Eating sick child
Nutrition during a cold without fever.
The doctor will choose a suitable diet, taking into account the nature of the disease and the tastes of the child. The following are only the most general principles, so that you are guided by them in urgent cases or when medical care is not available.
Nutrition for a mild cold without temperature is quite normal. But even with a mild cold, a child may lose some appetite, because he does not go out, does not get the necessary amount of exercise and swallows mucus. Do not make him eat more than he wants. If he eats less than usual, let's drink more in between meals. There is no harm in that the child drinks as much as he likes. Sometimes parents think that the more fluid, the sooner the recovery. Increased fluid intake does not benefit more than normal.
High temperature food ( refer to case if you can not contact your doctor).When a child has a fever, flu, angina or one of the infections, the temperature is above 39 degrees, he almost completely loses his appetite at the beginning of the illness, especially to solid foods. In the first day or two of such a temperature, do not give him any solid food, but every half an hour or an hour when not sleeping, offer a drink. The most popular water and orange or pineapple juice. Do not forget about the water. It is not nutritious, but for the first time it does not matter. It is for this reason that she likes the sick child. Other drinks depend on his taste and illness. Some, children like grapefruit juice, plums, lemonade, peach juice, grape juice, weak tea with sugar. Older children like carbonated drinks such as ginger ale, sarsa parela, fruit waters and soda drinks. Some soda drinks contain a small amount of caffeine, so it is preferable to give them a few hours before bedtime.
With respect to milk, it is difficult to say anything definite. A sick child usually drinks it more willingly than anything else. If he does not vomit after that, all is well. Older children may refuse milk, or they may vomit. But still offer milk. At a temperature above 39 , it is easier to digest the skim milk( with the cream removed).The most difficult is to digest milk fat.
If the temperature continues to hold, after a day or two the child's appetite improves slightly. If, despite the temperature, the child is hungry, he can eat a little simple solid food like toasted bread, crackers, cereal, cottage cheese, sweet cheese, ice cream, apple puree, soft-boiled eggs.
Food, which is usually refused during illness and which is more difficult to digest, is vegetables( boiled and raw), meat, poultry, fish, fats( for example, butter, margarine, cream).However, in her experiments, Dr. Clara Davis found that children want meat and vegetables during recovery - after the temperature fell asleep - and they are well absorbed.
The most important rule is not to force a sick child to eat something that he does not want, unless the doctor has a specific reason for this. Most likely the baby will vomit, or trouble with digestion will begin, or appetite will disappear for a long time.
How to feed a child, who rips ( in urgent cases, when it is impossible to contact a doctor).Of course, vomiting accompanies many diseases, especially at the beginning when the heat is high. The diet depends on many factors and should be prescribed by a doctor. However, if you can not immediately consult a doctor, follow the suggestions below. Vomiting occurs because the stomach is not in order because of illness and can not cope with food.
After the of the child vomited , it is good that his stomach rested for at least two hours. Then, if the child asks for it, give him a sip of water - no more than 10-15 g for the first time. If he does not vomit and he asks for more, let him drink another, say, 30 grams in 15-20 minutes.
Gradually increase the portion, bringing it to 120 g( half a glass), but no more if it is very requested to drink. If everything goes well, try giving some orange or pineapple juice or soda water. On the first day, it is better not to drink more than 120 grams at a time. If after a vomiting several hours have passed and the child asks for solid food, give something simple - a cracker, or a tablespoon of porridge, or apple puree. If he asks for milk, remove the cream.
If it again vomits, be stricter. Do not give anything for two hours, then start with a teaspoon of water or crushed ice. After 20 minutes, give two teaspoons. Go ahead very carefully.
If the child who has vomited, for several hours does not ask to drink, do not offer him anything. He will almost certainly vomit again. And every time he tears, he loses more fluid than he drank.
Vomiting associated with fever usually occurs on the first day and does not repeat, even if the temperature does not subside.
Sometimes, if the baby vomits violently, tiny particles or blood strips are visible in the vomit. This in itself is not dangerous.
How to avoid problems with food at the end of the illness. If a child has a fever for several days and does not eat much, naturally, he quickly loses weight. The first time or two when this happens, the mother is very worried. When the temperature drops and the doctor says that it's time to return to normal nutrition, the mother wants to feed the child faster. But often a child turns away from food when offered to him for the first time. If the mother insists lunch at dinner and day after day, the appetite may never return.
Such a child has not forgotten how to eat, and has not weakened so much that he can not eat. If the temperature at it becomes normal, it does not mean that the organism completely overcame the infection that affected the stomach and intestines. When he sees food, the digestive system warns him of his unwillingness.
When a child who is still sick of the consequences of the disease, is forced to eat or forcibly pushes food into his mouth, his aversion to food grows much faster than if he had a normal appetite. So within a few days there may be a long-term problem with loss of appetite.
Once the stomach and intestines recover from the disease, the child begins to experience severe hunger. Hunger is much stronger than it was before. Sometimes, after eating a hearty meal, a child in two hours again asks to eat. In three years he can ask for certain food that is needed by his starving body. "
Parents at the end of the illness should give the child water and solid food only if he asks, without any coercion and patiently but surely, to wait for the signals that he is ready for moreIf after a week the appetite does not recover, you need to consult a doctor.