Young mothers may face the problem that their baby is very picky and does not eat half of the food. Do not worry. This is normal if the child does not eat anything at 2 years old. According to statistics, more than 40% of children under the age of 6 refuse to try new dishes or prefer only a limited list of products. For parents, this causes alarm and concern. However, this is a natural process. Just small children are wary of everything new. And the more parents offer to try it, the stronger the contradiction and unwillingness to obey. It should be remembered that most often this period ends by 8-9 years.
Compliance
Not many parents calmly accept the unwillingness of the child to eat everything that is offered to him. Usually dad's normal appetite in a child at 2 years old is normal. They are not so often involved in feeding the baby. Therefore, for them, the unwillingness of the crumbs to eat does not look like a frightening and alarming signal. In contrast to mothers who, although they try to adhere to the principle of "do not force-feed," they are very upset if they do not cater to the taste preferences of their baby. And if to all the worries we add the advice of grandmothers, then this situation turns out to be a real tragedy. Based on long-obsolete norms, they turn food intake into a real cult and begin to consider everything that the child ate in a day.
Pediatricians say that a child aged 1-3 years should have four meals a day - breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea and dinner. At the same time, he should eat about 50% of the daily norm for lunch. But the other 50% must be allocated to the remaining meals. The daily energy value of the products should not exceed 1400 kcal.
Reason number 1: if the child is sick
Sometimes parents are sure that the appearance of new teeth is not the reason for the lack of appetite in the child. However, it is not. It is during the teething period in crumbs that mom can face a decrease in the amount of food consumed. In this case, you should not force him. It is better to prepare a menu that will reduce the burden on the gums.
If a child at 2 years old does not want to eat, then the reason may lie in poor health. So, a decrease in appetite is one of the first signs of the onset of a disease. It is at the beginning of the disease that the babyâs body gives all its energy to fight the infection or the virus. And digestion requires energy costs, so itâs better to simplify the diet. The less the child eats, the more energy he spends on the fight against the disease. At this time, parents need to monitor the use of water. A large amount of liquid will help to quickly remove toxins from the body and improve the general condition of the crumbs. After the baby's body overcomes the disease, his appetite will return to normal. Therefore, mothers and fathers need to be patient and not to force him to eat a lot.
Reason # 2: Too Hot
In the hot season, parents allow themselves not to eat hot first courses. But this does not apply to the child. Adults replace the main meal with ice cream, watermelon or apples. And then they wonder why the child refuses food. It is very difficult to make the crumbs eat mashed potatoes with such a healthy cutlet when the window is above +25 degrees, and the house has warmed up to stuffiness.
Therefore, in the summer, you should revise the menu and prepare lighter dishes. Then the baby will be able to saturate his body and cope with such hot weather.
Reason number 3: lack of physical activity
There are times when a child spends most of his time in a stroller or in his motherâs arms. He does not play active games and does not spend his energy. Therefore, it is unlikely that the crumbs will eat the whole portion that adults have prepared. In this case, how to improve the appetite of a child of 2 years?
To improve their well-being, it is enough for parents to ensure that the child moves more: jumping, running, taking part in outdoor games and spending the maximum amount of time on the street. An ingenious mother can arrange a quest or game without long preparation right in the park. For example, who quickly gets to the distant bench, "let's find a squirrel", "catch the ball." Such games will become a daily pleasant adventure for the baby and good physical activity for his mother.
Reason number 4: snacks
Parents should not feed their child sweets or fruits before main meals. To saturate the baby needs less food than for an adult. Therefore, calories from a banana or candy so nourish the child that he simply does not want to eat even his favorite mashed potatoes.
In this case, parents should not be surprised why the child does not eat anything at 2 years old. Everything is extremely simple. Parents should remove a vase of sweets from the table and adhere to the rule: no sweets or flour products before lunch / dinner. If the baby protests too much and demands its share of goodies, then it should be explained to him that he will have sweets only after the main meal.
Reason # 5: Psychological Fears
If a child refuses food, then the reason may be hidden in fear. For example, a baby could hear a scary story from their peers or adults.
Therefore, parents should protect themselves in advance from such situations. They should not allow anyone to tell scary stories related to eating or eating. Since the consequences can be unpredictable. And the usual phrase âeat a piece, otherwise it will chase after youâ is better not to tell a small child.
Reason No. 6: Individual Features
Refusal of food can serve as a child's reaction to new dishes. Parents need to be patient with such whims. Since a child under 3 years old, it is necessary to offer new products more than once before he decides to try. And it will take at least 10-20 tastings, so that he finally tasted the taste.
However, it is not always that a child will like this product. Adults are not forced to eat what they do not like. But for children, this principle for some reason does not work. A child should eat everything, many parents say. They need to accept and reckon with the individual preferences of the baby.
There are times when a child at 2 years old does not eat anything after the first visit to kindergarten. This suggests that the baby began to imitate peers or adults from his environment. This is a fairly common occurrence. Therefore, if parents hear new notes in their childâs voice or an obvious imitation of someone from the group, then you should not be afraid to leave him without dinner or lunch. The main thing is to correctly indicate the reason. For example, to say that mom needs time to prepare a new menu, so the crumbs will remain without food for 2-3 days. If the reason was to imitate, then the baby will immediately try to correct the situation and will behave as usual.
This is normal
According to Dr. Komarovsky, a childâs behavior can be considered normal if:
- He does not want to eat, because he is busy (playing or watching cartoons), recently woke up or has not yet had time to get hungry.
- He has a selective appetite. It is normal for a child under 3 years old to have their own preferences. Up to 1 year, the baby may prefer dairy products rather than vegetables. And by the age of 2, his tastes will change, and he will eat all those foods that have not been touched before. However, the older the child becomes, the more selective appetite is formed under the influence of acquired habits.
- The diet is monotonous. If a child at 2 years old eats almost nothing, then mom needs to urgently review his menu. The adult must understand how often he introduces new dishes, how many days in a row the baby eats monotonous food. It is not always necessary to radically change the diet. Itâs quite unusual to decorate already familiar dishes, to serve vegetables in the form of a fairy-tale character or animal. And if you also come up with a story about this fabulous hero, then the child will not even notice how to eat most of the proposed dish.
- He is under psychological pressure. Parents forget that the child is the same person as they are. He may not always be able to express his needs, but forcing him to do something is not an option. The child very finely feels mom's mood. Therefore, if she will force to eat and not let go of the table, then the baby will perceive it as violence and will reject any product. First of all, crumbs need to be explained that food is used to satisfy needs, raise mood and improve well-being.
- Do not like the taste of food. Parents should remember that children have their own taste buds. Therefore, for them, some products have an unpleasant taste (too sweet or salty), improper texture (too large pieces or lumps), inappropriate temperature (very hot or cold).
- He is at a certain stage of development. Appetite can vary from year to year under the influence of growth hormone or during the period of activation of metabolic processes.
If a child at 2 years old wakes up at night and cries, then this does not necessarily indicate a lack of food received in his body. There can be many reasons for this, and parents should not blame his poor appetite for everything.
Communication with a specialist
If parents notice that a child at 2 years old wakes up at night and cries, gains weight poorly and looks unhealthy, then this is cause for concern. In this case, specialist advice will help. The following doctors are worth a visit:
- The pediatrician is able to assess the general state of health, compliance with the standards of growth, the weight of the child at 2 years. Assign tests and, based on their results, determine whether there are inflammatory processes in the body or intoxication.
- A neurologist is able to determine whether poor appetite is associated with neurological events. The doctor will determine if the child has facial muscle hypotension, which prevents him from chewing food.
- A gastroenterologist will examine and prescribe tests. According to their results, he will be able to exclude fermentopathy or other disorders of the gastrointestinal tract.
- The endocrinologist will determine if the child is behind in height and weight from their peers.
- During the game, the psychologist will be able to understand whether the refusal of food is a consequence of a psychological problem, neurosis, jealousy for a younger brother or sister, fear of a heard story about food from peers or adults.
Most often, going to the doctor solves many issues. He will explain to parents what is the matter, and, if necessary, prescribe treatment. It may turn out that the parents are too worried about this, and the child is simply at a certain stage of development and begins to show their individual preferences.
What to do to parents if the child eats poorly
Many parents ask the question: is it necessary to force a child to eat? The answer is clear: you should not force anyone. Since this can lead to negative consequences and reactions of the baby. It is better to use these recommendations:
- Parents need to be patient. Children under 3 years old are very careful about new dishes. Therefore, mom can put a serving on the table and offer to try it, if the child refuses, then she should have another, more familiar dish ready. It will satisfy the needs of the child this time. It is necessary to offer a new dish at least 10 times, if the answer is constantly negative, then it is better to forget about it for a while and offer something else.
- Cannot be forced. Mom should not turn the dining table into a battle, it is better to maintain friendly relations and atmosphere. Also, one should not focus too much on what the baby eats (and what does not eat). Parents can offer a game in which the child will be some kind of animal that loves to eat carrots, cabbage or other products.
- You should constantly look for creative ideas. Perhaps the baby just doesnât want to eat regular soup. He wants to fantasize and imagine something. Therefore, if mom tells him that the soup was prepared by fairy-tale characters with unusual ingredients that will make it stronger and healthier, perhaps then the baby will gladly eat the offered portion, or maybe ask for supplements.
- Parents need to cut portions. It should be remembered that a child at 2 years old has a stomach the size of his fist. Therefore, small portions may seem more attractive to him than a full plate of even his favorite dish.
- You should not give sweets as a reward. Such a psychological moment can only work a few times. But then the baby will begin to perceive the main meal as a punishment. It is better to give dessert and sweets no matter how the child ate. Then he will be able to understand that sweets, cookies can be part of a normal diet.
Even if the mother thinks that the babyâs diet is not as diverse as she would like, donât be upset. While the baby grows and develops well, we can conclude that all the vitamins and minerals that come to it are enough for him.
It is worth noting that if a child does not eat anything at 2 years old, then most often this is not connected with his poor health. And this problem is solved after a while by itself. Therefore, mothers need to be patient.