Appetite For Children: How To Increase Appetite For Kids Below 5 Years

Appetite Tips For Kids

A toddler refusing to eat is one of the worst nightmares for any young mother. However, whether your baby is breast fed, bottle fed or old enough to consume solid food, there are general guidelines on the amount of food that a baby should consume daily. Consult your paediatrician over the amount of food your child should consume and try to make sure your child eats that much. However, it is important to remember that every child is different as far as metabolism is concerned and will have different tastes in food. You need not worry as long as your child is thriving even though she or he may not be eating a lot. Unless the child has a serious health problem, he or she will eat when hungry and as much as necessary. The same principle works with sleep, children sleep as much as they need to. It is common to find growth spurts in babies when they will eat voraciously for a few months and then slacken a bit afterwards. If your baby is losing weight drastically or there are some underlying health condition that keeps the child from eating, you may then want to consult your doctor.

If you are strict about only eating during meal times, it may do good to ease the rules a little and offer your child healthy snacks in between meals. This will ensure that they are eating enough even though they may not eat large meals. Children enjoy eating while at play and finger foods are a novelty to them. The hassles of sitting in a high chair and being spoon fed may not appeal to your child and hence you can try this remedy. In order to build your child’s appetite, you may want to take him or her outside for fresh air and enough space to play. Active children use up more energy than babies who are largely sedentary and cooped up in a play pen. Exercise will not only increase the appetite, but also help your toddler sleep better. A regular feeding schedule is a good idea for a poor eater, so even if she or he doesn’t want food at a particular time, the body becomes accustomed to it and in time the body’s demand for food will get regulated. Try to not force feed your child, as children can be extremely stubborn and may carry bad memories of eating as they grow older. Most importantly over feeding is the prime culprit for stomach disorders, so care must be taken to not do so either.