Show Ua Daily l. l Health St Service t i Wit Why Children Refuse to Eat I U I By DR MORRIS NORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Journal of the Ule American Medical Med Mcd- ical leal J and of the Health Magazine The refusal of oC food by a a. child chUd does not alwa always s 's mean a loss of appetite Some children have a large appe- appe Ute tire and cat eat er c every everything tiling thIns others may maybe maybe maye be e hungry and still refuse food In Inthe Inthe the he latter type of or case care the refusal Is due to some dL disturbance in n the vast majority of Instances The Thc child chUd will wUl take its first course for or example drink its orange Juice and then absolutely refuse the ce- ce real eal Sometimes it refuses because he the edge of the appetite has been en taken off i it wants to play Instead or it refuses because it has eloped dc a slight distaste for the second article of lof food The psychologist is likely to call this refusal negativism or give it some other scientific name He says that the thing to do is to let the child chUd alone and that it will wUl eventually eventually eventually even even- cat eat Ho However ever there are cases In which the child se seems to miss aU all of oC the meals for the rest of the day without being in the slightest st st. disturbed disturbed dis dis- b by the absence of food In some cases as many parents know the problem becomes comes quite se serious serious serious se- se rious indeed sufficient to upset the entire family Coaxing is tried the reading of or stories feeding the child alone feeding It with its favorite brother arother or sister r. r rewards are the child chUd Is 15 put to b bed d all of the relatives relatives rel rel- rel- rel es including the grandparents take part In the argument Sometimes Sometimes Some Sonic times the child gives gires in but In most instances the members of the fam fain fly ily cease speaking to each other ollier for tor several weeks If the child is of or the neurotic type it may take some food tood and promptly vomit it it The parents who have this type of case in irs the lan family ly are quite familiar with mth the symptoms What the they want to know is how to correct the condition The cure must be largely psycho psycho- logic but should carry with it the certain knowledge of oC physical fitness The child with infected tonsils or adenoids may find eating difficult The child may have Inherent susceptibility susceptibility susceptibility sus sus- to certain food substances and without understanding why re refuses refuses refuses re- re fuses the food in order to avoid disagreeable disagreeable disagreeable dis dis- dis- dis agreeable effects after which It feels but of oC which the parents can have no knowledge If the childs child's digestion digestion diges diges- tion Is chronically upset it Is quite certain to want to avoid food tood After Alter all the physical factors have been properly studied there are certain steps which may Improve the condition In the majority of instances In Instances Instances in- in stances however hm the trial and error method is resorted to until result is accomplished If It the child is given sufficient amounts of or outdoor air aU- and exercise 11 If 1 It is ls in the sun for tor a a. reasonable amount of time 1 if It sleeps well sooner soon soon- er ci or later appetite will become so strong that it will mIl want to cat |