in preschool period The formation of nutritional habits affects the entire development of children, especially their cognitive and physical development. When children reach the age of 3, they have the ability to eat on their own. The attitudes of families are very important in helping them acquire this habit. Families should give them time to eat on their own, take the fork or spoon away from their hands and offer it to the children. food should not try to feed it. In this period, children anorexiaSituations such as eating less, being picky and slow eating may be observed. In such cases, families have some responsibilities.
Suggestions for our families;
- Some steps can be taken to prevent picky eating at a young age. Firstly; Children should see that the foods they are expected to eat are also eaten by their families. It doesn't make sense for children to tell them that they should eat foods that you don't eat. Because children learn by seeing and taking example.
- From the moment supplementary foods are started, leeks etc. Food should be filtered and fed to children, and a maximum of 2 vegetables should be mixed together. In this way, children will get used to the taste of these foods and will not resist eating them. In addition, keeping the food slightly granular will contribute to the formation of the chewing reflex and the development of mouth muscles.
- Their plates should not be filled too much, they should be encouraged to eat, and when their plate is finished, a second plate should be placed. This situation is like 'Let's see how many plates you will eat? It can be turned into a game like.
- Children need love and attention. During this period, children may engage in behaviors such as not eating or being picky in order to attract attention. If they don't eat their food, they think you will try to feed them and take care of them. In this way, eating times increase. But you need to be patient in this regard and not pressure him to eat fast.
- Children's excessively relaxed attitude towards eating times causes this meal time to take hours. For this reason, meal times should be limited, being careful not to pressure them to eat quickly. This time should be shown to the child on a clock and the end time of the meal time should be told (When the long bar reaches the following number, our meal time will end and we will leave the table.)
- If he has not eaten his meal, the next meal should be waited and he should not be allowed to consume foods such as chocolate, sugar, and junk food between meals.
- In order to form an eating habit, you should only eat at meal times, you should not watch TV or cartoons during meals, you should not have a tablet etc. in your hand. tools should not be given.
- When eating, it is necessary to sit at the table with the child and eat.
- Loss of appetite can actually be a problem:
- If there is a high decrease in body weight in the last 1-2 months,
- Vücut ağırlığı yaşına göre ideal ağırlığının %80 inden daha az ise
A doctor should definitely be consulted, and if there is a weight problem, treatment should be started under the supervision of a dietician and doctor.
Château Education Expert Psychologist & Family Counselor Merve Nazlı
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