Reasons Behind Your Child Not Eating Well

If you are worried about your child not eating well, you are not alone. Most o the parents of young children have the same worries and your worries are very much recognized. Most of the people visiting a nutritionist take no time in transitioning their worries about their own growing belly to their children's empty stomach. But is this worry even legitimate? Is your child actually not eating well or you are just over-analyzing things?

Children at a growing age tend to avoid sitting at a dining table and have a proper meal. Some children start acting up from the start of weaning and this takes away a mother's good night's sleep. Several factors may marry to bring out the loss of appetite or avoidance of food in your child.

But like in most cases, this is just you over-analyzing the situation. Your child can not eat as much as you do. Your obsession with them not eating well and getting lean might just be your desire for them to have chubby cheeks. If not getting to pull your child's cheeks is worrying you, the problem is in you not in them.

First, we need to define the standard of healthy eating and an optimum weight for your child. A simple figure on the weighing machine can not be the only standard to assess your child's health.

Their physical activity, routine, family history, and general preferences also play an eminent role in determining their health status. So your child that you think is week might not be a week at all.

This can not undermine the fact that a lot of children have disturbed eating patterns and this can take a toll on their overall health. Now, if you have developed that your child is actually weak and needs special attention, these are a few reasons that your child might not be eating well. If you have tried everything you could but failed, it's time to consult the best pediatrician in Lahore.

Picky Eaters

Children can be really picky about what to eat. Sensory processing plays a huge role in their refusal to eat. If they perceive something as gross in their mouth they are not likely to even touch it again. This can be texture, a particular taste, look, or smell. In medical terms, this is known as tactile defense.
The reason for your child not eating well can simply be their lack of liking for the food, too. If you succeed in understanding why your child is rejecting food, it can lessen half of your worries. Unfortunately, no one can do this better than you. But a pediatric nutritionist can help you in rectifying your child's behavior.

Poor Mechanics

Look for the signs of poor chewing and swallowing in your child. This might be tricky but your child's avoidance of food might lie in their poor oral motor skills. The difficulty they feel when chewing or swallowing can make them avoid eating altogether. To put it simply, your child might not know how to eat. Confirming this can be tricky but a few indicators are; throwing barely chewed food, gagging, or gulping food without chewing. This can happen when they transition from one texture to another one. Simple chewing exercises can help a bundle in this regard. You can also consult a therapist to help you out.

Poor Routine

The reason behind your child's poor eating can be YOU too. If you fail to make a proper routine for you and your child, they are likely to avoid proper meals. Such children are used to munching on random food but avoid an actual meal. It is important to devise a proper routine for your child. A healthy sleep-wake and eating cycle can ensure full meal consumption by your child. Eating in front of a TV or late at night can disturb your child's eating habits. So it is important to maintain a healthy routine.

Medical Conditions

If you have tried everything you could and still your child is not eating well, they may have an underlying medical condition. If your child is already a picky eater and has a medical condition too, this means double trouble. These medical conditions are not always severe, a simple viral infection can also hinder your child's ability to eat properly.

1. Constipation

Your child is likely to stop eating if he is constipated. He won't be able to tell the problem so you have to look for it on your own.

2. Food Sensitivity

Food sensitivities are not always severe. They can be really mild and if your child has one, he won't be able to always tell. Food sensitivities are likely to cause a hindrance in normal eating, even when you serve food he is not intolerant to.

3. A virus

This can be detected pretty quickly. If your child used to eat well but has suddenly stopped, he might have a stomach bug.

4. An Eating Disorder

eating disorders are reconsidered to appear in teenagers only but these can occur in children too. Although the chances are slim, your child can have Anorexia Nervosa, because the disease has been identified in children at the age of 6 or 7.

5. Serious conditions

Conditions like eosinophilic esophagitis can also hinder your child's eating. This can cause the throat to become swollen making it extremely difficult to eat. Other issues related to the kidney, stomach, or liver can also affect one's eating.

The Next Step

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