Baby anorexia during the dog days of summer: mothers learn 11 ways to deal with baby anorexia

In the dog days of summer, babies don’t like to eat. Mothers worry that their babies have anorexia. So what should we do if babies have anorexia? In fact, sometimes babies’ refusal to eat is only temporary. Mothers can take wise ways to deal with their babies’ anorexia. Here are 11 tips to make your baby love eating!

What to do if your baby has anorexia?

Anorexia actually refers to a loss of appetite caused by bad eating habits or various acute or chronic diseases, resulting in a significant decrease in food intake. Severe anorexia can affect growth and development and cause malnutrition.

Anorexia should be distinguished from food aversion. Although both of them have a reduced appetite, the one who is afraid of eating has a normal appetite and is hungry. It is just that due to various reasons, such as oropharyngeal ulcers, toothache, difficulty in swallowing or abdominal pain, people feel uncomfortable when eating, are afraid of or refuse to eat, which leads to a decrease in food intake. After the above causes are eliminated, these patients' appetite will return to normal.

In addition, some parents always like to compare their children with the children of their neighbors or colleagues. If their children eat a little less, they suspect that their children are "anorexic"; or they like to artificially set a food intake standard for their children, and if the standard is not met, they think they are "anorexic". Little do people know that each child has individual differences in digestion and absorption capacity, and calorie consumption, and the amount of nutrients required is also slightly different, so it cannot be generalized. As long as the child's weight gain is in line with the standard, his spirit and response are good, the amount of food he eats is in line with his own needs. If you force yourself to eat, the result will only be counterproductive and you may actually develop anorexia!

It is recommended that mothers take a wise approach, because sometimes the baby’s refusal to eat is just temporary or due to dietary preferences, not true anorexia. If the mother can spend some time to think about it, this problem can be easily solved.

1. Add some vinegar to improve your appetite

Nutritionists say there is a way to improve children's anorexia. When cooking, you can add some balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar and other condiments to thicken and increase the gastric acid, which can stimulate the appetite, enhance gastrointestinal motility, and promote food digestion, thereby enhancing children's appetite. In addition, adding a proper amount of vinegar to dishes can help absorb nutrients. Research data shows that adding vinegar to dishes during cooking can increase the body's nutrient absorption rate.

2. Eat more melons to relieve heat

Hot weather will affect the baby's appetite. You can eat some foods that can cool blood and quench thirst, such as winter melon, watermelon, and loofah. In cooking, add more cold dishes to make the taste refreshing; you can also add fruits to the dishes, such as tomatoes, pineapples, mangoes and other ingredients, which also have an appetizing effect. Boiling some hawthorn water for your baby to drink can help stimulate his appetite.

3. Use appropriate game tactics

Playing games based on your baby's preferences is one of the best ways to increase his intimacy with food. Assuming your baby has watched the Popeye cartoon, you can use Popeye to encourage your baby to eat more food. "Popeye has no strength now, he wants to eat spinach. Come on, Popeye, take a bite of this red spinach (carrot) first! Then take a bite of this green spinach (bok choy)!" Once eating is associated with his favorite cartoon characters, his enthusiasm will naturally come.

4. Meal Schedule

Some children can take an hour to finish a meal, and their parents let them eat whenever they are hungry. There are many parents who eat at 12 noon and still heat up meals for their children after 1 o'clock; it is also not uncommon to see parents letting their children play while eating, or chasing their children around the house with bowls of rice to feed them. In fact, children's meal time should be controlled at about 30 minutes. If you eat at 12 o'clock at noon, don't chase your child to feed him at 12:30. Even if the child has only eaten a bite, don't feed him again. The next meal is at 6 o'clock, so let the child go hungry until 6 o'clock. Especially for children with anorexia, meal times must be controlled.

5. Do some physical exercise

Let your children participate in more housework within their ability and do appropriate physical exercise. This can consume energy, promote the secretion of digestive juices, and thus increase appetite.

6. Eat more zinc-rich foods

In the hot summer, the human body sweats more and zinc is lost in large quantities as the body sweats. Therefore, children in summer need more zinc than usual. Parents can give their children more zinc-rich foods at this time, such as seafood, nuts and other zinc-rich foods. They can also give their children zinc supplements.

7. Create a pleasant and harmonious dining atmosphere

Try to create a quiet, comfortable and pleasant eating environment for your child so that he feels that eating is a pleasure. Parents should not add psychological pressure to their children because of eating, and should not scold or even physically punish their children at the dinner table. You should be calm about whether your child eats more or less. If he can’t finish this meal, he may eat more at the next meal. “Hunger is the best cook.” Don’t force your child to eat or chase him to feed him, as this will arouse his psychological aversion to eating. Do not force a child to eat when he is overly tired or unwell. Comfort the child and let him rest first, then feed him. Do not use food as a reward for good behavior, nor deprive children of food as a punishment.

8. Limit cold drinks and sweets

Children love cold drinks and sweets, but both types of food affect their appetite. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that cold drinks damage the spleen and stomach, while Western medicine believes that they can reduce the function of the digestive tract and affect the secretion of digestive juices. Eating too much sweets can also upset your stomach. These two types of food have a strong filling effect and affect your appetite for meals, so you should eat in moderation.

9. Pinch the child's spine

"Pinching the spine" is an ancient Chinese medicine method of health care, and it is particularly effective in treating anorexia in children. First, gently rub your child's back a few times to relax his muscles. Use your right thumb to slide along the Du meridian from Dazhui point to Changqiang point 2 to 3 times. From bottom to top, press the skin with your thumb, press forward with your index and middle fingers, and use three fingers to lift the skin at the same time. Alternately twist your hands forward, and be sure to pinch, lift, release, and push forward at the same time. Generally, pinch it 3 to 5 times and then it is finished. Take once every other day, 5 times constitute a course of treatment.