Question
A one-year-old eight-month-old boy recently developed symptoms of hoarseness and yellowish eye discharge in his left eye, and he has been particularly uninterested in eating for three consecutive days, with his picky eating worsening. How should parents deal with this situation?
Answer
For children with picky eating habits, it is important to avoid over-providing their favorite foods and to create a relaxed and pleasant dining environment. It is not advisable to continuously give children their preferred foods or to alter their disliked foods to encourage them to try new things. When children show progress, parents should offer timely praise. Parents themselves should avoid picky eating and set an example by cultivating proper dietary habits in their children, ensuring regular meals, balanced diets, and the provision of essential trace elements, particularly zinc and selenium. Deficiencies in zinc and selenium can also lead to picky eating and a lack of appetite in children.