Eating disorders can happen in children as young as 8 years old, but there are warning signs to look out for. There is discussion among professionals as to why, but the media, family issues and low self-esteem may be causes. Keeping an eye out for warning signs can help with early intervention.
Here’s a list of some warning signs:
- Excessive exercise – instead of playing with friends or taking part in other activities you may find your daughter using a treadmill and timing herself. She may keep charts of her exercise time.
- Believing that she is overweight when she is normal weight or thin. She may not say it to you, but you may hear your daughter telling her friends that she is “fat”.
- Dieting or not eating as she did before. She may skip meals, or pick at her food. You may find from meals at home hidden or thrown out.
- Overeating excessively also known as binge eating – this is a sign of bulimia.
- Focus on food – asking about calories in the foods you serve, only eating low fat foods, low or no sugar foods or “diet” foods and asking you to buy these type of foods.
- Being obsessive about how female celebrities look, especially their weight.
- Being concerned about how clothing makes her look. She may ask, “Does it make me look fat?” She may also be interested in ads for clothing that makes people look slimmer, such as Insta Slim.
I’ve used the words “she” and “daughter” in this post, but even if less likely, eating disorders can occur in boys. Be aware of the warning signs of eating disorders in children and get them professional help when necessary.