To the baby to grow and develop well, he should eat regularly. A poor appetite in a child may justify causing concern among young parents. They are disturbed by the thought, and whether everything is in order with the carapace and whether he is ill. Absence of appetite in a baby can be caused by various reasons. Knowing what provokes this problem, it is easier to deal with it.
How much should a child have?
A crumb does not know how to talk in the first year of his life, so he will not say if the additive is full or necessary. In order not to torment parents in conjecture, pediatricians have written down recommendations on the amount of necessary food for babies. Determine how much a carp should have before the year, the following formula will help:
- in the first decade the baby should receive 70-80 ml of mother's milk or a mixture for one feeding;
- at the next stage of life (up to 2 months) the daily rate is 1/5 of the body weight of the baby;
- from the 60th to the 120th day the child must eat a quantity of food that is 1/6 of his weight;
- for a four-to-six-month-old baby, the daily volume of food is calculated taking into account the fact that it must be 1/7 of the weight of the body of the youngster;
- from six months to a year the child needs to eat such a quantity of food, which is equal to 1 / 8-1 / 9 of its weight;
- the daily norm for children 1-2 years is 1300 ml;
- two-four-year-olds a day must eat such a quantity of food, which is 1500 kcal;
- by 5 years the daily rate increases to 1800 calories.
However, parents should remember that these norms are generalized. If a child does not eat such a quantity of food, but at the same time he develops well and plays with pleasure, he suffers this. It is not necessary in this case to forcibly force the crumb to eat more, since the child will develop a negative attitude towards food. Parents are important to remember: if blindly follow the rules, this can only hurt the baby.
Why does the child have a bad appetite?
How much the baby eats depends on many factors. Appetite crumbs determined by the individual characteristics of the body. The amount of food consumed is commensurate with the needs of the child. So, during the period of active growth of the baby, appetite increases. Parents crumbs must find out why the child refuses to eat during this period. The amount of food consumed can also depend on the energy expenditure of the baby.
Causes of poor appetite in an infant
A healthy baby from food rarely refuses. If the child does not want to eat, this can be explained by the following reasons:
- nasal congestion ;
- Mom's nipple is irregularly shaped;
- thrush or other inflammation of the oral mucosa;
- colic ;
- reduced functionality of the thyroid gland;
- Mom's lactation mastitis;
- a change of scenery;
- the teeth are pricked;
- the taste of mother's milk has changed (this happens when a woman eats garlic or something sharp) and so on.
The child does not eat the lure
A child's refusal to eat from such food can be caused by various reasons. The child refuses to eat in the following cases:
- crumbs are enough for mother's milk;
- the baby is not yet ready for lure;
- The child did not like the product offered to him (he seemed sour, salty, bitter or disgusting);
- the baby was frightened or forced to eat the previous lure;
- the child is ill;
- there is no power mode.
The child does not eat in kindergarten
Some parents blame the cooks for this, believing that they are preparing a bad tasteless food. Other such behavior of the baby is considered, as his next whim. However, not figuring out the end of why a child is eating badly, it's hard to understand how to help him. Decrease in appetite or complete refusal of food is more often observed in those youngsters who have just started attending kindergarten.
The child is very worried because of such changes in life. Everything will be settled in a time when the crumb gets used to the new situation. However, there are other causes of poor appetite in the child:
- A crumb at home in the morning. Experiencing that their child does not remain hungry, parents feed him a hearty breakfast. By the time when the kindergarten is eating, the child does not have time to just get hungry.
- The kid does not know how to eat by himself with a spoon. At home, his mother or another adult feeds him. In the kindergarten during meals, the teacher does not have time to give all the children attention, so the baby remains hungry.
- Unusual food. Food at home and in kindergarten can be very different, so for the child the dishes offered are unfamiliar. Basically, all babies in nutrition are conservative: they refuse to eat new foods or foods for them.
- Reception for manipulation by parents. Knowing that adults will greatly experience because of refusal to eat, the children force them to take home early.
- Glistovye infestations. This is one of the main reasons why a child does not eat well.
- Intestinal infections. They reduce appetite, cause bloating, increase body temperature.
- Emotionally tense situation in the family. Even adults are susceptible to stress, and babies are even more sensitive.
The child has a bad appetite after the illness
When a crumb is unhealthy, his body directs all its forces to defeat the ill. During this period, the brain does not send signals of hunger, so the baby refuses to eat. However, often a child does not eat well after he has recovered. This does not mean that the disease is returning. Simply the kid has not yet managed to get out of a difficult state, when the body received a meager amount of food. A little time will pass, and the karapuz will return to the usual diet.
The child refuses to eat with teething
In this period, the baby in the body are undergoing a grandiose change. They are accompanied by an increase in body temperature, swelling of the gums, moody behavior, runny nose, cough and similar other symptoms. In this state, the child does not eat anything. It hurts him to do it and he does not feel well. When teething , as in case of illness, the brain does not send signals about the feeling of hunger, therefore the organism directs all its forces to another channel.
The child has a bad appetite - what to do?
Before, parents should determine the cause of the failure of the crumbs from food. Only after this, it is possible to take actions aimed at increasing appetite. If a child refuses to eat - what to do:
- Increase the energy consumption of the baby. This will help with outdoor games, outdoor activities, sports. However, it is important to avoid overheating of the child: his body must spend calories on thermoregulation.
- Set the power mode. Daily intake must be done at the same time.
- Introduce in the diet of the baby food-stimulants of appetite. For example, it could be an apple. Pediatricians recommend this fruit before the main meal.
- Remove from the zone of sight candy, cookies, chips and other snacks. All these products are very caloric, because of them there is a bad appetite in the child.
- A positive parent example. It is advisable to eat with the whole family. Adults should, while praising, eat food.
- Do not overfeed your child. If you forcibly force a crumb to eat, it will have a bad effect on the baby. A child can develop a feeling of disgust for food.
The reason for immediate treatment to the doctor is a poor appetite in a child, at the same time as there are such symptoms:
- sharp weight loss;
- vomiting;
- diarrhea;
- pallor of the skin;
- high body temperature;
- bloating;
- lethargy or opposite irritability;
- sleep disturbance.
Drugs to increase appetite in children
After a thorough examination, the pediatrician can prescribe medications that help cope with this problem. When a child badly eats, how to raise an appetite, only he knows. Parents should, as much as possible, adhere to the doctor's recommendations. A pediatrician can prescribe such drugs:
- Creon;
- Lysine;
- Glycine;
- Elkar;
- complexes with calcium and magnesium salts and so on.
As an additional means, when a poor child's appetite is bad, berries of black-ash rowan, barberry and sea-buckthorn can be used. Strengthen the secretion of gastric juice and medicinal herbs. Wormwood, ayr, fennel, cardamom, anise and dill are particularly well proven. However, herbal teas should be given to the baby only after consultation with the doctor.
Mixture for children with poor appetite
The baby, who is on artificial feeding , the food should be adapted. This food contains a lot of protein and vitamins. If the child has become poorly eaten, the pediatrician may advise giving him such mixtures:
- Ladushka;
- Sun;
- Simi the varnish;
- Bona;
- Snow-Brand;
- Deto-lact;
- Impress;
- Stork.
Interesting food for children
To wake up the child's appetite, one must creatively approach the design of his plate. Funnyly decorated food will be eaten for a few minutes. The design of dishes for children with poor appetite can be done as follows:
- buckwheat turtle;
- rice cat;
- cunning fox;
- butterfly of pancakes;
- Spongebob.
Vitamins for appetite for children
If a child eats a little, his body lacks nutrients. Due to deficiency of vitamins and mineral elements, the condition of the baby worsens, and alarming symptoms begin to appear (including a poor appetite). A vicious circle comes out. If the child does not eat - what to do: you need to enrich his body with valuable elements. The main stimulants of appetite are such vitamins:
- And (he's retinol);
- thiamine or B1;
- B2 (also known as riboflavin);
- B6 (pyridoxine);
- B12 or cyanocobalamin;
- C (ascorbic acid).