The subject of food is one of the most worrying parents today. In many cases, children eat with great anxiety and parents do not know why this fact occurs and if it is a cause for concern.
In the following article we help you to know the cause of this anxiety to eat and how you should act.
Children's anxiety when eating
There are several causes that can cause a child to eat with great desire and as if there were no tomorrow. Since a child is small and only a few weeks old, he knows at all times when to eat and when to stop because he is satiated.
Experts think that anxiety eating is due to an emotional problem. In this way, it is quite likely that if the child eats with a lot of desire it is due to a high level of stress or anger. Different changes in routine, problems in the family or at school, cause many children to direct such problems to eating more. The emotionally troubled child may eat in an anxious way that seriously worries the parents.
What should parents do
If you notice that your child eats with great anxiety, it is good that you start by analyzing its possible causes.
- It may happen that the little one eats few times a day. Typically, children eat about five meals throughout the day. Your little one may need to eat something in the middle of the morning or in the afternoon to satisfy their appetite and not eat too much for lunch or dinner.
- As we have already indicated above, on many occasions the problem of anxiety in food is directly related to the child's emotions. Stress is one of the most common causes, so it is essential to sit down with the child and try to solve that emotional problem. The child must know at all times that his parents are there for whatever he wants and that they are a supporting stone in your life. You have to know the cause of stress and from there, offer different solutions to reduce such stress and anxiety.
- Sitting down and trying to solve the emotional problem, it is key to putting an end to the fact that the child eats with great anxiety at all hours of the day.
Tips to avoid problems when eating
- From the ground up that eating is essential for any human being and parents should forget at all times to punish or reward the child for eating. The little one should eat because the body asks for it and because it needs it when it comes to developing.
- Another big mistake many parents make is forcing their child to eat. You have to be patient and give the child time to eat everything without any problem. Forcing a child to eat will cause the child to become an aversion to certain foods and You may suffer from the odd eating disorder.
- Parents should lead by example at all times. It is important to promote healthy habits such as eating as a family or avoiding eating junk foods that damage the body.
- Routines are also key so that children do not have too many problems when eating. It is therefore important to try to eat at the same times and to avoid that they leave the table when they want. Eating should be a time to spend with the family.
- Forget about industrial pastries, sugary drinks and junk food. The food that should be at home should be as healthy as possible. It is not the same as a child eating whole wheat toast with tomato and avocado for breakfast, Than getting him used to eating excessively sugary cereals or industrial pastries for breakfast.