'Feeding clinic' helps parents manage hard-to-feed kids

MANILA, Philippines - Coming up with a healthy and balanced meal for their children is hard as it is for parents; convincing them to actually eat it is even harder for most of them.

“Studies show that 60 to 70 percent of parents worry that their children are hard to feed. Parents become overly anxious because of feeding concerns. This leads to forced feeding which may affect the emotional relationship between parent and child,” said Dr. Mary Jean Guno, Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition Consultant and head of the The Medical City's Feeding Clinic.

The Feeding Clinic seeks to address the feeding difficulties that parents face when it comes to their children.  

The first of its kind in the Philippines, It gives expert advice on how to improve children's physical, social, and emotional health through basic feeding principles such as setting limits, responding to a child's cue and developing healthy eating habits.

Dr. Guno said that there are four common types of feeding problems that parents should watch out for in their children: having limited appetite, being highly selective, fear of feeding, and infantile colic or when crying interferes with feeding.

"Limited appetite may be due to misperception, a highly vigorous child, an apathetic and lethargic child or an underlying organic illness.  Parents should consider going to the Feeding Clinic especially when their child's growth seems to be lagging behind," she explained.

Dr. Guno said that feeding time "should be a relaxed and enjoyable time for parent and child."

She advised parents whose children are not "feeding optimally" to seek medical advice.

The Medical City's Feeding Clinic is open from Tuesday to Saturday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM. For more information, you may call telephone nos. 988-1000 and 988-7000 ext. 6630.