Harmful Effects of Force-Feeding Children

Common Feeding Mistakes

The process of force-feeding your baby can lead you to commit the following mealtime mistakes —

• Putting a lot of stress on the child to clean up the contents on his/her plate

• Feeding your child by hand, even though your kid is independent enough to eat on his/her own

• Make mealtime a tedious activity by running behind your child with his/her plate in hand

• Make your child eat quickly without giving him/her enough time to chew the food properly

• Shouting at your child when he/she does not eat

• Threatening your kid with terrible consequences when he/she does not open the mouth

• Tempting your child with bribes, like chocolates or TV time, if he/she finishes the food fully

Effects of Force-Feeding your Child

Most parents don’t have the time and patience to wait until kids finish their meals at their own pace. Hence, they resort to force-feeding despite knowing it’s not the right approach. Forcefully feeding your kid is associated with many negative consequences, such as the following:

• Lack of interest in meals

Force-feeding your baby can create a lot of stress on him/her to eat quickly and finish everything on his/her plate. Hence, every meal reminds your child of the struggle he/she experiences in this process, leading to an overall lack of interest in food. It might take a long time to get him/her to eat properly again.

• Eating disorders

When you forcefully feed your child, he/she fails to understand his/her real capacity and also misses hunger cues. As your kid grows up, he/she cannot decide on the quantity he/she needs during every meal. So, your child may eat very less or eat a lot every single time. These eating disorders can cause extreme conditions like obesity or anorexia.

• Addiction to sweets

When you bribe your child with a sweet to finish the meal when forcefully feeding him/her, your kid gets used to eating something sweet after every meal. This can make him/her addicted to unhealthy foods like desserts, sugar, etc., and lead to unhealthy eating habits.

• Not following natural hunger cues

When you force-feed your child, you and your kid fail to understand the child’s natural hunger cues. Feeding your child when he/she is hungry is the right thing to do; otherwise, it can cause issues in his/her digestive system.

• Strain in the relationship between you and the child

Forcefully feeding your child is never a pleasant experience. It is always a struggle of power between you and your child. As you keep forcing your child, he/she tends to resist more and more. This causes negativity in the relationship between you and your child, and this can stay for a long time.

• Health issues (choking)

This is one of the most dangerous effects of force-feeding. Choking and vomiting are the two common health problems that you may cause in children when you compel them to eat their meals fully.

Ways to Stop It

• Let children follow their instincts when eating. They will eat fully when they are hungry. It is alright if they don’t eat everything every time or skip meals now and then.

• When your child resists meals, let him/her be. Don’t shout or react strongly. This will make your kid hate food altogether.

• Respect your child’s tastes, and understand it is fine if your kid does not eat certain food items. Give your child time to understand his/her natural hunger cues.

• Allow your children to be flexible. Let them play for a while if they want, and get back to finishing their meals at their own pace.

How to Make Mealtime a Happy Experience?

Here are tips to follow to make your family’s mealtime a pleasant one. These tips will eliminate the necessity of force-feeding your child.

• Enjoy the meal with your child. Talk to him/her about the different foods, colours, and textures on the plate.

• Your child may not like certain foods immediately. Keep talking as you encourage him/her to eat more of those so that your kid develops an acquired taste for the same.

• Your kid can easily get distracted. Hence, keep distractions away during mealtime. Keep the TV switched off, and ensure your kid’s sole focus is only on his/her plate.

• Never compare your kid with others when it comes to his/her eating habits.