Why your baby refuses to eat and how to handle it
Parents can get really frustrated when the baby refuses to eat and they start to lose weight. It is not right to force babies to eat, but that is what frustrated parents fall back to when nothing else seems to work. The reasons your baby refuses to eat might stem from serious issues like sickness. Other times, it is these little things that may have those little ones turning up their noses at the very sight of food:
Boredom
Young as they are, your baby might be able to recognize the same kind of food if it is served over and over again. That is why it is very important to incorporate a variety of different foods, fruits and purees in your baby’s diet. If they want to take food from your plate and refuse their own, let them experiment with it if it is safe.
They do not like the texture of the food
Your baby might not like how the food tastes in the mouth, and might therefore resent it. Again, experiment with different textures until you find the one that works for them. Note that not all babies will love wet food, and adding a crunch might work miracles.
Forced eating
If you keep forcing your baby to eat, they might come to associate food with negative feelings even before they taste it. However, frustrating this may be, take care not to hold their hands, force their mouths open or force foods into their mouths.
Other times it is best to let them feed themselves if they want to. It will very messy, but at least it will repair their relationship with food.
Also, have them eat while the rest of the family is eating. Draw their chairs near the dining table. They will want to do what the rest of the family is doing because at this age they are little copycats.
They are not ready
Sometimes your baby is just not ready to take to solid foods, in which case revert to baby-led weaning and let them nurse to supplement their food intake until they are ready.
Stomach trouble
If your baby is constipated, has colic or is bloated, they might not eat. Digestion of solid food is a pretty new experience for them and their digestive tract is only getting used to the handling solid food. This can make them refuse any more food. Resort to foods that are natural laxatives to help with the indigestion and constipation. Papaya or paw paw is a natural laxative that is easy to prepare and serve.
