Why my child does not eat?

The refusal of a child to eat often leads to guilt or anxiety among parents. Rest assured, this is a very common thing. But why a child refusing food? And what solutions can we try to apply?

Difficulty of weaning

Very young children have the habit of eating in the first months of life, with milk. Very soon, this diet is not enough and must be adjusted to the needs of the child. It is important that the child can benefit from a balanced diet.

However, sometimes changes in diet cause some children (even larger) adjustment difficulties.For several reasons.

On the one hand, a change is a realignment of dietary guidelines, and by extension family. If they are done quickly and without a transition period, so they take longer to be accepted or are rejected.

On the other hand, the exchange relationship with the mother. In fact, during the first period of childhood, the mother feeds her child. Breast or bottle first, then with dishes, but one who performs the action of feeding. This relationship particularly like children. However, a little later, they are required to gain autonomy and feed themselves without the ongoing assistance of a parent. Some may then refuse to eat in order to prolong the help of parents and the relationship was previously established.

Family stress or tension: the question of authority

It is common for parents to lose face patient to a child who refuses to eat. Enchainent reprimands and can then damage the friendly aspect of the meal, making it appear to the child and parents alike as a constraint.

Often, the stress causes a resistance even more children to feed and creates an apprehension of a meal or family tension. This echoes the question of authority.

It is important for child development that parents are a stable framework for the child to learn what is possible or not. However, the constraint reflects a certain rigidity in the framework of authority and may then cause a systematic opposition and, therefore, a refusal to eat.

Unlike child / adult

It is common to see families that children eat the same thing parents. This is not a problem in itself if parents do not lose sight that the nutritional needs of their children are not the same as theirs.

Otherwise, it is not uncommon for shares served to children are just too large for his appetite. In addition, the child does not have the same range of taste than adults. It may be that the taste of young, less developed, are not able to enjoy your meal even prepared with all your love.

Pygmalion effect

The Pygmalion effect is a phenomenon that explains what we see tends to be what we want. It's called a phenomenon of influence. A sentence of Marcel Pagnol illustrates this: "Once the teachers began to treat him as a good student, he became truly".

With regard to the meal, this effect in its negative value can appear. A force to anticipate or react as if the child did not eat, he can not eat. How often, in fact, when you think "anyway, he will not eat, your child has not eaten, but otherwise he has less difficulty? 

Tip : Every child is different. The elements we have mentioned are not absolute truths and the reasons are often multiple. If you seek further advice, consult your pediatrician or child psychologist.