One day, that cute wrinkled baby who ate everything you gave her doesn’t want to eat anymore, at least not like before. Perhaps cut the portion in half and refuse a number of foods that you have previously consumed with gusto. And then comes that certainty: he hasn’t eaten enough, he will be hungry, thin and sick.
The truth is that the relationship with food changes over time, in stages or in a lasting way, and based on many factors, one of which is linked to growth. One such milestone occurs after your child turns 1 and doesn’t want to eat the same amount again. It is normal for him to ingest less than when he was 9 months old, for example. This is a common complaint from parents when their child is 1 year 3 months to 3 years old.
Does this make sense. After all, she no longer needs so much food, as her growth, though rapid, is not as fast as before. To give you an idea, from birth to the first year of life your child has tripled in weight. Imagine what that would mean to an adult! In 12 months he went from about 3 kilos (average at birth) to 9 kg to 10 kg. However, growth will slow down in 1 to 2 years and the normal thing is that you only gain 1kg to 3kg.
Why does the child refuse food?
Another important factor is that he is discovering himself as a subject and will test his independence by saying what he does and does not want. He’s getting more selective and that’s not a bad thing. He’s making his own choices about him, finding out what he likes, how satisfied he is. So if he seemed to love zucchini before and now he doesn’t want to eat them, don’t be surprised, you don’t eat everything either. But don’t cut zucchini off the menu (yet).
Present the rejected food again (experts say 10 to 15 attempts!) and with other preparations. If he keeps turning up his nose afterwards, maybe it’s time to accept that he’s not a fan of veggies.
Later, between the ages of 2 and 3, some children may present with what doctors call food neophobia, that is, an aversion to new foods. They even refuse to try it. Therefore, the age between 1 and 2 is your opportunity to offer as wide a variety of foods as possible, before your child enters this more restrictive phase – and that will only get better around age 5 or 6.
What not to do to make the baby eat?
The first rule is: don’t force, don’t force, don’t threaten, don’t blackmail, don’t promise anything. This will only make the relationship with food worse and can harm your child’s satiety mechanism. A chain of pediatricians says that nature is wise and that children are born knowing how much to eat. This occurs when they breastfeed, but when they transition to food, this control passes into the hands of the parents. It shouldn’t, they say. It is up to family members and healthcare professionals to choose the menu, time and place. The amount each child has to decide, they argue.
The fact is that there is a satiety mechanism that must be respected in healthy children, otherwise they will lose this regulation and become prone to obesity in the future. In most cases, it is the expectation of the amount of food the parents deem necessary that is wrong, not the child’s appetite. It’s okay if he eats worse one day and better the next, adults are like that too.
How to act then?
If your child is full and, during consultations with the pediatrician, remains on the growth curve, there is nothing to worry about. He tries to offer variety, so that the little he eats can meet his nutritional needs. Don’t give out snacks, not even fruit after hours, to compensate. Appetite stimulants are also out of the question. And he leaves the meal at his disposal: often, the child just wants to try to eat alone in this phase of autonomy.
The best thing you can do is lead by example. Eat what you want her to eat (without frowning) and eat together, without the distraction of TVs, electronics, books, and toys. Okay, sometimes it’s really hard not to use these resources in real life. But trying to make these rules and not exceptions can already greatly improve your child’s appetite and rejection.
It’s still:
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Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
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