11 Ways to Overcome Children's Difficulty Eating
Children are difficult or unwilling to eat is often a challenge that parents must face. Even though in this growth period, the nutritional intake of school children from food must be fulfilled properly to support their development. Before you pull your hair out, find out exactly what causes children to have difficulty eating and how to deal with it properly.
What causes children to have difficulty eating?
Refusing to eat is actually a normal phase that every child will go through as well as you as a parent, including during the developmental period of children 6-9 years old.
The main reason why children do not want to eat at all is usually because they have their own "fears" about the food.
These fears can be due to the smell, shape, appearance, texture, or taste of foods that are new to them.
This condition is usually experienced by children who are just about to try new foods or have tried them but don't like them.
These concerns then make children picky eaters. As a result, the variety of children's food becomes more limited, thus affecting their nutritional adequacy.
In addition, the cause of children not wanting to eat can also be due to their appetite which often changes at this age, especially when trying new foods.
Children who do not want to eat can also be due to illness or certain medical conditions.
Here are some of the reasons why children's appetite may be lost and they may not be able to eat.
1. Children have difficulty eating due to diarrhea
If your child's appetite is usually good but suddenly becomes difficult to eat, it could be a viral or bacterial infection.
Pay attention to whether your child often goes back and forth to the toilet and complains of abdominal pain. In this condition, diarrhea could be the cause of the child's inability to eat, especially if he/she likes to snack carelessly.
2. Constipation
Constipation is the opposite of diarrhea. When a child is constipated, the frequency of bowel movements can be very infrequent and can feel uncomfortable.
In this condition, it is possible that children become more difficult to eat, even reluctant to try new types of food.
3. Eosinophilic esophagitis
Eosinophilic esophagitis is a condition where white blood cells (eosinophils), which are supposed to ward off allergies, accumulate in the esophagus.
Esophagitis causes symptoms in the form of swelling of the throat, making it painful to swallow food. In the end, the child becomes reluctant to eat.
4. Food intolerance
The body of a person with food intolerance is unable to digest certain substances in food or drink, resulting in various symptoms when consuming it.
For example, abdominal pain or nausea that makes children refuse to eat at all. Various foods that can cause intolerance include lactose, wheat, and gluten.
5. Kidney and liver disorders
Various diseases that affect the function of the kidneys, liver and other organs can cause children to have difficulty eating.
Consult a doctor to find out the exact cause experienced by your child.
How to deal with children who have difficulty eating?
The approach that should be taken to help overcome the problem of children not wanting to eat can vary depending on the characteristics of the child.
If you can talk to your child comfortably, try asking them what their problem is. Also, pay attention to the child's favorite and least favorite foods.
When your child is reluctant to eat, he/she may be bored with the daily food or indeed have his/her own complaints.
In general, here are tips that you can do to handle children who have difficulty eating.
1. Give food in small portions but often
Giving your child a large portion of food when he/she is having difficulty eating will certainly make him/her only able to eat in small portions.
Instead of having to serve large portions of food that are not finished, try to give small portions of food that are not excessive but quite frequent.
Give some space between each meal. That way, your child will feel when they are hungry and when they are full and the portion of food is more appropriate when meal time arrives.
2. Establish regular meal times
You should get your child used to eating three meals a day for main meals and two snacks between main meals.
Launching from Mayo Clinic, it is recommended that you feed your child on schedule. If your child is too tired, he/she may choose to sleep and refuse to eat.
This makes it difficult to eat. For this method to be effective, ask everyone in the house or who takes care of your child to apply this routine to the child.
3. Serve food with an attractive appearance
Tweaking the food presentation can also be a way to overcome children who have difficulty eating.
Try giving your child a plate of food with an interesting appearance. For example, serve rice in the shape of a face, then use vegetables and side dishes as sweeteners.
Get creative in your own way to find an interesting look on your child's plate. This method can also be applied when the child is sick and does not want to eat at all.
4. Vary the food with different flavors
Sometimes, children do not want to eat because they are bored with the taste of one food and want to try other new flavors of food.
The more variety of food your child eats, the more nutrients they will get.
However, never promise sweets to your child as a reward. This will reduce the child's interest in foods other than sweets.
5. Vary with your child's favorite foods
When your child is sick and does not want to eat, you can provoke his appetite by giving him his favorite foods.
Mix his/her favorite food with other types of food so that the child's nutritional intake is more diverse.
6. Avoid giving drinks during meals
Children often drink in the middle of the meal because they are thirsty. In fact, most drinking actually makes their stomach bloated so they only eat a little.
From now on, you should limit the amount of water your child can drink during meals as a way to overcome children's eating difficulties.
If you want to drink, give them a drink before eating and only drink again in large quantities after the food is finished.
7. Introduce new foods slowly
Sometimes, children have difficulty eating because they are not too familiar with the food you serve.
If you want to introduce new foods, try to do it gradually. Introduce it in small amounts first and then proceed to a rather large portion.
Immediately giving new foods in large portions can make children reluctant to eat them, especially if they don't like the look, texture, or aroma.
8. Engage children in interesting ways
Various interesting activities related to food can be a good idea as a way to overcome the problem of children's inability to eat. For example as follows.
Inviting children to play with girls' toys such as cooking.
Invite children to prepare food together.
Invite your child to help you with shopping and let him choose the food he wants.
In addition to being fun, these ways also help you to introduce the world of food to your child, so that he will be interested in trying it.
9. Eat with your child's friends
Another way that you can also try to overcome children who have difficulty eating is to invite some of their friends to the house to eat together.
This is because your child will usually eat more when they are with their friends.
Usually, when eating with friends, they become more excited. Especially if your child's friends can finish their food.
10. Make mealtime as comfortable as possible
Keep your child away from the television, pets, and toys while eating to help them focus. Don't get angry or force your child to eat because it can make them lose their appetite.
Let your child pick up his own food with his hands if he wants to. This gives him the opportunity to learn different textures of food.
He will also feel more comfortable eating on his own and it is a lesson in responsibility for him.
11. Be a good role model for your child
Setting a good example can be a way to overcome children who have difficulty eating. So, before asking your child to try new foods or finish their food, set an example first.
Invite your child to sit together at the dining table, then give them the same food that other family members eat.
Tell them that the food is no less delicious than their favorite food. Keep in mind, in order for your child not to be picky about food, you also have to break the habit.
Also, tell your child that you are very happy to see them eating well. Your child will be happy to hear your praise and will be more eager to finish their food.
What should you avoid when your child is having trouble eating?
Indeed, sometimes it feels very anxious to see the habits of children who are difficult or lazy to eat.
However, you should avoid taking actions that can make your child even more difficult to eat, such as the following.
1. Forcing the child to eat
Do not force your child to finish food or try new foods if they are not ready. Forcing him/her to eat may make the Little One even more unwilling to eat.
Instead, try to keep a positive attitude towards the child's efforts. For example, by praising your child when he/she is willing to eat regularly and on time even though the portion is not too large.
2. Forcing the child to finish the food on the plate
After the child feels full, do not force him/her to finish the remaining food on his/her plate. The more forced it is, the harder it will be to eat.
It is better to give the right portion of food, not too much or too little. This method can teach children to better understand when their bodies feel hungry and full.
What are the long-term consequences if children have difficulty eating?
If the condition of the child's eating difficulty only lasts once or twice or rarely, it may not be a problem.
However, do not underestimate when your child does not want to eat for a long period of time.
This is because daily food is useful as a source of energy as well as supplying the child's daily nutritional intake.
Automatically, the condition of the Little One who has difficulty eating will certainly affect the adequacy of daily nutrients obtained, including calories.
Over time, this habit can affect and even hinder the child's growth and development process.
This is feared to interfere with the child's cognitive development and physical development.
At first, the impact of children's inability to eat may only affect their weight, whether it stays at the same number without increasing or even decreasing.
Gradually, this condition affects the child's height growth until it finally leads to the child's overall nutritional status.
It is possible that nutritional problems will arise, leading to malnutrition in children.
Don't delay in finding out what is causing the child's difficulty eating.
You can also consult your child to the doctor so that the right treatment can be given. The doctor may provide vitamins for the child.
Various things that make your child's daily eating process disturbed must be recognized as early as possible so that the underlying cause can be found immediately.
