Dr. Komarovsky advice to parents. Dr. Komarovsky: the most useful tips for parents

There are few modern parents who do not know who Dr. Komarovsky is. After all, for more than 5 years, this honored pediatrician with 20 years of experience in the Kharkiv infectious diseases hospital has been conducting an educational program "Doctor Komarovsky's school", in which he covers the most relevant topics in raising children, as well as caring for them with various diseases, in accessible words.

At the same time, Dr. Komarovsky does not use any new methods, all the advice of Dr. Komarovsky is based on the basics of pediatrics, WHO recommendations, as well as common sense, which in turn can cause disagreement among many of his colleagues who are used to working the old fashioned way, and not listening to new discoveries in medicine.

In his TV shows, Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky not only teaches what to do in a given situation with a child, but also clearly shows and explains to parents why this is necessary and why. What can hardly be achieved from pediatricians from a polyclinic, at best they don’t have time for these conversations, at worst, they prescribe drugs according to the scheme that they have known since medical school, without really delving into the mechanism of the disease, or simply being reinsured.

Doctors became ardent opponents of Komarovsky, whom he interferes with his educational activities in the pharmacy business, because now every mother, by going to the website of Dr. Komarovsky, can get an intelligible answer to her question about treatment methods, before buying up half of the pharmacy according to the prescription of a “good doctor” receiving his percentage. Now every mother may ask why her child is injected with a strong antibiotic, without finding out until the end of the causes of the disease. Naturally, such interference in the mysteries of medicine, and the fact that parents try not to blindly trust doctors, as they did before, but are interested in the details of the treatment process, cannot but cause irritation among many doctors, but what can you do, because neither medicine nor pediatrics are worth on the spot, and the children's doctor Komarovsky became the first who began to explain to parents the points of interest to them.

Here are just some of Dr. Komarovsky's tips on various areas of pediatrics, which touch on the most pressing topics of the moment.

About newborns

In his TV shows, Dr. Komarovsky talks very interestingly and in a new way about newborns, about their reflexes, needs, describes the development by months. Particular attention is drawn to the fact that parents from birth do not allow the baby's immunity to develop and as a result they get a constantly ill child with adenoids and a cold.

According to Evgeny Olegovich, you should not wrap babies up to a year old, because it is with poor thermoregulation that the body receives a signal that it is hot outside and begins to cool itself. Also in the doctor’s reviews you can learn in detail about how to increase lactation, how to care for a newborn, hear all the arguments on the topic “dummy, pros and cons”, how to massage a baby for 3 months, as well as many other videos where Dr. Komarovsky gives advice to new parents.

Colic in newborns

In the program about colic in a newborn, not only all the possible causes of their occurrence are revealed, but it is also shown what parents should do to reduce the suffering of their crumbs, Dr. Komarovsky in these cases recommends massages, a diet for a nursing mother and, as a last resort, medicines.

Lure

This burning topic is still being discussed on the Internet and on the sidelines of medical institutions, since Evgeny Olegovich, risking his authority as a pediatrician, did not agree with the recommendations of WHO and modern pediatrics regarding the introduction of the first complementary foods in the form of cereals or vegetables. As Komarovsky explains, fermented milk products are the most optimal products for a child's stomach, they are easily digestible and have an optimal composition in the form of proteins, fats, vitamins and trace elements, which are so necessary for a growing body. Another stumbling block was palm oil in baby food, which Dr. Komarovsky sees nothing wrong with, if used in moderation, like any other oil.

Doctor Komarovsky about vaccinations

Having worked for more than 20 years in the infectious diseases department, Evgeny Olegovich knows what mass refusals to vaccinate lead to, for this reason, contrary to newfangled trends, he defends the opinion that children should be vaccinated.

Infectious childhood diseases

The field of knowledge where Dr. Komarovsky has practically no equal is infectious and diseases in children. In his programs, Evgeny Olegovich clearly shows how these diseases develop, and describes the methods of their treatment, while tirelessly repeating the dangers of self-treatment. Covering the topic of rhinitis, Evgeny Olegovich does not recommend getting involved in vasoconstrictors for more than 5 days in a row, as they lead to a chronic runny nose. If rhinitis manifests itself in the form of green snot in a child, Dr. Komarovsky recommends treatment with antibiotics, since such manifestations indicate the presence of a bacterial infection. A separate topic is devoted to herpetic sore throat in children, in the treatment of which Dr. Komarovsky does not recommend the use of general antibiotics, since, firstly, they do not affect the cause of such a disease - a virus, and also significantly weaken the child's immune system.

Secrets of education

Dr. Komarovsky's books are written with good humor and a rational vision regarding both the problems of medicine and pediatrics. Touching upon the topic “hyperactive child”, as well as children’s tantrums at 2-3 years old, Dr. Komarovsky once again insists on a pedagogical solution to the medical problem, because this is exactly the case when observing the regime and discipline you can achieve more than stuffing children with medicines and tranquilizers .

Dr. Komarovsky has a reputation as an honored doctor who follows his principles, which is why parents listen to and trust his opinion. Over the 5 years of the existence of the program, he became the family doctor of more than one family, and saved no less lives than during his entire many years of practice in the infectious diseases department of the children's hospital.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS?

Previously, they said: “What to do, this was born” and added: “Be patient, it will outgrow.”

Now they say: "Bad immunity" and, as a rule, add: "We need to treat."

Let's try to figure out what you still need to do - endure or treat?

Parents should know that congenital immunity disorders - the so-called. primary immunodeficiencies are rare. They are manifested not just by frequent SARS, but by very severe SARS with the most dangerous bacterial complications that are difficult to treat. Congenital immunodeficiency is a deadly condition and it has nothing to do with a two-month runny nose.

Thus, frequent acute respiratory infections are in the vast majority of cases a consequence of secondary immunodeficiency - that is, the child was born normal, but under the influence of certain external factors, his immunity either does not develop, or is somehow oppressed.

Main conclusion:

if a child normal from birth does not get out of illness, then he has a conflict with the environment. And there are two options for helping: try to reconcile the child with the environment with the help of medicines, or try to change the environment so that it suits the child.

The formation and functioning of the immune system is primarily due to external influences. All that is perfectly familiar to everyone, all that we put into the concept of "lifestyle": food, drink, air, clothing, physical activity, rest, treatment of diseases.

Parents of a child who often suffers from acute respiratory infections should first of all understand that it is not the child who is to blame, but the adults around him, who cannot figure out the answers to questions about good and bad. It is very difficult to admit to ourselves that we are doing something wrong - we feed us wrong, we don’t dress like that, we don’t rest like that, we don’t help with illnesses that way.

And the saddest thing is that no one can help such parents and such a child.

Judge for yourself. The child is often sick. Where can a mother go for advice?

Let's start with grandma. And what will we hear: he doesn’t eat well with you, he’s also my mother, he’s not able to feed the child; who dresses a child like that - a completely naked neck; it opens at night, so you need to sleep in warm socks, etc. We will feed you with songs and dances. Wrap tightly with a very warm scarf. Let's wear socks. The frequency of acute respiratory infections will not decrease from all this, but it is easier for the grandmother.

We turn to friends, acquaintances, colleagues for help. The main advice (wise and safe) is to be patient. But we will definitely hear a story about how “one woman’s child was sick all the time, but she spared no expense and bought him a special and very biologically active vitamin complex with the addition of crushed horns of a high-mountainous Tibetan goat, after which everything went away - ARI stopped, the adenoids resolved, and the famous professor said that he was shocked, and bought the complex for his grandson. By the way, Claudia Petrovna still has the last package of these vitamins, but we must hurry - the goat hunting season is over, new supplies will be only in a year.

We hurried. Bought. We started saving the child. Ah, how easy it has become! It is easy for us, parents - after all, we do not regret anything for the child, we, parents, are correct. ORZ continue? Well, this is such a child.

Can we still turn to serious doctors?

- Doctor, we have 10 acute respiratory infections a year. We have already eaten 3 kg of vitamins, 2 kg of cough medicine and 1 kg of antibiotics this year. Help! Our frivolous pediatrician Anna Nikolaevna is of no use - she requires the child to be tempered, but how can we temper him so “immune-free”! We must have some kind of terrible disease wound up ...

- Well, let's explore. We will look for viruses, bacteria, worms, determine the state of immunity.

Examined. They found herpes, cytomegalovirus, giardia, and staphylococcus aureus in the intestines. A blood test with the clever name "immunogram" showed numerous abnormalities.

Now everything is clear! It's not our fault! We, parents, are good, attentive, caring. Hooray!!! We are normal! Poor Lenochka, how many things fell on her at once - both staphylococcus, and viruses, horror! Well, nothing! We have already been told about special medicines that will surely wipe out all this muck ...

And what’s also nice, you can demonstrate these tests to your grandmother, she probably didn’t even hear the word “cytomegalovirus”! But at least stop criticizing...

And we will definitely show the tests to Anna Nikolaevna. Let her realize her delusions, it’s good that we didn’t listen to her and didn’t become tempered with such a terrible immunogram.

The saddest thing is that Anna Nikolaevna does not want to admit delusions! Claims that staphylococcus is a completely normal inhabitant of the intestines in most people. He says that it is impossible to live in the city and not have antibodies to Giardia, herpes and cytomegalovirus. Persist! Insists that all this is nonsense, and refuses to treat! Again and again he is trying to convince us that it is not staphylococcus-herpes that are to blame for everything, but we are the parents !!!

The author is aware that you can get very upset and even close this book. But Anna Nikolaevna is absolutely right with the highest possible degree of probability - it is really you, the parents, who are to blame! Not out of malice, not out of spite. Out of ignorance, out of misunderstanding, out of laziness, out of gullibility, but you are to blame.

If a child often suffers from acute respiratory infections, it is impossible to solve this problem with any pills. Eliminate conflict with the environment. Change your lifestyle. Do not look for the guilty - this is a dead end. Your and your child's chances of breaking out of the vicious circle of eternal snot are quite real.

I repeat once again: there are no magic pills “for poor immunity”. But there is an effective algorithm for real practical actions. We will not talk about everything in detail - many pages are already devoted to answers to questions about how it should be, both in this and in other books of the author.

Nevertheless, we will now list and emphasize the most fundamental points. In fact, this will be the answers to questions about what is good and what is bad. I fix my attention - these are not explanations, but ready-made answers: there have already been so many explanations that if they did not help, then nothing can be done, although Lenochka is very sorry ...

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AIR

Clean, cool, wet. Avoid anything that smells - varnishes, paints, deodorants, detergents.

ACCOMMODATION

At the slightest opportunity, organize a personal children's room for the child. There are no dust accumulators in the children's room, everything is subject to wet cleaning (plain water without disinfectants). Heating regulator. Humidifier. Vacuum cleaner with water filter. Toys in a box. Glass books. Folding everything scattered + washing the floor + dusting are standard actions before bedtime. There is a thermometer and a hygrometer on the wall in the room. At night, they should show a temperature of 18 ° C and a humidity of 50-70%. Regular ventilation, mandatory and intensive - in the morning after sleep.

In a cool damp room. Optionally - in warm pajamas, under a warm blanket. White linen washed with baby powder and thoroughly rinsed.

NUTRITION

Never, under any circumstances, force a child to eat. It is ideal to feed not when you agree to eat, but when you beg for food. Stop feeding between feedings. Do not abuse overseas products. Do not get carried away with a variety of food. Prefer natural sweets (honey, raisins, dried apricots, etc.) to artificial ones (based on sucrose). Make sure that there are no food residues in the mouth, especially sweets.

DRINK

At will, but the child should always have the opportunity to quench his thirst. I draw your attention: do not enjoy a sweet carbonated drink, namely, to quench your thirst! Optimal drinking: non-carbonated, non-boiled mineral water, compotes, fruit drinks, fruit teas. Drinks are at room temperature. If everything was previously heated, gradually reduce the intensity of heating.

CLOTH

Sufficient minimum. Remember that sweating causes illness more often than hypothermia. The child should not have more items of clothing than his parents. The decrease is gradual.

TOYS

The most careful way to monitor the quality, especially if the child takes them in his mouth. Any hint that this toy smells or gets dirty is to refuse the purchase. Any soft toys are accumulators of dust, allergens and microorganisms. Prefer washable toys. Washable toys to wash.

WALKS

Daily active. Through the parental “tired - I can’t - I don’t want to.” Very desirable before bedtime.

HARDENING. SPORT

Ideal for outdoor activities. Any sports that involve active communication with other children in a confined space are not desirable. Swimming in public pools is inappropriate for a frequently ill child.

ADDITIONAL CLASSES

Good at the place of permanent residence, when the state of health does not allow you to leave the house. First you need to stop being sick often and only then start attending a choir, foreign language courses, a fine arts studio, etc.

SUMMER REST

The child must take a break from contacts with many people, from city air, from chlorinated water and household chemicals. In the vast majority of cases, rest "on the seas" has nothing to do with the recovery of an often ill child, since most of the harmful factors remain, plus catering is added and, as a rule, worse living conditions than at home.

The ideal vacation for an often ill child looks like this (every word is important): summer in the countryside; inflatable pool with well water, next to a pile of sand; dress code - shorts, barefoot; restriction on the use of soap; feed only when she screams: "Mom, I'll eat you!". A dirty naked child who jumps from water to sand, begs for food, breathes fresh air and does not contact many people in 3-4 weeks restores the immunity damaged by city life.

PREVENTION OF ARI

It is extremely unlikely that a frequently ill child constantly hypothermia or eat ice cream in kilograms. Thus, frequent illnesses are not colds, they are SARS. If Petya is finally healthy on Friday, and on Sunday he has a stuffy nose again, this means that Petya found a new virus in the Friday-Sunday interval. And his relatives are clearly to blame for this, in particular, his grandfather, who took advantage of an unexpected recovery in order to urgently take his grandson to the circus.

The main task of parents is to fully implement the recommendations detailed in Chapter 12.2 - "Prevention of SARS". Avoid unnecessary contact with people in every possible way, wash your hands, maintain local immunity, vaccinate all family members against influenza.

If a child is often sick with SARS, it means that he is often infected.

The child cannot be to blame. This is the behavior of his family. So, it is necessary to change the model, and not treat the child.

SARS TREATMENT

Treating SARS does not mean giving medicines. This means creating conditions for the child's body to cope with the virus as quickly as possible and with minimal loss of health. To treat ARVI means to ensure optimal parameters of temperature and air humidity, to dress warmly, not to feed until she asks, to actively drink. Salt drops in the nose and paracetamol for high body temperature is a completely sufficient list of drugs. Any active treatment prevents the formation of immunity. If a child is often sick, then any drug should be used only when it is clearly impossible to do without it. This is especially true of antibiotic therapy, which in most cases is carried out without real grounds - out of fear, from fear of responsibility, from doubts about the diagnosis.

ACTIONS AFTER RECOVERY

It is very important to remember that an improvement in the condition and normalization of temperature does not at all indicate that immunity has been restored. But after all, very often a child goes to a children's team literally the next day after the condition improves. And even earlier, before the children's team, he goes to the clinic, where he is examined by a doctor who says that the child is healthy.

In the queue to the doctor and the next day at school or in kindergarten, the child will definitely meet with a new virus. A child with immunity that has not yet strengthened after an illness! A new disease will begin in a weakened organism. It will be harder than the previous one, with a greater likelihood of complications, and will require the use of drugs.

But this disease will also end. And you will go to the clinic, and then to the kindergarten ... And then you will talk about a frequently ill child who “was born like that”!

It has become better - it means you need to start living normally. Normal life is not a trip to the circus, not a school, and even more so, not a children's clinic. Normal life is jumping and jumping in the fresh air, working up an appetite, healthy sleep, and restoration of mucous membranes.

With an active lifestyle and the maximum possible restriction of contact with people, complete recovery usually requires no more than a week. Now you can go to the circus!

We must not forget that contacts with people are risky, especially indoors. Outdoor play with children is generally safe (as long as there is no spitting or kissing). Hence, a completely acceptable algorithm for visiting a kindergarten immediately after recovery is to go there when the children go for a walk. We took a walk, everyone went to the room for lunch, and we went home. It is clear that it is far from always possible to implement this (mother works, the teacher does not agree, the kindergarten is far from home), but at least this option can be kept in mind.

And in conclusion, we note the obvious: the algorithm of “actions after recovery” applies to all children, and not just to those who are often ill. This is in fact one of the most important rules that helps a normal child not become often ill.

Well, as soon as we started talking about "all children", we note that when going after an illness to a children's team, one must think not only about oneself, but also about other children. In the end, SARS can be mild when the body temperature remains normal. Snot ran, you stayed at home for a couple of days, and then went to kindergarten, while remaining contagious!

Antibodies to the virus are produced no earlier than the fifth day of illness. Therefore, it is possible to resume visiting the children's team no earlier than the sixth day from the onset of SARS, regardless of its severity, but in any case, at least three days must pass from the moment the body temperature returns to normal.

We also decided to turn to his experience and professional knowledge and collected his most non-standard recommendations to parents on how to prepare a child's body for cold weather and gardens, so that the child emerges victorious from the battle with adaptation and a cold.

Get your sleigh ready for summer! This is solely about the fact that the child must walk barefoot for all three summer months, wearing only shorts and a Panama hat, drink cold village milk, swim in the river and live in the care of grandparents in the village. Such a holiday, no doubt, will benefit not only the child, but also his parents.

The key to a healthy generation is mom, dad and fresh air. Here I absolutely agree with the doctor and am also ready to say a resolute “No!” televisions, telephones, computers and game consoles. Everyone outside!!! Play hopscotch, football and Cossack robbers, look for secrets, rollerblade, bike and scooter.

Dust has a right to exist. Drafts too. Sterile conditions for keeping a child only harm his health, the people's doctor believes. There is nothing wrong with dust, dirty hands and an apple that has fallen to the ground. This is not only not fatal, it is a kind of training for baby immunity. And no one has ever died from a draft. There would be immunity in order - and let it blow as much as you like.

A child knows better than adults whether he wants to eat or not. The problem of almost all parents without exception, except, perhaps, very busy ones, is to feed the child. Every second mother sincerely believes that her child is starving, malnourished, and generally exhausted all day. Komarovsky is sure that a hungry child will always ask for food and will never be silent if he wants to eat. The food that compassionate grandmothers and mothers stuff into a child is clearly not good for him, and in many cases even leads to obesity.

Orthopedic shoes are pure swindle. At home, according to Dr. Komarovsky, you need to walk barefoot. Maximum - in socks. Children run, jump, climb, and even any shoes prevent their foot from bending the way it wants. And rigid orthopedic shoes with arch supports are needed when there are diagnosed orthopedic problems. But even in this case, you need to make individual insoles, and not buy mass-produced shoes.

Humidity, but not dampness. Dr. Komarovsky considers the microclimate in your individual apartment (kindergarten, school) to be one of the most important problems. Humidity should be around 60 percent. Then it will be more difficult for viruses to spread, and the runny nose that occurs due to dryness can be avoided. But anything over 80 percent is already damp. This is the other extreme, which is also useless.

Replace vitamins with a varied diet. To stuff a child with vitamin supplements or not, each parent decides for himself. However, their benefits are greatly exaggerated, the doctor believes. It is better to look for vitamins in food. A sufficient daily intake of vitamins is considered if the child eats one product from each group presented daily: fruits, vegetables, dairy and meat, and cereals.

It's better to be cold than sweaty. What is it about? About the layering of clothes. There should be enough of it so that it does not interfere with movement and does not cause a greenhouse effect in the child. As a rule, children are more likely to get sick from sweating than from being cold. In no case should a child wear more clothes than adults. This is the wrong approach!

Sleep conditions matter! Having been imbued with Komarovsky's theory, I am sure that he would gladly recommend that the entire population sleep outdoors in sleeping bags. But no one will support this idea. Therefore, he recommends doing wet cleaning in the child’s room before going to bed, opening the window for the whole night and, having wished good night, leave the child alone, allowing him to throw off the blanket and sleep like an asterisk in a cool room. The thermometer on the wall should show +18. These are ideal conditions for healthy sleep. If the parents are calmer, you can put light pajamas on the child, and then the blanket will not be needed at all.

You need to prepare for kindergarten from birth. Do preventive vaccinations on time, harden, live according to a similar regime, have a wide circle of communication with other children and not be afraid to part with the child, leaving him on bail to grandparents, aunts and uncles.

It is normal to have childhood illnesses. And naturally. The more often a child goes out into the world, the more likely he is to catch chickenpox or the flu. You shouldn't be afraid of this. Children's immunity must undergo a kind of training, but how can this be done if the causative agents of these diseases are constantly avoided? It is not for nothing that doctors unanimously say that it is better to get sick with children's sores in childhood.

The best kindergarten for every parent. For some, there is delicious food, for others, they only play with his child and blow off dust particles from him, for others, this is when classes are from morning until late in the evening. Komarovsky believes that the child should be sent to the kindergarten where the teachers ask to bring a raincoat and rubber boots, because the rain is not a hindrance to a walk!

Some simply adore this popular doctor, author of books and TV host. Others consider it too harsh and harsh. Meanwhile, the book "Health of the child and the common sense of his relatives" has been at the top of the bestseller lists for many years. The phrases below will give you the opportunity to understand how close you are to the position of Evgeny Olegovich Komarovsky. Also, smile and think.

1. The body and behavior of the child is surprisingly expedient. The child will never do anything harmful to himself (shout, for example). But if, as a result of screaming, he makes his existence more comfortable, the habit of solving problems with his voice can last a lifetime.
2. I wonder who first came up with the idea that Nature can create a biological species for which a stream of air is a formidable danger?
3. When there is nothing to adapt to, the adaptive systems simply turn off. If during the first two or three months of life you create comfortable conditions for the child, then in the future it will be very, very difficult for him to exist without such conditions.
4. Neither the quantity nor the quality of pediatricians can solve the problem of children's health. And it is impossible, most likely, because the mentioned health depends to a much greater extent on mom and dad than on all pediatricians combined.
5. After all, hundreds of books on childcare and parenting are written in such a way that the very process of communicating with a child is perceived in isolation from real life. Such “little things” as a hungry dad who came home from work, shops and clinics, disappeared hot water, a broken iron, a wise mother-in-law, another pregnancy, the number of days until salary, etc. are not taken into account.
6. A happy child is, first of all, a healthy child, and only then can he read and play the violin. A happy child is a child who has both a mother and a father who find time not only to love this child, but also to love each other.
7. If you (and most often “you” is a young and nervous father) go to the store for the first time, then it would be good to check with your wife what weight and gender your child is.
8. The treatment of chicken pox with green is so widespread that some young doctors are convinced that a patchy green rash is a characteristic sign of chicken pox.
9. Remodeling (re-educating, retraining) is much more difficult than doing the right thing from the very beginning. Therefore, do not bring your child to a state where only the most drastic measures will allow you to overcome the difficulties that have arisen.
10. It is generally accepted that a man involved in raising a child is able to achieve much greater success than a woman.
11. And nature, and human nature, and the laws of logic, and indeed elementary common sense, are not able to explain why a pregnant woman should not get tired, sleep more, not lift more than one kilogram, etc. After all, this same woman several thousand years ago in a similar situation would have continued to live according to the laws of the tribe.

10 brilliant quotes from the best pediatrician of our generation. Doctor Komarovsky knows his stuff!

Moms take note!

Hello girls) I didn’t think that the problem of stretch marks would affect me, but I’ll write about it))) But I have nowhere to go, so I’m writing here: How did I get rid of stretch marks after childbirth? I will be very glad if my method helps you too ...

A good appetite in a child is a source of endless joy for parents. There is nothing more pleasant than to see how a child happily eats a cooked lunch, dinner or breakfast. But more often it is the other way around. Mom and grandmother tried to cook, and not just like that, but exactly what the little one loves. And the kid persistently refuses to eat and is naughty.

In some families, every meal turns into a real battle between the "unwanted" and his persistent parents. The child is persuaded, they try to deceive with various maneuvers and tricks, they insist and threaten that he will not get candy if he does not eat the soup. Is it necessary to try so hard and what to do if the child has a poor appetite, says the well-known pediatrician Yevgeny Komarovsky.

Appetite is different

Without food, life is impossible, but appetite does not always come with eating. Natural appetite occurs when food is required by the body to replenish energy reserves in order to survive. And electoral accompanies modern man much more often. The child wants cookies because he likes them, and does not want porridge because cookies are better.

Selective appetite reflects the real picture of needs only in an infant; at 8-9 months, he intuitively feels that he needs calcium, and refuses to eat soup. Not because the soup is tasteless, but because milk is healthier. At the age of 1 year, 2 years, children prefer dairy products for the same reason.

If a one-year-old child fundamentally does not eat meat, this does not mean that at 3-4 years old he will not begin to eat it with pleasure. It's just that for a 12-month-old baby, vegetables and fruits, cottage cheese and milk are more important. And he understands this intuitively.

Closer to 3 years, the problem of selective appetite, according to Komarovsky, is far-fetched - if a child does not eat vegetable puree and requires only chocolate and sausage, this is a common pedagogical mistake of mom and dad, and you should not look for any medical reasons for such behavior.

Why is the child not eating?

If the little one refuses to eat, he, according to Komarovsky, may have two reasons: he cannot or does not want to eat.

It cannot - this means that the appetite is present, but it is difficult to physically eat. For example, mother’s milk is tasteless (the woman ate something wrong), the hole in the nipple is too small, and the porridge is not sucked, etc. In infants, quite often, during sucking, the intestines begin to work actively, its peristalsis is activated at the wrong time . The tummy twists, the baby hurts, he stops eating and cries.

Quite often in a child, the root of the problem with appetite lies in the mouth. Stomatitis, inflamed gums during teething, microtrauma of the gums (scratches from toys that have been in the mouth or nails) - all this makes the process of eating food rather unpleasant.

Sometimes there is no appetite during colds or SARS. If the nose does not breathe, then during sucking, access to oxygen is blocked, which is uncomfortable, and the child stops eating. If the throat hurts and swallowing is unpleasant, refusal to eat will almost always follow.

Sometimes the child does not like the offered food itself - it is hot or too cold, salty or unsalted, large or mashed.

It all depends on the personal preferences of each individual child. If moms and dads managed to understand that the child wants to eat, but cannot, then it is best to consult a doctor to find and eliminate the obstacle that prevents the baby from eating normally.

If a child does not eat well or does not eat at all, not because eating gives him discomfort, then he simply does not want to eat. However, you should not immediately accuse him of hooliganism and insist that the porridge be eaten. Reluctance to eat also has its reasons:

• Disease. Even if the parents have not yet noticed that the baby is getting sick, he, as a rule, begins to feel negative changes in his body in advance. In this case, a child who does not eat anything simply "turns on" the defense mechanism - on an empty stomach it is easier for the immune system to fight the pathogen. Do not force feed the baby, he does everything right, as his natural instincts tell him. But this is true only for acute infections. If a child has a long-term chronic illness, lack of appetite is a bad symptom, but this is rare.

  The child's body easily gets used to new conditions for itself, and therefore, with a protracted illness, the baby begins to eat, as usual, and with some ailments, for example, with diabetes, there is even an increased appetite. Komarovsky gives certain recommendations on how to feed a sick child: no way, until he asks. And mother should not be ashamed at all that she does not feed her sick child. This is the best thing she can do now for his speedy recovery.

• Refusal to eat "out of conscience." This happens with teenage children, especially with girls. If she suddenly decides that she has become “fat”, and “something should be done about it urgently”, offer the child lighter and healthier foods (salads, boiled meat, fruits, milk). If a girl refuses to eat this too, then fasting becomes pathological and is quite comparable to a symptom of a mental illness that leads to anorexia and the girl's slow death or disability. In this situation, feeding by force is also not an option, says Komarovsky, since the real cause of the hunger strike must be eliminated. A psychiatrist and an adolescent psychologist or psychotherapist will help with this.

• Refusal to eat for no reason. There are also children who, without any illness, eat little or practically do not want to eat. They, according to Komarovsky, still have their own reasons for not wanting to eat, such as individual metabolic characteristics. Indeed, in one child, digestion is faster, nutrients are absorbed and absorbed faster, while in others the process is slower. Therefore, such a "slow" child refuses to cook lunch, because he still has breakfast in the process of processing.

Appetite depends on the level of hormones.

If a child grows faster (his mom and dad are tall), that is, he will be bigger and more often than his peer, who genetically “does not shine” with high growth.

The level of energy consumption also affects the presence of appetite. If a child runs and jumps in the fresh air, then he will get hungry faster than if he sits in front of the TV and watches cartoons.

To restore the child's appetite, it is enough to simply adjust the energy consumption.- walk more, enroll your child in the sports section. In the end, the whole family going for evening walks before dinner will definitely give a positive result.

Parental Mistakes

Very often, parents try to treat a non-existent disease. If no serious acute pathologies and infections are found in the child, it can be difficult for parents to admit that the child does not eat because he is not brought up that way. And the testing begins, and there are always diagnoses that “as if they don’t exist” and their treatment is a waste of time and money.

Komarovsky advises to stop dragging the child around clinics and laboratories, leave him alone and simply change the daily routine and lifestyle - introduce longer walks, cool baths, and go in for sports.

Many parents force their child to eat by force.

Yevgeny Komarovsky also refers to these actions his favorite cunning tricks: “Look, the spoon flew, flew”, “Eat, otherwise we won’t go to the park!”, “I’ll tell dad everything!”. A cornered baby under pressure will eat, but without an appetite. And this means that less gastric juice will be allocated, the liver will cope with its part of the work more slowly, digestion will be more difficult. The benefits of force feeding outweigh the harm.