The problem of poor appetite worries many parents. After all, when a child eats the required portion, it gives mom a pleasure. If this does not happen, then the parents begin to persuade the baby to eat, ask to eat a few more spoons.
When a child constantly refuses food, then over time it may experience weakness, poor weight gain and pain. Persuasion and coercion usually not only do not help, but also cause fear in the kids before the next meal. What if the child does not want to eat? The article will discuss ways and methods of improving appetite.
Why the child does not want to eat
Sometimes a lack of appetite may be due to the subjective opinion of parents. For example, a one-year-old baby eats 100 g of porridge, a slice of banana, several crackers. In this case, the mother has excessive requirements for the amount of food consumed. If there are children in her environment who have an increased appetite, then you should not focus only on them. All kids develop individually, so not everyone can eat like that.
The causes of poor appetite in a child can be different. It depends on many factors influencing this process.
What to do if the child does not want to eat? Lack of appetite can cause any latent disease. There are several pathologies, one of the symptoms of which is unwillingness to eat. Therefore, parents should show the baby to the pediatrician and gastroenterologist.
Moms ask what to do if the child does not want to eat. The reason for the lack of appetite may be a pathology of a psychological nature. This sometimes occurs when the familiar environment changes. Some children begin to refuse food when a brother or sister appears in the family. They also react sharply to parents' quarrels.
Some children begin to refuse the usual food, because it is fed up with them. It is also possible that the child simply does not have an appetite, because this happens even in an adult. However, if the refusal of food has been delayed, then parents should seek the advice of a pediatrician.
How much should a healthy child eat
Typically, pediatricians take into account weight and height indicators for children of the appropriate age, as well as the average daily intake of food, to determine the amount of food. All these data are averaged, so parents do not need to worry much about this.
Many mothers are wondering why the child has no appetite. After all, his health depends on this. If a child eats little but gains weight, and also develops physically and psychologically normally, then parents do not need to worry.
The main reason that determines the volume and frequency of food is appetite. It depends on several factors:
- metabolic feature;
- hormone production intensity;
- level of energy expenditure.
Each child has its own metabolism. Some children eat little food, but normally gain weight, while thin ones can eat large portions of food. The metabolic rate largely determines the speed and ability to assimilate nutrients.
The production of hormones is also individual for each child. She is especially intense at one year old and in her teens. In the summer, these processes increase, so more food is needed. And in winter, on the contrary, you need less food.
The level of energy expenditures is determined not only by maintaining the rates of normal development and growth, but also by physical activity. An important point in this process is to maintain body temperature. The more actively the baby spends energy, the stronger his appetite will be.
Is it worth it to force a baby
Parents are often interested in how to respond and what to do if the child does not want to eat. There are several ways to help him with this. Forcing a child is the wrong strategy. Food should bring joy and satiety to the child.
If parents put a plate of food in front of the baby, and he pushes it away, then you need to calmly sit next to it and then remove it. Do not give something to the child until the next meal. This also applies to fruits, juices and sweets.
Usually, the baby gets an appetite for the next meal and eats well. Moms should not be afraid that something will happen to him if he does not have lunch.
Sometimes children cannot eat immediately after active and outdoor games. An overexcited nervous system simply prevents them from feeling hungry. Parents need to wait a bit, but it is better to vilify or read an interesting book.
How to improve a child’s appetite
With all their wishes, parents will not be able to influence the metabolism and the intensity of hormone production, because the decisive factor is the increase in energy costs.
If a healthy child refuses food, then it is necessary to review his daily routine. To do this, you need to change the ratio of physical and mental stress.
The apartment must maintain a certain temperature, not more than 22 degrees. The child should not be wrapped in several layers of clothing, thus trying to protect against hypothermia. If the baby does not feel the cold, then he may get sick from the first draft. Also, he does not learn to regulate body temperature, does not expend energy on its maintenance. Tempering procedures will have a positive effect not only on immunity, but also improve appetite.
The daily routine of the baby should include not only educational games, but also active ones. Especially useful at this time is in the fresh air. The more active the baby will move, the better his appetite will be.
In some cases, mothers resort to extreme measures and ask the pediatrician to prescribe drugs to increase the appetite of children. It can be "Glycine", enzymes ("Creon"), "Elkar", "Lysine". However, parents should not rush, it may be possible to improve the appetite in other ways, avoiding medication.
How to feed a baby
Many parents are interested in what to do if the child does not want to eat. The most important rule is to feed the baby when he is really hungry. Under no circumstances can one force one to eat. This can adversely affect a child’s health.
When the baby is hungry, his entire digestive system is prepared for eating. There is a release of saliva and gastric juice.
If the food enters the body, which is not ready for its consumption, then most of it is not digested to the end and is not absorbed. There will be no benefit from such feeding.
No need to beg the baby to eat some food, it will only make the parents and the child nervous. Also, do not entertain him by reading books or watching TV. It is necessary to explain what they eat at the table, but play elsewhere.
Sometimes babies are naughty while eating, then to get sweets or fruits. Parents should get rid of this practice. The child must first eat ordinary food, and only then goodies.
There is a flip side to the problem when a child constantly wants to eat what to do in this case. If the baby is healthy, and he does not have any diseases and overweight, then he can slightly increase the portion. Perhaps this phenomenon is associated with a change in the season, and after a while he will eat, as usual.
Should I follow the daily routine
Many mothers are worried and ask how to improve their baby’s appetite. For this, the correct daily routine is also important. However, you must take into account the characteristics of the baby's body. If in the morning a child sits for a long time over a plate of food, then perhaps it is best to give him a glass of milk. A breakfast should be postponed to a later time.
If a trip is planned, then you can take food for the baby with you. Sometimes an earlier recovery can help if this suits the child.
Another advantage of the regime is that mom will always know how much and what the baby was eating. But for it to work, you should not have snacks between the main meals.
For young children, you can enter 5 meals a day. Servings should be small. It should be borne in mind that until the stomach is freed from food, the baby will not have an appetite.
You need to teach your child to eat independently
In some families, eating a baby turns into a whole performance. Sometimes this process involves not only grandfathers and grandmothers, but also domestic animals. This leads to the development of the child's abnormal food reflexes and develops moodiness when eating.
Do not entertain the baby with food, it is best to bring him to the table setting and to the process of preparing dinner. He will certainly try to eat the dish that they made with his mother.
Some parents, fearing that the child will stain clothes, feed him themselves. And when he grows up, it turns out that he does not know how to use a spoon and a fork.
Therefore, it is best to teach the baby to eat independently. It is not difficult to wash clothes or clean the kitchen, and he really needs the necessary skills.
What to do if the baby prefers certain foods
Many parents do not know how to cause a child’s appetite. Sometimes this process can be affected by the fact that the baby prefers certain foods. Some of them eat one or two dishes. In this situation, parents are better off not arguing with the baby, but feed their favorite food. However, it is not worth giving in large quantities, so as not to cause allergies or other problems.
After a while, mom can put other food on the table in small plates. She needs to be attractive. Many children who don’t eat meat at all can enjoy dumplings. And kids who can’t tolerate vegetables are happy to drink vegetable juices. Here moms can take advantage of some tricks.
How to "disguise" unloved food
How to increase the appetite of a child and teach to eat unloved food? Mom can take advantage of some tricks and put such a product in her favorite dish.
If children refuse meat, then you can pass it through a blender or meat grinder. Then mom can make a pie with delicious filling or dumplings out of it.
You can also make a paste by adding liver, chicken or beef, pumpkin and carrots. Due to the taste of vegetables, such a dish may appeal to the child.
Fish has many useful properties, but not all children love it. Mom can cook minced fish and wrap pancakes with it. Also, the fish is tasty if you bake it in a sauce.
Many children refuse vegetables because they are not as colorful and tasty as fruits. Mom can beautifully lay them on a plate in the form of figures of mushrooms, flowers and more.
How to feed a baby if he is sick
If it’s hot outside or the child is sick, his appetite will worsen even more. If the baby has a fever, then he will refuse to eat until his condition improves. Most of all he needs a plentiful drink. A child can drink fluid through a tube.
When the temperature drops, then the mother can offer the baby his favorite food. In hot weather, children have almost no appetite, so a hot meal is not recommended. You can cook okroshka for a child. Or give him what he loves.
After a day's sleep, when it gets cooler outside, the child will be able to eat well.
Conclusion
The problem of poor appetite is faced by many parents. If this situation is not associated with any disease, then gradually everything is getting better. The child grows, over time, he has more of his favorite foods, and also his physical activity increases. In this situation, the correct behavior of the parents is very important to help the baby overcome a difficult period.