The baby eats a lot and often: causes and consequences. Why does a child eat poorly and how to feed a little one?

Pediatricians recommend starting breastfeeding using the on-demand feeding method, gradually transferring the baby to a strict regimen by the hour. This method of feeding allows the mother to pump the breast and improve the secretion of the mammary glands, and will also give the mother confidence that the baby is not hungry, because he receives the breast immediately when he asks.

But many inexperienced mothers with breastfeeding have doubts whether the baby has enough milk or whether he is eating too much of it. After all, during breastfeeding it is quite difficult to estimate the amount of food eaten by the baby. What are the signs of overeating, why does a baby often ask for the breast and how to fix it?

The baby often asks for the breast

There are quite a few reasons why a baby is often put to the breast; below we will analyze them in detail.

The child is hungry

In the first month, the volume of lactation is not yet large enough, and the newborn himself quickly gets tired of sucking, and, having become slightly full, drops the breast and falls asleep. Soon a small amount of milk is digested, and the baby, feeling hungry again, awakens and asks for the breast.

In the first month, frequent feedings are considered normal. Over time, the baby will get used to working, “producing” milk for himself, and lactation volumes will reach the level necessary for the baby to remain full for a long time.

Contact with mother

In the second or third month, most children strive to spend a lot of time with their mother, to feel her presence and warmth. Wanting to gain physical contact with their mother, babies cry, and nursing women offer their breasts. The baby will not refuse feeding, since for him this action is the only so far mastered way to find himself in his mother’s arms.

To avoid overfeeding in such cases, before offering your baby breastfeeding on demand, try simply talking to the baby, stroking it, picking it up and distracting it with a bright rattle.

Painful sensations

Mom is essentially the only creature that the baby considers his protector and in whom he has developed trust. She will satisfy his hunger, change his damp clothes and calm him down when he feels bad. Therefore, experiencing painful sensations during teething, fever or colic, the child begins to cry, calling on his mother for help. Sucking calms children, and the baby unconsciously demands the breast, eats, and too much nutrition enters his body.

You must learn to detect the tones of a baby's cry in order to navigate what the child wants. After all, frequent feeding is useful only in the first month of a newborn’s life; subsequently, this style of feeding can harm both your lactation and the baby’s digestion.

Calming agent

Babies often begin to use their mother's breast as a pacifier in an effort to soothe themselves. The baby should be gradually weaned from such a “bad” habit by distracting him with toys or the environment. The breast for a child should be exclusively a source of nutrition, and it cannot be used as a means of calming.

Temporary increase in desire to eat

During the first year of life, a baby may have several episodes when his appetite increases sharply for several days, and then everything returns to normal.

1. Growth spurts. The child does not grow evenly, but in episodic leaps, during which his body persistently requires “replenishment” of nutritional reserves. The baby constantly feels hungry and greedily rushes to the breast and eats. During growth spurts, you must give in to the baby and feed him on demand. After 2-4 days, this condition will go away on its own and your baby will return to his previous routine.
2. Lactation crisis. During these periods, the mother's breast is rebuilt to meet the growing needs for the volume of nutrition of the infant, and during a short break for “maintenance” the milk becomes not as much as before. The baby feels hungry, begins to breastfeed frequently and eats greedily, trying to get enough.

How can you tell if you have enough milk?

But many mothers are afraid that the newborn often eats because there is not enough milk in the breast. If you have such doubts, do not hesitate to contact a breastfeeding specialist at the clinic. Together you will discuss the way you feed your newborn or infant and think about what you can improve.

Before contacting a specialist, you should “prepare” the data for him:

1. Give up diapers for a day and mark in a notebook how many times your newborn wets his diapers.
2. Buy or borrow electronic scales from friends. Weigh your baby before and after meals, assess how much he gains in a week.

With this information, you can go to the pediatrician to consult with him. If the baby does not gain weight, then your milk volume may indeed not be enough for him. In this case, you will be advised to continue to feed the baby frequently, or, if his age and condition allows, to begin introducing complementary foods.

Binge eating

If there is enough milk volume, and the baby is attached to the breast, trying to overcome the feeling of loneliness, calm down or reduce painful sensations, there is a risk that the baby, unwittingly, will eat a lot of food that he does not need.

Overeating, according to experts, is just as dangerous for the development of infants as malnutrition. Therefore, it is important to know the signs of this condition and begin correcting your diet as quickly as possible.

Signs of overeating

1. Excessive regurgitation is one of the symptoms that the baby has eaten too much, and his digestive system gets rid of the excess nutrition received.
2. Rapid rate of weight gain. If infants on breastfeeding have fairly strict standards for weight gain associated with the normalization of food volumes, then for infants on breastfeeding the WHO has provided a fairly large window of “norm”. Breastfed infants are allowed to gain up to 1.5 kg per month in the first six months, but it is clear that at such a rate the child will begin to suffer from obesity. You and your pediatrician will need to monitor your baby’s growth and begin adjusting your baby’s feeding schedule as quickly as possible.

Frequent feeding of babies to the breast in response to every whim leads to the fact that the baby’s body does not have time to digest milk. As a result, an excess of milk proteins and sugars from the “front” portion is formed. Thus, overeating can have a negative impact on the weight of a growing baby.

How to avoid overeating

1. Try to follow the feeding schedule according to age recommendations.
2. Before offering your baby the breast, you can try to distract him with rattles. Take it in your arms, hold it close and stroke it.
3. Listen carefully to the baby's cry and analyze its tone. The sound of a baby's sobs differs depending on whether he is hungry, bored or in pain. Soon you will accurately determine the cause of crying and eliminate it.
4. The introduction of complementary foods to an infant should be carried out strictly according to the pediatrician’s recommendations, especially if a breastfed child is actively gaining weight. Only a doctor, based on the condition of the baby and its weight, can correctly determine the foods with which to start replenishing the baby’s diet so that he does not overeat.

Absolutely all children cry. True, some cry a little and for a reason, while others cry often and almost always, it seems, for no reason. It is understandable when a child is offended, hurt, or scared. But how can you understand why the baby cries during feeding, when the baby, not only due to his age, is not able to even hint at the cause of the concern?

Why does the baby cry when he eats?

Dr. E. O. Komarovsky, a famous pediatrician and TV presenter, sees many reasons why a baby cries during feeding:

Diseases of the oral cavity: stomatitis, candidiasis or normal drying out of the mucous membrane, which causes discomfort or noticeable pain when sucking;

Milk flows from the breast poorly and irregularly. Mom can correct this by giving breast massage before feeding;

The taste of milk has become worse. This happens due to a change in the mother’s usual diet: eating spicy and salty foods, garlic, onions, wild garlic, etc.

Intestinal spasms, which are easy to, if not eliminate, then reduce.

How to help your little tummy not get sick?

To eliminate discomfort in your baby’s stomach, before feeding, you should lay him out on a hard surface, tummy down, for a few minutes, and then do a light massage with stroking circular movements clockwise in the navel area. This will help not only release gas and start peristalsis, but also strengthen the abdominal muscles and have a beneficial effect on the ability to hold the head.

Mom should stick to a diet and not eat a lot of fatty, spicy and starchy foods, as well as foods that cause gas and colic (cabbage, peas, raspberries, etc.). If the baby’s pain is periodic, medications with simethicone (such as smecta, espumizan) will help.

When the reasons for crying are in mother’s physiology

The shape of the breast does not matter for successful feeding, but the shape of the nipples does. Flat or concave nipples are difficult to grasp with the mouth, and the baby may show dissatisfaction with crying. The situation will be corrected by special nipple covers.

Or maybe it's teeth?

Long before the coveted first incisor appears, the child may cry when feeding from discomfort in the gums.

“I dare to suggest that when sucking, the gums, in which baby teeth are already growing, also participate in the movement of the jaw muscles,” Dr. Spock, a famous American pediatrician and author of books on child care, shares his observations. “This is what gives them a tickling, unpleasant sensation.”

What to do?

If the baby cries while feeding, what you definitely don’t need to do is leave the baby hungry. But you won’t be able to feed him by force, through screaming. The main thing you need is for the mother to calm down, and then for the baby.

A constant feeling of hunger can be caused by a change in the type of food (giving up breastfeeding, switching to solid food, etc.). As a rule, the baby’s desire to eat everything and everywhere goes away after a few months. And if you can’t cope, a pediatrician or nutritionist can prescribe a special diet that will help the child adapt to new eating habits.

Lack of nutrients

Sometimes hunger can occur due to a deficiency of vitamins and minerals. Make sure that the food you feed your child is really good for his body. In addition, do not forget to ensure that the children's diet contains not only vitamins, but also fiber, protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats.

Psychological problems

These could be conflicts with peers, older brothers, and even parents. In addition, children often copy the eating behavior of loved ones. Therefore, parents first of all need to monitor their own habits and control their appetite.

Consequences of a viral infection

In this case, hunger is the body’s usual defense and an attempt to return to its usual diet after illness. The task of parents during this period is to provide the child with a balanced diet, plenty of fluids and a course of vitamins.

Peak growth

Very often children feel hungry when they grow up. This indicates that the child's body needs more nutrients. Provide your child with healthy, nutritious food and watch him change.

Problems with poor appetite in children are familiar to many families. Sometimes the whole family (grandmother, mother, father) uses sophisticated techniques to feed the baby at least a few spoons of porridge or soup. Persuasion, promises and threats are used. In many cases, they are in vain; refusal to eat may be accompanied by vomiting. This naturally worries parents, and they try to find out why their child is not eating well and whether he is healthy.

Sometimes the refusal concerns some specific foods (eggs, meat, cottage cheese or vegetables), other children eat any food very poorly. “Little babies” refuse to try new foods, which sometimes forces the mother to feed the child monotonous food, which he agrees to eat.

As a result, such children develop a deficiency of nutrients, microelements and vitamins needed by the body, which can pose a health hazard. The child may be delayed in weight and height. Protein deficiency is especially dangerous, and...

Children who do not receive adequate nutrition are more susceptible to infectious diseases. Scientists have proven the connection between malnutrition and poor school performance. Such students have problems with memorization, ability to concentrate, and understanding new material.

Causes of lack of appetite in children

The baby may refuse to eat during teething because eating causes him pain.

Pediatricians most often hear complaints from parents about poor appetite in children. It is very important to determine the reason why your child is not eating well. They can be different, they can be divided into several groups.

1. Physiological reasons may be:

• child's illness;
• teething;
• hot season;
• untimely introduction of complementary foods;
• too large portions of food (satiation occurs when eating a smaller portion);
• The child is tired of monotonous food;
• inability to chew food, etc.

1. There can also be many psychological reasons:

• force feeding of a child by parents;
• absence of mother (her going to work, etc.);
• stressful situation for the child (adaptation to kindergarten, school, etc.);
• change of place of residence;
• family conflicts;
• the birth of another child, etc.

Translated from Latin, the word “appetite” means desire, pleasure from food. Decreased appetite in a child can occur at any age. Forcing children to eat is wrong. We need to understand the cause and eliminate it.

Small children can be divided into 2 groups: the child wants to eat, but cannot; or doesn’t want to eat, but can.

Children from the first group do not have problems with appetite. They may eat poorly or little for the following reasons:

1. Premature babies get tired quickly and therefore stop breastfeeding and do not gain weight well. Such babies need to be put to the breast more often or fed with a spoon or syringe until they are able to suck out a full portion of mother’s milk themselves.
2. Short frenulum of the tongue.
3. Inflammation of the oral mucosa and gums during teething.
4. Impaired nasal breathing as a result of a runny nose.
5. The mother has a flat nipple or too tight breasts.
6. Changes in the taste or smell of breast milk due to the use of spices by a nursing mother can cause the baby to refuse the breast or cause a deterioration in appetite.
7. The temperature of food offered (very hot or cold food) can negatively affect appetite in older children.
8. Food cravings, reluctance to eat certain foods.

Timely identification of the cause (either independently by parents or with the help of a pediatrician) will help eliminate it and solve the problem.

Children from the second group can suck, chew, swallow food, but do not want to eat due to lack of appetite.

The reasons for their decreased or lack of appetite may be:

1. Somatic:

• and bacterial infections with severe intoxication syndrome and fever cause a decrease in appetite, which will be restored after the child recovers;
• diseases of the digestive tract, such as (inflammation of the gastric mucosa), enterocolitis (inflammation of the intestines), malabsorption syndrome (impaired absorption of nutrients), liver disease, can lead to a persistent decrease in appetite and the development of malnutrition (low body weight);
• deficiency of microelements in the body, such as iron (with the development of anemia), zinc;
• hypovitaminosis;
• endocrine disorders;
• chronic diseases of the respiratory system and cardiovascular system.

In any case, a thorough examination of the child is required. The disease should be diagnosed and treated, and appetite will be restored upon recovery.

1. Non-medical:

• poor nutrition (frequent snacking, excessive consumption of sweets, too high-calorie or fatty foods) - such nutrition suppresses gastric secretion and reduces the feeling of hunger;
• forced feeding contributes to the formation of a negative attitude towards food;
• lack of walks in the fresh air;
• minimal activity of the child, lack of physical activity.

1. Psychogenic factors:

• overprotection of the child;
• family troubles.

In some cases, parents worry about their “little babies” in vain: the child satisfies the body’s needs with less food than calculated by scientists based on nutritional standards. The main thing is that he does not lag behind in development and gains weight normally.

Some pediatricians believe that children intuitively choose the foods the body needs at the moment: for some time, a child may willingly eat apples or bananas, cottage cheese or kefir, and then asks for something else. The diet of healthy foods may change throughout the week. Many children prefer to eat little by little, but often - and this is precisely the diet that is most beneficial.

Nutrition that is complete in quantity and quality is an indispensable condition for the proper growth and development of the child’s body. Nature provides all the conditions for this: from the first minute of birth, a child has a well-developed sucking reflex and is able to digest and absorb nutrients.

Often the onset of food refusal coincides with the introduction of complementary foods. New food, its unfamiliar smell and color can cause a negative reaction in the baby. The child refuses to eat, but the mother stubbornly continues to feed him. The more actively the child resists, the more inhibition of the food center develops; The secretion of saliva and digestive juices stops.

If this situation repeats for several days, then a negative reflex appears at the mere sight of a plate or spoon. This is the peculiarity of the child’s psyche. That is why it is so important to understand that force-feeding a child means even more firmly entrenching appetite suppression and increasing aversion to food.

Some parents try to feed the baby using TV, books, toys, and turn meals into theater or games. You should be aware that such measures distract the child and inhibit the function of the digestive glands.

All vital processes in the human body occur in a certain rhythm and order. With properly organized nutrition, appetite also manifests itself. After eating, nutrients enter the blood, which leads to inhibition of the food center located in the brain and a decrease in the activity of the digestive and salivary glands.

And only after 3-4 hours will the composition of the blood change, as the nutrients will be carried into the tissues, which will be a signal to excite the food center. Digestive juices and saliva will begin to be released - the body is again ready to digest food and requires its intake. This is how appetite appears, that is, the desire to eat.

This is why it is important to observe intervals between feedings. Older children need to stick to the same daily routine. It becomes clear that a child has a lack of appetite when snacking between meals, which compassionate mothers and grandmothers offer him after eating what they consider to be an insufficient portion of food.

What should parents do?

If a child who is not eating enough is stunted and has trouble gaining weight, he or she needs to consult a doctor and be examined.

If a child eats little, but his height and weight are normal, then parents should not have any special worries. If the child is healthy, then the reason for poor appetite lies in the incorrect diet and organization of nutrition.

For such children, a daily routine and nutritional regimen should be organized and observed. At the same time, you must not forget to provide the child with the opportunity to exercise physical activity (in the form of exercises in the morning, outdoor games, swimming, massage).

In such cases, the only correct tactic is to feed the child according to his wishes. The offer to eat should not be intrusive, but calm and affectionate. When refusing food, there is no need to force or persuade. The child should be told that the next time he can eat will be at such and such a time. You need to remove all foods from the table until the next meal (in 3-4 hours).

Parents should stock up on endurance and patience, as this method may not produce results immediately. Experts consider such a “therapeutic and educational hunger strike,” firstly, not dangerous to the child’s health, and secondly, the only expedient way to combat lack of appetite and the ability to restore it.

In between meals, you can only give your child boiled water. Children should receive jelly and milk and sweets, cookies and tea only at the time prescribed by the diet. Otherwise, these products, without providing complete saturation, interrupt your appetite. It is advisable to give your child’s favorite dishes for dinner.

It is up to the doctor to determine the cause of poor appetite. But ensuring that the child eats with appetite is the mother’s task. Re-educating a “little one” requires patience – it can take several weeks.

If a child who eats poorly is lagging behind in weight and height, it is necessary to conduct an examination. Blood and urine tests are prescribed, stool examination for coprogram and worm eggs; consultations with a gastroenterologist, endocrinologist or other specialists (psychologist) may be needed.

When somatic diseases are identified, comprehensive treatment is carried out, which will include the use of vitamin and mineral complexes (Vitrum, Jungle Baby, Pikovit), and drugs containing levocarnitine (Elcar). Levocarnitine improves the absorption of energy by body tissues, increases the secretion of digestive juices, normalizes appetite, and helps eliminate body weight deficiency (hypotrophy).

With an older child, you can discuss what he would like to eat before starting to cook, but at the same time offer a choice of 2 specific healthy dishes for him (for example, for breakfast or), and not chips or cakes. This gives children a sense of independence, an understanding that their tastes are taken into account, but at the same time the food will be healthy.

It is not recommended to console an upset child with food (be it candy or ice cream). This type of distraction can form a clear connection between food and comfort. In adult life, such a simple and, at the same time, pleasant way to “eat up” your problems and difficulties with tasty foods can turn into a problem of excess weight. And problems will not disappear, no matter how tasty the food is.

Summary for parents

The problems of children who eat poorly affect many families. They also try to solve them in different ways: some are sophisticated in inventing tricks, while others are trying to force-feed their children. Parents must understand the futility and harm of such methods of dealing with “little ones.”

This does not mean that poor appetite is not worth paying attention to. First, you need to establish the reason why your child is not eating well. In this case, you may need the help of a pediatrician. If health does not suffer, then you should change your attitude towards the child’s nutrition and adjust his daily routine.

If a disease is discovered that is the cause of poor appetite, you should get serious about its treatment. In any of these cases, you can succeed and restore your appetite. Then the child will enjoy eating.

“The School of Doctor Komarovsky”, the theme of the issue is “I don’t want to eat”:

Quite often, young mothers notice the child’s dissatisfaction during feeding, the baby cries and refuses to take the breast. To solve the problem, you need to find out the reason for this unusual behavior. If you cannot identify it yourself, then you should consult a pediatrician.

Why does a baby cry when he eats milk?

Many mothers think that the baby cries during feeding because he does not have enough breast milk. In this case, they transfer the baby to artificial or mixed nutrition. There is no need to rush to resort to such measures, because mother’s milk is the best nutrition for his growth and development. If the child does not eat enough, this is noticeable by weekly weighings; in such a situation, the weight gain will be less than normal.

So why does a baby cry when he eats milk? There are quite a few reasons for this:

• stomach and intestinal colic, this happens when the child’s digestive system has not yet adapted to working outside of the mother;
• air bubbles entering the tummy when swallowing milk;
• if a child takes the breast and immediately throws it away, then this may be due to the taste of the milk when the mother ate something spicy or bitter;
• the stream is too strong, this happens if too much milk has accumulated or the breasts are not tight.

Why does a child cry when eating in the absence of digestive problems?

When a baby cries during feeding, it may be due to reasons unrelated to problems in the digestive system. There are also a lot of them:

1. Ear pain. If the baby cries sharply and forcefully when his head is pressed to the chest, then try using your finger to gently press the earlobe in the passage of the sink. In this situation, repeated crying indicates possible inflammation of the ear.
2. Inflammation in the oral cavity. It may occur due to thrush.
3. Headache. With its neuralgic nature, unpleasant sensations intensify during swallowing.
4. Teeth are coming through. In this case, the gums become inflamed and painful, which gets worse during feeding.
5. Stuffy nose. This may be a consequence of both a cold and teething. When the first teeth appear, blood rushes to the jaws, which provokes active secretion of mucus from the nose.
6. False breast refusal. This behavior occurs between three and seven months of age. During this period, the baby begins to experience a keen interest in the world around him and when he eats, he is distracted by unfamiliar sounds or the presence of a stranger.

There are really many reasons why a baby cries when he eats. To avoid their occurrence, you need to properly organize the feeding process.

Mistakes when organizing the process of feeding a baby

Often, mother’s mistakes in the process of feeding the baby lead to the baby crying and being capricious. A common misconception is that it is applied to the breast on a schedule. This system was followed in maternity hospitals of the Soviet period. It was later proven If the baby eats as desired, he feels better.

It is also a mistake to feed your baby expressed milk from a bottle. It is still advisable to put the baby to the breast. Even during the period of mixed feeding, you should not use a bottle with a nipple for formula milk; it is better to feed the baby from a teaspoon. This is a rather complicated process that requires patience, but this method will prepare the baby for the introduction of complementary foods.

It happens that a child begins to be capricious when eating breast milk, after introducing new procedures into the daily routine. Such as massage. Recently, doctors have been overusing this prescription. If such a situation arises, it is better to refuse a massage. Certainly, This possibility is excluded if the indications for the procedure are serious.

Sometimes it happens that some mothers, due to inexperience, put their baby to the breast incorrectly. This leads to the baby’s incorrect grasp of the nipple, so he experiences discomfort and cries.

How to properly feed your baby breast milk

So that the baby does not experience inconvenience when feeding, you need to make this process as comfortable as possible. To do this, you should follow the following recommendations:

1. The position of both mother and baby should be comfortable. Make yourself comfortable, you can lie down on the bed or sit on a soft sofa. The child should be placed on his side and pressed tightly to the body.
2. The baby's head should be slightly higher than the butt, but the neck should not be bent.
3. You can’t forcefully press the baby’s head to your chest; you just need to indicate the right direction in which to turn your face.
4. Contact between the bodies of mother and child should be maximum. It is better if the baby eats in a minimum amount of clothing.

Proper organization of the process of feeding a baby will allow him to be well fed, which will have a beneficial effect on his growth and development.

How to help a baby if he cries when feeding

If you notice that your baby is capricious and reluctant to eat breast milk, try to correct the situation. Establish a healthy psychological balance in your relationship with him and try to cope with possible physical ailments. To do this, you need to remember the following rules:

• carry the baby in your arms as often as possible and sleep with him;
• feed only on demand;
• sleep at night as close to the baby as possible;
• temporarily limit the baby’s communication with everyone except parents;
• talk to your baby, sing to him, read books;
• Carry the baby in a column each time after feeding milk for several minutes;
• give your baby some dill water;
• the mother must take a responsible approach to her own diet and exclude from the diet foods that contribute to excessive gas formation.

If the use of these measures could not correct the situation, then you should consult a pediatrician. He will help you find out why your baby cries when taking breast milk and advise you on what to do in this situation.