A good appetite is gift of nature to every individual born on the planet.
As soon as the child is born ,he or she is hungry to take feeds.
Any child may not remain without taking feeds for a long time.
If the child is not hungry ,it is not natural.
A child with less appetite or loss of appetite is definitely suffering from some problems,either physical or psychological.
TIPS TO MAINTAIN APPETITE:
Do not feed the child very frequently as this practice inhibits the appetite centre of brain ,because you are not allowing time for this centre to be stimulated by hunger .
So, child should be given foods after a minimum gap of 2-3 hours.
Child should be given foods of their choice not of the choice of family members.
Child should never be forced to feed at a certain point of time if he or she is not interested to take feed at that time.
The food items should be well grinded so that any child may not have difficulty in manipulating it inside the mouth.
The child should be involved in outdoor play as long as possible so that their activities could be maximised which maintains the appetite.
There are some foods especilally zinc containing foods which increases the appetite.
These are -nuts like peanuts,almonds
Seeds like sesame seeds,pumpkin seeds
Cheese contains good amount of zinc.Beans contain good amount of zinc.
Child should be given foods with Indian spices in good quantity which increases appetite.
Every child should be exposed to household foods between the age of 6-12 months because this is the time of developing taste buds.By doing so,they will accept household foods in future during entire childhood period ,otherwise they will be more interested in foods from markets.
Child after the age of 1 year shuold not drink more than 500 ml of milk per day ,otherwise they will not be able to take the necessary elements as their stomach will be full of milk.
If the child is not interested in drinking milk,there is no problem,give them milk products like yoghurt ,cheese ,paneer which will meet the requirement as well as increase the appetite.
Never give tea or coffee to any child
DO not give fruit juices to children,instead give whole fruit after proper cutting or mashing as per the age of the child.
Avoid giving more oily foods as it may lower the appetite.
Loss of appetite is the feature of many diseases.So consult your doctor if the problem of less appetite persists.
Do not overfeed the child as it will increase the weight above the normal range making your child overweight or obese which is as bad as loss of weight.
NOTE; EVERY CHILD SHOULD BE GIVEN ONLY AND ONLY THE MILK OF MOTHER TILL THE AGE OF 6 MONTHS.
