9 ways to make children appetite and not choose

Dealing with children who have difficulty eating often makes parents feel confused. In addition, parents may also feel worried if this happens continuously. Do not let this low appetite cause the development of children 6-9 years old. Then, what ways can be done to increase the child's appetite so that it is not difficult to eat? Check out the reviews.

Various causes of decreased appetite for children

Entering school age, children's appetite tends to decrease. In fact, not infrequently, children have difficulty eating and only want to eat certain foods.

You may be irritated by the attitude of this little one. However, before applying ways to increase appetite so that he wants to eat, first find out what causes the child to have difficulty eating.

Here are some reasons that may cause a child's appetite to decline:

1. Health problems

One of the reasons that may cause a child's appetite to decrease is disease. Children may be sick so they have no appetite.

Generally, diseases that make children lose their appetite are sore throats, diarrhea, headaches, or fever.

Some of these conditions are health problems that may cause your child to lose their appetite.

Even so, you don't really need to worry too much. The reason is, after these health problems are properly resolved, your child's appetite may soon increase.

2. Stress

Who says children can't experience stress? Like adults, when a child is stressed, the child's appetite is lost.

Unfortunately, if the appetite is lost, the child becomes difficult to eat. This can hinder the process of growth and development.

If you feel that your child is suddenly lazy to eat or has trouble sleeping at night, it could be that your child is experiencing stress.

There are many things that can cause children to feel stressed, including:

Academic problems at school.
Social at school, for example bullying.
Problems in the family, such as a family member who died.
Pressure from parents to get good grades at school.

3. Depression

Often times, you, as a parent, misunderstand depression in your child. You may think that depression in children is sadness.

In fact, depression and feeling sad are two different things. When feeling sad, your child may come back cheerful after a while.

However, it is different from depression which is not easily eliminated. This feeling of depression not only makes the child look sad, but also interferes with the child's daily activities.

One of them, the child has lost their appetite. If the child loses his enthusiasm for eating or doing activities that the child normally likes, the child may experience depression.

If you are worried, check your child's health condition immediately to the doctor. Before finding out how to increase appetite so that children want to eat, you need to first treat your little one's depression.

4. Anorexia nervosa

Another cause of decreased children's appetite is eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa.

Sometimes, due to certain conditions, for example wanting to look beautiful and attractive, children change their mindset about eating.

In order to achieve the body shape they want, the child may deliberately skip eating for long periods of time.

In fact, when eating, children become very picky and only want to eat foods that are low in fat. However, the cause of children experiencing anorexia nervosa is not only that.

Children can also experience this problem due to genetic problems, hormonal imbalances in the brain, and child development problems.

If you find that your child avoids eating and spends most of his time exercising, until he loses weight dramatically, your child may be anorexic.

5. Use of drugs

Apparently, there are several types of drugs that can reduce appetite in children. Usually, these drugs are a class of antibiotics that children with certain health conditions should take.

Therefore, pay attention to all types of medicines used by children and ask the doctor if their use can affect your little one's appetite.

If the medicine your child is taking affects her appetite, it means you need to consult further with your doctor about the rules for taking this drug.

This method is expected to help increase the child's appetite so that it is not difficult to eat.

How to increase the child's appetite

As a parent, you must be able to estimate the child's calorie intake so that it is not less than the child's nutritional needs so that it is not less than their needs.

Every child needs different calories, depending on their age, gender, and health condition.

If a child suddenly has difficulty eating, most parents are worried. However, don't panic just yet, there are many things you can do to increase your child's appetite.

Here are some ways to increase your child's appetite:

1. Avoid constantly forcing children

Maybe, when your child doesn't want to eat, you don't feel impatient and eventually force him to eat.

In fact, overcoming children having difficulty eating by forcing them to spend food does not increase children's appetite.

On the other hand, the child will even more avoid and be lazy to eat.

So, do other, more effective ways to make him want to eat, for example by persuading children to use gentle methods.

2. Create a varied food menu and an attractive appearance

Children may feel bored especially if you always make the same menu.

Instead, make a varied menu of healthy foods for children, for example by bringing interesting children's school supplies.

After all, the more varied the food ingredients you use, the more nutritious the child's food will be.

Don't forget to always provide food dishes with an attractive appearance, for example decorating food like his favorite cartoon.

This method can help increase the child's appetite so that it is not difficult to eat.

3. Apply a regular eating schedule every day

Apply a regular eating schedule to children since they were young. This will help you when your child has difficulty eating.

That way, he will get used to eating at the same time and routine.

Creating a regular eating schedule will also be good for his eating patterns when he gets older.

4. Provide your little one with delicious healthy snacks

Afraid your child will eat too little? You can outsmart by giving your little one a variety of delicious and healthy snacks.

According to Kids Health, snacks can help meet children's nutritional needs apart from the main diet.

In order to guarantee that the snack is healthy, you better make it yourself at home.

For example, give children healthy snacks in the form of fruit pudding or fruit-based ice. So, you know what is contained in these snacks.

In addition, the cleanliness of children's snacks is also guaranteed.

5. Give small meals more often

If your child is having trouble eating, don't give him large portions of food. Instead of giving large portions, you should eat small meals but often.

This can also be applied if the child gets bored quickly with his food. Give him small portions of food, then in the next two to three hours give the child a new menu of food.

6. Do not let children drink too much when eating

Usually, children like to drink too much when they eat. This will only make him bloated quickly and ultimately reduce the child's appetite.

So, tell your child not to drink too much while eating. You can limit drinking water when he eats, for example one glass for one meal.

After finishing eating, then give the child an additional drink. This can be a way to increase the child's appetite to want to eat.

Avoid giving children drinks that taste sweet as this can make them even more bloated.

7. Encourage children to prepare their food menu

Playing while cooking with children? You can invite him to prepare a breakfast menu or supplies to ask the children to choose their favorite menu.

Give him or her easy tasks, such as preparing some groceries or simply decorating a meal.

Usually, children will be more interested in eating if they participate in preparing the food.

8. Make sure the food is full of nutrients

One of the things you have to make sure is that the food he consumes is full of nutrients. Yes, minerals and vitamins for children in food can also increase their appetite.

Some examples of foods that contain zinc are beef, chicken, fish, and various dark green leafy vegetables.

9. Consultation with a doctor

If indeed your child's appetite does not improve, instead they tend to refuse all the food you give, you should consult a doctor.

The reason is, there are several health conditions that can reduce your baby's appetite.

That way, the doctor will provide the best solution for the problems your child is experiencing.

According to Riley's Children's Health, there are several conditions that should be reported to a doctor immediately when a child has difficulty eating.

Stomach pain while eating
The child's weight has dropped dramatically
Feeling energized
Vomiting and shortness of breath, coughing, experiencing swelling, and rashes after eating

The doctor will help find out the cause and treatment according to the condition of your baby.