being of the baby. If the child is alert, in a good mood, but not eating, there is no reason to worry.

Parents should not fanatically adhere to three meals a day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner should be present only when the child really wants to eat. It's okay if during a walk the baby had a bite of cookies with compote and refuses to eat borscht. This happens infrequently and will not affect the development of the crumbs in any way.

Baby doesn't know what hunger is

Very often a child does not eat complementary foods just because he has never felt hungry. The kid does not understand that food can bring joy. And all because his parents offer him food almost every two hours. The consequence of thismay be a complete lack of appetite. The kid eats a few spoons of soup or porridge, and this is enough for him to wait for the next meal. The child perceives food as a necessity.

All parents need to do is increase the intervals between feedings. It's okay if a child older than 6 months gets a little hungry. Thanks to the new feeling, he will be able to understand why food is needed, and he will eat a new portion with great pleasure.

You can be more strict with your older child. You can create a situation where there is no food at all in the refrigerator, but only potatoes in the pantry. When the child is finally hungry, he will understand that you need to appreciate the food in the form in which it is. If you have to eat boiled potatoes in the evening without anything, the next day the baby will be happy with a delicious full meal.

herd instinct

In most cases, parents of children who do not attend kindergarten complain about poor appetite when they feel normal. Kids understand that parents can be manipulated as they please. As soon as a child crosses the threshold of a preschool institution, problems with appetite disappear by themselves. The fact is that in a kindergarten with small members of society, no one is on ceremony. If you want - eat, if you don't want - eat next time. In addition, the children have a “herd instinct”. Everyone strives to do what others do. Therefore, in kindergartens, kids eat much better than at home. If it is possible to enroll a son or daughter in a preschool, this is definitely worth doing. Eventhe child does not eat dairy products, what to do, the specialist in the garden will tell.

Summarize

There can be a huge number of reasons for poor appetite. Often the refusal to eat is psychological in nature. It is worth understanding whether everything is in order in the family, whether the child has problems in communicating with peers.

Things are much more difficult if the child does not eat complementary foods. Komarovsky claims that the maternal instinct will help to understand the desires of the child. If the baby behaves cheerfully and is gaining weight well, you should not worry. However, consulting a pediatrician will not be superfluous. Despite the fact that the generally accepted norm for the introduction of complementary foods is the six-month-old age of the baby, it is possible to start introducing the child to new products later - closer to the year.