Hello dr my son is of 6 yrs. He dont eat food properly. Wen ever he sits to eat food he take hours to eat that little food. Give some suggestion how i make him eat?

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Answer:
the problem seems to be disinterest in food. Milk should be restricted to 400-500 ml maximum in a day, so that the child doesn't fill the stomach with milk only. Make eating joyful and pleasant experience for him. Make him sit with family to have meals. Keep appropriate gap, to ensure hunger of least 3-4 hours between his meals. Allocate fixed time for his meals. That is the child should finish his main meals in 20-25 minutes and for snacks give 10-15 minutes to finish. If the child takes longer than that remove his plate. Over a period of time the child would start finishing his meals on time. Start with some of his favourite food (whatever he likes) and try and serve in an attractive manner. Use different coloured foods. You may weave a story around food item, like a round tomato as a ball or a make a stool of 2-3 biscuits and something is sitting and falling from it. You can even make him have his meals with other children of same age group, be it neighbours, friends or cousins once in a while. Children follow other children. It would take some time before he accepts food normally. Try including the favourite healthy options for the meals. You can make snacks healthier by using whole grain flour, vegetables & fruits. Try & make regular food interesting like chapatti veggies as Kathi roll or vegetables, cheese/shredded chicken spread over roti with ketchup. Give variety your child in foods. Encourage the child to indulge in more outdoor games and activities to increase appetite.