Children eat very little without hunger: Why?

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When taking care of an anorexic, many parents have tried starving their children to see if their children are demanding and eat better. However, the fact that children do not ask to eat even though they are hungry all day, children skip eating and only drink water, which makes parents very sorry for their children. So why do children eat less but not hungry?

1. Misunderstanding and wrong practice of starving children

Most families try to leave hungry children unsuccessfully, simply due to misunderstanding leading to incorrect behavior. Currently, there are two common misunderstandings about this method as follows:
One is to let your child run out of energy and not provide food. The problem parents need to keep in mind is that young children will not know or know how to express hunger. Moreover, psychology at this age will also forget hunger very quickly if attracted by things such as tablets, phones, TV... This is the reason why children do not ask for food but still operate normally. . However, this gradual loss of energy for a long time will greatly affect the growth and development of the baby.
Two is to skip the main meal of the child, but add more snacks and increase milk intake In this case, the baby completely does not recognize the signs of hunger, even very excited because it is no longer forced to eat the boring main meal . As a result, children stop eating, only drink water, drink milk, and eat some snacks when they like. At this time, the mother will see that the child eats less but is not hungry, and becomes helpless in managing his child's meals. Children must eat enough foods in the 4 groups of nutrients necessary for healthy body and brain development. Only drinking milk or eating a lot of dairy products will upset the balance, increase the risk of iron deficiency anemia in anorexic children, and at the same time make no need to eat and practice chewing.
Moreover, children's stomachs are very small, their energy needs are not as high as adults'. After 1 year of age, the child's growth rate slows down, and at the same time, many new skills are acquired (walking, standing, running, speaking, ...) so don't focus on eating much anymore. In other words, for children, eating is secondary at this time, but adults put meals on the top priority. The more she pressed, the more resistance and confrontation she became. Therefore, it is best for us as adults to understand, sympathize, and respect our children's priorities at this stage.

2. Correctly treating children with anorexia

Parents need to learn more about the knowledge of anorexic children, thereby determining the reasons why their children refuse to eat. Congenital, unknown or pathological causes should be consulted directly by a doctor, not arbitrarily applying any method.

To overcome the situation of anorexic children, parents, grandparents and those who directly take care of children must change old thinking and concepts. Each meal is not a "fight" or a "seduce" trick, but must become a real pleasure. Parents need perseverance, investigation and learning to change their own attitudes before establishing table habits for children. Children need to have their own seats when eating, eating time does not last long, focusing on finishing the meal, not eating and playing at the same time... Waiting for young children to know hunger is the final stage and effective only after it has been done. get the steps above.
The reason why parents fail, even leading to unfortunate consequences, is due to misunderstanding, not thorough. Most of them do it and focus on the final stage of starving children, so anorexia children cannot be cured at the root.

3. Respect children's eating preferences

The view of respecting the baby's eating needs and letting the child develop naturally has a number of advantages as follows:
Supporting the baby to eat and develop skills in a natural way, the child will instinctively eat when really ready, and explores food at their own pace Children learns to enjoy food and explore different tastes, thereby recognizing food and building lasting enjoyment of eating Create Having the joy of eating for children makes the baby's psyche more comfortable when eating. Parents prepare meals for children more easily and simply, especially feeding children becomes light and enjoyable.

4. Tips for letting your baby go hungry

According to weaning experts, parents also need to let their children be hungry properly to be effective in treating anorexia. Specific instructions are as follows:
Completely cut off snacks, only feed your baby at main meals about 4 hours apart, each meal only lasts 20-30 minutes, then clean up the food, no more distractions If If the child still refuses to eat at the main meal, then give 3 chances (ask if the child is willing to eat seriously 3 times), if the child does not cooperate, then clean (but do not cut off all of his meals) If during the day the child skips eating only If you drink water, when you observe signs of hunger, parents need to add milk or food for their children. Each snack should only take place within 10-20 minutes, twice a day. On the second day, continue to apply the same steps as the first day. Usually your baby will start eating a little during the main meal. Parents do not need to worry because the child eats less but is not hungry, still constantly monitoring the child's health. Day 3 continues to apply this method. Normally, children have exhausted all their energy reserves, so they will eat more and more with each meal. At this time, parents can start adding a little milk and snacks for their children, gradually increasing until it returns to normal. Children over 1 year old should only drink a maximum of 500-700ml of milk/day, equivalent to 150-200ml/drinking (including dairy products), 3 times/day, do not give it when the child asks for more. The above method applies the natural law that hungry will eat, but also ensures science and carefully observes the child. Many parents are always afraid of their children's hunger, so they should reserve cakes, milk, fruit, etc. to feed their children during a snack. As a result, the amount of food loaded in the snack has not been fully digested, making the baby lose appetite at the main meal. If this bad habit continues, no matter what methods are applied, the problem of nutritional imbalance and anorexia children will not be completely solved.
Every year the child gains about 2 kg to be eligible. If your child is eating a lot, gaining weight, asking for food and craving food, it can also be a sign of overweight and obesity, which is not a good thing. In the case of children with prolonged anorexia, malabsorption, and growth retardation, parents should supplement children with supportive products containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins. help meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well. Parents can simultaneously apply dietary supplements and functional foods derived from nature for easy absorption. The most important thing is that improving your baby's symptoms often takes a long time. The combination of many types of functional foods at the same time or continuously changing many types in a short time can cause the baby's digestive system not to adapt and completely not good. Therefore, parents must be really patient with their children and regularly visit the website vimec.com to update useful baby care information.