With all toddlers there are days when they show total
disinterest in food. And like all adults they may
have favorite foods. Baby's appetite can vary from
meal to meal and from day to day. This is normal,
and can be caused by a number of factors. It may last
for 1-2 days, a week or two or even longer as your
kid grows older.
Early
eating habits may set a pattern for
later life, so it is wise to offer a
little of everything but without making
a fuss when a young child refuses to
eat something. |
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Fussiness manifests in
a number of ways:
Dislike of lumpy foods. Some babies
get accustomed to soft pureed food and find problems
taking on to lumpier textures. When the chewing stage
is missed your child may be reluctant to try the more
exciting textures. On the other hand if lumpy foods
are introduced too early it may result in gagging
and choking and thereby becomes a put off for young
babies.
Avoid ready-made foods. Ready-prepared
foods given regularly means you are adding unwanted
salt, sugar and flavor enhancers to your child's diet.
Though easier to prepare and home made meals can take
too much effort to make the latter is a whole deal
better, especially in the long run.
Avoid repetitive feeding. It is important
to add variety to meals as limiting your child's diet
may eventually encourage food intolerance. For example
wheat is a common food allergen and it also contains
phytate which often interferes with the absorption
of key minerals such as calcium, magnesium and zinc.
Offer other forms of pasta, cereals and bread which
are not wheat based. (Some homework is required to
check on what can be offered as alternatives).
Avoid faddism. No baby or child will
starve herself. Continue offering a variety of foods
instead of falling into the trap of only serving food
which your child will eat. By doing this you can prevent
having to cook two meals each time and also the food
fad will disappear as quickly as it came.
Too much milk. The child may not
be hungry because he had too much to drink before
mealtime. Milk is often the culprit in suppressing
a baby's diet because milk in itself is a food (and
not just a drink) and therefore filling. Once your
child is over a year old, make plans to cut down on
the milk to 600ml more so if there is an issue with
eating food.
Too much to snack. Constant snacking
causes a loss of appetite. If your child shows preference
for snacks but refuses meals, something is not right
here. Snacks should be fruit-based (e.g. an apple
or banana, nut and fruit bar, or banana bread and
not crisps, biscuits and cakes)
Spitting out food. Children may spit
out for various reasons. Too big a spoonful was served.
Food temperature may not be right: too hot or too
cold. If you have just started weaning, your baby
is perhaps not ready to be weaned, so wait a week
or two and try again.
No appetite. If your child had no
problem with the food before but shows resistance
for several days, get your doctor to assess the situation.
Fussy behavior can very well be due to an illness.
Too distracted. Your baby may refuse
food because of sore gums due to teething, wet nappy
causing a sore bum or just being in the mood to be
uncooperative. In the case of the latter it is best
to ignore and try not to get bugged.
Some
babies resist solids and only want milk.
This behavior if carried over to the
2nd year can cause resistance to solids.
Milk is nourishing but if it replaces
solids then a growing baby is deprived
of key nutrients such as iron. |
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Other Pointers
If you are picky parents yourselves then you
may have picky eaters for kids. A child more
often does what you do and pays little heed to what
you say. You can start by setting good examples during
mealtimes by eating the right kind of foods. Meals
should be had together because they are social occasions
proper eating etiquette can be encouraged.
Be careful not to give too much juice as babies
prefer juice to eating. Findings suggest
that babies become hungrier once their juice intake
is reduced. Too much liquid will fill them up leaving
little room for food.
When your child refuses a meal, the best tactic
to employ is to ignore the fussy behavior
instead of getting all worked up. Inform your child
that there will be no snacks in the meantime. Offering
fruits in the meantime is good, until the next meal
and you are bound to have a hungry child on your hands.
Enlist the help of books and toys to encourage
eating. Though taxing it usually works as
mealtimes become more interesting for them. Reward
your child's good eating behavior with non-food rewards
such as a trip to the supermarket or playground.
Try creative ways of serving foods.
For the fussier kid, you may need to disguise foods
within others by adding them to soups for instance.
Cut simple foods into fun shapes, or have a home-made
meal away from home (at the park).
Shop together, choose foods together and eat
together. When you shop together it helps
build your child's relationship with what she eats.
Let her learn the names of foods you buy. Get your
toddler to help you put things in the trolley, for
instance.
Texture and your 6-12 months
old baby
It is important to introduce variety in taste and
texture to your baby at the right time to prevent
your child from being a picky eater. (Chewing begins
as early as 6 months).
• If you find your baby has taken on well to
smooth purees it is time to move on to slightly thicker
foods, and from there gradually introduce slightly
lumpier foods. Next, bring in the coarser textures
by mashing cooked vegetable instead of blending it.
Offer cooked broccoli/cauliflower as a first finger
food around 9 months.
• After 9 months you can safely expose your
baby to more finger food options in the form of cooked
vegetables (with dips) and raw fruits to pick up and
eat. Continue by providing a variety of coarsely mashed
or chopped foods to get your child accustomed to adult
meals and to get on the road to joining in family
meals later.
