It’s time to stop forceful feeding of babies: Abuja residents

Some Nigerians resident in Abuja on Sunday expressed reservation over the practice of forceful feeding of babies by mothers.

A cross section of those interviewed by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) said that although the practice was wide spread, especially in the South West, it amounted to abuse of children.
Mrs Khadijah Aminu, a parent in Dei-Dei, says forceful feeding of children is an abuse, because it always results in maltreatment or punishing of the child when it refuses to eat.

Aminu said the act of feeding a child by withholding it’s nose is an abuse in that it could lead to breath loss and possible death.
“Forcefully feeding a child will not only discomfort to the child because it can lead to indigestion and malnutrition,” she said.
Mr Femi Afolabi, a father of two  in Suleja, corroborated the claim, saying However, that finding what a child likes to eat helps a mother to know how to feed it without forceful feeding.

“I found out that my baby does not like drinking pap so I and my wife try feeding it with tea which she likes.
“So, when you find out what your child likes eating, you won’t need to forcefully feed the child which will lead to crying, discomfort and in severe cases, they could have eating disorder,” he said.

Mrs Cynthia Benson, a mother of two in Utako, says that in this modern age, forceful feeding is not needed because of the risk that comes with it.
Benson said that there are alternative ways of feeding children. For new borns, medical practitioners have suggested  breastfeeding.
“I don’t think there is any child that rejects breastfeeding. The problem is that some parents don’t offer to breastfeed.

”They say that if they breastfeed, their breast will collapse and lose its shape.

“When you are giving the child artificial food and the child does not want to take it. You can always breastfeed the child,” she said.

Benson said that forceful feeding is not necessary anymore, saying that trying to cajole kids to eat or spoon feeding them will do just fine.

But Mrs Margaret Medupin, a mother of three in Jabi, offers a different opinion, saying that forceful feeding has been done by Africans  from time immemorial and it has been a part of the African tradition.
Medupin said that the main aim of forceful feeding in those days is to make sure that a child eats properly.
“it is part of Africa’s culture how mothers were being trained to feed their children, it is seen as a good intention and a way of helping a child to eat properly, to stay healthy and grow well,” she said.
Mr Ikenna Uwadileke, a parent in Asokoro, said that sometimes it is good to force feed a child, adding that children by their nature find it difficult to eat, they select food and disturb the parent.
Uwadileke said that it is not because a parent wants to ensure that the child eat, that they should force it to eat what is not good for it.

“As a parent you must monitor your children, study their psychology because there are some children that like eating what is not good for them,”he said.

Mrs Amanda Ezenwa, a resident in Nyanya,  said forceful feeding is not child abuse but a way to make a child eat when it does not want to.

“However, I do not think it is advisable to do it on new born if you do not know how to do it properly,” she said.
Some medical experts interviewed also cautioned parents against forceful feeding, saying it is a dangerous experiment that contributes to infant mortality and could lead to litigation.
A Paediatric Neurologist, Dr Okunola Olusola of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, describes force-feeding as dangerous and foolish.
According to him, force-feeding compels a child to use his mouth to breath, cry and eat at the same time.
He warns that any mother doing so may kill the child. (NAN)