Friday, September 12, 2008

Force Feeding

My child is such a picky eater that we sometimes resort to force-feeding. Is there a better way to make our child eat? Is there an appetite stimulant to make a child gain weight?

Force feeding method might be effective for a while, but it will not make our child healthy eater in the long run. An appetite stimulant should be recommended by our child's pediatrician, who can assess our child's actual need for it. Here are some recommended tips by an expert Mom:
  • Prepare creative recipes. Mealtime can be a source of fun too! With a syrup or milk, put a happy face (smiley) on your hotcakes, topped with a slice of fruit. There are recipe books that specialize in this .
  • Make sure our child rested before they eat. Tiredness can depress one's appetite.
  • Keep toys away while they eat.
  • Discourage snacking just before mealtime.
  • Be a good example. A picky parent sends the wrong signals to the child.
  • Create a friendly atmosphere. Avoid discussing negative matters or, having arguments at the dinner table.

Lets avoid power struggles which tend to promote pickiness. Instead, decide what food to offer and when. Let our child decide how much to eat.

5 comments:

Mommy Liz said...

I am so lucky that my kids eat. They don't need force feeding. But, Roan on the other hand is picky just like my husband.. Good thing about him is, if his father asks him to try something, he would, he can spit it out if he doesn't like it, and most of the time, he likes the taste. What I do is, whatever they like to eat, that's what I buy, like corn dogs, mac and cheese, sausage, rice and sabaw (sinigang) I try my best to accommodate what they love to eat. And also, we always have a gallon of ice cream, and they can't have dessert unless they eat dinner..Oh di ba? compromise...

MOMnificent said...

aha ice cream for dessert is a good suggestion, that wont hurt once in a while m sure. kasi liza i want my child to grow up eating only vegies, fish, a little red meat and no processed foods if possible... tinitrain ko pa ngayon,sana masanay na sya

Mommy Liz said...

Bakit naman pinagkakaitan mo ng children's food ang baby mo, Hehehe. Veggies, fish? Kung mahirap sana kau, kahit bagoong, kkain ang anak mo. No wonder, picky sya..Well, you are his mother, you know what is best for him. Ako kasi Ayaw ko na i deprive mga anak ko sa mga food na gusto nila. Para sa akin, basta lang sila kakain, I will get them anything they want. Kapag malaki na sila, then they can decide what they would and would not eat. We don't have chips or anything like that, we have healthy snacks, like crackers, fruit snacks, pop tarts, rice krispies..and 10 choices of cereal. Noong bata kasi ako, tinatakal ang food namin, and I don't want my kids to go through that. Saka anytime na gusto nila kumain, I will get up and make them food. Yung panganay ko na 14, he makes his own food na..He eats anything wag lang liver. ginisang petchay na may sardinas, gusto nya. Nong 3-8 sya, sus! lagi kong pinagagalitan at ayaw kumain, sinasabi ko, sa Pinas ang daming batang nagugutom..hotdog lang ang gusto niya nuon saka pritong itlog.
Yung 6 years old ko si Roan, he loves sausage, ramen noodles, spaghetti, rice and sabaw, pansit and chicken nuggets. So yun ang niluluto ko pra sa knya..Para nga akong waitress. He's 70 lbs, great body. Minsan ang force feeding, nakaka trauma sa mga bata, ganyan ang upbringing ng mister ko, pinakakain sila ng ayaw nila, and he didn't like it at all.
Please wag mo sana masamain ang sinasabi ko..kaya nga tayo may blog site di ba? to express our thoughts.. I am not telling you what to do with your child..I am sharing with you what I am doing with my children..Have a good day.Eh ngapala, bakit pala tine-train mo anak mo sa veggies, fish and konting red meat?

MOMnificent said...

Hi liza,thanks for your comment.No problem at all. Thats what I like about you, you are real and I appreciate very much your opinion and your future opinions :) Regarding my kid,di pa kasi nya nasubukan ang mga ganyang foods,same age sya ni alex mo,so she has no idea at all how yummy hams and hotdogs are hehehe. Anyway,I just want her body to have a good foundation (healthwise) before she reached the age na she can choose what she wants to eat na.I have witnessed the bad effects of processed and non-organic foods and have experience the wonders of greens and organic foods.I dont know if you read my earlier posts on Health, check mo, some of my reasons were there...

Mommy Liz said...

Hmm..now I understand your concern about your child's health. I don't blame you for wanting to feed her with only natural and organic food. She's still a baby and it would probably be hard for you to give her veggies and fish or red meat. Alex likes corn, and cooked carrots, potatoes na galing sa afritada. I cut her fruits or veggies into little pieces, tapos nilalagay ko sa kanyang tray, may high chair kasi siya, yun, pupulutin na lang niya at kakainin, that most of the time, marami pang natapon kesa sa nakain. But, kids that age want to feed themselves, and they find it interesting to put food in their mouths. You just have to keep an eye on her, kase minsan sunod sunod ang subo baka mabilaukan. Sorry, kala ko boy ang baby mo..him ako ng him.
How's your condition now? Are you getting better? Ang first post mo kasi na binasa ko eh yung ABC, saka Big C, di ko na pinuntahan ang older posts mo, so I wasn't able to read all of it.
I admire you for making sure that your child will have the great health. I wish you all the luck, sana nga di maging super picky ang baby mo.YOu're right, nasa training naman yan, eventually, siya na mismo ang hahanap ng mga green leaf or natural food na kakainin niya..OH di ba?