Why The Child Does Not Eat ?

5 The Most Common Reasons Why The Child Does Not Eat

If you are facing problems at the child's table, we present to you what are the most common causes of the fact that the little one does not eat as we would like. So, the child may refuse food and choose sweets, may even develop an addiction only to a certain type of food, and may even skip meals. Of course, a child will not always eat as well, he will have periods when he is pickier and periods when he barely tastes food. However, which of these situations are normal and which are not?

What does it mean that the little one is not eating?

Children will not eat everything at once. So if some little ones gobble up raw, crunchy vegetables, others may accept fresh vegetables later. The same happens with meat dishes. There are children who later eat a steak.

However, there are alternatives to introducing these foods into the diet of the little ones, through other recipes: meat pie, for example, meatballs with fish, vegetable dishes, vegetable cakes, etc.

But when a child vehemently refuses to eat homemade recipes, skips main meals, or simply wants to eat only desserts, things are no longer good.

Moreover, when they are still under 2 years of age, some children may refuse any food at any time. This can happen on a limited basis, for a day for example, when a tooth eruption occurs, or it can be caused by a real medical problem.

When eating disorders are prolonged, we can notice either that the child loses weight, or that he may develop certain mineral and vitamin deficiencies (he gets colds more often, his immunity decreases, he suffers from anemia, signs of rickets appear, and so on).

What are the most common reasons why the child does not eat?

Too much pressure when meal time comes

The child eats emotionally. If he feels a tense atmosphere, full of fear, stress, and dissatisfaction from the parent, the child's appetite disappears.

Specialists recommend that we, the parents, maintain a calm atmosphere at the table, benevolent, based on trust so that the child feels free to try or even refuse food.

This freedom gives the little one confidence, so he should not be scolded if he does not eat. He simply sets the table and when he is hungry, he will eat. Of course, we are not talking about the small infant, for whom the loss of a meal is important.

But the older child will understand that it is natural to eat later and will actually eat, most of the time.

In addition, there is another technique that works for each of us, even the grown-ups: choice. You give the child the power to choose between two dishes at the table. For example: "We have soup for course 1. For course two, do you eat peas or cheese pie?" The child clearly understands that he will eat the soup, and only then will he probably choose the pie, which causes him to feel in control and to be satisfied. But the soup will be eaten, even if it only takes a few spoonfuls.

 

The child states that he does not like food or does not feel like eating

Usually when this happens, either the little one really has a dish on his plate that he hates, or he has the alternative of eating something sweet, chocolate, or some dessert. And he'll insist on that dessert until we adults give in.

In this situation, it would be ideal to reduce the sweets in the child's diet and replace them with homemade ones. When we cook at home, we can also use eggs, dairy products, yogurt, cream, and honey to make a dessert and even vegetables or fruits as sweeteners (bananas and beetroot sweeten very well, as well as a carrot which gives it an orange color, apples ripe). We can even add raisins, blueberries, and berries to cakes. All these foods matters, we can also add powders, for example, we can also throw a teaspoon of blackcurrant powder into the blackberry dough.

And just like that, homemade cakes become a source of health and we integrate them into healthy eating.

Another alternative would be food education. By this, we explain to the child that some foods are good for the tongue but not for the tummy. Even some foods contain substances that can really harm them, such as allergens.

In this way, the child begins to consciously accept healthy foods, and even if he does not give up sweets, he will still accept the food.

The child does not want to eat

Either not enough time has passed since the last meal (or he had too many snacks in between), or he is simply too involved in other activities and does not want to give them up to eat.

We could create a little ritual around the table so that the child is notified 10 minutes earlier that he is going to eat. Specialists say that we should not turn on the TV or tablet at the table, because in this situation the child no longer focuses on the food, does not realize the importance and value of the meal, but is simply distracted by what he sees and hears. Also no toys at the table.

Eliminate other stressors, if any, so that the meal takes place in peace and all participants enjoy the food and enjoy the presence of their loved ones.

Medical problems

There are also situations when medical problems are the ones that cause the lack of appetite (inappetence). The situations can be very varied, from tooth eruption to colds, digestive ailments, allergies, and so on.

Also, constipation or gastroesophageal reflux can be other reasons why the child refuses to eat.

Vitamin and mineral deficiencies (lack of calcium, anemia, lack of magnesium, etc.) can lead to decreased appetite.

If you notice that your child's eating disorders persist for more than a few days, it is recommended to seek the advice of a specialist.

The family example

When the family members do not all eat together, at least in the evening, or when the parents recommend one to the child, but they eat another, it is possible that the little one refuses some food.

When eating together, the little one notices that the other members present at the table taste all the foods, eat with appetite, combine them, and enjoy the food. Even if initially the child may refuse, little by little he accepts to try and he will even like some dishes.

Also, if the parents or caregivers have noticed that the little one eats a few dishes, they should not cook only those, but try to vary the diet as much as possible, even if the little one will refuse from time to time to eat.

Think of our grandparents, who ate seasonally what their backyard garden and field offered. They could not choose any dish at any time but therefore ate what nature offered them when nature offered them. And the children also learned to eat this way. Sure they preferred some foods a lot or there were some dishes they vehemently refused, but at the end of the month, drawing a line, those children ate quite varied.

The same should happen today. Let's vary the dishes, fruits, vegetables, pickles, and so on in the family.