How to treat poor appetite in a child

For the correct and harmonious development of the child, a complete and balanced diet is necessary. However, all parents know that feeding a baby is sometimes a rather time-consuming and complicated process. He can be naughty, refuse the offered dishes and scatter dishes. Most often, these difficulties are temporary and disappear with age, but sometimes it may be necessary to use drugs to increase appetite in children.

Appetite disorders in preschoolers - common causes

Very often, parents of preschool children (age four to seven years) face the unwillingness to fully eat.

The excitability of the nervous system in preschool age is at a very high level. Therefore, it is very difficult to distract him from exciting games with peers, and drawing his attention to food is even more difficult. Then most moms and dads (as well as grandparents) make one mistake: trying to get their son / daughter to eat at least a little, he / she is offered snacks in the form of sandwiches, cookies or sweets. As a result, there is a malfunction in the activity of the digestive system, and, in fact, the stomach simply “does not understand” when it needs to be ready to work.

Another reason for refusing food can be its monotony. Even if he really likes, for example, buckwheat porridge, he may not want to eat it for several days in a row. You can solve the problem by trying new recipes, delighting your baby with a variety of healthy and tasty diets.

ATTENTION! When a child is sick, has a high temperature, intoxication and a general deterioration in well-being, and at the same time he does not want to eat, he should not be forced to eat. It is necessary to provide him with plenty of fluids (it is better to drink often and in small portions), as well as organize a comprehensive medical examination.

By the way, calm, sedentary children who prefer to spend time reading books or watching cartoons tend to eat less than their peers who prefer active outdoor play. Usually we are talking about the fact that people who expend energy at different intensities simply need a different number of calories. Therefore, it is impossible to compare children with different characters and preferences in terms of the amount of food consumed, even if we are talking about brothers and sisters.

Nervous tension caused by various factors can also cause the baby to eat little. The most common factors are:

1. Overexcitation caused by prolonged active games.
2. Continuous viewing of TV programs / movies / cartoons. Such entertainment, despite the fact that they seem calm, can lead to a significant overstrain of the fragile nervous system. As a result, sleep disturbances and vision problems may also occur.
3. Tension (quarrels, scandals) in the family.

Change of environment associated with moving to another place of residence or transfer to a new kindergarten. In such a situation, the problem resolves itself over time. As soon as he adapts to the new conditions, he will eat well again and reappear with pleasure.

Lifestyle and its effect on appetite

Sometimes it is enough to reconsider the lifestyle of the family and form a daily routine, as well as think about food habits - and all the problems associated with the nutrition of younger family members disappear. The following simple tips can help:

1. Use cutlery (plates, spoons, mugs) of bright colors, or better - decorated with pictures, for example, from cartoons. You can play the game "What's at the bottom of the plate?". Simple curiosity can motivate you to quickly eat porridge in order to see a fairy-tale character hiding from him at the bottom.
2. If the child is in a bad mood, is naughty and refuses the offered dishes, it is impossible to force-feed him. At a minimum, he needs to be given the opportunity to calm down, play or watch a short cartoon. The ideal option is to feed when he asks for it. However, it is not suitable, for example, for young children who have not yet learned to speak.
3. Avoid snacks. If a son or daughter looks down at their plate without enthusiasm during the main meal, it is possible that he/she simply does not feel hungry yet. A small cookie, cottage cheese or cereal bar is quite capable of leading to the fact that the usual meal will again be accompanied by refusal and protests.
4. Develop a daily routine, set intervals between feedings and strictly adhere to them. So you can help to establish the work of the digestive system, and the situation will return to normal.
5. Offer the baby non-standardly designed dishes. An ordinary emoticon drawn with jam on porridge can not only cheer you up, but also improve your appetite. The main thing is to periodically invent something new and interesting. And for ideas, you can turn to the resources of the global network or come up with your own;
6. Walk more often and encourage physical activity. Outdoor games are a great way for your baby to eat all the dishes offered and ask for supplements when they return home. Perhaps he simply does not spend enough energy, and therefore does not seek to replenish it.

Using Traditional Medicine Recipes to Improve Children's Appetite

In order for the baby to eat well again, you can achieve by using traditional medicine. Among the most popular methods are the following:

1. Offer stimulating food. It can be an apple or carrot, including in the form of juice, berries: cherry, raspberry, strawberry, kiwi; citruses. It is recommended to offer such appetite stimulants to the baby about half an hour before meals.
2. Tea. Peppermint tea can stimulate the digestive system. To prepare it, pour 0.5 teaspoon of dried and chopped mint into 250 ml of boiling water, leave for 15 minutes, then strain through cheesecloth. If the baby is less than two years old, then he is recommended to drink a tablespoon of such tea on an empty stomach, older children need to give a drink twice a day for ¼ cup. Fennel. A drink from the seeds of this plant can be given even to infants (in this case, it improves digestion). Older children can drink it as a stimulant. To make this tea, you will need fennel seeds (one teaspoon), which will need to be poured into a glass of boiling water. The drink is infused for two hours, preferably warm. Children drink a tablespoon on an empty stomach. With currant leaves. Such tea, which improves appetite, can be given to children over 3 years old. It perfectly quenches thirst, you can drink it in any volume.
3. Garlic. When cooking, you can add a small amount of garlic. It also contributes to solving the problem, including by improving both the taste and aroma of dishes. In addition, it is very useful for immunity. This tool can only be used by children who have reached the age of three;
4. The use of bitters. These are infusions of herbs such as wormwood, centaury, calamus root or dandelion. They can be found in almost any pharmacy and purchased without a prescription. For the body, they are in most cases safe (with the exception of cases of individual intolerance). The action is based on irritation of the gastric mucosa, as a result of which the desire to eat increases reflexively.

The remedy is effective, however, due to the specific taste, most children simply refuse to take it.

• Wormwood. It is recommended to drink this tincture for three weeks on an empty stomach, fifteen drops each. If necessary, you can repeat the course no earlier than ten days later.
• Air (rhizome). Dry rhizome (ten grams) should be poured with 0.2 liters of boiling water. The tool is infused for half an hour. Each time before eating, you need to give a quarter cup of infusion to drink.
• The collection is appetizing. This infusion will be effective if you drink it three times a day 30 minutes before meals. Dosage - dissolve a tablespoon of the product in a glass of warm boiled water and give to drink.

1. Fish fat. This remedy is taken in courses of thirty days with a two-week break. Take one teaspoon of liquid fish oil twice a day. You can also use fish oil in the form of capsules. Then be sure to follow the manufacturer's instructions.
2. Pomegranate juice. Give a glass of juice regularly for breakfast/lunch/dinner.
3. Bee pollen. It can also act as an immunomodulator and a source of a large number of trace elements necessary for the body. Consume pollen once a day, in the morning on an empty stomach. If we are talking about a child, then one teaspoon is enough. Care must be taken, especially if there is (or has ever been) a tendency to be allergic to bee products.
4. Aromatherapy. This original and interesting method is also widely used. For this procedure, you will need one of the following aromatic oils: bergamot, chamomile, hyssop, cardamom, juniper or wormwood. If desired, the oils can be alternated or, having tried several, choose the flavor that you like best.

ATTENTION! The use of traditional medicine is permissible, but only if the child does not have any diseases. All these drugs can cause an allergic reaction, so for the first few times it is permissible to give them only a little and closely monitor the condition of the child.

Effective drugs that increase appetite in children

Lack of appetite can lead to serious consequences or be a sign of a number of diseases. If a person eats poorly, his body does not receive enough nutrients, trace elements and vitamins.

If a child refuses food or takes it only in small quantities for two weeks or longer, this is a well-founded reason to see a doctor.

ATTENTION! If we are talking about a baby, you should definitely visit or call a doctor if the baby has refused to feed two (or more) times in a row.

It is important to remember that it is unlikely that you will be able to choose safe and effective medicines that increase appetite in children, so the specialist will most likely first give a referral for tests and, possibly, ultrasound of the gastrointestinal tract. Based on these studies, you can determine the cause of the problem, and determine how to eliminate it.

The table shows the most popular and effective drugs that can help cope with the problem, and which can be used in childhood.

Decreased appetite in a child is a phenomenon that can and should be fought. Both parents and the attending physician in this case require a lot of time and patience. The main thing in such a situation is not only to correctly determine the cause and develop effective measures to eliminate it, but also to consistently and carefully follow all the appointments of a doctor, nutritionist, psychologist. It is also required to carefully study all instructions for the use of prescribed medications and follow them as accurately as possible. This is the only way to achieve positive dynamics and help the child grow up healthy.