Many of our compatriots still believe that good appetite is one of the most important indicators of health. From birth, we strive to feed our babies to the dump during each meal. But if the appetite suddenly worsened, what should I do? The child refuses food for various reasons, we will try to deal with the most likely ones.
Why can’t you interrupt your appetite?
If the child always ate well and suddenly began to refuse food, any parent will be worried. Before sounding the alarm, try to appropriately evaluate what the baby ate during the day. Sweets, chips and other fast food give a fraudulent feeling of fullness. Do not be surprised if after eating something like this, the child refuses food. What to do in a similar situation? Skip or reschedule a meal. Henceforth, make sure that the baby does not snack on useless and harmful food. Sweets should not be freely available to the child, it is better to give them personally several times a day. Spoil your appetite with a sandwich or fruit eaten before the main meal. Try not to feed your baby unsystematically. Make a nutrition schedule for the baby, make three main meals and a couple of snacks.
You must be hungry before eating.
Surely you noticed that on some days it is difficult to overcome laziness so much that sometimes we literally forget to eat. Food is a source of energy for our body. Appetite is directly related to physical activity. The more active a person leads, the more often he feels a sense of hunger. If your son has spent all day drawing because of bad weather or systematically prefers computer games to moving, his appetite should not be surprised. What to do, the child refuses food due to lack of physical activity, is it worth it to make him eat? Forcing a baby is not recommended regardless of the cause of poor appetite. If you think that the reason for refusing food is a sedentary lifestyle, it's time to make it more active. Even at home, you can play sports, play outdoor games. Invite your child to help mom clean up or dance to fast music.
Do you know how much your child should eat?
Many childcare manuals provide different daily dietary requirements. These are food calorie tables; some authors offer a list of specific foods with the exact weight. Should I follow these recommendations? Many responsible parents strive to raise their own baby correctly. But do not forget that we are all individual. The need for food in a child depends on his physique. Some babies really eat very little and look thin. Their mothers most often ask doctors the question: what to do, the child refuses food and is gaining weight poorly? However, in most cases there is no reason to panic. If the child is active, keenly interested in the outside world and looks healthy, do not worry. For your own comfort, talk with the baby's grandparents. Very often childhood thinness and poor appetite are inherited.
Spoiled and idiosyncrasy
Every child learns the world of tastes and aromas since the introduction of complementary foods. Almost all children have their own eating habits. By the age of three, any baby can name a favorite fruit, and his mother notices that he eats some specific dishes with more appetite than others. But if the baby, on the contrary, does not agree to eat certain foods, what should I do? The child refuses food, motivating it with his own dislike for a particular product - this problem is familiar to many families. Persuasion to try "at least a piece" usually does not work. Is it worth it to force or retrain the baby?
Spoiled children often behave this way . But if a child for a long time does not agree to eat a small list of products, it makes sense to satisfy his desire. Many adults do not eat onions, fish, garlic and other foods that have a pronounced aroma. If the baby does not agree to eat some valuable and useful product, it makes sense to choose its analogue. Some mothers simply learn new recipes and do not recognize the child what exactly he has for lunch today.
Anorexia as a symptom of a disease
Most of all, parents are scared when a baby refuses food, usually eating with pleasure. If the
child has not eaten all day, it's time to measure his temperature.
Lack of appetite may indicate the onset of an infectious disease. Usually in the initial stage of the disease, the children look lethargic and sleepy. Warning of parents should refusal of food in combination with an upset digestive system. Such symptoms can be a manifestation of food poisoning or another disease in which urgent medical attention is needed. How to understand if a doctor is needed if the child is a year old (refuses food)? What to do when the baby cannot tell about his health? Try a simple test: suggest some goodies. With a painful lack of appetite, the child is likely to refuse even his beloved fruit or candy.
Psychological problems
Stress is one of the causes of decreased appetite. Parents of students probably noticed that on the eve of control and exams, children stop eating and sleeping in the literal sense of the word. The older the child, the more reasons to get nervous in his life. But can a preschool child not eat due to stress? Maybe a small person is scared of many things: from the dark to loud noises and scary pictures. If there have really been any shocks in the baby’s life recently, what should I do? The child refuses food - the reasons for this situation often lie in a psycho-emotional state. Try to find out what exactly worries the baby and together overcome all fears.
Norm or pathology?
If a son or daughter is constantly eating poorly, any sensible mother will ask herself: what to do? The child refuses food, the consequences of such behavior may not be the most pleasant. This is a lack of weight, and developmental disorders due to insufficient amounts of nutrients. It is these beliefs that traditional medicine promotes. There are many ways to evaluate a child’s health status. If the baby feels good, active and cheerful, there is no reason for the parents to worry. Pay attention to the regularity and quality of stool and urine. A healthy child has smooth skin, elastic muscles, a pleasant complexion. If the baby tolerates physical exertion well and his mental state is normal, calm down, he is completely healthy. It makes sense for parents to monitor changes in the weight and height of the child and periodically take general tests.
Dr. Komarovsky about the problems of children's appetite
Modern pediatricians pay considerable attention to indicators of the physical development of children under three years of age. Some experts even prescribe appetite stimulating drugs or dietary supplements for children who are slowly gaining weight. And really, if a child refuses food, what should I do? Komarovsky - a specialist of the highest category - advises resorting to the treatment of poor appetite only in extreme cases. Believe me, in our time in a safe environment, no child will die of hunger or malnutrition. Parents should create all opportunities for natural hardening and encourage the child to outdoor games. If the baby will walk a lot in the fresh air, play with peers and learn something new every day, the problem of appetite will be solved by itself.
Secrets of a good appetite
What can be done right now to make your child bigger and more willing to eat? Turn every meal into a ritual. It is advisable that the whole family gather at the table. Observing how others eat is in itself stimulating appetite. During the general meal, the baby learns to eat neatly and correctly at the table. Try to regularly please the child with new dishes and products. You can pay attention to the design of food and table setting. Surely the child will be interested to eat from a beautiful plate. You can draw some interesting drawings right on the serving of the kid with sauce or jam. Do not forget about the classic compromises - offer an interesting dessert after the meal.
We hope that a bad appetite will no longer spoil your mood, because you know what to do. Does the child refuse food? Recommendations on this issue can be reduced to a simple tip: never scold or feed forcefully. It’s better to wait until the baby is hungry and try to feed him in peaceful ways.