During the preschool period, children acquire many habits that they will use throughout their lives. One of these is eating habits. During this period, “children's eating habits; It is formed by the interaction of various factors such as the social and economic situation of the family, education level, habits, traditions and customs, and environmental conditions (Köse, 2007). Balanced eating habits acquired during this period ensure that children receive the energy and calories necessary for their growth and that they are resistant to diseases and healthy. While balanced nutrition is so important for children, behaviors such as decreased appetite and slow eating can often be observed in preschool children. In this month's newsletter, we will focus on how children's eating habits should be regulated during this period.
Why do preschool children eat less?
1) A decrease in the amount of eating is a possible situation expected in this period. Because in the first year of life, babies eat a lot and nearly triple their birth weight, but later on, this growth rate slows down and they do not need to eat as much as before. As a matter of fact, a significant decrease in children's appetite is generally observed after the age of 1. Therefore, the decrease in the amount of eating observed in the preschool period can actually be considered normal in the child's current period. Therefore, parents who have not had any problems with eating before should not panic in the face of such changes in eating habits and should not pressure their children to eat.
2) Another reason for the decrease in the amount of food eaten by children may be the situation and conditions of the child. While changes in life can affect appetite, even the weather can change the amount eaten. For example, decreased appetite in very hot weather.
The conditions of a child who has an excessive decrease in the amount of eating should be considered and it should be investigated whether there is a situation that makes him/her unhappy or upset. For example, it is possible for a child experiencing sibling jealousy to experience loss of appetite. This situation may arise from two interconnected reasons. First, the child really wants his parents to educate him. He may think that he doesn't love her as much as he does and that he doesn't care enough about her. Therefore, this change in eating habits is a part of the child's depressive mood. Sometimes parents are so concerned with their child's eating that not eating can be used as a way to keep the attention on them. For example; A child who sees his sibling being fed may eat less or be very reluctant to eat so that he can also be taken care of. In both cases, the change in eating behavior is actually a reflection of the child's emotional state in a different way, and this issue needs to be addressed.
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Why do they eat slowly?
✓ Many children are not used to eating on their own because they are still fed by an adult at home. The development of these children's hand muscles and hand-eye coordination continues. That's why they eat slowly. ✓ Since the chewing skills of children who are not accustomed to eating lumps from a young age and who eat everything in puree form are not sufficiently developed, these children may have difficulty chewing and therefore slow eating behavior in the preschool period. ✓ They may eat slowly to attract attention. Because when they don't eat, "Come on, can you eat quickly?" They realize that attention is drawn to themselves with expressions such as etc. Because they like this situation, they collect the food in their mouth and eat slowly. This condition may be seen more frequently, especially in children who have siblings.
As parents, what should we do if our child does not want to eat? Parents should be patient while children are eating and should not pressure them to eat quickly. Because, as just mentioned, this attitude has the opposite effect. However, parents should not adopt an overly lax attitude towards food. Because such an attitude causes the meal time to become very long. That's why it is necessary to limit meal times. The child should know that he must finish his meal within the specified time, otherwise the table will be cleared. The important thing here is not to give junk food to children between meals.
So, do all preschool children have anorexia?
No, Not all preschool children are children with poor appetite who do not like to eat and eat slowly. During this period, there are also children who love to eat and are sometimes even overweight because their appetite is very high. In such cases, a nutrition program that avoids junk food, fatty foods and sugary foods can be implemented in consultation with your pediatrician. If the child likes junk food, it is important that it is not brought into the house or out of his reach. It may be necessary to restrict the consumption of fatty and carbohydrate-containing foods that will cause weight gain. However, since it will be difficult to restrict the child in what he eats, it would be better to encourage him to consume healthy foods instead of high-calorie foods. For example, if pasta is given instead of meatballs and salad instead of rice, the child can eat as much as he wants without any restrictions.
What Behaviors Should Be Done to Regulate Children's Eating Habits?
✓ As a parent, eat a balanced diet. Because your child will get used to eating whatever you eat. Therefore, first of all, create a balanced diet at home and encourage him to taste different foods.
✓ Let your child help you prepare the meal
. Thus, you can make your child interested in a new and different food (Martin, 1997).
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✓ Sit at the table together and eat together. ✓ Know your child and create his/her nutrition plan accordingly. For example, some children cannot eat much breakfast. It takes a certain amount of time for them to eat after waking up. In such cases, this period should either be waited or if breakfast is to be had early in the morning, no pressure should be applied. ✓Give your child the opportunity to get hungry. If your child does not eat his main meals, if you cut out his snacks
you will see that he will get hungry after a while.
What are the behaviors that should not be done to regulate children's eating habits?
✓ Cook at least one of your child's favorite meals. There should be more than one option in the meal. love your child It is beneficial to prepare at least one type of food that you know is delicious (Martin, 1997). ✓ Make it easier for him to eat. If it is difficult to cut food with a knife, cut the meat or divide the carrots (Martin, 1997). ✓ Be tolerant of your child's childish behavior at the table. Do not expect children to remain still during meals; But moving less than normal is a desirable situation. If he does not want to eat or has finished his meal, he can be allowed to leave the table (Martin, 1997). ✓ The environment where you eat is important. Comfort is important when eating. Be careful to use tables, chairs, and plates of appropriate sizes for your preschool child (Martin, 1997). Therefore, the spoon and fork that the child will use should be large enough for the child's hand and mouth, and the sitting height should be adjusted according to the table. ✓Give meals on a schedule when they are little; But as he gets older, don't force him if he doesn't want it. Schedule meals before your child gets too hungry, tired, or cranky. A child needs to eat regularly to ensure he or she receives adequate nutrients and calories (Martin, 1997). However, as he grows, you may find that he does not want to eat at the times you set for him or that he eats less than you expected. ✓ Make sure the portions are small. The appropriate portion size for preschool children
is usually about one quarter of the adult portion (Köse, 2007). ✓ Let your child decide what food he will eat and its quantityLet your child decide which food he will eat on his plate and how much he will eat. If he doesn't eat anything, don't worry. He will be hungry at the next meal too.
✓ Encourage him to eat his own food. However, he should not be expected to be as skillful as adults when eating. Therefore, the child should not react negatively if he spills it on himself or around him.
Do not try to make the child eat by doing whatever he wants.
Do not try to make the child eat by entertaining him. Singing, dancing, watching television, chasing, or similar activities It is not right to try to get the child to eat by diverting his attention to other directions with rewards.
Do not rush to finish the meal quickly.
While the child is eating, do not put him/her in a competition and do not make comparisons with other children.
Do not bargain with him while eating. Do not beg him to eat or reward him for eating (Köse, 2007).
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Don't decide whether your child is full or not. It is very difficult for parents, who have taken responsibility for their children's nutrition since the day they were born, to give up the habit of deciding what and how much their children will eat. This kind of attitude causes children to become alienated from their own bodies and needs. (Navaro, 2012) There are children who do not like to eat as a result of their parents' insistence on eating, and do not feel hungry because they are constantly forced to eat. However, research shows that children choose foods that suit their needs when left to their own devices. In one of these studies, children initially ate junk food when left to their own devices; But then it was observed that they chose the foods they ate according to their body needs (Navaro, 2012).
In our society, good parenting is equated with an overprotective attitude. In general, overprotective parents have an attitude that controls how much food their child eats and puts pressure on him/her to eat. However, feeding and ensuring that the child eats everything he wants is not being a good parent (Navaro, 2012). Especially in order to ensure that the child eats well, the mother should feed him spoonfuls of food to a child who can eat on his own; It not only causes unnecessary conflict between the mother and the child, but also negatively affects the child's development. Because if parents encourage their child to eat on his own, not only in the field of self-care; In the psychomotor field, hand-eye coordination, hand muscles, etc. As such, it supports its development. Parents who do not encourage their children to eat on their own at home expect their children to be especially ready to write at school.
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