- How the treatment is done
- How to make your child eat better
- Causes of childhood anorexia
- Signs that may indicate anorexia in the child
Infantile anorexia is an eating disorder in which the child refuses to eat and may or may not be accompanied by vomiting after eating food, in children up to 12 years of age. It can happen in children from the first year of life and tends to be even stronger when parents insist that the child eat.
When the lack of appetite is not caused by illnesses or bad eating habits created in the family environment, usually, what the child wants is attention and, in achieving this by rejecting food, he tends to repeat this attitude, in order to always achieve draw attention.
Thus, to treat childhood anorexia it is necessary to work together with the pediatrician and the psychologist, who can identify the cause of anorexia and thus direct treatment.
How the treatment is done
To treat childhood anorexia, psychotherapy and re-education of the child's eating habits are carried out, a process that is slow and requires dedication from the family, because, most of the time, what the child needs is to feel safe and loved.
The use of medications, such as antidepressants, may be necessary when the child has severe depression or anxiety, and are guided by the child psychiatrist. Hospitalization may be necessary when the lack of food causes impairment of the child's physical health, such as anemia or difficulty walking, for example.
Treatment should be done as soon as possible, as soon as the disease is identified, because, despite being transient most of the time, anorexia can worsen and cause other more serious psychological disorders, such as obsessive compulsive disorder and severe depression.
However, in most cases, it is possible to notice improvement with the reorganization of the family to improve eating habits, and, for this, there are some strategies.
Here are some strategies to increase appetite and get your child to eat meals:
How to make your child eat better
It is oriented to offer the child a healthy and balanced diet, but it should be allowed to eat the amount of food that he wants, being a way to make him more comfortable with the food. So she will keep in mind that eating is a pleasure and not an obligation, improving the condition of anorexia.
Children should not be forced to eat, nor should they offer tasty, but not nutritious, foods such as ice cream, chips, cookies or chocolate after the child refuses a plate of food.
Giving attention to the child, such as taking him for a walk, telling a story, walking hand in hand, petting and playing with him every day or whenever possible are some ways of showing love to the child so that he perceives and feels get on with it.
Learn other recommendations from nutritionists to make your child eat better at: How to whet your child's appetite. What to do in childhood anorexia
Causes of childhood anorexia
Infantile anorexia itself, in which the child is already worried about not gaining weight since very early, is very related to the behavior and example of parents, friends and television in relation to food, especially when there are people with anorexia in the family, since it is with them that the child can learn or hear negative comments like that the food is fattening or that the food is bad.
It can also be related to verbal abuse and aggression towards the child, or other situations in which he starts to have an early concern for the body.
However, there are other causes of loss of appetite that are more common, and can be associated with problems, such as:
- Tooth growth; Diseases; Irritability; Anxiety; Depression; Medication intake; Poor digestion; Fear of trying something new.
Another important cause of loss of appetite is the presence of bad eating habits in the family, when there is no right time to eat, or when the child is used to eating only treats.
In this case, it is not an anorexia itself, but a selective feeding syndrome, a situation in which the child only eats some foods, having an aversion to others. Learn more about selective eating disorder.
In addition, between 12 and 24 months, it is normal for the child to start eating much less than he had before, this being a normal condition called physiological anorexia in the second year of life. And to prevent this situation from lasting longer, it is necessary for parents to let the child eat as much food as he wants, at the time he wants, not making mealtime a "horror movie".
See, also, other ways to differentiate the eating problems that can arise in childhood.
Signs that may indicate anorexia in the child
Symptoms of childhood anorexia can be:
- Constant refusal to eat or at certain times of the day; Doing prolonged fasting; Having a lot of anxiety; Having sadness and lack of interest, which may indicate depression; Having weakness; Being fat, even though thin.
In the presence of these symptoms, it is recommended that parents seek consultation with the pediatrician, so that the reasons are investigated, and for proper treatment, preventing the child's development from being compromised.
