Spitting up, refusing to try new foods and occasionally turning up their noses at feeding times, is normal but consistently refusing food and water, vomiting and allergies may indicate an underlying medical condition that requires attention. Common feeding problems that affect infants include sucking, prolonged chewing without swallowing, holding food in their mouth and grabbing food. Infants who are unable to close their mouths in order to keep food inside may also be said to be suffering from feeding problems.

Feeding problems could be triggered by medical conditions like a cleft palate, premature birth, respiratory problems, low birth weight etc. or by non-medical reasons such as the child’s feeling of being unloved or stressed. Symptoms of feeding problems vary from infant to infant. However, some of the common symptoms exhibited are:

• Problems with chewing
• Excessive drooling
• Refusing to eat foods or drink liquids
• Long feeding times
• Coughing or gagging while feeding
• Difficulty with breast or bottle feeding
• Nasal stuffiness while eating
• Poor weight gain
• Recurring respiratory infections
• Vomiting or excessive spitting up of food
• Arching the back while feeding
• Disinterest in feeding