OUR BABIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21990, 27 June 1933, Page 13

OUR BABIES

By Hygeia.

Published under the auspices of the Royal New Zealand Society for the Health of Women and Children (Plunket Society). "It is wiser to put up a fence at the top of a precipice than to maintain an ambulance at the bottom," THE CHILD WHO "WONT EAT." (Continued.) A few children are naturally small eaters, and apparently thrive perfectly in spite of an habitually .small appetite. It would seem that they probably utilise their food exceptionally well, and all that is necessary in these cases is to see that the diet is specially nutritious and well balanced, and to avoid placing undue prominence on the question of food. Over-anxiety on the part of the mother may easily transform a normal situation into a problem if such children are constantly urged to eat. Children need, attention and they need affection, and it is 'altogether bad to attach emotion and fussing to everyday affairs which should be performed automatically. Children should eat, and they should be given food in accordance with the best knowledge we have of foods and nutrition, but they should not (and indeed ttie chances are that they will not) cat normally in an atmosphere charged with excitement and anxiety. The parents' duty, then, is to provide suitable food, and, having placed the child in contact with that food/to refrain from obvious, anxious effort to induce the child to eat. In other words, the child's ■relationship to his food is represented by a straight line—child to food; and not by a triangle—child, parent, food. Pay no attention to the child's refusal to eat certain fooda, but give very small portions only. If there has been a lot of fuss over one particular thing, withdraw that altogether for a time. Then in a matter-of-fact way start again with a very little. If after a reasonable time at the table he has not finished, or even begun, take the plate away and gently but firmly make some remark to the effect that dinner is over and perhaps he will be hungry at tea time. (It is wise to allow only a limited time for meals. If an occasional one is cut short because of dawdling over food it is not likely to occur often. The meal should not be hurried, but a reasonable length of time allowed —about half an hour should be long enough. This is necessary, because there are children, as there are adults, who are too much concerned with the affairs of the world to give the necessary time and attention to the needs of the body.)

Make very little comment and no fuss; let it seem a matter of indifference to you. Do not on any account substitute something he likes, and quietly see that he has positively nothing to eat till the next meal, but make no comments "by the way. When the 'time comes give him the food he should have as though there were no doubt in your mind as to his accepting it. Then if he refuses go through the same procedure with the moat matter-of-fact manner at your command. Not many children will hold out long against a plan of this kind calmly and firmly carried through.

Good cooking and appetising serving are both important, and it it is unwise and unnecessary to be over-dogmatic about nou-essentials. It is a wise parent who h~s the tact to know when not to insist.

It is important to start early to form good eating habits. Before weaning time conies the baby should be accustomed to the taste and feel of water from a bottle. Then he should learn to drink from a spoon or cup, and so on to the various cereal foods by gradual stages. It is an advantage to avoid a struggle at any stage, as such tends to introduce the emotional element into the matter of meals, and this may set the keynote for further difficulties. careful not to impress your own dislikes of certain foods by suggestion or example. Setting a good example is perhaps our most valuable method of education. All too often the influence of the adult is the beginning of children's fads. Above all, do not talk about the. child's likes and dislikes in his presence; never let him hear mention of his meals, unless it is in the way of praise (indirectly or rather casually given) for recent improvement. But never let him have the satisfaction of gaining attention as a result of demeanours of any kind. , In conclusion let it be emphasised that the wise parent can create hunger to a great extent by seeing that the child leads a healthy life, with good habits, and that he has nothing to eat between meals. Hunger leads to appetite, and appetite urges to the acquisition of food. There is no greater joy in life than to have urgent, earnest desire satisfied as the result of one's own efforts, therefore let children be allowed the privileges of hunger and the joy of appeasing it.