Possible feeding problems in young children
Even if your child is finicky, there will normally be no major problem for her to eat most of the foods you offer her. However, if there seems to be an unusual refusal or an adverse reaction to a particular food, then it may be worth having a chat to your doctor.
The overweight child
© Jupiter
Obesity in a young child is nearly always caused by lack of exercise combined with a poor diet that is high in “empty” calories, for example, highly refined starches and carbohydrates such as those found in cakes, biscuits, sweets, chocolate, ice cream and sweet drinks. If your toddler is overweight, consider doing some of the following things:
- Look at the amount of sugar your child is consuming (especially “hidden” sugars added to foods). There is absolutely no need for your child to take in any added sugar with his foods
- If you have been adding sugar to food, stop now so your child gets used to the natural sweetness of food such as fruit.
- Look at the amount of food your child is eating as snacks. Try cutting them down and changing them to low-calorie, healthy snacks.
- Reduce the amount of fat you use in food preparation. Your child probably won't even notice. Don't fry in fat but grill; buy the leanest meat that you can and trim off any fat; cut down on cheese; give him semi-skimmed not full-fat milk once he's over two.
- Make sure your child is getting every opportunity to be active and to play. Encourage active sports. Invite friends to the house for a game of football or go outside with your child and play an active game with him.
- Look at the amount of milk your child is consuming. If he is taking a lot of protein, plus a lot of milk, he is probably getting too much. Cut down.
- Try giving your child more homemade and uncooked food. Pre-packaged foods, especially salty, fatty snacks, are often high in calories.
Children refusing to eat food
This is one of the first signs that your child is ill, so observe him carefully. Is he more clumsy than normal, rather pale and fretful? If so check his temperature and get medical advice if you're worried. At other times your child may simply not be hungry. He may have had a lot of snacks before a meal - for example, if he's had a snack or a drink of milk in the hour before the meal it's not fair to expect your child to eat with his normal enthusiasm.
Sometimes your child may appear to refuse food for no reason at all. What you must never do in this situation is try to force your child to eat, so don't be taken in by your child's capricious behaviour. Try to be casual about it and get on with something else. If you insist, mealtimes can quickly become a battleground and in the end you'll always lose. If you ignore your child he'll eat when he's hungry; if he doesn't, don't worry. He'll make it up for it at the next meal.
Problems of food allergy
This should not be confused with food intolerance. Food intolerance simply means that some food doesn't suit you as well as others. Food allergy, however, is quite specific and quite rare. Most cases of suspected food allergy turn out to be simple intolerance, or the combination of a fussy child and a fussy parent.
Allergy is the body's reaction to a foreign protein or chemical. It is a protective mechanism and produces symptoms ranging from a headache, a slight rash and a feeling of indigestion, to profuse vomiting, swelling of the mouth, tongue, face and eyes, widespread red blotches in the skin, diarrhoea and an extremely ill child. When first exposed to the allergen the reaction may be very slight but, if exposure is repeated, the allergic response may get worse and worse.
One of the reasons why food allergies have attracted so much attention is that they have been blamed for behavioural disturbances in children, but the number of cases where this can be proven is infinitesimal. The only proof of a true allergy as the cause of behavioural problems is when the food is withdrawn and the child's behaviour changes markedly, then when the offending substance is reintroduced the child reverts to the previous bad behaviour. Nothing else counts as proof; improvement on its own is not proof, there has to be confirmation by the reappearance of the child's symptoms after the reintroduction of the substance.
In a very small number of cases there is proof, although even then it is very difficult to decide whether the child is responding to the removal of the food or the added attention he has received from parents, doctors, nurses and relatives. It may be, and in many cases it undoubtedly is the case, that bad behaviour is a cry for attention, love and affection and if this were given the behaviour improves anyway. Parents should not sidestep this issue, and should try changing their ways before any food is withdrawn from a child's diet.
Talk to your doctor
The reason I am so concerned about allergy and intolerance is that many a child has needlessly had his diet seriously curtailed and robbed of nutritious foodstuffs in the name of this unproven association. Parents should never attempt to isolate a food allergy on their own or change the child's diet, without a doctor's advice: a clear diagnosis from a paediatric allergist should always be the first step.
New Babycare
Copyright © 2009 Dorling Kindersley
Text copyright © 2009 Miriam Stoppard
Posted 03.11.2010
Get more on this subject…
