Eating Problems and Disorders in Childhood

Nutrition is a situation that begins with the child sucking the mother. Apart from nutrition, this is also an indicator of the bond established with the mother.

Warm contact and physical interaction with the child during the breastfeeding period are important for the child's psychological development as well as his physical development through nutrition. It is important for the mother to read the signals she receives from the baby well. Such as not being in a hurry during feeding, not being insistent even when full.

In general, the family applies for problems experienced during the weaning period of the child or problems in eating afterwards. There are some situations that mothers need to be careful about during weaning. The child may not want to give up the breast. That is, if breast milk is insufficient and the child is not satisfied, if there is a situation that prevents the mother from breastfeeding, if she needs to start working, and most importantly, if the child is already weaned, mothers have a responsibility in this regard.

Breastfeeding is defined as 24 by some authors. It is referred to as the month. If conditions are suitable, this can continue with additional foods after 12 months. However, if the conditions are not suitable, weaning is possible.

It may not be possible to suddenly stop breastfeeding during weaning. For this reason, it is not right to say things like "the breast has become puffy" or to try to wean the breast by applying bitter or bad-tasting things to the breast. The most appropriate way is to wean off the breast gradually. It would be appropriate to start by shortening the frequency and duration of sucking. Especially appropriate ways are to stop night breastfeeding at the last stage, not to give the breast every time he wants, to distract him, to give the father responsibilities during feeding, to fix the sucking point, and to give up breastfeeding in any way, anywhere.

After switching to complementary foods, the family child does not eat. It may sound like. If there is a physiological problem with eating, problems in the swallowing area, gastrointestinal problems, these are situations that occur during breastfeeding and necessary interventions should be made. If the child reacts to foods when there is no such medical problem, there may be attitudinal problems.

The child may react to nutrition. This may be his attempt at individualization. Or he may have learned to use nutrition to get you to do some of his requests. Perceiving these situations as stubbornness and resisting will not be a solution.

Let's not forget that children's behavior changes in many areas during the development process. There may be complications. Details of liking some tastes and disliking some tastes may occur. And during the development process, the amount of food they receive may increase or decrease depending on the growth rate.

First of all, we must teach ourselves to allow our child to become individualized. It is useful to determine clear attitudes about eating and to keep the same distance to the situation as all adults in the house.

POINTS TO CONSIDER:

Determining meal times,

Putting as much food on the child's plate as he can eat, and even letting him take it if he is old enough to take it himself,

Setting some rules while eating, eating while sitting at the table with everyone else, not talking while there is a bite in the mouth, not turning on the television, etc. . Because feeding by running after a spoon in our hands is not the right method.

Avoiding obstructive appetite-suppressing junk food during snacks, especially giving milk, is not the right method.

Setting an example in nutrition, observing appropriate behavior. I would like to emphasize that it is easier for them to learn,

Staying away from bribery agreements such as "If you eat this, I'll buy that",

Give your child the right to have a say in food shopping, teach them how to shop for healthy food,

Giving your child responsibilities during the meal preparation process can make sitting at the table enjoyable.

Your child should use his/her own fork and spoon, even if it is pouring, it will be a positive attitude to support that individuality.

Despite these, the child should have a positive attitude. If the eating problem persists and is at a level that prevents physical development, necessary medical examinations may be performed. If there is no medical problem, the child's resistance to eating should be evaluated psychologically by a specialist.

BULIMIA and ANOREXIA NERVOSA, which are the most prominent eating disorders, are generally seen between the ages of 16-20 and are more common in girls, although some publications report younger children. It should be known that diagnosis is made at different ages. Sociocultural, socioeconomic situations, family attitudes, genetic predispositions, and other underlying psychiatric reasons may play a role in the development of these disorders.

ANOREXIA NERVOSA:

How much does a person have? He feels obese even though he is thin,

He is very afraid of gaining weight,

The required body weight is cannot maintain weight, the weight is 15% less than the expected weight,

There is no malabsorption, diabetes, goiter, drug use, malignancy, etc. that would explain the patient's weight loss.

BULIMIA:

The person may have a history of obesity and an extreme fear of gaining weight,

There is a lot of struggle with eating during the day,

Binge eating ,

Situations such as guilt after eating, vomiting after regret, and use of laxatives may be observed.

In both cases, medical evaluations should be made. The symptoms of these two eating disorders may sometimes be intertwined.

Laboratory results show results such as anemia, decrease in blood cells, electrolyte balance disorders.

SOMATIC SYMPTOMS IN EATING DISORDERS:

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Cease of menstruation,

Decrease in subcutaneous fat,

Metabolism problems, constipation, bleeding etc.,

Paleness in hands and feet and coldness,

Changes in skin color,

In bulimics, symptoms such as irritation in the esophagus due to vomiting and deterioration in the teeth are observed.

In these eating disorders, the young person generally does not seek help himself. because the belief that what he does is right is dominant. Eating disorders may start insidiously, and families may not notice it because there is no sudden weight loss, change in daily life, functional impairments or changes in physical energy.

In eating disorders, a good medical evaluation, prioritizing vital situations and various therapy methods by ensuring family-adolescent cooperation. Drug therapy is also used when necessary.

 

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