My Child Is Afraid Of Choking, What Can I Do?
The fear of choking is known by the name of phagophobia, a type of specific phobia that is characterized by showing an excessive and irrational fear of the act of swallowing food.
This significantly affects the lives of people with this pathology, as they tend to suffer intense episodes of anxiety every time it is time to eat, and even try to avoid any situation related to food.
Do you think your child suffers from this disorder? If so, you should read carefully, then we will explain what to do in these cases.
My child is afraid of choking, what can I do?
Fear of choking tends to occur in some children after having a choking episode on food or after witnessing someone else choking. Although there are many other reasons why phagophobia can develop in childhood, these are simply the most common.
Regardless of the cause of this problem, the important thing is to solve it. Do you want to help your child overcome the fear of choking? Next, we give you a series of guidelines that you can put into practice at mealtime.
Be patient and keep calm
We know that the fact that your child does not want to eat for fear of choking is very worrying and exasperating. But, for their sake, you must remain calm in this situation.
Forcing him to eat or being angry with him will not help, as his irrational fear of swallowing will continue to persist. Therefore, you must arm yourself with patience and make mealtime as stressful and overwhelming as possible.
If your child is afraid of choking, show understanding of the situation
It is important that your child knows that you understand how bad it is when having to eat. You have to show your unconditional support and tell him that you are not going to allow anything bad to happen to him.
In these cases, establishing an open and fluent communication is essential, so that the child feels comfortable to express his thoughts and emotions related to the subject.
Control meal times
One of the measures to take if your child is afraid of choking is to control meal times and make sure that meal times are not too long.
If the little one becomes distressed and becomes excessively tense, it is convenient to remove the plate and try, again, to eat the portion of food that corresponds to him during the snack or at dinner.
Try to eat as a family
If possible, try to eat as a family. This is important so that your child understands that this is a time of enjoyment and reunion. In addition, in this way, the child will observe how the rest of the members eat without any problem, without feeling threatened or in danger.
Get help from a specialist
If the situation does not improve by putting into practice the recommendations described above, it is best to put yourself in the hands of a psychology professional, who will help your child overcome his irrational fear through specialized therapy.
The importance of treating the fear of choking
If the fear of choking is prolonged over time, it can cause a large number of negative consequences for both the mind and the body of the person suffering from phagophobia , such as:
- Malnourishment. When deciding to stop eating or eat excessively little, the body does not have the necessary nutrients for its proper functioning.
- Social isolation, by avoiding sharing with other people (family, friends, etc.) moments related to food.
- Depression, the result of experiencing great psychological discomfort day after day.
Therefore, it is not a trivial subject, far from it. For the sake of the physical and mental health of your child, as soon as the presence of this pathology is detected, it is necessary to intervene, with the intention of putting an end to it as soon as possible and avoiding even greater problems.
Your child will be wanting to lead a normal life and enjoy food like anyone else, and you must be there to help him, to support him and to accompany him in the hard process of overcoming a phobia or irrational fear like this.
