What to do if a 6-year-old child refuses to eat

Six-year-old children have already started to study in kindergarten. At this time, most babies do not need their parents to worry about their diet, because they already like to eat a variety of foods by themselves, and at this time, children already know a lot of etiquette. However, there is still the problem of not eating. It is likely that the body lacks calcium, iron and zinc. So what should I do if a six-year-old child does not eat?

Why does my child not like to eat in the morning?

1. Constant snacking, constant mouthfeeling, and a busy stomach will lead to gastrointestinal motility and secretion disorders.

2. Children have irregular eating habits and no fixed meal times. Meal times are prolonged or shortened, and normal gastrointestinal digestion patterns are disrupted, so children will not eat obediently.

3. One-sided pursuit of high nutrition, giving children meat, eggs and milk without restraint, damaging the gastrointestinal tract and causing indigestion.

4. Poor eating environment, playing while eating, or parents teasing or scolding while eating, making it impossible for the child to eat quietly

5. Parents pay too much attention to their children's eating, which makes the children develop a rebellious mentality and then resist by refusing to eat. Parents should be more relaxed about their children and let them eat more easily.

6. Zinc deficiency causes changes in taste. To observe whether a child is zinc deficient, parents can judge by looking at the tongue coating. The small protrusions on the tongue are mostly flat or atrophied compared to the tongue of a normal child.

7. Lack of exercise leads to reduced metabolism and failure to strengthen gastrointestinal digestive function. We should develop good living and working habits.

8. When children are sick, they may lose appetite and lose interest in eating. Taking too many medicines or abusing health supplements will increase the burden on gastrointestinal digestion and absorption, causing the baby to lose interest in eating.

What to do if your baby doesn't like to eat

1. Improve children's appetite

(1) When preparing meals for children, try to make the food look lively and cute. Rich colors and animal shapes will make children curious and greatly increase their interest in eating.

(2) You can use interesting tableware or tableware featuring your child’s favorite cartoon characters to divert the child’s attention to the tableware.

(3) Play house games with your child, teach him how to “cook” and “fry”, and let him learn to eat by himself, so that he will gradually fall in love with eating.

2. Eat snacks before meals

Children usually feel hungry and want to eat snacks between meals. At this time, parents can give them some snacks in moderation, but not too much, otherwise it will affect the children's appetite for the main meals. When the child cries and wants to eat more snacks, parents should guide him to play with toys to divert his attention.

3. Don’t scold your child

Don't scold your child or force him to eat, as this will make him more resistant to eating. If your child really doesn't want to eat properly, you might as well give him the food later. Wait until he is really hungry, and then ask him to sit down and eat. This will gradually develop his interest and concentration in eating.

4. Develop good habits

Children should develop good eating habits from an early age. Children are not allowed to play with toys while eating. They should sit in the dining chair and concentrate on eating. When your child starts eating complementary foods, you should prepare a special dining table for him to eat with everyone. You can leave the table to play only after you finish eating, and you don’t have to eat after leaving the table. Don’t develop the habit of chasing your child to feed him.