Patient's question:
My child is currently 1.5 years old and has previously had eczema, which hasn't fully healed yet, but it's not a major issue. The main problem is that they are extremely picky about food, eating almost nothing (except breast milk, but it's not enough), so they wake up multiple times at night. What can I do? Please help??Doctor's answer:
Hello: Nowadays, most children are only children, and an increasing number of them are experiencing psychogenic anorexia. The most important psychological factor causing children's anorexia is forcing them to eat. Some parents often use coercion when feeding their children. For example: feeding with a spoon, using rewards and punishments to stimulate them to eat,?ing appetite with delicious food, letting them choose food freely, adding snacks outside of meals, or even chasing them while playing and forcing them to eat.Many parents worry about their children's reduced appetite after the age of 6 months. In fact, children's weight gain rate can slow down as they grow older, and their food intake will also relatively decrease with age. Trying to force children with small appetites to eat more often backfires.
During forced feeding, children can normally refuse, which is a common feature from 9 months to 3 years old. Additionally, children may develop conditioned food refusal. Every time they are given food, they associate it with forced measures and punishment, making them feel unpleasant and causing psychological stimulation that leads to anorexia.