Palejovo ABC - EATING

If the pediatrician, after seeing and examining the child, finds that the toddler is developing healthily and the test results are normal, this most likely means that the child is experiencing something that often happens at this age.

Between the first birthday and the age of five, appetite may decrease and the child's preference for favorite foods may change. If, despite the pediatrician's assurances, parents are still concerned about the amount of food they are eating, it is a good idea to write down for a few days everything that the child has eaten and in what quantity. Such notes will prove useful if the parents decide to consult a nutritionist. After looking at the notes, it may turn out that parents will be reassured to see that the child eats "something" after all, and these are not starvation portions. This is because it happens that out of concern for the proper development of the child, caregivers have higher expectations of how much the child should eat than the child is capable of. Healthy children, however, have a remarkable ability to maintain energy balance.

Parents who think their child is eating too little or gaining weight too slowly are more likely to overreact to changes in their child's appetite. This leads to disappointment, anxiety, and ultimately to forcing the child to eat and a nervous atmosphere at the table. Parents' efforts to get children to eat more and a wider variety of foods can have the opposite effect. Caregivers may put pressure on children to eat, underestimating the physiological decline in appetite.

If children are forced to eat, their natural need for independence may come to a head and toddlers will boycott eating even more strongly. Even a toddler wants to decide for himself, and the easiest way to achieve this is by controlling how much he eats. In such cases, it is a good idea to encourage the child to eat on his own and choose his food. An important rule is that the parent decides what will appear on the table (preferably, of course, healthy and wholesome products), while the child decides how much to eat and in what order.

Healthy nutrition plays an important role during recovery from surgery. It helps to gain strength and replenish essential minerals. A balanced diet is extremely important, but it is worth remembering that immediately after the operation the child may not have an appetite. Then even more than usual you need to take care of the good atmosphere and be patient. Appetite will eventually return, and pressure and forcing the child to eat will not speed this up.

Dining together is an extraordinary opportunity to spend time in a relaxed atmosphere and strengthen family ties. This time can become a unique and uplifting experience and provide nourishment not only for the body, but also for the soul. Feasting together, sharing experiences and talking about the day that is passing is beneficial for the whole family. Children who eat meals together with their parents, and who enjoy a cordial atmosphere at the table, enjoy better mental health and are better able to cope with the challenges of everyday life.

Food is necessary for a person to survive. It is to be associated with something necessary, not unpleasant. Therefore, strategies such as threats, shouting, shaming, forcing or bribing with sweets will decrease rather than increase the amount of food eaten. A child who fears punishment for not eating or expects a reward for eating something healthy will probably not develop good eating habits.

If we make children eat their entire lunch first in order to get dessert, we give them the message that treats are some special food that must be earned first. A healthy meal also ceases to be something to satisfy hunger and strengthen the body, and becomes an unpleasant necessity that has to be done in order to get the coveted dessert. In this way, we sabotage our best intentions to reinforce healthy habits in children. When, on the other hand, sweets or other snacks are given as a reward or consolation, children begin to associate food with emotions and this can lead to the preoccupation with sadness or stress in the future. Yet what we want is for the child to build a good relationship with us, not with chocolate. Food-related rewards teach children to expect a tasty meal when they have done something right. This strategy lets them know that unhealthy foods are more desirable than wholesome ones, because after all, no one gets a carrot or tomato for their merits.

In addition, the reward of food makes the child stop paying attention to his body signals. The vision of a candy bar, ice cream or crisps is so tempting that a toddler will eat these snacks even though he's not hungry at all. And snacking between meals can further reinforce the difficulty of eating wholesome foods. It's also worth looking at how much exercise your child gets. While encouraging them to eat larger portions, it's worth remembering whether they had enough exercise that day, preferably outdoors.

LITERATURE:

Leung A., Marchand V., Sauve R.S. (2012), The 'picky eater': The toddler or preschooler who does not eat, Paediatrics Child Health

Fernandez C., McCaffery H., Miller A.L., Kaciroti N., Lumeng J.C.. Pesch M.H. (2020), Trajectories of Picky Eating in Low-Income US Children, Pediatrics

Steinbekk S., Bonneville-Roussy A., Fildes A., Llewellyn C.H., Wichstron L. (2017), Child and parent predictors of picky eating from preschool to school age, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Harbec M.-J., Pagani L.S. (2017), Associations Between Early Family Meal Environment Quality and Later Well-Being in School-Age Children, Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics