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Is your little child very difficult when it comes to eating? It sure is a challenging task to decide what foods to give your child and in what quantity. Deciding the diet for your child can keep your head spinning all day long. Your child’s appetite can vary day to day, week to week and even month to month. The simple rule is that he will eat when he is hungry. In case he is not consuming enough food, then your baby has loss of appetite. Loss of appetite can be worrisome for parents particularly when they don’t know the cause. There can be a variety of reasons for losing appetite that can negatively affect your baby’s health.

Here are six common reasons for baby’s loss of appetite:

1. Teething

Teething can result in temporary loss of appetite that usually goes away in two weeks. Your baby is in pain because the teeth are tearing through the gums. When your child eats or feeds from a bottle, the discomfort increases. Teething can also result in inflamed gums in which a slight touch can cause a lot of pain. The baby is likely to refuse to eat but you need to make sure he takes lots of fluids, chilled fruits and icicles that are good for teething. If your baby is big enough to take solid food, give him apple sauce and yoghurt that are easier to eat.

2. Excess Fluid Intake

Excess intake of fluids like water and juices is yet another reason for loss of appetite in babies. As soon as their tiny stomach is full of mother’s milk or formula milk, they don’t really need additional water. Giving them too much water can prevent absorption of nutrients from breast or formula milk. He becomes resistant to food and has low appetite because excess fluid intake makes him feel full.

3. Food Intolerance

Your baby may be intolerant to certain foods like peanuts, milk, soy and eggs. This can result in symptoms like diarrhea, bloating, itching and mainly loss of appetite. Try to identify the foods your baby is allergic and make sure you avoid giving those foods to him.

4. Worm Infestation

Worm infestation is another common cause of low appetite in babies. Did you know your little angel has great chances of having intestinal worms and parasites? It may result in loss of appetite, diarrhea and vomiting. It is very important for you to get your child checked by a doctor and see if he is affected with worms.

5. Sore Throat

Sore throat is because of viral infection and happens to be one of the reasons for loss of appetite in babies. Sore throat makes it difficult for adults to swallow. Think how difficult it might be for your baby. It is now wonder he may not feel like eating anything. Sore throat is very often accompanied by swollen glands and fever. Make sure your immediately take him to the doctor to cure the infection and increase the appetite of the baby.

6. Growth

This is something many parents refuse to understand and still want their child to eat more and more with time. The growth rate of your baby until six months is high but it slows down from six to twelve month. It further slows down from twelve to eighteen months. It is only natural for your 16 month old child to eat lesser compared to what he used to eat at 12 months. He does not need as many calories now.