This is one of the most common topic we hear almost every day, that why my child is not eating well? Why he/she suddenly stopped eating? Etc. Parents often worry about it that whether is it bad if their child stop eating? Will it affect his/her health? Is he/she sick? These kind of questions often puts parents into stress. Well, let us tell you the truth about it, between the ages of 1 to 5, children appetite slows down, and as a result they stop eating well. The good thing is, if your child is energetic even after not eating well, they should be fine. You don’t need to worry about it. Felt relief? Well we can guess almost all of your anxiety and tension is gone now.
Statistics:
But, here a question arises that why kids stop eating? Well, let us share you some stats. Parents are used to their babies gaining an average of 15 pounds during the first year, and they want their child to continue with the same pace but, between the ages of 1 and 5, children only gain about 4 to 5 pounds a year. So the child can actually go 3 to 4 months without much weight gain. This phenomena is totally natural, because the children are programmed in a way that they eat whenever they want.
Force feeding:
Do you know many parents try to feed their child forcefully? Parents are always be like pick up the spoon, fill it with food, smile, and try to trick the child to eat it. They think that the poor appetite of their child might cause them to get sick or develop a vitamin deficiency. Well, that’s definitely not the case. Let me tell you one thing that force feeding is kind of slow poisoning. Yes, you read it right, because forced feeding actually decreases a child’s appetite, and making meal just like a punishment for a child. You must be amazed after reading it, but it is true. Now we know what you are thinking. You must be thinking what should we do now? Well, once your child is old enough to use a spoon, never pick it for him/her. Because, if your child is hungry, he/she will feed himself/herself. As we know, kids like copy their parents so, if they see you eating, they will want to do it too.
Things parents should not do (Mistakes):
Did you ever give it a thought that which mistakes usually parents do regarding child’s feeding? Yes, you read it right. There are several mistakes parents do. For e.g. Parents always criticize and try to control their child at the time of feeding. Parents often talk about how less their child eats at the dining table in front of whole family. But, did you ever think what will happen if you do this? Well, it is recommended that don’t make your child sit at the dining table after the rest of the family is done eating. The thing is, this will affect the child badly, and cause the child to feel bad about themselves and mealtime. So here’s the thing, parents should try to make the mealtime enjoyable, and should not criticize their child in front of others.
Furthermore, some parents wake up their child in the middle of the night to feed them. While, some offer their child snacks frequently throughout the day. Some parents try to make their child feel guilty by talking about those starving children in other countries or say, “If you don’t eat what I cook, it means you don’t love Me.”, and some say “Be grateful for what you have, there are children in other countries who are starving to death”. But the most common mistake that parents do is picking up a child’s spoon and trying various ways to get the food into their mouth even when child is resisting. If thinks like these are avoided, the child will be happy and eat well.
How to prevent feeding struggles:
Now you must be wondering even if we avoid all those above mistakes, what we should do to feed our child then. Well, let me answer your doubt. The main way to prevent feeding struggles is to teach your child how to feed themselves. Let your child go with his/her pace. Remember, your child will survive the toddler appetite picky eating slump. They’re doing what their body does naturally. Don’t turn it into a power struggle that you just can’t win.