Tips on Loss of Appetite for Children

If your child seems to suddenly lose his appetite, you may be stumped about what to do. You shouldn't try to force food on a child or use it as a bribe, but how else can you persuade your child to eat? Several, often-overlooked ideas may work with your child.

Distractions

• If a child seems distracted at mealtimes, she may not concentrate long enough on her food. Watch to see whether she seems to lose interest in her food, rather than refuse it. In this case, try removing as many distractions as possible: screaming siblings, blaring television, barking dog. If the child is young, provide finger foods with interesting textures, such as bananas, wheat crackers and melon balls.

Mood

• Watch your child's mood to make sure that he is ready to eat. If he has just arrived home from school and is seeing his parents for the first time since morning, he may not be in the mood to eat yet. If he is frustrated about something or doesn't like where he sits at the table, try working out the issue before sitting down to the meal. You might find that he'll eat better when he's calm.

Eating Schedule

• Eating patterns vary from child to child. Some children get hungry around 5 p.m., so they snack to "tide them over." Then they're not hungry for dinner at 6 p.m. Because they don't eat dinner, they may snack again right before bedtime, which makes them less hungry for breakfast. If this is your child's pattern, you have several options. Try scheduling meals around the child's hungry times, change her hunger schedule by making sure she doesn't snack as often, or simply provide her with healthy snacks--leftovers from the previous (scorned) meal, if possible.

Illness

• If your child has been sick, don't consider a loss of appetite permanent. Instead, try feeding him bland, starchy foods, such as mashed potatoes, bread or pasta. If this doesn't work, don't force food on your child. Rest assured that he will regain his appetite as soon as the illness passes.