A child who has difficulty eating certain foods such as meats, fruits, vegetables and green vegetables, having a very selective diet, always eating the same, may have a psychological disorder and need treatment guided by the psychologist.
It is normal for a child to have a decrease in appetite at age 2, however, some children may experience eating disorders by choosing to eat only porridge, soup, mashed potatoes or rice with beans and grated meat, for example, without accepting any other food.This is worrying when you stay in childhood, being present even at 3, 4, 5, 6 …Years. In this case, parents should seek professional help.
- In cases where the signs and symptoms of a eating behavior disorder are evident.
- It is ideal to seek medical help that is evaluated.
- And most likely other professionals such as the psychologist should be asked to perform cognitive behavioral therapy.
- Which offers the tools for the child to work on your thoughts and actions.
This behavior therapy is called systematic desensitization, in which the child is asked to write down what his daily diet is like and is asked for a list of foods that he would like to try one day and when he can try new foods. Children suffering from anxiety are taught to relax to a new food, creating stories and stories before eating them so that they imagine eating in a relaxed way.
In addition, it may also be necessary to turn to an occupational therapist to apply a therapy called Wilbarger protocol in the mouth, where sensory integration is performed with the use of techniques that may include the use of a toothbrush, for example.
There is also a consultation with a nutritionist, due to the restriction of foods that can lead to malnutrition, and you should develop an individualized nutritional plan, with the possibility of using supplements with formulas to provide the calories your body needs..
Although not common, some eating disorders can cause a child to eat only a certain type of food, such as puree or porridge, at a specific temperature.It’s them:
It is a type of eating disorder that usually occurs during childhood or adolescence, but can also appear or persist until adulthood, in this disorder the child limits the amount of food or avoids consumption based on his experience, color, aroma, taste, texture and presentation.
The main signs and symptoms of this disorder are
These children tend to have problems in relationships with others because of their eating problems and may have significant nutritional deficiencies that affect their growth and development, as well as their performance in school.
Learn more about this selective eating disorder here.
This disorder is a neurological condition in which the brain has trouble receiving and responding correctly to information that comes from the senses such as touch, taste, smell or vision. The child may be affected in one or more senses only, and therefore a person with this disorder can overreact to a stimulus, making sound, clothing, physical contact, light and even food unbearable.
When the taste is affectionate, the child may have
In this case, the child has extreme food preferences, with a very small variation of food, can be demanding with brands, resist trying new foods in restaurants and cannot eat in other people, avoiding spicy, spicy, sweet or salads.
You can only eat soft, pureed or liquid foods after age 2 and you may be surprised by other textures. You may also have difficulty sucking, chewing, or swallowing for fear of drowning. And you can resist or refuse to go to the dentist complaining about using toothpaste and mouthwash.
In this situation, the child may prefer foods with a strong flavor such as too spicy, sweet, bittersweet or in salads, even feeling that the food is not seasoned enough and it can be said that all foods have the ‘same taste’. .
You can also chew, taste, or lick inedible items by eating your hair, shirt, or fingers frequently.Unlike oral hypersensitivity, you may like electric toothbrushes, such as going to the dentist and drooling too much.
Here are some practical tips for your child to eat a wider variety of foods or in larger quantities:
See these and other tips in the video below
In cases where a disorder is obvious, the diet regulation process may take weeks, months, and sometimes years of treatment before your child can enjoy food in a ‘normal’ way, have proper eating, and adapt, is very important.It is important to seek the help of health professionals, such as pediatricians and psychologists, for these situations.