What should I do if a child does not eat well? The child has a bad appetite: how to fix the situation?

How to ensure the baby's body with a sufficient volume of vitamins and minerals, and yet not overfeed the baby? How much should your child eat?

Content of

What should I do if a child does not eat well?
What should a child eat?
What should be included in the ration of a child from 1 to 5 years?
How much should a child have?
How to understand that a child does not eat anything?
Why does the child eat badly? What to do?
What tests and examinations should I take to determine the cause of the decrease in appetite?
How to increase the appetite of a child?
Folk remedies used if the child is less available
Pediatrician's advice
Drugs that increase appetite in children
Natural vitamins to increase appetite in children

Video: The child became ill. What should I do if the child does not eat well?

At different times, almost all children in one way or another refuse to eat for long. This may be due to illness, bad mood, the body's need for a small discharge.

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Sometimes the evaluation of "bad eats" is purely subkletnovny character and parents simply do not really represent how much their child should actually eat according to the age norms.

When a decrease in appetite in a child should cause real anxiety of parents and the need to consult a doctor? Let's try to understand.

What should a child eat?

Often parents whose children have left infancy consider that now the child can eat at a common table, and do not make any difference in the preparation of dishes for adult family members and for the baby.

Meanwhile, the children's body is still fragile enough to overload it with adult food. Some products of the adult table are completely dangerous for the child, and can cause serious digestive failures up to chronic diseases.

What should be included in the ration of a child from 1 to 5 years?

From dairy products you can give yogurt, yoghurt, cottage cheese daily. Children after three years can be introduced into the diet of whole cow milk. It is advisable to choose product lines designed specifically for children( "Agusha", "Thema", "Rastishka")

It is better not to give sour cream and pure cream, but you can use them in a small amount as salad dressing or curd
Cheeses, especiallysolid varieties can be given in a very limited amount, preferably after three years of
. You can give chicken, lean beef, rabbit from meat. It is better to give meat in the form of minced meat and its products: meatballs, cutlets, rolls
If you give boiled meat, check that it does not have bone fragments, and the fibers were soft and well-cooked.
Fish should be given at least twice a week,only fillets, boneless in boiled or stewed sauce
Do not give fatty fish( salmon, salmon, halibut, sturgeon), categorically not give caviar, as it is the strongest allergen
Do not give smoked and fried meat and fish, includingnumber of sausages, grilled chicken, carbohydratesabove and so forth

Pork, lamb, ducks and geese should be excluded from the ration. Boiled sausages and sausages can be given occasionally and only of very high quality
Eggs can be given 2-3 times a week in the form of an omelet or hard-boiled
It is compulsory to have different cereals and bread in small quantities of coarse grains daily in the ration of the child
Sugar should be used veryCaution. Up to three years they can slightly sweeten the drink. Honey and chocolate for children under three years old is contraindicated.
Preschool children also need to eat sweets in limited quantities
It is advisable to exclude from the diet store desserts with a long shelf life and a lot of unnatural food additives( rolls, cookies, croissants, cakes, other confectionery buns)
As a dessert, products specially designedfor baby food by proven manufacturers( "Heinz", "Lyubiatovo", "Gerber", "Bebi", "Hipp") as well as special products for children that are sold in pharmacies( hematogen,, candy without sugar)

Every day, there must be vegetables, legumes, fruits in any form in the diet: raw in salads and on a grater, in the first and second dishes, compotes, smoothies, smoothies)
It is better to avoid exotic and feed onlythat grows in your region
Do not abuse jelly, because they contain high starch, and nutrients, on the contrary, less than in compotes and broths
To strengthen the teeth it is important to give the child daily "hard" foods: crackers, applesand pears, carrotsBL
The most calorie food the child should take a lunch. The easiest meal - before going to sleep

How much should a child have?

Age	Ration
1-2 years	Daily volume of food 1000-1400 g, of which 2/3 in liquid form or in the form of puree. Number of feedings per day - 5 times for 200-280 g for one reception
3-4 years	Daily volume of food 1500-1800 g, average norm 1600 kcal per day. Number of feedings per day: breakfast, lunch, dinner - full meal;late breakfast and snack - a small snack
5-6 years	Daily amount of food 2000-2400 g, calorie rate 2200-2300 kcal. Number of meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner and a snack

How to understand that the child does not eat anything?

It is possible to talk about a real malnutrition of a child when his appetite is reduced for several months. In this case, the balanced intake of the products vital for the child's full development and maintaining the immunity at the proper level is disrupted
Gradually, inadequate nutrition results in reduced muscle mass, reduced immunity, frequent colds, increased fatigue, poor assessments and poor physical development. Ultimately, lack of nutrition leads to very serious problems for the health of the child
Some parents believe that the main thing is to fill the amount of food consumed, and allow the child to eat only what he is happy to eat, even if this food is harmful to
. Such conclusions are erroneous, Since with a general deficit of useful vitamins and trace elements, a body mass gain occurs, which only aggravates the child's health.

Why does the child eat badly? What to do?

In the absence of strict regimens, a child can often refuse to eat, because his body is not used to developing hunger, especially if the child is at any time allowed to have a small snack with a cookie, apple or a couple of soup spoons from the dad's
Make sure that you have the right ideas abouthow much should your child eat at one meal. Consult a pediatrician about the calorie rate for your child's age.
The cause of prolonged loss of appetite may be prolonged stress. If the family is unhappy or in the recent past there have been events that could hurt the child's psyche, consult a specialist to establish the exact causes of
. Children often have a delayed reaction: at the moment of a traumatic event they look calm, but after a certain period of timelong) begin to mope for no apparent reason.
A decrease in appetite can be caused by the presence of a latent chronic disease. Contact the pediatrician to undergo a complete examination and exclude the presence of the disease from the list of causes of

. What tests and examinations should I take to determine the cause of the decrease in appetite?

Blood test for vitamin and mineral composition
General analysis of blood and urine
Analysis of feces for eggs worm and lamblia cysts
Ultrasound of the abdominal cavity
FGS( fibrogastroscopy)
Gastroenterologist, neurologist, psychologist and endocrinologist

How to increase the appetite of a child?

If the examination does not reveal any deviations in the health and mentality of the child, it is necessary to take measures independently to return the appetite to your child.

Vegetables in a child's diet can be replaced with cereals, whole grains and fruits
If the child refuses meat, fish, or certain vegetables, replace one species with another
The child may not like the consistency or characteristics of the recipe of a particular dish. Try to prepare something new from the usual products to interest him.
Often children refuse products only because of their appearance, for example, from boiled egg yolks. It is important to back up the persuasion with your own example, to show how this product is loved by all members of your family, including the cat. This method works in most cases
Do not forget that children are big conservatives. That the child agreed to change his opinion about the product, it should be offered to try from 8 to 15 times.
Prepare food with the child, it will increase the value of the dish in the eyes of the baby and cause it to taste

. The reception of food should be fun. Do not scold the child at the table, do not force him to eat by force - it can discourage the appetite even more.
Offer the child a "false choice": instead of the question "will you eat or not?" Ask "will you have porridge, mashed potatoes or pasta?" This is popular with childrenpsychologists way that does not give the opportunity to refuse to eat at all
. Eat, have dinner and have breakfast with the whole family when there is a possibility. For a child, a very contagious example of adults who are happy to chew on mother's cutlets
will not be very contagious. Do not allow the child to arrange small forays to the refrigerator in between main meals. Spontaneous snacks discourage the appetite of
. Do not allow the child to sit in front of the TV while eating. A big mistake is when parents allow their child to do anything and sit in front of a plate for an hour until he eats everything.
The meal should last no more than 20 minutes, after which the food is removed from the table until the next reception.
Active outdoor games, sports and outdoor activities increase appetite significantly. Plan the day regimen so that before each meal the child would walk and actively move the

Folk remedies used if the child became less

Decoction or compote of rose hips, chokeberry, sea buckthorn and barberry have good appetite and are very pleasant to taste, unlike medicines. You can give the child a cup of this broth for half an hour before each meal
Fresh( in winter - freshly frozen and pre-thawed) garden berries: raspberries, currants, cherries, rich in fruit acids that increase appetite. Half an hour before a meal, give the child a few berries
A small apple or carrots( you can do both together) 20-30 minutes before a meal, I will raise the appetite of a child
Tea made from mint or fennel that improves digestion and metabolic processes can be given in breaksbetween eating as a drink to improve appetite

Tips for a pediatrician

Do not force a child to eat by force. The food is well absorbed if the child is really hungry.
Teach the child to thoroughly chew food, and not to swallow in a hurry
The first meal should be no earlier than 20-30 minutes after waking up, because the body needs time to "wake up"
Do not feedchild, if he is excited, full of emotions, too distressed or overloaded with joy
It's better to give meat only for dinner
You can sometimes arrange unloading days and eat only fruits and vegetables
Drink food inone is harmful. It is better to drink water 20 minutes before meals or half an hour after it
Do not allow the child to be distracted while eating and watch his posture at the table: incorrect landing squeezes the digestive organs and makes it difficult to pass food

Drugs that increase appetite in children

Well help to returnappetite homeopathic remedy , which can only appoint a specialist. Plus homeopathic treatment is that short-term medication usually gives a lasting effect. However, it is necessary to strictly comply with the prescription of the doctor, since the accuracy of dosage
is very important in homeopathy. Elkar is a preparation for correction of metabolic processes, improves metabolism and digestibility of food. To children this preparation is appointed in the form of an additive to tea, compotes, juices. Up to three years, the drug is taken strictly under the supervision of a doctor
Creon - normalizes the digestive process, is prescribed to children with a decrease in appetite and underweight. Available in capsules. Young children who can not swallow a capsule are advised to pour out its contents in food or drink.
Vitamin complexes , produced for children, contain a full set of useful vitamins and microelements necessary for the child's body and contribute to an increase in appetite.

Natural vitamins to increase appetite in children

VitaminA in kind is found in carrots, eggs, milk, broccoli cabbage. When vitamin A deficiency appears, skin peeling, eyesight diminishes in the dark, infectious diseases often occur.
Vitamins of group B are found in meat, cereals, nuts. The lack of B vitamins in the body leads to a decrease in appetite, increased excitability, fatigue, chronic fatigue, disorders in the heart area.
Vitamin C is found in almost all fruits, berries and in most vegetables. If there is a lack of vitamin C, a serious decrease in immunity is observed, bleeding of the gums may appear.
Zinc , contained in meat, seafood, cereals, normalizes carbohydrate metabolism in the body. Zinc deficiency leads to excessive weight, absent-mindedness, decreased ability to concentrate removal
Magnesium is important for energy production and glucose lowering in the blood. In its natural form found in legumes, nuts and cereals. The lack of magnesium affects the processes of carbohydrate metabolism in the body
Vitamins and trace elements useful for increasing appetite contain dried fruits prunes and dried apricots
Very rich with prebiotics ( digestive products) bananas, beets, plums, zucchini and legumes