Special Little Kids, Special Big Eating Problems

Abstract

Parents face many perplexing difficulties as they set about to nurture and guide their newborn toward all the promises life has to offer. Most of us with children are fortunate in that the problems we encounter are quickly remediated, quickly forgotten. They are problems that occupy the smallest percentage of daily time; problems that, upon surfacing, do produce their share of anxiety and apprehension, but problems, nonetheless, that rarely record lasting impressions. Some parents, conversely, are faced with an issue often overwhelming, often unwilling to quietly slip away: they have a child who, for any number of reasons, either fails to consume enough calories and/or liquids to sustain health, eats so selectively that concerns over nutrition are constantly raised, or fights vociferously to avoid new foods or finish some of the food provided before raiding the cookie jar. Feeding, which should be a pleasant, loving interchange between parent and child, becomes a constant source of stress for both parties involved. The impressions experienced by both parent and child, fueled by daily, perhaps hourly, confrontations, can begin to weaken the strongest of family bonds.