What to do when your child eats too slowly? (Part 1)

Children eat too slowly not only affect the health and behavior of the child, but also make mothers easily stressed and tired. What is the solution for mothers when their baby eats too slowly?

When your baby spends too much time on lunch, he may either discard food or feel full until supper and he will continue to spend an hour or two with dinner. In addition, this situation also makes mothers often fall into a state of stress and frustration when it is time to eat their children.

How is eating slow?
Mothers may have different views on this issue, but here are some typical signs.

Eating a meal takes 30-45 minutes or more

Prefer to play with food rather than chew and swallow it

Suck food without chewing or chewing without swallowing

Have someone remind you to chew and swallow food

Must be given filtered water, broth or juice to swallow

Many mothers are "miserable" because of their children's slow eating habits and it is difficult to control their anger  when children take a long time to eat. However, according to doctors, there are both objective and subjective reasons that lead to a baby eating too slowly, including:

The child's ability to focus is poor

Babies love to "explore" foods before they actually eat them

Children snack all day, so they are full and do not bother to eat meals

Children want to show control over their diet

Most children have a very slow stage of eating at an age where play is always more enjoyable than eating. In addition, the state of physical delay in general can also cause anorexia and slow appetite.

Forcing the child to eat by yelling or hitting the child usually does not produce any results.

>>> See more:  10 principles to help children have healthy eating habits

Here are a few experiences that can help parents shorten the time for their child's meals.

Realistically setting a goal of
30-45 minutes is a reasonable amount of time for a child's meal so if you force your child to finish after 15 minutes, you should probably take a look. Eating too quickly or too slowly is not good for the baby's stomach. Besides, it seems impossible for a child to take an hour to eat a meal to 15 minutes.

Snacking before meals is one of the main reasons babies eat slowly

Cut back on junk food
Most kids love snacking and will snacking as often as possible. This is one of the main causes of children coming to their meals that are already back on their stomachs and are not interested in food in front of them anymore. Only offer snacks once a day, and choose healthy foods that won't fill your baby up like fruit or yogurt. In addition, it is also necessary to set a specific schedule for meals, including 3 main meals 3-4 hours apart.

Spend more time with your baby
One of the psychological reasons why babies eat slowly is because they want more attention from their parents. And if you realize for yourself that you spend less time with your baby, this could be the reason for your baby's "slow eating." Try talking and playing with your child more, maybe the slow habit will improve quickly.

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