Title: Eating Disorders in Infants and Children
Note: This topic is quite extensive, and we don't intend to delve deep into it here. The intention is to generally describe common situations we encounter in the clinic to raise awareness about feeding disorders in infants, which are more prevalent than they appear. Three main disorders are observed in infancy:
1) Feeding Refusal: Feeding refusal is often linked to power struggles between caregivers and the child. This disorder usually starts with a reasonable decrease in eating (due to reflux, passing illness, transition to solid foods, etc.), triggering active attempts from caregivers to encourage eating. The infant senses this struggle and intensifies the battle, turning feeding into a confrontation where they can assert themselves. In response, caregivers may increase the assertiveness of feeding, creating a cycle of escalating resistance. This is further aggravated by inexperienced advice that encourages parents to "push food because the baby isn't gaining weight as desired." In our clinic, we observe significant weight loss due to this cycle. Proper treatment and changing the feeding patterns break this cycle and restore the infant's sensory experience of eating.
2) Incorrect Feeding Habits: Irregular meals, leaving the table before finishing the meal, constant snacking, and continuous consumption of sweet drinks throughout the day are signs of incorrect feeding habits. Not setting boundaries for snacking, sweets, and drinks between meals causes the child to arrive at meals not hungry enough. As a result, they won't eat a full meal and will continue snacking between meals.
3) Overeating: Overeating often leads to excess weight gain.
How to Deal with Feeding Refusal:
It's important to understand that nutrition affects the dynamics between the infant and their caregivers, as well as their physical and mental development. Even at a very young age, a child expresses their desires through eating. When caregivers become anxious and pressured as mealtime approaches, the infant senses this and reacts accordingly. To break the cycle, parents are taught not to feed the infant but to offer food. The infant's hunger and eating drive are stronger than we might assume, and infants usually know better than caregivers when they're done eating. It's crucial not to push for "just a little more," as it can lead to resistance in the future. Children should be taught from a very young age to have regular meal times and to maintain periods without eating between meals. Avoiding chasing after the child with food, having meals at the dining table (not in front of the TV, during playtime, or half-asleep), and ensuring that feeding isn't forceful or coercive are important strategies.
Around the age of 2-4, toddlers naturally develop picky eating tendencies, suspecting new foods or tastes. Setting mealtime boundaries is recommended. Establish regular meal times, limit snacking, especially sweets and drinks between meals, and make sure there is no assertive feeding and definitely no forced feeding.
When eating becomes a source of stress and anxiety for both caregivers and infants, it may indicate an infant feeding disorder. You're not alone, and you're welcome to contact our center for feeding disorders in infants for guidance on proper nutrition and professional support at 02-6555634 or 02-6555307.