At this stage, your child is likely to become a fussy or a picky eater. This is a very common problem every parent will face during early childhood between 6 to 8 years. Most of the time, kids try to compensate for their poor diet in the next meal.
What you need to know
Some sort of illness like cold, cough or sore throat can trouble him as to why he refuses food. Introducing snacks or juice between meals, interrupts the hunger pangs and fills the stomach, eventually making them avoid meals. Strenuous situations like incapability to cope with academic pressure or competition in class, can also have a negative impact. There are many instances where small children tend to follow an unbalanced diet regime, just to ape their screen role models. It will eventually lead to serious health problems later on. Consumption of antibiotics can also lead to poor appetite.
What you can do
Encourage your child to sit with entire family during mealtime. Add surplus varieties in his menu, this will certainly attract him to the table often. Ask him to help you during meal preparation like, bringing the veggies from the fridge, washing them, occasionally stirring ingredients. Do not introduce any liquid food before main course, so he does not fill up on liquids. Try to have no distractions like television, when he sits to eat. Never argue or scold him during mealtimes and adjust the meal schedule so that you serve food only when he is hungry. Serving small portions at regular intervals will greatly help him develop healthy eating habit. Importantly, encourage him to be physically active. Expose him to a sweat dropping sport, gymnastics or Yoga.
