The Food Battle

The majority of parents will face this problem at some time-your child just won't eat. When does it become a problem and what can we do about it?

The simple but not always reassuring answer is that most of the time there is no problem when your child doesn't want to eat for a meal or two. They may be feeling a little unwell, or may have snacked too late and it affected their meal. The important thing to remember here is that a child will not starve themselves-if they are hungry and there is food in front of them they will eat. If they are not hungry then they may choose not to.

There is nothing that you can do to make them eat, and in fact forcing them to eat their meal may be seen as cruel. And if they really are getting sick, they may resent your making them eat and so making them feel worse.

What can you do about it, and how can you reduce the risk of it happening frequently? All that you can do is make sure that you offer healthy meals that meet all of your child's needs for the food groups, and trust that their body knows what it needs.

It is important to frequently offer new food choices, but remember too that they may not be accepted the first time around. So if you are offering a meal that your child has never experienced before it is wise to make sure that there are enough familiar elements to the meal that your child can eat to their satisfaction whilst only taking a bite or two of the newer foods if they are feeling adventurous.

If they do refuse to eat much for a meal or two, try not to worry. Let their appetite be the guide an tell them how much to eat, without threat, or bribery or coercion.

Offering unhealthy snacks soon after your child refused to eat their meal is unwise. It can lead to an undesirable pattern of behavior wherein your child refuses their meal in order to get an unhealthy snack that they perhaps enjoy more than the meal that you offered them.

If you do become worried that, despite your best efforts at making healthy meals, your child is becoming underweight then talk to your child's doctor. There is always the chance that there is an underlying condition that is causing the weight loss or the lack of appetite and the doctor may be able to help get to the bottom of it.

Till then, try not to worry. A few days of eating very little is likely to leave you with a very hungry child who ultimately will decide that whatever you put in front of them looks good and who will then make up for the lack of eating. The majority of children when offered healthy choices on a regular basis will be able to self regulate their eating, better than any parent could ever do for them.