The child has no appetite: what should parents do in this case. What to do if the child does not eat well. Proper organization of the feeding process

30.08.2019

The process of searching for and absorbing food is the basis for the existence of all living beings. Whatever biological species you take, and behavior, and anatomical and physiological features, and habitat, and the seasonality of reproduction are oriented, first of all, to the opportunity to get their own food. To realize that you can bring food into the house, to see how your child absorbs the food obtained is a real balm for the soul, the implementation of the genetic program embedded in us, aimed not only at reproduction, but also at feeding the cubs. To feel that your child is protected, that he does not need anything, that he is no worse than others, that he is full, is the first parental need. Feeding a child at any cost is a natural maternal desire. And sometimes he doesn't. And it's unbearable. For it contradicts the basics of being familiar to us, does not make it possible to realize the parental instinct, causes a passionate desire to immediately save the child. Doesn't want to or can't? This is the first and most important question. And without answering it, nothing can be decided. It is clear, after all, that there is unwillingness - this is one thing, but there is an impossibility - this is a fundamentally different situation, and parental actions in these situations differ quite significantly. With all his behavior, the child demonstrates the readiness to eat. Greedily pounces on the mother's breasts, grabs her hands and pulls a bottle of formula into her mouth, willingly sits down at the table, asks for food, in the end. But immediately after the start of the process of eating, it is accepted to act up, worry and refuse to eat. All this may be due to:

problems with the intake of food - a flat nipple, "tight" chest, a small hole in the nipple;
problems in the oral cavity, when sucking, chewing or swallowing causes pain - thrush and other variants of stomatitis, inflammation of the gums due to teething, just a toothache, inflammatory processes in the pharynx (tonsillitis, pharyngitis);
problems in the intestines: in infants, it is not at all uncommon for a situation in which, after the onset of sucking, the peristalsis (contractility) of the intestine sharply increases. With increased gas formation, with a tendency to constipation, in the presence of inflammatory processes, the mentioned active contractility can provoke pain in the abdomen;
respiratory failure - if the baby's nose is "clogged", then in the process of sucking a very noticeable discomfort appears, since breathing through the mouth becomes impossible;
the taste of food - salty, sour, bitter, etc. - the nursing mother tasted herring with garlic, dad personally peppered the soup;
individual intolerance to a particular product - it is difficult to deny, but there are children in whom semolina porridge gets into the mouth provokes a gag reflex;
physical characteristics of food - hot, cold, large pieces, and the child has not yet learned to chew, so he chokes.

Parents are not always able to determine the true reason for the impossibility of eating, but it is not at all difficult to distinguish reluctance from impossibility, given the above. If he really wants to, but cannot, this is a completely logical reason to seek medical help.

Maybe! But he doesn't want to!

Having excluded (on our own or with the help of a doctor) the above reasons that impede the process of eating food, we state: it can. And suck, and chew, and swallow. But he doesn't want to. And here a completely natural question arises: why? Why does our beloved child refuse such tasty, healthy and necessary food? To begin with, we should digress a little and deal with a very important concept, which we will repeatedly refer to. We are talking about such a well-known word as "appetite". Classical definitions: Appetite - the desire to eat, the urge to eat. (Explanatory Dictionary, edited by S.I. Ozhegov). Appetite (Latin appetitio strong desire, desire) is a pleasant feeling associated with the upcoming meal (Encyclopedic Dictionary of Medical Terms). Given these definitions, it is clear that subjective desires and sensations, to which the concept of "appetite" certainly refers, can have varying degrees of severity - from a moderate decrease to a complete lack of appetite, manifested in real life by a complete rejection of any there was food.

Poor appetite in a child during illness

There are many reasons for not eating, but the first thing that comes to mind for worried relatives is illness. And indeed it is. For loss of appetite is a typical manifestation of any acute illness and many chronic ones. This obvious fact requires clarification. To begin with, consider acute diseases, i.e. suddenly started, which include most childhood infections, and injuries, and poisoning, and appendicitis, and much more. It is in childhood that we are most often talking about acute infectious diseases, as a rule, viral infections, with which the child's body in the vast majority of cases is quite capable of coping on its own and without any outside help. If we accept this provision as an axiom, then the following will become clear: any efforts of relatives must be carried out in the direction prompted by instinctive urges. And what is the most natural desire at the beginning of the disease? Refusal to eat. Is this good or bad? This is normal, since the lack of desire to eat is primarily due to biological expediency, and this symptom is common to all mammals. Both a sick cat and a sick mouse do not want to eat. At first glance, something here is not logical. After all, we must fight the disease, we need strength, energy, how is it possible at such a crucial moment without food? But this is only at first glance. The main manifestations of acute diseases (pain, stress, fever, lack of oxygen) lead to a standard reaction - blood circulation in vital organs (brain, heart, lungs) is activated, and blood vessels in less important organs narrow. Vasoconstriction and a significant decrease in blood flow activity are especially pronounced in the intestines. Its peristalsis decreases, less intestinal juices are produced, they become thicker. It is clear that the intestines, in such a situation, to put it mildly, are not up to eating. Intestinal disorders (diarrhea, pain, flatulence) in children can occur and often occur with any disease - there is even a special term for this - "intestinal syndrome". It is paradoxical, but easy to explain the fact that the frequency and severity of the intestinal syndrome are directly related not only to the severity of the disease, but also to the efforts of parents to feed the sick child. The liver is the most important organ of the digestive system and at the same time the main fighter against infections. It is the liver that is an active participant in the synthesis of immunoglobulins - those very well-known antibodies that neutralize viruses and bacterial toxins. Again, the liver is a powerful filter that stops and neutralizes poisons, products of tissue breakdown. It is clear that the load on the liver during acute infection is high, and loss of appetite is an important defense mechanism with the obvious goal of allowing the liver to focus on functions more necessary than digestion. The following becomes clear: the absence or decrease in appetite in a sick child is an absolute norm. The more serious the load on the body, the more pronounced the decrease in appetite. As the load decreases, appetite is restored, and this is one of the symptoms that clearly indicates the beginning of recovery. With chronic, long-term illnesses, the situation is not so unambiguous. A growing child's body adapts relatively quickly to changes, and the appetite is maintained. In some diseases (for example, diabetes mellitus), the appetite even increases, but in general there is a very clear trend - if the disease leads to a decrease in energy expenditure (the child cannot move or moves little), then this is reflected not so much in appetite as in the amount of food eaten. And only with very severe, very long and very dangerous illnesses, there is a sharp decrease in appetite or a complete refusal of the child to eat. And it is always very serious. The final recommendations for the nutrition of a sick child can be reduced to two simple rules:

The main criterion for the frequency and volume of feeding is appetite.
Force-feeding attempts are absolutely unacceptable.

Obviously, the qualitative composition of food depends on what specific disease we are dealing with - it is clear that with an intestinal infection, viral hepatitis and a broken leg, the choice of foods that are allowed to be consumed will be, to put it mildly, different. But the diet therapy of specific diseases is not the topic of our communication. Our task is to develop tactics of parental actions in relation to a specific symptom called "appetite reduction". And the conclusion here is unequivocal: if a decrease in appetite is really a symptom, i. one of the signs of the disease, then it is not necessary to fight this symptom. It is necessary to help the body cope with a specific disease, but the main tactical and psychological problem lies precisely in the fact that active feeding of a sick child does not help the child to recover at all - quite the contrary.

What determines a child's appetite?

A sick child refuses to eat... This state of affairs, although psychologically difficult for relatives, is generally understandable. Any adult is aware that this is temporary, that the disease is to blame. Memories from my own "painful" experience are very helpful in calming down: after all, when I am sick, I also do not want to eat. Loving relatives visit completely different thoughts in a situation where there are no signs of illness, but there is no appetite either. This frightens with uncertainty, because the most logical explanation is this: the disease still exists, we just cannot see it. In fact, a decrease in appetite very often has a completely physiological basis, i.e. normal, natural base.

Factors affecting appetite in children

Individual features of metabolism, characteristic of both children and adults. Everyone can confirm this with numerous everyday examples. Petya and Sasha eat the same way, Petya is thin and Sasha is fat. Thin Masha eats a lot, and fat Lena eats little. What matters is not how much food the child has eaten, but how much of what has been eaten will be assimilated and how long this "assimilated" will last. Here, a not very correct, but understandable technical analogy may be quite appropriate - one car “eats” 20 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers, and the other only 5 under the same conditions.
Intensity of hormone production. The growth process is uneven. In the first year of life, in adolescence, growth hormone, thyroid and parathyroid hormones, sex hormones are produced in greater quantities, the child is actively growing, appetite increases. The intensity of growth also depends on genetic characteristics. If Vasya's parents are under two meters tall, then Vasya will most likely eat more than Seryozha, whose father is sixty meters tall. There are also seasonal patterns - growth slows down in winter (less hormones), in summer it becomes more active (more hormones). It is clear that the appetite in the summer is better.
The level of energy consumption. Nutrition, in fact, pursues two global goals: first, to provide the body with the substances necessary for the growth and normal functioning of internal organs; secondly, to cover the current energy costs, primarily due to motor activity. Everything is quite obvious here - the more energy the child spends, the better the appetite.

What to do if the child does not eat well?

Of the three listed factors that determine the severity of appetite in a healthy child, two are completely beyond the control of parental influence. With all our desire, we cannot influence either the production of hormones or the individual characteristics of metabolism. But regulating energy costs is absolutely within the competence of parents. We have already decided: the current energy costs are primarily due to physical activity, but not only by it.

Maintaining body temperature is of great importance - the warmer and more comfortable, the more clothes, the less energy consumption, the worse the appetite. The ratio of intellectual and physical activity, daily routine, temperature regime are the main components of such a well-known concept as "lifestyle". It is clear that both food intake on this list and the interconnection of the components is very high.

Let's look from the sidelines and, if possible, objectively, at a situation that is classic within the framework of our being, when the parents of a healthy child are extremely concerned about his lack of appetite. In the vast majority of cases, the family does not lack food, the child does not get cold - there will always be funds for a fur coat, socks and a heater. The child is little in the fresh air, does not move enough. It is not uncommon for additional loads in the form of classes (educational games, etc.). In his free time, the child plays on the computer or watches TV. It is not surprising that in such a situation the child has no appetite. Surprisingly, this surprises his parents. Civilization has a very serious impact on the health of mankind. And this is especially true in relation to children, because in the most crucial period of life, when internal organs grow and form, when health is laid for life, it is precisely during this period that the child grows up in absolutely unnatural conditions.

If a healthy child refuses to eat, then the first thing to start with is to make a lifestyle correction in order to activate energy expenditure. This is true for any age. The exclusion of overheating, gymnastics, cool water, active games, prolonged exposure to fresh air - this is equally important at 5 months and at 14 years. So, the main thing that parents need to do, alarmed by the unwillingness of the child to eat, is to establish the cause of poor appetite. And then act! Perhaps a doctor's consultation is required, or maybe it's not about your child, but about how you raise him. I repeat once again: it is not necessary to force-feed the child, it is necessary, first of all, to eliminate the causes of loss of appetite.

Appetite (lat. desire, aspiration) is a kind of body signal about the need to satisfy hunger. At the same time, the presence of a good appetite indicates good health, normal development and harmonious functioning of the body. Therefore, many parents are concerned about the lack of appetite in the child.

Presence of appetite

First of all, let's find out what a lack of appetite in a child under 1 year old and 2-5 years old is, what kind of appetite is really bad.

Indicators of appetite are neither the weight of the child, nor his thinness or fullness, nor the size of the portion eaten, nor the behavior at the table.

You have no reason to worry, there is no need to purposefully improve appetite if the baby is under 1 year old and the next few years:

o Gaining weight normally

o develops harmoniously,

o actively communicates and plays,

o He has regular stools.

poor appetite

Indeed, there is no appetite if the child has:

o weakness,

o irritability,

o not eating for several days,

o weight loss,

o disruption of the digestive system,

o negative attitude to food intake.

Causes of poor appetite in infants

o the child takes the breast incorrectly (a problem with the mother's nipples, the child has a short frenulum, inflammation of the oral mucosa due to stomatitis or thrush, clogged nasal passages);

o there is no diet, the baby does not have time to get hungry between feedings;

o improper introduction of complementary foods for children under 1 year old, unsuccessful distribution of products between meals;

o general malaise, illness;

o cutting teeth.

Causes of lack of appetite in children after 1 year

Before you do something, worrying that the child does not eat well, you need to establish the reasons for the baby's disinterest in food. Observe the child and analyze the daily routine of your family. Perhaps the reason lies on the surface:

o insufficient physical activity (the child runs a little, jumps, and even walks, does not play outdoor games, does not get tired);

o short walks in the fresh air;

o sickness or illness;

o overwork and stress;

o loss of appetite due to "snacking" (sweet juices, pastries, sandwiches, sweets, in between meals - the most common reason why the appetite has disappeared);

o Dr. Komarovsky believes that "delicious" harms the child's appetite and can only be a dessert, but not a "snack";

o lack of diet;

o force-feeding a child;

o the child does not eat tasteless and unappetizing food;

o unsystematic and indifferent attitude to food in the family;

o anorexia in adolescents striving for the external parameters of the model.

Ways to stimulate appetite

The reasons why a child has a poor appetite can be different. Even if you managed to establish why the baby is indifferent to food, what is the reason for weight loss, you do not need to make independent prescriptions for medications and vitamins. Even a harmless syrup should not be given to a child for appetite without a doctor's prescription, because it can have a bad effect on the child's body.

o Identify the reasons why the child is not eating well.

o If the baby is sick or feeling unwell, try to give the baby more fluids (water, broths, herbal teas), prepare easy-to-digest foods. Improvement in appetite can be expected when the baby begins to recover.

o During the period of emotional tension and stress of the child, it is important to eliminate the causes of psychological stress. Until then, try to make a menu of the baby’s favorite dishes, give herbal infusions more often, spend more time in the fresh air, and create conditions for “splashing out” negative emotions.

o In no case do not teach your child to "seize" stressful situations "sweet".

o Do not introduce new dishes, new foods into the diet if the child is not healthy. Do not insist on food that tastes unpleasant for the baby.

o Do not indulge whims. If the child does not want to eat the offered dishes and requires something else, do not rush to fulfill the requirement. Nothing bad will happen if this meal is skipped. The feeling of hunger will not cause harm, but then it will force you to eat everything offered. Do not try to give any "snack". Don't be fooled by sweets. Show resilience. And then the vagaries of food will never happen again.

o To increase appetite, serve ordinary dishes in an original and attractive way: let it be funny faces, bright colors, unusual shapes. Prepare edible boats and houses, lay out Christmas trees and animals, form flowers and butterflies. Experiment.

o You can well increase your appetite and mood by serving a dish with your child. Pleasant aromas, high spirits, cheerful communication can remarkably improve appetite.

o Do not serve too large portions. It's better to supplement.

o Before meals, you can give some water or unsweetened apple juice. Sweet juices are too high in calories, as a result - loss of appetite.

o Saturate meals with protein, not carbohydrates and fats. It is protein that stimulates the development of the body and eliminates poor appetite.

o In consultation with a physician, introduce appetite-reducing vitamins to children whose food loss is due to physiological and mental disorders. Use drugs that increase appetite, stimulate the digestive system (Elkar, Apilak, herbal syrup).

Herbal infusions that stimulate the appetite of children from 2 years

Children from 2 years old with poor appetite can prepare herbal infusions. Please note that only after 1 year, the final formation of liver enzyme systems occurs in babies, and the gastrointestinal tract is populated with beneficial bacteria. Therefore, it is difficult for a small organism up to 2 years old to cope with “foreign” chemical elements, such as medicinal herbs.

Before you stimulate your child's appetite with herbal infusions, find out if your child is allergic to any component of the herbal mixture. If there are no contraindications, you can make an infusion and give it to your child before meals.

1. Rinse juniper berries, barberries, rosehips, blackcurrants, chokeberries and anise seeds.

2. Dry everything, grind in equal proportions in a blender or through a meat grinder.

3. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with one glass of boiling water and leave for 30 minutes.

4. Strain the infusion.

Medications and vitamins to increase appetite

Mothers are often interested in what drugs are recommended to increase appetite in children under 1 year old and 3-5 years old, and whether Elkar and Apilak can be given to children.

If you decide to increase your child's poor appetite with the help of vitamins and medications, do not rely on reviews, consult a doctor. You will be recommended those remedies that are useful for the child's appetite and correspond to the age and condition of your baby. The most common reviews of the following drugs: "Elkar", "Apilak". The dose and regimen of medication is prescribed only by a doctor. The most positive reviews are not a guide to action.

"Elkar" (levocarnitine) - a vitamin that stimulates metabolism and normalizes the work of the stomach. "Elkar" is used if the body has a large loss of carnitine. "Elkar" helps to recover from stress and overload. "Elkar" is sold in tablets, in solution. It is given to children before feeding.

o Newborns "Elkar" give 4-10 drops twice a day.

o Children from 2 months to a year - 10 drops 3 times a day.

o Children from 1 year to 6 years - 2-3 times a day, 14 drops.

o Schoolchildren 7-10 years old - a quarter teaspoon 2-3 times a day.

Once again, we draw attention to the mandatory consultation with a doctor before purchasing this medicine.

"Apilak" (royal jelly) - contains a large amount of vitamins, acids, macronutrients. "Apilak" improves the functioning of the body. In case of malnutrition and anorexia, Apilak is used in the form of tablets. Put Apilak tablets under the tongue, as royal jelly is decomposed by gastric juice. For children under 9-10 years old, Apilak is prescribed in the form of suppositories, for children over 10 years old - in tablets.

"Elkar" and "Apilak", like any drug, have side effects. Read the directions for use carefully.

herbal syrups

Loss of appetite is often easily corrected once you start giving your child a digestive syrup. The most famous:

o syrup based on the leaves and inflorescences of wormwood, herb centaury, yarrow,

o plantain leaf syrup,

o syrup based on dandelion root, calamus, yellow gentian,

o Chicory leaf and root syrup.

Each syrup contains bitterness that stimulates the stomach and increases appetite. For children 1-10 years old, tablet options are recommended. For children of younger and middle years, it is enough that the syrup contains one bitterness (only dandelion or only wormwood). For appetite, the child is given infusions and syrups before meals.

Dear parents, provide your child with a healthy active lifestyle, full walks, diet, teach your baby to do exercises and do not develop addiction to sweets and “snacks”, there is no problem with appetite - like - no. If a decrease in appetite in a baby under 1 year old and after a year is a manifestation of a chronic or other disease, be sure to contact a specialist for an appointment. Do not rush to draw conclusions, having studied the reviews of the well-known drugs "Elkar" or "Apilak", do not prescribe a stimulating syrup yourself, especially for babies under 1 year old. Only a specialist can determine the drug your child needs.

The very word "appetite" came to us from Latin. Literally translated as "desire, aspiration" which arises to satisfy the feeling of hunger. A question many parents ask.

The problem of impaired appetite occurs in both adults and children. As a rule, this phenomenon is temporary and under normal circumstances it returns. Good nutrition of the child ensures his physical and psychological health, so the question of how much appetite your baby eats is very relevant.

Parents evaluate the child's appetite based on their own experience. Although it should be noted that the desire to eat is individual for each person. And very often it seems to adults that their child eats little and poorly.

If a child gaining weight, cheerful, active in games with peers for a walk, he regular stool and urination, then in your family there are no problems with the child's appetite. Most likely, the problem is simply contrived.

Causes of decreased appetite in children

From the very first days of feeding, watch how your baby eats. The mother of a newborn who has no appetite needs to determine if something is preventing him from taking the breast correctly ( short frenulum, correct posture, condition of your nipples etc.) Also, the reason may be in thrush on the tongue or stomatitis, clogged nose. It is enough to eliminate the problems to restore the baby's appetite.
It is important to enter correctly first breastfeeding. It should start when baby is ready for it. There are small landmarks that you should pay attention to in order not to rush into the introduction - the child begins to sit, his first tooth has erupted and there is an interest in adult food on the table. If the baby is breastfed, before 6 months it is not necessary to feed him You need it, not him.
For which tricks mothers and grandmothers do not go to feed the baby. From childhood, they begin to play dinner performances, just to stuff the spoon. But this just doesn’t need to be done, because the fact that your child has no appetite is partly to blame for improper feeding. If you force a child to eat by force, distracting and entertaining stuffing food into him, then there will be no benefit from this.
Try to stick feeding regimen. This streamlines the work of the digestive tract. As a snack, offer fruits, dried fruits, nuts. They will improve the child's appetite.
Do not give between meals sweets, flour products. The site site draws your attention to the fact that juice It is also not recommended to give before meals. This is a high calorie product it reduces appetite. Giving the baby anything before meals is generally not worth it, the only exception is water. Teach your child what to eat when they are called to the table. Your first attempts may fail. The child may simply refuse to eat right now. Be patient and only feed him when it's time to eat next time. Having missed lunch or breakfast several times, he will no longer do this, because he will remember that they will not give him food at another time.
Almost always, those children who do not eat well little walk in the fresh air. Remember how most babies eat well at picnics. long walks increase the tone of the body, which improves appetite. Do not forget about sufficient physical activity: swimming, outdoor games, running - they put a load on the body and require energy and calories, which cause a good appetite.
Do not forget that food should attract the child. Don't be afraid to experiment by turning ordinary dishes into something tempting. A pretty fly agaric comes out of a boiled egg, and an octopus comes out of a sausage. You will make an excellent boat out of bell peppers by filling it with cottage cheese, etc.
A lot depends on power systems, which is followed in your family. If you do not have the right attitude to food, you and your husband prefer fast foods, snacks on the run, then there is no guarantee that the child will want to eat something else. You are a role model in everything, including food. Conduct an analysis of your family's eating habits, learn eat varied and healthy, giving preference to a healthy balanced diet, then the child will eat the same.

There is no appetite in a child who is sick

For diseases, especially those that are accompanied by inflammatory processes and temperature, there is no appetite not only for a child, but also for an adult. Digestion slows down in the body, digestive juices are not so actively produced, which leads to loss of appetite. The child will recover and appetite will appear.

If you notice that there is no appetite in a child who used to eat normally, and you have not had such a problem before, then perhaps he really has a metabolic disorder, and he needs to be examined to rule out chronic diseases or other disorders. in organism.

After the examination, tests, additional studies, if the diagnosis is confirmed, a course of treatment and appetite will be restored.

If a child has no appetite for a long time, then you will not solve this problem in one day. You will need more than one week. But if you are set up thoroughly, then the successful completion of the work you have begun is guaranteed!

Everyone knows that for normal development, the child needs good nutrition. In the view of most parents, the baby's poor appetite indicates his illness. How to correct the situation and improve appetite? First of all, you need to understand whether there is really a reason for serious worries. It may be necessary to consult a doctor. Sometimes it is enough just to take into account the peculiarities of children's physiology and psyche. Not always a deviation from the norm (the idea of which may be erroneous) is a sign of trouble, which must be fought by any means. Often, proper nutrition can help the child.

disease (from mild indisposition to serious diseases of various organs);
bad mood, negative emotions;
eating sweets between breakfast, lunch and dinner;
wrong approach to the feeding process on the part of parents (irregular or excessive feeding).

Some children refuse to eat if there is no additional entertainment (cartoons, toys, grandmother's tales), encouragement (parents promise the child to buy the desired toy if he eats all the porridge). The habit is formed quickly, but it is not easy to wean from it.

How to improve the appetite of a baby under the age of 1 year

The appetite of an infant depends on a number of factors:

Anatomical features and health status.
The composition and taste of milk, which largely determines the nutrition of the mother.
Child's diet and sleep patterns.
The psychological state of the mother.

Of no small importance is the observance of hygiene rules by a woman, since an unpleasant smell, cosmetic aromas can worsen the baby's appetite.

It is time to start accustoming the child to solid food. If a child after 6 months eats only breast milk, then later it is much more difficult to accustom him to regular food.

The baby's appetite improves after bathing. Before feeding, it is necessary to change into loose clothing that ensures normal thermoregulation.

What to do if children have no appetite

For a growing organism, a good nutrition is necessary, including proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins. Therefore, meat, eggs, dairy products, various cereals, fruits, and vegetables should be present in the children's diet. This is the only way to satisfy the body's need for the necessary macronutrients:

calcium (part of the bone tissue, necessary for the growth of healthy teeth);
phosphorus (with its deficiency, abnormal bone growth occurs);
magnesium (affects cardiac activity, muscle development).

With food, iron, zinc, iodine and other trace elements that are part of the blood enter the body, ensuring the normal development of all organs. The lack of these substances leads to developmental delay. This is another reason for worrying when a child does not eat well. What to do in such a situation, the pediatrician will tell you, who, most likely, will prescribe special vitamin complexes that make up for the lack of elements.

Decreased appetite due to disease

One of the first symptoms of a child's illness is a decrease in appetite. You should not insist on an indispensable meal, if he feels bad, signs such as lethargy, fever appear. In this state, it is much more important for the child to drink more. At the same time, he will sweat, due to which the temperature will drop. In addition, toxins that are formed in the body during inflammatory processes come out with sweat.

Digestion requires energy. The body weakened by the disease cannot cope with this function. Food during this period should be light: fruits, milk soup, mashed potatoes, boiled fish, chicken meat. And it is better to offer the child to eat those foods that he loves.

Anorexia in children

Anorexia is a condition in which the body is unable to eat. In adolescents, it may occur as a result of the desire to lose weight.

Children's infantile anorexia is manifested by regurgitation during meals, aversion to ordinary food. Sometimes there is an addiction to sour citrus fruits (lemon, grapefruit). At the same time, the child does not eat well, is naughty, throws dishes off the table, and expresses dissatisfaction with the feeding process itself. Parents are often at a loss: what to do to correct the situation.

If the child eats poorly, then, adhering to certain rules, you can gradually accustom him to normal nutrition:

if necessary, the interval between meals is increased so that the baby gets hungry;
food should be given in small portions, put on a small plate, adding if the child expresses a desire;
it is not necessary to ensure that the child eats everything that was put on his plate, or that which is unpleasant for him;
it is not recommended to sit at the table during feeding for more than half an hour, then it is better to remove the food from the table;
in no case should you scold the child if he vomited during the meal;
feeding should take place in a calm and friendly environment;
if necessary, you need to change the dishes, combine products, causing interest in them;
do not give buns, sweet juice and sweets between the main meal.

Video: Why children do not want to eat, is it necessary to fight it

Do I need to force feed my baby?

It often seems to parents that their son is lagging behind his peers in height due to the fact that he eats less. However, the point is not in the amount of food, but in the individuality of physiological processes. In all people, the assimilation of food and the implementation of metabolism in the body occur in different ways. If the child has no signs of illness, then you should not worry about his appetite. The body lacks nutrients. And heredity can influence growth. Some children begin to grow rapidly during puberty, catching up and overtaking their peers.

It should be noted: If, in the absence of hereditary factors, the child differs significantly in height from his peers, then the doctor often sends him for examination to an endocrinologist, since hormonal disorders may be the cause.

Appetite is directly related to bowel function. Therefore, parents should pay serious attention to the frequency of bowel movements of the child. If the baby suffers from constipation, then he may vomit at the next meal. This is a natural defensive reaction of the body. If at the same time insist on eating, then the children develop a pathological reaction, vomiting will appear at the sight of any food, anorexia will develop.

Feeding through force, rudeness, threats can cause irreparable harm to the health of the child, injure the psyche. The consequences of such feeding are heart disease, stomach disease, including cancerous tumors.

Video: The Challenges of Force-Feeding Children

What to do to improve appetite

Parents often cannot find the answer: what to do if children do not eat well. In order for the feeding process to proceed normally, it is necessary not only to diversify the dishes and pay more attention to table setting, but also to make the child feel calm, not afraid of threats, and know that he will not be persuaded and forced to eat.

A child's appetite usually improves if he is fed with other children.

If the appetite is poor, then it is more important to eat a second, more nutritious meal, without filling the stomach with the first, liquid one.

Food should include dishes that stimulate the appetite. Children can be given not very salty herring, pickles and tomatoes, cabbage and a variety of salads. It is necessary to feed the child with foods containing a lot of fiber (cereals, vegetables, fruits) in order to improve bowel function.

Of great importance for increasing appetite is the duration of walks in the fresh air, outdoor games, sports, tempering procedures. In some cases, it may be necessary to take special preparations to improve the production of gastric juice, products containing bifidobacteria.

The problem with interruptions in appetite is known to every parent. If these are temporary refusals of food, then you should not worry, there are several reasons for this. Perhaps the baby has interrupted his appetite for sweets, cereals, drank a large amount of liquid, or is tired. In this case, the child will feel hungry after a period of time.

The child has no appetite: reasons

But if the child has not had a good appetite for a long time, then you need to pay attention to his state of health. This behavior may be a sign of an upcoming cold. There are no obvious symptoms yet, but it would not hurt to take the temperature.

You can ask the child if something hurts him. When the diagnosis is confirmed by subsequent symptoms, the doctor will prescribe treatment, as a result of which the disease will leave the child, and the appetite will return.

Stress can cause a child to have no appetite, and traditional medicine will tell us what to do in this case. Here you can use sedative herbs and infusions. But first you need to find out the cause of this condition and eliminate it. During the recovery period, it is better to offer the baby his favorite dishes and do not "lean" on sweets and harmful foods.

Fennel, dill, cumin, coriander or anise seeds, which need to be poured with boiling water for 10 minutes, will help improve appetite. The infusion should be given an hour before meals for a week, for sweetness, you can add a spoonful of honey.

In most cases, the lack of appetite in a child is not a cause for alarm. However, if this situation persists for several days, you need to urgently see a doctor. Especially if, along with this, weight loss, weakness, irritability and other symptoms are noted.

Quite often, there are cases of bulimia and anorexia in adolescents who want to lose weight quickly and this is a blow to their health.

The main rule is to never force feed a baby. This will lead to even worse consequences and can cause digestive disorders and a negative attitude towards food intake in general.

The child has no appetite: what should parents do

1. The mother of a baby who does not eat well should strictly adhere to the diet. Doctors have confirmed the fact that an established daily routine and equal intervals between feedings contribute to the proper functioning of the digestive system, which contributes to a natural increase in appetite in children.

2. A baby who eats poorly should not snack between meals. Even a small cookie can make a child lose their appetite and not want to eat until the next meal. Especially often you can see babies in a stroller chewing on the street. There is nothing surprising in the fact that such children do not want to eat when they come home.

3. You should not feed a child in a bad mood - this can develop a negative reflex in him. Let the baby calm down, get distracted, and then try again.

4. Use bright cutlery, perhaps a plate with your favorite cartoon character will become a "lifeline" to increase your baby's appetite.

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If the child does not want to eat:

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