Avoid these Practices: Force-Feeding and Physical Punishment

Experts have advised against force-feeding as many children have been harmed through this inappropriate way of feeding. Ask these questions first:

i. Why is the child not accepting the food?

ii. Could the child be allergic to the food or lactose intolerant?

iii. Is this food well-cooked, tasty and healthy?

iv: Could the child be sick?

vi. Can that food be replaced with another one?

these are a few of the reasons why children reject food and once the caregivers find answers to these, it will help end force-feeding and infant death as a result of it.

Physical abuse is not recommended when it comes to discipline. Here are a few non-violent alternatives:

i. positive or negative reinforcement: positive reinforcement is rewarding them with something to encourage the wanted while negative reinforcement is removing something to encourage them to engage in the wanted behaviour. For example, extending a child's screen time for getting good grades is positive reinforcement while reducing screen time to enable a child to study more and get good grades is negative reinforcement.

ii. Talking: it appears easy right? Try this method by having a one-on-one discussion with the child. Make him/her understand the implications of such behaviour and give room for response no matter how angry you are.

iii. professional help: the negative behaviour may just be something a professional counsellor would handle.

iv. Art: there are different forms of art (painting, music, sculpture etc) which can be used to get the child busy and to understand why the child is behaving that way. Children love art and express themselves better through art. It is also one of the best ways to understand their behaviour especially if it's a mental, psychological or emotional issue.

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Take time to observe the pattern of such behaviour to enable you to understand the type of intervention to apply instead of the violent approach.