23/01/2022
My child does not eat well. It is a common concern among parents and grandparents. The story is same even at pediatrician's home
How do we deal with it?
It is important to recognise the following few facts:
1.1 Hunger is a natural need. A sparrow or ant's mother does not make them eat. Whenever, they feel hungry, they start searching for food.
1.2 Hunger is such a strong desire that it can motivate a honest person to steal.
1.3 Sometimes, a child fills her stomach with milk diet or multiple snacks between meals. Then there is no place for regular meals.
2.Growth rate of the child becomes less after one year age. A child gains about 4-6 kg in the first year. Thereafter, it gains 1.5 -2 kg per year upto puberty. It implies that the child has to put more amount in fixed deposit in the first year, Thereafter the requirement is less. Therefore, appetite goes down.
3. Phase of negativism - child deveops its own ego at about one year age. If we force any thing on him, it goes into phase of negativism. Forced feeding is countered with the matching aggression. In fact some children start vomiting at sight of food. Avoid forced feeding. Let him/ her decide, what to eat, when to eat and how much to eat.
4. Phase of imitation- child prefers to eat with its own hands. He wants to eat whatever food, family members are eating.
5. A simple logic - with whatever amount of food, child is active and cheerful, that intake is sufficient. It only means that engine of the body has become more energy efficient.
Next time, we are tense about child's apettite, pnder at the above points.