Children with anorexia slowly gain weight what to do?

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Children with anorexia, if not promptly intervened, may suffer from mild to severe malnutrition. Resistance will also be reduced, which leads to disease susceptibility, slow weight gain, and less appetite.

1. What causes anorexia baby to gain weight slowly?

Anorexia in children is considered a common eating disorder, this condition is common in children between the ages of 1 and 6. Anorexia means that the child refuses to eat or eats little, cries or tries to be disturbed. confused when seeing you serve food or children often hold food in their mouths for a long time, refusing to chew or swallow, leading to a longer meal time. Also, some children may not eat all foods, eat only certain foods, or even vomit at the sight of food.
Anorexia in children has many causes, some of the main causes include:
Parents unintentionally create bad habits for their children: This is considered a cause of anorexia. Such bad habits can be mentioned as prolonged meal times, spoiling children when they let them hold food for too long or children swallowing without chewing, which leads to children wanting to eat only liquid foods, fearing swallow and do not like to eat raw foods such as: Rice, meat, vegetables... Feeding children at the wrong time: Feeding children while they are still full can lead to anorexia, which slows the baby down. weight gain. In some cases, when children are anorexic, parents are discouraged so they are afraid to prepare food for their children. Children do not pay attention when eating: Bad habits such as turning on the TV, playing with toys or feeding children can make children not focus on eating, thereby forgetting their appetite, gradually causing problems anorexia in children. Do not eat foods children do not like: When parents let children eat their favorite foods for a long time, it can make them picky eaters, in the long run may lose their nutritional balance because children will refuse to eat foods. Nutritious foods that children don't like. Stressful meal: Some parents when feeding their baby often yell, impatiently when the child does not want to eat or eat slowly. The shouting of parents makes children afraid, which leads to anorexia.

Children with anorexia due to health problems: Similar to adults, children will not eat if they feel unwell. Some conditions make children anorexic, such as teething children that cause painful gums, children with digestive disorders, children with abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea or constipation, children with viral or bacterial infections, ear infections. - Nose - Throat,... Children anorexia due to environmental factors: In adolescents, hormonal changes occur, especially during puberty, so children do not feel like eating. Besides, some children are under academic pressure or stress in school relationships lead to anorexia.... Biological and genetic factors make children anorexic: Some studies Research shows that children with anorexia often have a genetic tendency or children born into families with a history of chronic diseases are also at greater risk of anorexia than other children.

2. Consequences when children are anorexic for a long time

The first consequence when a child is anorexic is slow weight gain. On average, children 12 months and older need to gain about 100-200g/month. Therefore, children with anorexia, if not promptly intervened, children can suffer from mild to severe malnutrition. The resistance in malnourished children will also be reduced, thereby leading to the child's susceptibility to disease and the more anorexic children will then be.
In the case of children suffering from severe and prolonged malnutrition, this may adversely affect the later growth of height. Therefore, children with anorexia have a high risk of stunting with short stature as well as a more difficult and longer nutritional recovery process than children with mild anorexia.

3. Children with anorexia slowly gain weight, what to do?

Children with anorexia are often slow to grow and have poor resistance. Therefore, parents need to have a diet for children who are slow to gain weight due to anorexia. Here are some methods to help your child improve anorexia and slow weight gain:
Do not force your child to eat when he does not want to: If the child does not want to eat, it is best not to force or yell, punish, beat, ... because this only causes the opposite effect. Besides, if you want to practice giving your baby a new food, give it at breakfast, because this is the time when your baby feels the most hungry during the day. When the child is ready to eat, parents can transfer the dish to the menu for lunch or dinner. Create a diverse menu and beautifully presented: The menu for children with slow weight gain in each meal should have at least one food that the baby loves to stimulate the child's appetite. harmful to children. Also, encourage your child to eat all the dishes on the table, even if only a little of each. Always feed the child on time and feed the child with the family: Ask the child not to arbitrarily eat anything until it is time to eat. Usually children like to imitate the actions of others, so parents should eat on time, let children eat with the family. Divide the child's portion of food: In case the child is anorexic, parents should divide the child's meal into several portions, then feed the baby little by little at certain times of the day. Give your baby a snack with healthy foods: Some types of snacks at snacks that parents should add to the diet for children who are slow to gain weight due to anorexia, such as yogurt, fruit, less sweet cakes ... However, it should be noted that children should not eat close to the main meal.

Do not let children drink too much before and during meals: The reason is because children drink too much before and during eating will make children feel full, so will reduce interest in eating. In addition, parents also need to limit feeding their baby milk in the middle of the night because this will affect the next morning's meal. Encourage anorexic children to go to the kitchen with their mother: Children love to make decisions about what they will eat today. Therefore, parents should discuss with their children about what to eat at the next meal. Then encourage your child to help pick vegetables, wash vegetables or mix food, or set the table for the whole family. These things will stimulate the baby to eat the dishes that he has helped cook. Make sure the food is full of nutrients: One of the things that parents must ensure in the menu for their baby to gain weight slowly due to anorexia is to give them enough nutrients. Because vitamins and minerals in the diet can stimulate a child's appetite. In addition, do not allow children to use phones, toys, watch TV or use other technology devices during meals. Give children full exercise: For children who are sedentary, it can also make them anorexic. Therefore, parents need to encourage their children to increase their daily activity or spend time with them. The exercise will make the baby expend more energy, so the baby will feel hungry, eat better, have better health and gain weight steadily. In case the baby is small, parents should massage the baby to help the baby's digestive system work better.

Explain to children the importance of healthy food: Parents should not impose that eating candy, snacks or fast food is bad and eating vegetables and fruits is good, but it is best to explain to them. Children understand that eating healthy foods is for the body to have enough nutrients. In short, for children with anorexia who are slow to gain weight, a nutritious diet full of vitamins and minerals will play an important role in helping the body function properly. Therefore, parents need to make a healthy, balanced diet for their baby to stimulate their baby's appetite.

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