It’s not normal for growing children to refuse to eat food for long periods of time. Children in their natural state are hungry every few hours (even if they deny it at the time), and refusing to eat most likely is a sign of an underlying medical problem, as opposed to an indication of a parent-child power struggle.
Q. What is the youngest age to have anorexia?
Early onset anorexia, under the age of 12, can look different from the adult illness. “In the classic adult form, they are afraid of getting fat and believe themselves to be fat and quit eating on that basis,” she said. “But there are some children 10 and under who refuse to eat and can’t tell you why.
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Q. Can a ten year old have an eating disorder?
A 9 or 10-year old with an eating disorder?! Yes, it can happen. And because the signs and symptoms of an eating disorder look slightly different in children than in adults, the diagnosis can sometimes be missed.
Q. Why is my child not eating?
Some children refuse to eat when they’ve had too many snacks or drinks during the day. They have smaller stomachs, so it doesn’t take much for them to become full. And if a child doesn’t feel hungry at mealtime, they’re less likely to eat.
Q. Should I punish my child for not eating?
Do Not Force Your Child to Eat Rewarding your child for eating, punishing your child for not eating, or forcing your child to eat can reinforce poor behavior. Besides causing an unpleasant mealtime environment, these behaviors can create a picky eater or result in your child becoming overweight.
Q. Will a child starve themselves?
Yes, in other words, they starve themselves. These kids either aren’t eating enough foods and their growth starts to falter. Or, they eat such a narrow variety that they aren’t getting the nutrients they need (even if they’re getting lots of calories).
Q. How long can a child go without eating?
These instances include hunger strikes, religious fasts, and other situations. These studies have uncovered several observations about starvation: An article in Archiv Fur Kriminologie states the body can survive for 8 to 21 days without food and water and up to two months if there’s access to an adequate water intake.
Q. Why does my 12 year old not eat?
Lack of hunger or not eating adequately can be due to many things, including stress, depression, trying to “make weight” for certain sports, or an eating disorder. Although eating disorders are much more common in females, they do occasionally occur in males.
