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What are the reasons behind a child's slow weight gain? What solutions can naturally improve a child's weight? These are the questions that often perplex many parents, especially first-time ones.
To provide a detailed insight into the issue of slow weight gain in children, Mytour along with nutrition experts will analyze the causes and present 8 effective solutions for underweight children. Hopefully, the following sharing will be beneficial for your child.
What causes a child to have slow weight gain?
To choose the right approach to improve a child's weight accurately, parents need to understand the underlying reasons leading to this condition. Similar to overweight children, nutrition experts always warn about the long-term adverse effects on health when a child experiences slow weight gain.
Is Your Child Gaining Weight Slowly? One or more of the following reasons might be why:
1/ Genetic Factors: Either you or your spouse being thin could be a reason for your child's slow weight gain after birth;
2/ Excessive Activity: Your child might engage in too much play throughout the day, leading to burning a significant amount of calories daily. You may need to adjust the diet instead of limiting your child's play activities;
3/ Restless Nature: Does your child always prefer to move around and refuses to sit still? The body will continuously release energy. Note that your child can burn calories even while just watching TV;
4/ Loss of Appetite: Issues like stress, fatigue,... can reduce your child's appetite;
5/ Picky Eating: It's truly challenging to distinguish between picky eating and laziness in eating. This is when you will need the help of nutrition experts to get the best advice and solutions;
6/ Child's Sensitivity to Certain Food Components: Allergies also significantly affect a child's daily eating habits;
7/ Notable Medical Issues: Incomplete or poorly functioning body parts can also be a reason. Especially, gastric issues may hinder the proper absorption of nutrients from food;
8/ Unscientific or Inappropriate Dietary Design: Advice from nutrition experts suggests parents should not let children consume too many processed foods, as this can alter their taste preferences. Children tend to favor sweet or salty foods over nutrient-rich foods that help improve weight;
9/ Excessive Fiber Intake: This leads to uncomfortable bloating and loss of appetite;
10/ Children Deficient in Vitamins and Minerals: Low zinc levels reduce a child's ability to taste food, leading to loss of appetite. Additionally, iron and vitamin B12 deficiency decreases red blood cell counts, cells responsible for transporting oxygen to all parts of the body;
11/ Long-term Dieting and Limited Use of Butter or Cooking Oil: Low-fat milk also limits a child's absorption of vitamins A and D, and a lack of fat in the diet can also lead to slow weight gain in children;
What to Do When Your Child Gains Weight Slowly?
Weight is indeed a measure of a child's growth and development. After understanding the reasons behind a child's slow weight gain, parents can implement some of the 8 solutions below to help their child develop both in height and weight.
1. Ensure the child gets enough and varied nutrients
In every nutritional plan, a meal that is rich and varied is essential to help the child gain weight steadily and develop healthily. The child's diet should include adequate meat, eggs, milk, fats, fruits, and vegetables. Mothers can continuously change cooking methods to stimulate the child's appetite.
2. Add more fat to your child's meals
Fat is the most important fat component in the diet that helps children gain weight. Not only is it an essential nutrient, but fat also provides children with double the energy that carbohydrates and proteins provide.
According to nutrition experts, mothers can add a spoonful of oil or fat specifically for young children to every bowl of rice or porridge. Especially during the first two years of life, fat should be present in every meal to help children gain weight steadily.
3. Avoid forcing children to eat
Sometimes children may not be interested in the prepared meals for the day, leading to eating less and loss of appetite. The advice for mothers is not to force children to finish their meals.
Forcing children to eat can cause food aversion, creating a fearful atmosphere during meals and leading to future eating aversions.
What you should do is only give the child an appropriate amount of food. If the child eats too little during a meal, mothers can supplement with additional snacks such as bananas, milk. This scientific approach will help the child develop healthily and gain weight very well.
4. Supplementing nutrition outside of meals
In addition to main meals, mothers should supplement the child with light meals with various sources of food such as milk, fruits.. to achieve better natural weight gain for the child.
When choosing weight gain milk for children, mothers should pay attention to selecting products suitable for their age and from reputable suppliers and brands. Don't forget that probiotic products will help the child's digestive system work more effectively, helping the child eat better.
5. Increase the number of meals per day for your child
In addition to the common practice of feeding children 2-3 main meals, mothers can divide their child's food intake into 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Dividing meals not only helps children eat more easily but also helps their bodies absorb nutrients better, reducing malnutrition in children.
6. Avoid buying “supplements” without consulting a doctor
Today, the abuse of supplements is becoming increasingly common. On many forums, social media platforms,.. supplements are advertised as a panacea for children's health. However, parents SHOULD NOT buy these supplements without guidance from a doctor. Even if they are genuine products with clear origins, overdosing can still have adverse effects on the child's health.
Therefore, to ensure the child's healthy development, parents SHOULD regularly take their child to medical facilities for advice on and proper prescription of supplements that are suitable and best for the child's condition.
7. Encourage proper physical activity for your child
Playing activities with peers of the same age also has surprisingly good effects on children's health. Physical activities such as playing ball, cycling, free play... will improve children's immunity, help them grow taller effectively, and also promote healthy and appetizing eating habits.
Playtime is also an essential part of every day, helping children stay cheerful and sleep better.
8. Consider taking your child to specialized nutrition clinics for check-ups
No one can help mothers understand their child's health condition better than pediatric specialists. Is your child gaining weight slowly? A comprehensive health check-up and advice from doctors will help parents adjust methods promptly. This is also the best solution to help your beloved child stay healthy, gain weight steadily, and develop comprehensively.
What milk should a slow-gaining child drink?
To expedite the weight gain process, many parents have supplemented their children with nutrient-rich formula milk. However, with the market flooded with a variety of milk products, parents often face dilemmas in choosing the right milk for their children.
Here, Mytour introduces you to some highly-rated milk brands known for enhancing taste sensation and aiding in better nutrient absorption, thereby ensuring safe and rapid weight gain.
Friso Milk
Produced 100% from milk sourced from Holstein Friesian cows (Dutch dairy cows), Friso is the result of a collaboration between experienced Dutch farming families and cows producing the highest quality milk.
The entirely closed production process, closely monitored with LockNutriTM technology, ensures that the protein content in the milk remains unaltered by high temperatures. Friso helps children absorb nutrients better without causing constipation.
Friso stands out as one of the leading milk brands recommended by healthcare experts for children. It's the ultimate choice for effective weight gain, providing mothers with peace of mind.
Pediasure BA Milk
To supplement nutrition for children, especially picky eaters, Pediasure BA is the top choice for many mothers in Vietnam. Pediasure BA optimizes physical and intellectual growth for children aged 1-10.
The new complex system from 3 high-quality protein sources combined with an advanced dual-carbohydrate system makes children feel more enjoyable while eating. The modern milk formula provides balanced energy to help children catch up quickly and continue their best growth trajectory.
Abbott Grow Milk
What milk should a slow-gaining child drink? Abbott Grow is a decent suggestion. Produced by the renowned American brand Abbott, Abbott Grow meets the high nutritional demands of children in various developmental stages.
Packed with 9 essential amino acids and over 26 nutrients, Abbott Grow promotes optimal height, weight, and brain development in children. Its high levels of Calcium, Vitamin D, and balanced Calcium/Phosphorus ratio, along with scientifically derived plant-based fats, contribute to daily growth.
With the insights shared above, we hope mothers have gained useful information to better care for their children, ensuring their comprehensive and safest development.
- Improper milk preparation leads to slow growth in children
- Nutritionists provide weaning food formulas for slow-gaining children
- Mistakes in cooking porridge can contribute to children's slow weight gain
