Feeding children is one of the main concerns of parents. Many parents around the world are distressed when they realize that their child is not eating anything or not enough, but how do you know if what you eat is not enough? Do you really not eat at all any? In most cases, the child eats, even a little, but eats even though the parents consider that this is not enough. Therefore, it is necessary to know that it is common that children and food do not always get along well and that when just like adults, they too go through seasons when they eat better than other In order to answer the question that many parents ask themselves "My son does not eat anything: what can I do?", it is necessary to take into account some issues related to the growth and feeding of children. Starting from there, you can carry out a series of guidelines to follow to make children eat better.
In this Psychology-Online article about what to do if your child does not eat anything, we are going to explain a series of things that you have to take into account regarding the feeding of your child and to give you some tips that can be very useful to help your child have a better appetite.
Before giving you some tips and recommendations that can be very useful for your child eat better, it is necessary that you take into account some important aspects that you could be going through high. Some of these aspects are the following:
- If your child has over 1 year of age, it is normal for him to eat less. This is because during the first year of life they go through the fastest growth stage of their entire life, since only during that year they usually grow approximately 25 centimeters and the weight increases considerably. After the year, they need less iron and energy to grow, which is why they are less hungry.
- If your child eats little, but not losing weight and continues to grow, you have nothing to worry about.
- It is not necessary for the child to finish the entire plate of food or the amount you consider necessary for him. Actually he eat what he needs and it may be that he requires less on some occasions.
- If you want your child to eat the same or more than in his first year of life, before the age of 6 he would suffer from obesity.
- Do not force your child to finish a certain amount of food.
- If your child has not eaten for weeks at all, surely it is a sign that he is sick, so you have to take him to the doctor so that he is cared for and not simply forced to eat.
- If your child is very thin and eats almost nothing, you can give him foods that contain greater amount of energy (calories and protein) so that he does not lose more weight.
- If you notice that your child is losing weight and has problems in their growth, it's necessary that consult a pediatrician to receive guidance according to your case.
You can always do things so that mealtime does not become a real battle and encourage the child to eat their food with more desire and without so much pressure. Some of the tips that you can take into account so that your child eats better, are the following:
Avoid distractions during the meal
It is necessary to avoid using the mobile phone, turning on the television, the radio, etc., it is necessary to eliminate all kinds of distractions to encourage them to focus more on food. This will also allow the child to be in a more relaxed atmosphere to eat, which will make it easier for you to have a bigger appetite. Once you have eaten, you can put on the program you like, the radio, etc., as this will better promote the habit of food and you will learn to have an order.
Arouse his interest in food
In order to awaken the child's interest in food, it is necessary to use the creativity. For example, one of the ways that children pay more attention to food and find it more interesting is by making foods that have a fun touch (food in the form of his favorite characters, figured fruit cocktail, etc.), use eye-catching plates, glasses and cutlery (with images of his favorite characters, colors he likes, etc.).
Another option that is very interesting is to feed him through games, which will cause him to focus his attention to food and perceives it in a more positive way (for example, the airplane game with the spoon).
Don't force your child to eat
Remember that the child knows when he really needs food and when he does not. Sometimes you can finish the whole plate, but sometimes it may be enough to just eat a few bites. The worst thing that can be done is to force him to eat when he is not really hungry, since that natural feeling of satiety will be altered and you can lead to that in the future present obesity problems.
Another important issue is that the child can stress too much and that in future occasions it even generates fear and aversion to the mealtime if it is forced to eat.
Eat as a family
Another aspect that greatly influences when it comes to increasing appetite in children is that the whole family eats at the same time. When the child sees his parents eating, he looks motivated to imitate their behavior. This is even better if the atmosphere is calm and pleasant, so you should avoid discussions at the table and make mealtime an extremely pleasant moment.
Avoid serving too much food
You should avoid filling the plate excessively and you can even serve small portions. The child is the one who has to decide if he needs more food or not, since seeing that he is not forced to eat a certain amount, you will feel less pressure and unnecessary battles will be avoided when it comes to food. It is important not to conflict, as both parents and children will have a hard time and nothing will be achieved this way.
Here are other tips to take into account to increase your child's appetite and help him establish good eating habits.
Set meal times
Fixed times for food should be established and carried out as much as possible. If your child has not wanted to have a good breakfast and an hour before lunch he asks you for dessert, explain that he has to wait until lunchtime and try to distract him until they sit down to eat. In this way, you will arrive hungrier for lunch and little by little it will adapt to the schedules that have been established to do so.
Find ways to give him foods he doesn't like
Something that you can do and that is very common to give nutritious food to children that they do not like, is camouflage them with others that you like. For example, if you don't like vegetables, you can blend them so you don't notice they are there and mix with other foods to hide their flavor. The fact is that the child becomes familiar and accustomed to the taste of these foods, so that each time you can gradually reduce the amount of food you like so that it stays at the end, only in this case with the vegetables.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
