Every well-observing mother knows that her baby easily gets a diarrhea and shows inadequate weight gain when there is a change in diet or even carelessness. This is due to the fact that in the infant period, the strain on the organism caused by the change to nutrition – and to all other required services – is much greater than in later life, which means that failure of the appropriate functions can occur quickly.
What are eating disorders in babies?
We must consider an incipient eating disorder whenever there is an obvious change in the child’s mood. This is especially true for the work of the digestive system, so the so-called eating disorder is the most common consequence of all damage to the baby’s organism. We call eating disorder not only an intestinal disease accompanied by diarrhea, but also a chronic growth disorder of the child, which is expressed in insufficient weight gain or weight loss. In addition to the failure of digestion in the gastrointestinal tract, the essence of the nutritional disorder in the baby lies especially in a deficient functioning of the entire metabolism. The triggering causes of this disorder can be manifold. However, they all lead to a more or less uniform, characteristic clinical picture, which will be described in a little more detail, so that every mother or caregiver can already notice the initial symptoms of this disorder and seek medical advice at the right moment. For here, too, the principle applies that treatment in the early stages of the disease may help avert serious dangers to the child.
Symptoms, complaints and signs
We must always consider an incipient feeding disorder when there is an obvious change in the child’s mood. The otherwise lively child becomes tearful, restless and also does not sleep as soundly and as long as before. If, in addition, the baby’s rosy complexion fades, and there is also a loss of appetite, or if the child suddenly refuses food altogether, there is certainly a threat of an eating disorder. The earlier these disorders are recognized and diagnosed, the better the effect on the further course of the disease. Eating disorders and loss of appetite in babies and toddlers cause children to lose weight and important nutrients and vitamins. Therefore, various deficiency symptoms occur and development is significantly delayed. The child’s growth is also severely delayed by these disorders, so that various complaints and complications may arise later in life. Likewise, the child’s metabolism is disturbed by the ailments, which can also lead to severe intoxication and vomiting. In the worst case, the child dies as a result of these eating disorders. However, not every child who suddenly refuses food has to have a gastrointestinal disorder. Sometimes an infant may have a blocked nose due to a cold, which prevents him from drinking. Other diseases and ailments, such as pain in the stomach or intestines, can also be the reason for a temporary loss of appetite. In this case, direct treatment of the eating disorder is not necessary, but that of the underlying disease. However, another sign of an eating disorder that should be taken very seriously is when the child vomits several times. This can cause a life-threatening change in the child’s condition within a few hours, because the vomiting deprives the body of fluids and salts. A lack of fluids and salts, in turn, causes a disruption of all metabolic functions, and so persistent vomiting can lead to a severe state of intoxication. The infant becomes very dull, sometimes even unconscious, and is quite seriously disturbed in general condition. The same may be caused by diarrhea occurring at the height of an acute feeding disorder. While the normal bottle-fed infant empties one or two solid, formed, brownish-colored stools daily, a diarrhea-disordered baby will have thin, malodorous, sometimes even watery stools several times a day, in which the solid components float unbound as granular pea-sized particles.If a breastfed baby nevertheless develops a feeding disorder, this is due either to overfeeding or malnutrition of the baby or also to errors in the care of the baby. In addition, the stool color is no longer brown, but becomes increasingly lighter, brown-yellow to yellow, and possibly even green. The discharges may also be purulent and mucous and contain blood admixtures, which is always due to inflammation of the intestinal mucosa. If the baby’s vomiting and diarrhea are not stopped by appropriate measures, significant growth retardation sets in. The baby stops gaining weight and even loses it rapidly, the skin becomes dry and pale, and occasionally fever may occur. However, most severe and life-threatening feeding disorders progress without fever, which is why we should not be guided exclusively by the increase in body temperature when assessing the health of our child. Thus, it would be wrong for a mother not to visit the pediatrician’s office just because the child does not have a fever, despite the signs of an eating disorder just mentioned.
Causes
Now let’s ask ourselves about the causes of eating disorder and whether we can avoid it with proper care. There is still a very widespread opinion that eating disorders can always be only a consequence of faulty feeding or can be caused by the milk formula itself. How little this is true is evident from the fact that breast infants can also develop eating disorders, although breast milk is never improperly composed and is always fed to the infant in a fresh and unspoiled form, so that by no means can it cause an eating disorder in the infant. If a breast-fed infant who is fully breastfed nevertheless develops a feeding disorder, this is due either to overfeeding or malnutrition of the baby, or also to errors in the care of the infant. Overfeeding of the breastfed infant may occur when the infant is latched on too frequently or when a very young infant is breastfed on a breast that is too rich in milk. In these cases, all the signs that indicate the onset of a feeding disorder may appear. The infant becomes pale and restless, vomits, and sometimes diarrhea occurs. Overfeeding can be avoided if the child is weighed before and after each meal for several days at the slightest sign of a disorder, in order to check the amount of drink. If it turns out that a baby older than a week drinks far more than 1/5 of its body weight in milk per day, it is advisable to breastfeed it less once or even to shorten the breastfeeding period. However, much more often than overfeeding, malnutrition is observed in breastfed infants, which means that the child does not gain enough weight and the normal weight gain per day, which is about 20-30 grams, cannot be achieved. The reason for this is usually a lack of functionality of the mother’s breast. In such cases, frequent, possibly double-sided, lactation of the baby can improve milk production. All other so-called milk-producing agents, such as malt beer, high-altitude sun exposure and the like, have no safe effect.
Conspicuous bowel movements
However, much more often than overeating, malnutrition is observed in the breastfed child, that is, the child does not gain enough weight, and the normal weight gain per day, which is about 20-30 grams, cannot be achieved. In this context, it is still necessary to emphasize that in the breast child the stool is usually somewhat thinner than in the child artificially fed with cow’s milk. The healthy breastfed infant voids three to four golden-yellow, sour aromatic smelling and sometimes greenish stools with some mucus content every day. Often the golden-yellow color of the stool changes to greenish only some time after emptying due to a change in the stool pigment as a result of oxygen entering from the air. This green coloration is of no importance as long as the baby gains weight well, is lively and looks rosy. If the nursing mother is a heavy smoker or eats foods containing laxative substances, such as rhubarb, the baby may also temporarily have thinner stools. However, these disturbances can be remedied immediately by a sensible lifestyle on the part of the mother.A true eating disorder is present in the breastfed child only when defecation occurs more than five times a day and all the above phenomena, such as diarrhea, loss of appetite and vomiting, are present. Many mothers are also concerned about the fact that their breast-fed child defecates too little, even only every two days. They should be told that this is a harmless phenomenon in a breast-fed child who, despite everything, is growing well and does not require treatment. However, sometimes it is an expression of the fact that the child does not get full properly at the breast. In stubborn cases, intestinal activity can be stimulated by supplementary feeding of one or two teaspoons of malt extract or organic malt. In general, however, this phenomenon disappears as soon as fruit juice or even vegetables are fed in the third to fourth month of life. In no case it is advisable – as it happens again and again – to introduce daily soap suppositories or to make small enemas, because as a result of mechanical irritation of the mucous membrane of the rectum can occur very easily tears and inflammation in this area.
When should you go to the doctor?
If the child has no appetite, it is not always necessary to seek medical attention. With an infection or a mere cold, babies and toddlers usually feel less hungry – after recovery, they then make up for the deficits all by themselves. However, if the eating disorder persists for a longer period of time, the child must be taken to a doctor. This is especially true if further complaints develop. For example, if the loss of appetite is accompanied by gastrointestinal complaints or fever, a doctor should be consulted. If the child also stops drinking, it is best to consult a doctor immediately. A doctor should also be consulted if the loss of appetite lasts longer than a week or if the child generally gives a tired impression. Children who have pre-existing conditions should see a pediatrician quickly with eating disorders and loss of appetite. If there are signs of dehydration or deficiency, a visit to the nearest clinic is recommended. Close medical monitoring is then necessary in any case.
Overheating and heat sting as a cause
Among the nursing injuries, the danger of overheating of the child in the summer months is particularly noteworthy. Prolonged stay in the blazing sun and excessive clothing on warm days can very quickly lead to overheating in the baby and thus to a disturbance of the general condition, which not infrequently triggers a serious eating disorder. It is an old pediatrician’s experience that about 2/3 of all children are too warm and only a few percent are too lightly dressed. Overprotective mothers should therefore keep in mind that overheating due to unsuitable clothing in summer is at least as harmful as hypothermia due to too light clothing during the cold season. Both can lead to significant growth disorders of the child, which is why this advice should be heeded by every mother. We can therefore state that a nutritional disorder of the breast child, whether acute or chronic, is never an expression of the fact that the infant does not like the breast milk, but the cause must always be sought in the child itself. There is no such thing as incompatible breast milk, and weaning the infant off breast milk is not appropriate in these cases.
Outlook and prognosis
The prognosis of eating disorders and loss of appetite in babies and young children depends on professional help and how the parents deal with their offspring. The more pressure is put on the child to eat, the more severe the sequelae. Usually premature babies have problems with the change of feeding. They are initially tube fed and therefore are not used to receiving food by mouth. It takes patience, ease and a playful understanding in dealing with the children to cure the eating disorders. The more understanding the parents are in everyday life, the better the prognosis. When mental health care is sought, the prognosis improves immensely. Children should have the opportunity to touch the food. Temporarily eating with their fingers can be helpful in improving the eating disorder. If there is strict handling, excessive cleanliness and rigid rules, the health condition will worsen. An unfavorable prognosis can be expected as soon as food is forcefully transported into the child’s mouth.In the short term, the goal is achieved, but the vulnerability for secondary damage and a permanent eating disorder remains. In addition, other mental illnesses may develop, further complicating the prospect of recovery.
Aftercare
If a child suffered from an eating disorder or loss of appetite, certain aftercare should be followed. Especially in childhood, attention should be paid to the proper nutrition of children. If there are problems in this area already at this time, it is essential to make sure that the child is modeled a healthy and regular food intake after successful therapy. Even if he or she previously suffered from a lack of appetite, healthy foods should be made palatable to the child. A professionally composed diet plan can help with this. It is also hard for parents to design the perfect aftercare for their child. This is exactly why there are trained individuals who can be a real support to the family in the areas of nutrition. Once the child is on the road to recovery, care should continue to be taken to ensure that he or she is eating regularly and not experiencing a setback. Parents or other caregivers play a big role in this. If these guidelines are followed, the child will soon be on the road to recovery.
Here’s what you can do yourself
As varied as the causes of eating disorders and loss of appetite in babies and young children are, so are the measures that can be taken, especially by the parents of affected children. First of all, it is important that affected children are not forced to eat, insofar as no health damage has yet occurred due to the lack of nutrient intake. The focus should be on offering willingly eaten meals in manageable portions. Snacks and smaller snacks should be suspended – regardless of whether they are raw foods or sweets. Giving bitter substances can also be helpful. Plants that contain them in sufficient quantity should be sweetened a little (honey) and administered as juice or tea. Also bitter orange syrup is suitable as a home remedy for loss of appetite. Food can also be given in a playful way to motivate young children to eat. Eating together with the child can lead to imitative behavior. In addition, if the parent and child eat the same thing, the child’s motivation to eat can be strengthened because he or she is following a role model. If, on the other hand, the causes of eating disorders and loss of appetite are disease-related, they must be treated. In any case of reduced food intake, care must be taken to ensure that enough fluids are nevertheless taken in and that there is no severe weight loss.
