Children with anorexia and underweight not only affect their physical development but also their mental health. Parents need to pay attention to the following issues to make appropriate adjustments to support their children's comprehensive development, according to Health.
The first thing parents need to do is determine the cause of their child's anorexia. Anorexia can be caused by a number of physiological factors such as teething, after vaccination or infectious diseases such as sore throat, stomachache, diarrhea.
Psychological factors also play an important role when children are pressured by overeating, unpalatable food, or an uncomfortable eating environment.
In particular, an unreasonable diet is one of the factors that need special attention because if it does not suit the child's preferences, the child will be determined not to eat. Therefore, parents should create a rich and attractive menu with many diverse dishes to help stimulate the child's taste buds.
Parents can also combine colors and present eye-catching, attractive dishes with colorful vegetables as well as change the way of cooking every day such as steaming, boiling, baking to create novelty for children.
Creating a comfortable atmosphere is also a factor to make children more excited about meals. Parents can eat and chat together to help children feel happier and more interested.
Encourage rather than force, and give praise when children eat well to motivate them to eat more. Try to avoid letting children use electronic devices during meals to limit distractions and focus on eating.
Set reasonable meal times to help children form scientific and punctual eating habits. Maintain a fixed meal time, limit children from snacking too much, especially sweets and snacks between main meals.
Measure the appropriate portion size and do not feed your child too much or too little at each meal. Avoid giving your child too much time for each meal, it should only last about 20 - 30 minutes.
Supplementing adequate nutrients will help children gain weight steadily according to the prescribed index. Children being underweight can be due to a lack of micronutrients such as zinc, iron and B vitamins.
Zinc helps boost the immune system and stimulate appetite, while iron is important for brain and physical development, and B vitamins support metabolism and energy.
