Poor appetite in children

Poor appetite is one of the most common health problems among children, and poor appetite negatively affects the child's growth if it

Poor appetite in children

Poor appetite is one of the most common health problems among children, and poor appetite negatively affects the child's growth if it becomes chronic without treatment, and poor appetite is often a symptom of a specific disease, such as the presence of oral infections and so on.

Types of anorexia

There are three main types of anorexia that are important as follows:

• Acute loss of appetite: It is a temporary loss of appetite, so that it is due to infection with one of the diseases or bacterial, bacterial and viral infections, and this type of loss of appetite is common among children from the age of seven months to one and a half years due to their passing the stage of the emergence of teeth or what is known as teething. 
• Chronic physiological anorexia: This type of loss of appetite is considered normal, due to the lack of a child's need for calories compared to his first year, and therefore this type of anorexia extends from the age of two to six years. Parents often resort to forcibly feeding the child. They say that the child is sick and must be forcibly fed, but in fact, the child's height and weight are appropriate for his age through the use of height and weight tables. 
• Chronic organic anorexia: This type of anorexia is a symptom of a chronic disease, such as respiratory diseases, kidney disease, and birth defects in the brain and heart, such as a hole in it, and is accompanied by other symptoms, such as high body temperature, anemia, weakness and general weakness .

Causes of poor appetite

There are many reasons that lead to loss of appetite, including the following:

• Need for attention: The child needs to feel caring from his parents, and for this he refrains from eating. Because he is aware of the amount of attention he gets during the eating period and not at other times. 
• Punishment: Some children adopt the principle of abstaining from food as a form of punishment for parents in the event that the parents refuse to fulfill the child's demands, such as playing outside or buying some toys. 
• Emotions and feelings: Negative feelings negatively affect the child's appetite. Feelings of anger, sadness, and fear work to reduce the ability of the digestive juices in the stomach to work properly.

Treatment of poor appetite

The treatment for anorexia lies in several things that parents should follow:

• The family atmosphere: You must ensure that the family atmosphere is free of verbal altercations and sharp dialogues while eating. Because these quarrels trigger negative feelings in the child, such as feelings of sadness and fear, and thus the child does not eat his meal. 
• Hiding anxiety: The mother should hide her feelings of anxiety if the child does not eat all of his food. 
• Organizing meals: Parents must organize meals for their child, by preventing him from eating sweets between the main meals, which works to reduce his appetite. 
• Avoid forcibly feeding a child. Because he will refuse to eat more than before.