What if my baby refuses to eat?

Tagged with: baby, food, how to, iphone, mom, parents, tips, toddlers

by Dr. Lisa Dana posted in Mom Stories

Food refusal does exist. And I am seeing more and more of it in my office. We don’t know why, but according to a recent review by Dr. Sondheimer of Georgetown University, 25-45% of otherwise well children can be classified as food refusers.

Older infants and toddlers who are “food refusers” often display the following symptoms:

1. clench their mouths tight when trying to be fed
2. Turn their head away from the spoon
3. Refuse to sit down
4. Are “too busy to eat”
5. Throw or spit out food
6. Refuse to eat foods with any texture

At a recent UCSF conference, I asked if this was perhaps a unique “American” problem. Do we see food refusal in countries where babies are fed mashed versions of the family meal, at the same time that everyone else eats?

Is this unique to a culture where we buy pre-made baby foods in jars, and feed babies while we “distract” them with ipads, smartphones, and television, while plying them with foods.

When a parent comes to me worried because their child won’t eat, I ask a few specific questions:

1. Do you eat with your child?
2. Do you eat the same foods that you are serving to your child?

Most often, parents will say no. They tell me that they prepare and eat a seperate meal when their spouse comes home. At breakfast and lunch, they do not eat with their babies, but feed their children first, then eat a seperate “adult” meal.

When I hear this, I am not surprised that we are seeing more and more food refusal. When I talk to families about starting solids, I suggest to that they eat with their babies. I also encourage them to share their meal with their baby. Offer them a bite of that mashed sweet potato, or crumble up some of your ground beef.

More from Dr. Dana: Healthy eating habits

I often suggest that they start with lightly seasoned lentils and root vegetables. And I always remind parents: “If it doesn’t taste good to you, it probably doesn’t taste good to them.” I also recommend bringing the high chair to the family table, so that your baby can share the meal with you.

More from Dr. Dana: How to start solids

I also counsel families to keep the ipads, smart phones and televisions away from the dinner table. Parents should not follow their children around the playroom with a plateful of food. Children should be sharing their meals with their caregivers, at a table, or on a blanket at the park.

More from Michelle Obama: Let’s Move

If children are not seated for meals, they are at risk of choking, and they are less likely to realize that this is a set meal time, and not a food grazing period.

A small percent of these children will have a gastrointestinal disease that accounts for the food refusal. However, 80% of children who are food refusers have no medical condition that can explain this phenomenon.

Clearly we need to do more research into this problem, but we also need to look at how we are living. We need to share meals with our children, and introduce them to the flavors and spices of our lives.

We also need to turn off the screens. Our children do not need constant distraction and entertainment while eating.

Below are a few tips to promote healthy habits:

1. Do not feed your baby in a bouncy seat. Would you want to eat a meal in a recliner?

2. Eat with your baby. Share your meal. If he is interested in something on your plate, crumble up a bite for him.

3. Do not feed him in front of the t.v. or iphone app. This promotes mindless eating and is a bad lifetime habit.

4. Do not follow him around with food while he is playing. Sit him at a table for each meal. If you are at the park, find a bench. Do not let him get in the habit of “eating on the go.” It is a choking hazard and you are teaching him how to eat with a fast food mentality.

5. Let him feed himself if he is interested. Give him a spoon and let him grab it with his hands. It is OKAY if he makes a mess.

If your baby is refusing to eat, talk to your pediatrician.

The advice provided in this blog is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical diagnosis, advice or treatment for specific medical conditions

Photo:Flickr/snorp

Read more from source:“babycenter-com-baby”

Incoming search terms:

dr sondheimer georgetown, august treacher collins, deep valley birth collective, sondheimer georgetown reviews, spoon feeding baby refusing

what if my baby refuses to eat

And here is for the eye:Images from around the web about what if my baby refuses to eat, hope you like them. Keywords: what if god was one of us, what if, what if there was no google, what if xkcd, what if god was one of us lyrics, what if i told you meme, what if questions, what if lyrics, what if i told you, whatifsports, what if my baby refuses to eat .

what if my baby refuses to eat related images