Possible reasons for the child not eating
infant feeding> How a child is fed has a major impact on the child’s future eating habits and nutrition. Maybe very tasty nutritious food is prepared for the baby but still the baby does not want to eat it. It is normal for parents to always worry if their child is getting enough food to grow. Research shows that a child actually knows how much food he needs and knows when to stop eating. So parents should learn to trust their children first. The exact reason why the child does not want to eat should be found out gradually. Maybe he was full or he didn’t like the food or some other reason.
1. Giving pressure to the child to eat:
If you are always pressuring the child to overeat, it will reduce your child’s interest in eating. If the child is fed in such a way as to cause pressure on the child then the fear of eating enters into the child’s mind. As a result, he never waits for feeding time because he understands that he will be forced to feed. So keep the eating time as a pastime for you as well as for the baby, so that he can enjoy that time i.e. enjoy eating. Absolutely no pressure should be put on the child to eat. Encouraging the child to feed does not require force but patience. Be patient if the first few swallows don’t want to eat. You can then take a bite or two of the food yourself to show that the food was actually quite enjoyable.
2. Children who are sensitive to the taste and texture of food:
Children also have their own likes and dislikes. Some babies prefer soft foods and some babies prefer granular foods. Some children may like slimy food and some children may not like it at all. If your baby is very sensitive to how food tastes after it’s in his mouth, he may not eat as much as you want if it doesn’t taste to his liking. In this case, you need to know what kind of food your child likes. You can make his favorite texture and taste food in different ways.
3. Inattentive children:
If the child has many toys around during feeding time or if the child is standing in bed looking out of the window or watching cartoons on television, then his full attention is not on eating. The child should be made aware that eating time is the only time to eat. By doing this, he will learn that eating is an important and necessary part of his day. Remove the toys while eating, turn off the television so that his full attention is on eating. For the first few days this task may seem difficult for you, but gradually you will see that your baby starts eating with pleasure.
4. The child is wearing tight clothes:
When you feed your baby, his little belly grows up to 40%. So if your child is wearing something tight while eating, he may find it uncomfortable to eat enough. Make sure you are comfortable while eating. Dress her in comfortable clothes and diapers so that she doesn’t feel cramped on a full stomach.
Effective methods of infant feeding
As a mother, it can be very frustrating when you prepare a healthy meal with lots of care and love and your child comes and throws that food away and says “I don’t like this food. I will not eat it.” Sometimes you explain a lot to your child about this food, about its qualities, but it is not enough to satisfy the child. But if you want, you can find an excuse to feed it. Today we will share with you some methods to help and feed your baby very easily. The methods are very effective. So without delay know the methods and feed your baby very easily.
(1) Holidays
Keep the holidays handy. Take your kid with you to a mall or vegetable market and let him prioritize which one he wants to buy? Ask him which vegetables or fruits he wants to buy or eat, and introduce each food to him and explain the qualities. Apart from the raw market, you can also take the baby to super shops. Feed the baby using this amazing method.
(2) Praise for eating food
If your child is a little older, teach them about the color, texture, shape and where the food is grown as part of their education. If the baby is older, give them the opportunity to learn new recipes and cook with the baby. Don’t forget to praise him for his food at mealtimes.
(3) Colorful food
For toddlers, 6 months – 1 year old, the feeding style is a little different, but the point is the same. Offer colorful foods to your baby. Children are attracted to colors at this time. So put some colored food in front of the baby. But don’t force him. You will see a baby face in some way. Feed the child by showing colorful food.
(4) Eat yourself with the child
Children love imitation. So if you want to feed them, you have to eat yourself first. The baby will imitate you. Feed the baby but also eat with the baby.
(5) Delicious food
Food should be tasty, children like a little sweet food. Try it yourself first and then feed your baby.
(6) Variety in food
Feed the baby with a variety of foods. Do not give the child the same food all the time, this leads to boredom in the child’s diet. But for very young children feed one food every 2-3 days.
(7) Physician’s advice
Despite everything, many children do not eat anything, many times when children have worms in their stomach, they do not want to eat, they vomit. So consult a doctor in that case. Also, give the baby foods that are nutritious as well as fun for him, as well as what growing children need.
(8) Miscellaneous items of fish
Many children do not want to eat fish, but give the same child fish cutlets and they will eat it just fine. Where is the problem? Give your favorite food the look he likes. Fish cutlets, noodles with prawns etc.
(9) Different items of eggs
The baby does not eat eggs. Well, mix the egg with its semolina. The child will not understand. Mix with khichuri. You can make sandwiches for older children, or egg chops. Serve food differently.
(10) Variation in cooking vegetables
The biggest problem is with vegetables. Serve with noodles, make pakoras, make vegetable rolls. You will definitely like any one dish. If you combine it with cheese, it will be golden.
(11) Bread or fried rice
Does the child eat rice? Eat bread, fried rice in a healthy way. Make burgers at home. Make it with eggs, bread, vegetables, cheese, meat, kids will love it and your worries will be reduced.
(12) Talk while eating
Children love to listen to stories. He doesn’t care when he eats while listening to the story. So don’t forget to tell funny stories while eating. Feed the child to tell stories.
What to do if the child does not want to eat food
➤ Babies usually don’t want to eat unless they’re completely hungry. Also, constant and repeated force feeding creates an aversion to food in children.
➤ It is better to feed children according to routine. Occasional feeding tends to lead to fear of food in children. When he sees food, he wants to run away. Many children eat biscuits, fruit or fruit juice after coming back from school. An hour after that maybe lunch time. Then he may not want to eat, because his hunger is already lost. Many children eat biscuits, fruits, lozenges, ice cream etc. as often as they want throughout the day and keep their stomach full. But don’t want to eat anything during the main meal. It is very normal. Therefore, parents should take care to eat moderate and balanced meals on a regular basis. Avoid eating biscuits, fruit, lozenges, ice cream or fast food on breakfast or before meal time.
➤ Cook baby’s favorite food. A child will not want to eat food unless it tastes right and will develop an aversion to that food.
➤ Eat according to schedule. There is some difference in the time of hunger of the child depending on the age. Get your baby used to eating on a regular schedule. What is more important than what you are feeding is when you are feeding. Don’t feed your baby hour after hour just because he doesn’t want to eat or won’t eat. If the child does not want to eat at all, notice if the child is gaining weight. Talk to a doctor if necessary. Don’t create a strong aversion to his food by feeding him every now and then.
➤ Observe age-appropriate meal intervals. Generally, two to three year olds should have two to three hours between meals every day. If he does not eat any other food during this break, he should feel hungry in due time.
➤ Never try to force feed a baby. If you force feed him once, he will be afraid whenever you want to feed him. His interest in food will decrease.
➤ The habit of watching TV or cartoons while eating is very bad. Feeding children TV or cartoons will help them get used to them. Too much TV viewing is not healthy for children. On top of that, feeding while watching TV increases the risk of indigestion in the baby. Because at this time due to the attention on TV, the necessary digestive juices are not released from the stomach.
➤ Try to vary the food. Vary the food instead of giving the same food every day. Find out what he wants to eat. Let him eat the food he likes in a healthy way.
➤ Tell him about the disadvantages of outside food especially fast food. It’s not that you don’t give outside food at all. But don’t bring home food separately for him or take him out every day.
➤ It should be observed whether the child is infected with worms. Worm infection in children is one of the reasons for not eating. Everyone in the family should be dewormed regularly, even at work. Keeping the baby free of worms will improve the baby’s appetite. It is important to always serve balanced and nutritious food. If nutritious food is served to the taste of the child and if the child is kept in a nice and clean environment, the child will grow properly.
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