Discouraging Bad Eating Habits: Stop Them Before They Get Out of Control

The first few years of a child's life are the most crucial, yet difficult times, for parents of babies and toddlers. The reason for this is because your child's behaviors will have an impact on their development. For example, bad eating habits or poor nutrition. If your child isn't eating the proper foods, or their not getting enough nutrition to supply their developing bodies, chances are that this will lead to future health issues. For the moment, since we're on the subject of bad eating habits in your baby or toddler, let's explore possible contributing factors as to why your child is developing this type of behavior.

In Babies:

Digestive disorders- It's difficult for babies to digest their food if something is upsetting their stomach. Often times, depending on what type of symptoms they're experiencing, it can be quite painful- e.g. heartburn, acid reflux, or bloating.

Food allergies- Some babies have certain food allergies, and often times it can be very difficult for parents to find out which foods the baby is having an allergic reaction to. The most common allergy common foods for babies are: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, and wheat products. As they grow older, some babies will outgrow certain food allergies. Have your baby examined and tested by his/her pediatrician in to determine what foods cause an allergic reaction, and which foods can be substituted for an allergy food.

Feeding method- Babies can be quite particular about how they want to be fed. Some babies prefer to be breastfed, while other prefer bottle feeding, and vice versa. Which is why it's common practice after a baby is born, to attempt to introduce the breast to the baby, in order to determine if he/she prefers breastfeeding or bottle feeding.

Teething- At about six months of age, your baby's first tooth should be due to erupt. This means that as the tooth is trying to break through the gums, stimulation from sucking increases pain from soreness. Remember, sucking on a breast or bottle nipple can be quite painful, especially on your baby's tender gums. Temporary relief can come in the form of a frozen teething ring or toy, or an oral topical anesthetic, to numb sore and tender gums.

Inner ear infections- Babies can develop an inner ear infection from improper feeding position, which is why it is important to provide proper support when your baby feeds. There are several different positions to support your baby, whether you are breastfeeding or bottle feeding. You can try using a pillow to prop the baby's head and torso up, so that he/she is not laying flat on the back. Laying flat on the back causes fluid build-up in the inner ear, and if that build-up becomes infected, the sucking motion from feeding causes pain by putting pressure on the ears.

Bland baby formulas and texture- Taste and texture will also make a difference on whether or not your baby will feed. Try giving your baby different varieties or formulations of food to discourage discriminating taste preferences.

In Toddlers:

Developmental growth spurts- As your toddler's body is developing, there will be moments where your toddler will eat more, and times where he/she will eat less. Not to worry, this is just a temporary shift in your toddler's body as it's developing a growth pattern. As long as your child is eating healthy foods, these minor adjustments are not necessarily harmful.

Testing parents' reaction- Toddlers are at the stage where they like to explore and try out new things, especially pushing the envelope to test how you react when they do certain things. For example, your toddler will notice that you are trying to introduce a new food into his/her meal. Your toddler may refuse to eat it in order to see what kind of reaction you will give- e.g. praise for eating a new food, or frustrated tone of voice when he/she turns the head away when being fed. That's okay for now, the last thing you would want to do is to traumatize your child by force feeding.

Overall, just have be observant and patient as your baby settles into a normal feeding routine. As they grow older and become toddlers, they are enjoying the opportunity to develop a sense of independence and self-discovery. Just be sure that if your child prefers to eat certain foods from time to time, give him/her a multivitamin to balance out any nutrition deficiencies.