“The child does not eat“

Infants’ feeding disorders and their therapy¹

Eating and feeding disorders² in early childhood are a common problem, which puts paediatricians, child therapists and other professional groups under as much strain as the parents and children concerned. Families with infant feeding disorders are regularly treated at the infant psychosomatics department in the Wilhelminenspital in Vienna; the causes of these disorders and the treatment thereof are presented in this article.

25–40 % of all infants and young children are affected by eating and feeding problems, at least periodically. For children with underlying complaints and those born prematurely this figure is around 80 %. 5–10 % of all children suffer from feeding problems which are so pronounced that they are referred to as manifest feeding disorders. For 3–4 % there are clear physical consequences in the sense of a failure to thrive [1, 2]. The reasons for feeding disorders are diverse and can be understood as “presenting symptoms” for underlying conflicts. 

Full text PDF (free access)