When do children fast, how do they prepare for fasting and what should be wary of?

The issue of fasting children at a young age has sparked controversy on social media platforms, with some calling for forcing them to fast during the day Ramadan, others opposed the idea. Egypt's Dar al-Iftaa put an end to doubt with certainty with a post on its official page on Sunday, March 26, in which it says, "We call for children not to be forced to complete fasting until the end of the day, because they are not expensive, but rather to take into account graduality."

But how does a child gradually fast? Is there a certain age at which a child must start fasting, and are there cases when a child is prevented from fasting? And also what conditions help children?

Dr. Aisha Saqr, a specialist in therapeutic nutrition and obesity at Al Emadi Hospital in Doha, answers these questions to Al Jazeera.net, saying that first of all, we must know that childhood ranges from the age of one day to 18 years, which is the childhood stage that has been defined globally, noting that there is no specific age at which the child must fast because this depends on the ability of children to fast, which varies based on age and physical and health ability.

Dr. Aisha Saqer, Clinical Nutrition and Obesity Specialist at Al Emadi Hospital, Doha (Al Jazeera)

Gradual fasting

As for the gradation in fasting, which was referred to by the Egyptian Dar al-Iftaa, Saqr says that this depends on the child's physical and health condition and age, if we consider that we have a child together, the appropriate age to start gradually fasting is 5 to 6 years, provided that the child begins to abstain from food and drink for 4 hours a day. And that this increases gradually up to 6 hours and then 8 hours until fasting the whole day, depending on the ease and difficulty of the matter for the child as well as at the discretion of the mother.

She adds that the child may need years of gradual fasting, for example, at the age of five years, fasting for 4 hours, then increasing to 6 hours at the age of six years, and so on. While there are children who have the ability to tolerate fasting for a long time and can fast the whole day from a young age considering that they must be well nourished and super and focused at Iftar time.

There are also some things that help your child fast longer, such as advising the child to take some rest, as less energy is spent and his ability to continue fasting.

What is the appropriate age for fasting?

Dr. Aisha says that we cannot say that the age of 7 or 9 years is the appropriate age for fasting, because a child may reach the age of 12 years and still not qualify for fasting according to his physical ability, energy, health status, as well as his acceptance of fasting.

We may also find that a child is able to fast an entire day of Ramadan, while a child of the same age cannot do so.

There are also some children who can fast some days and cannot continue to do so throughout the month, as their abilities vary during different days. Here, there is no objection to the mother taking into account the health status of her child and his changing ability so that he fasts some days and does not fast other days, so that there is a balance with regard to the child's health and this does not represent pressure on him.

There is no objection to the mother taking into account the health of her child and his changing ability so that he fasts some days and does not fast other days (Pixaby)

What do young fasting people eat?

Dr. Aisha says that when a child breaks his fast after fasting for 4 hours or the period he was able to fast, he must be provided with a certain type of food, which is here simple sugars, because scientifically they represent the first food for blood, and for the child to obtain simple sugars, he must be given dates, honey, natural fruits, milk or any other source of sugars, because this provides the brain with the required energy and the child regains his activity.

As for the Suhoor meal, the child needs a balanced meal that provides him with the necessary energy during the fasting period. Here it is preferable to eat foods that take longer in digestion and remain in the stomach, helping the child to feel satisfied, especially protein materials such as eating eggs, cheese, chickpeas or dairy, which are natural sources of protein.

The Suhoor meal should also contain a piece of fiber-rich bread, quinoa, rice, pasta or bulgur. They are complex carbohydrates that provide the body with energy in addition to remaining in the stomach for a longer period of time than simple carbohydrates that are absorbed quickly.

The child's Suhoor should also contain minerals such as dates, dried apricots, Qamaruddin drink or bananas.

It is also important to focus on drinking enough fluids during the entire period from the Maghrib azan to Suhoor and not only during the Suhoor period.

There are children who have high motor activity and they need more energy and fasting may be a bigger challenge for them (Getty Images)

When is it preferable for a child not to fast?

There are children who are highly active and need more energy and fasting can be more challenging for them compared to other children.

There are also some conditions in which the child cannot fast or finds it more challenging to fast, such as the child's anemia, which is one of the most common diseases among young people already. In this case, the mother should monitor the child and allow him to fast only a few times and then eat food full of energy, vitamins and minerals that his body needs.

For children with diabetes, they should not fast at all until they return to the doctor.

The therapeutic nutritionist stresses that the legal rule for fasting is that "there is no harm and no harm" and if we find that there is harm to the child, he must be prevented from continuing to fast. Or to fast for only a few hours so that we raise him on the principle of fasting but with caution not to cause any harm to his physical condition.

In addition, Dr. Aisha says that studying during the month of Ramadan requires a lot of energy, and taking exams in the month of Ramadan may be difficult, and here we advise mothers not to insist on fasting their children, and children are not charged with fasting, but the mother is tasked with creating and developing the religious aspect in the souls of her children based on the rule of no harm or harm.

Signs to watch out for when fasting a child

The mother is the person most able to distinguish whether her child can tolerate fasting or not, and she must monitor the child carefully, especially when he fasts for the first time.

If the mother feels yellowing on her baby's face during fasting or severe dryness on his lips, this is a sign of fatigue and his need for fluids. Also, if the mother feels that the child is feeling sick. She should take the initiative to provide her child with any source of fluids and sugars to cover the deficiency.