One form of child abuse/neglect is malnutrition. Some parents or caregivers that are substance abusers or out of plain cruelty or 'punishment' fail to feed their children enough or fail to give them the proper foods. Here are indicators that a child is suffering from malnutrition.
Children:
- begging for or stealing food
- frequently hungry
- rummaging through garbage pails for food
- gorging self, eating in large gulps
- hoarding food
- obesity
- overeating junk food
Infants & Toddlers:
- listlessness
- poor responsiveness
- does not smile, laugh, cry, play, relate to others
- lacks interest, curiosity
- tears at body
- rocks, bangs head, sucks hair thumb, fingers
- does not turn to parent for comfort
- overly self stimulating, self comforting
