4 Tips for Parenting a Child With an Eating Disorder

Parenting a child with an eating disorder is an incredibly difficult and often painful experience. You can often feel helpless and wish there was more you could do, but the truth is that you play an integral part in your child’s treatment and recovery.

There are so many different kinds of eating disorders that are growing increasingly common amongst teenagers. Some of the most prevalent ones include:

• Anorexia Nervosa: Characterized by constant monitoring of weight, restrictive eating patterns, and distorted body image.
• Bulimia Nervosa: People with bulimia often eat excessively large amounts of food in a short amount of time and may attempt to purge to compensate for the high number of calories consumed.
• Binge eating: Eating a vast quantity of food with little to no self control, often as a means to suppress difficult emotions.

If your child exhibits any of the symptoms of these conditions, it can be devastating to witness. Meal times are often the biggest challenge to overcome, as you want to ensure your child eats the proper amount of the right food in order to maintain their health. But you also don’t want to seem overly watchful or strict about their diet. It’s important to bear in mind that what works for one family may not work for another, so your approach will depend on the particular temperament and symptoms of your child. Here are four tips that may help you care for a child with an eating disorder.

Validate positive actions

For a child with a severe eating disorder, clearing a substantial portion of their plate can be a huge win. It’s important that you are supportive and praise these victories. Even if they are unable to eat much, you need to appreciate the huge effort they’ve put in. Just sitting down for a meal with their family can involve overcoming a huge amount of fear, so be vocal in your praise, even if the outcome may not be exactly what you had hoped. 

Remain calm

Emotions may be running high and it’s a stressful situation for all involved, but try to remain cool and calm wherever possible. Don’t get frustrated or angry at your child if they don’t respond to treatment and try not to let your own feelings get the better of you. You want to create a positive, supportive atmosphere in your household and not risk making things worse.

Use distraction techniques

The worst thing for your child is to have everyone watching them round the dinner table. You want to create the optimal conditions for them to feel comfortable eating, and distraction techniques can help. Silly conversations, trivia, anecdotes or games are all great ideas to help distract your adolescent from their own thoughts.

Seek help

If the eating disorder is severe, there may not be anything you can do by yourself. It is a good idea therefore to seek professional help in the form of cognitive behavioral therapy or a dietician for eating disorders. They will be better qualified to help your child overcome their condition and improve their health.

*This is a collaboration post