The baby is not gaining weight, what should I do? Newborn weight: why does a child gain weight poorly?

Before we move on to tips on how to gain weight for a child, let’s determine the age of your child, and also calculate whether there really is a deficit in his weight.

The optimal weight of a child up to 6 months is calculated by the formula: 800 g x number of months + baby’s weight at birth.
The optimal weight of a child aged 7-12 months is calculated as follows: 800 g x 6 + 400 g x day of the month, six months + baby’s weight at birth. Don't forget, first we multiply everything, then we add the results, and then we add the birth weight.
Now about how to calculate the normal weight for older children... The starting point will be the normal weight of a five-year-old child, it is 19 kg. If your baby is under 5 years old, then for each year that is missing until 5, subtract 19 2 kg. If the child is over 5 years old, then add 3 kg to 19 for each year.

How to gain weight for a child who is underweight:

So, after you have calculated the required weight of the child and discovered a deficiency, you need to consult a doctor. Then reconsider your diet. The cause of the problem may be both the composition of the diet and the person’s poor appetite (that is, a lack of calories).

What does your child eat most often? It is necessary that the composition of food is not just energy-intensive, but also nutritious. Here are some healthy, nutritious foods that can help you gain weight quickly:

Nuts: almonds, peanuts, cashews, pecans.
Vegetables with a lot of calories: corn, potatoes, peas, sweet potatoes and yams.
Dried fruits: figs, raisins, dried bananas, plums. Even regular bananas are good for kids as a snack between meals.
In order for a child to gain weight, he needs to drink high-calorie drinks more often, such as vegetable and fruit juices (freshly squeezed, of course, and not store-bought).

In the modern world, there is an acute problem of increasing the number of children suffering from obesity. However, doctors note that the problem of underweight in children also remains relevant, and many children would benefit from gaining a few kilograms. However, this is not such a simple task: it is not enough to simply allow the child to eat whatever he wants. Instead, you should change your eating habits, include nutritious, high-calorie foods in your diet, and “secretly” add extra calories to your usual meals. If you think your child needs to gain weight, be sure to consult with a specialist before helping him gain weight.

Steps

Identifying causes

Try to establish the reasons. Just like adults, some children are simply thin and find it quite difficult to gain extra weight. However, you should rule out other possible reasons why your child looks too thin.

Children are quite picky eaters, but if your child constantly has a poor appetite, this may indicate some kind of physiological or psychological disorder. Sometimes excessive thinness is associated with hormonal problems or metabolic disorders, such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland).
Eating may be associated with discomfort due to gastrointestinal disorders or allergies to any foods.
If your child is taking any medications, be aware that some medications may reduce appetite.
Unfortunately, factors such as peer pressure can also lead to digestive disorders even in children of preschool and primary school age.
Perhaps your child is simply very active and expends more calories than he or she takes in.

Consult your pediatrician. If you and your child have regular checkups, your pediatrician may advise your child to gain weight. Don't hesitate to ask your doctor for advice about your concerns.
- As noted, intolerance and allergies to certain foods, digestive problems and many other disorders can lead to excessive thinness in a child. The pediatrician will help establish the correct diagnosis and prescribe appropriate treatment.
- In most cases, the situation can be corrected by changes in everyday life and habits. However, expert advice never hurts.
Follow your doctor's instructions when feeding your baby. The methods for gaining weight as an infant are certainly different from those for older children. Serious illnesses are rare: underweight is mainly caused by improper feeding, insufficient breast milk or gastrointestinal disorders.
- If you think your baby is not gaining weight well, be sure to consult with your doctor. The pediatrician will examine your child, order the necessary tests, and refer you to a nutritionist who will instruct you on proper feeding, or to a pediatric gastroenterologist.
- Treatment will depend on the specific situation and may include the following measures: supplementary feeding with formula milk (in case of insufficient breast milk); feeding the child not according to a strict schedule, but when he wants; switching to another milk formula (if you are intolerant or allergic to the previous milk formula or switching to a higher-calorie formula); introducing complementary foods a little earlier than six months after birth. In some cases, your doctor may prescribe medications for acid reflux.
- Timely weight gain early in life is very important for subsequent health, so if you have the slightest problem, you should consult a doctor. Lack of weight can almost always be eliminated in time, and it will not affect the child’s health.
Changing eating habits
1. Feed your underweight baby more often. In many cases, the problem is not what the child eats, but the amount of food. Young children have a small stomach capacity, so they need to eat more often than adults.
  - It is often recommended that children eat five to seven times a day, not counting snacks between meals.
  - Feed your baby whenever he is hungry.
2. Give importance to meals. Without giving up light snacks, pay special attention to main meals. Teach your child not to be distracted while eating and to enjoy food.
  
  Set the right example. It may turn out that your child would benefit from gaining a couple of kilograms, while you, on the contrary, would benefit from losing weight. However, even in this situation, your diet and your baby's diet should not be very different. Nutrient-rich foods are good for everyone, including thin and overweight people.
  - Looking at adults, children take their example from them. If your diet is varied and includes healthy, natural foods such as vegetables, fruits and whole grains, your children will adopt your healthy eating habits.
  - Try to eliminate unhealthy foods from the family diet, regardless of whether any family members need to gain or lose weight.
3. Get your child into the habit of regular physical exercise. Like eating healthy, exercise is more often associated with weight loss rather than gain. However, if you combine exercise with proper nutrition, it will help you gain weight.
  - Typically, increased muscle mass promotes weight gain, especially in older children; This method is certainly more beneficial than the accumulation of fatty tissue.
  - Exercise generally stimulates the appetite, so encourage exercise before meals and see what happens.
Choosing nutritious, high-calorie foods
1. Avoid junk food. Yes, cakes, pastries, cookies, sugary drinks and fast food do contain a lot of calories that contribute to weight gain. However, consuming them can lead to a variety of health problems (including even diabetes and heart disease in children) that far outweigh the minor benefits of mild weight gain.
  - High-calorie but nutrient-poor foods, such as sugary drinks, do not promote healthy weight gain. It is better to eat food rich in both calories and nutrients: helping to gain weight, it provides the body with essential vitamins and minerals.
  - Don't tell your child that he should “get fat” or “put meat on his bones”—instead, tell him that you both need to eat healthier foods.
2. Compose your diet with a variety of nutrient-rich foods. Variety is important not only because it provides the body with all the necessary vitamins and minerals: it also maintains interest in food and helps you enjoy it. The monotony of food can discourage a child from eating.
  - A high-calorie, nutritious diet for weight gain in children should include foods rich in starchy carbohydrates (bread, pasta, cereals), at least five servings of vegetables and fruits daily, proteins (meat, fish, eggs, legumes) and dairy products (milk, cheese, etc.).
  - All children under two years of age need whole milk products, and your child's doctor may recommend giving your child these products later in life to help with weight gain.
  - Although a healthy diet should include foods rich in dietary fiber, you should not give too much of it to a child who is trying to gain weight. After a large portion of a dish made from brown rice or whole grain pasta, the child will feel full for too long and even overeat.
3. Give your child healthy fats. We tend to think of fat as something bad, but this is not always the case. Many fats, especially plant-based ones, are essential for a healthy diet. These fats also help you gain weight because they contain about nine calories per gram, while there are only about four calories per gram of carbohydrates or proteins.
  - Flaxseed and coconut oils are good options and can be added to many dishes. Flaxseed oil is almost odorless, while coconut oil is often added for a pleasant aroma; They can be used to season a variety of dishes, from vegetable salads to smoothies.
  - Olives and olive oil also work well.
  - Nuts and seeds, such as almonds and pistachios, will provide your baby with plenty of healthy fats.
  - Avocado will give dishes a creamy consistency and also provide the body with healthy fats.
4. Choose the right snacks. Children who are gaining weight need to snack from time to time. As with main meals, choose healthy foods rather than high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods.
  - Opt for nutritious, high-calorie meals that are easy to prepare and serve as snacks. For example, you can make sandwiches with peanut butter and jelly and whole grain bread, make a nutritious trail mix with nuts and dried fruits, apples and cheese, or fill pancakes with sliced avocado.
  - As a treat, you can first use bran muffins, oatmeal cookies with nuts and honey, or yogurt, and only then offer your guests regular cookies, cakes and ice cream.
5. Monitor what and when your child drinks. It is important for children not to lack water, but too much liquid creates a feeling of fullness and suppresses the appetite.
Increasing the number of calories in food
1. Don't forget the milk. Dairy products can be added to a wide variety of dishes. This will increase the number of calories and nutritional value of your food.
  - Milk smoothies and shakes are a great way to get in extra calories. By adding fresh fruit to them, you will improve the taste and provide the child's body with the necessary nutrients.
  - Melted or grated cheese can be added to almost any dish, from scrambled eggs to fresh salads or baked vegetables.
  - Try cooking soups with milk instead of water. If you give your child chopped vegetables or fruits, encourage him to dip them in a sauce made from sour cream, cream cheese, or yogurt.
  - If your child has a milk allergy or you don't want to use dairy products for any other reason, you have an alternative. Soy and almond milk also contain quite a few calories and a variety of nutrients, and you can add soft (silken) tofu to a variety of smoothies.

Which parent doesn't want their child to be healthy? Health is always associated with the weight and appearance of the baby. After all, healthy children should not look emaciated, but those who suffer from chronic illnesses or simply often get colds are often thin. The role of weight in assessing the general condition of children in the first year of life is especially great: here, literally by grams, the baby’s weight gain is assessed monthly, and any deviations make parents worry.

The anxiety of young mothers is further aggravated by questions and jokes from “kind-hearted” relatives and friends (“Oh, how thin you are, your mother probably doesn’t feed you well”) and comparisons of their own child with the chubby babies of friends. At this point, even mothers who are not prone to excessive anxiety begin to doubt: maybe he really is thin? And how to fatten him up? Really, what?

But before we move on to this issue, I would like to remind you that your child is not a pig, and there is no need to “fatten” him for the joy of others. And the fact of lack of mass should be established by a doctor (ideally, not even one), and not by the parents, relatives and friends themselves. When assessing the weight of children, not only age is taken into account, but also other parameters (height, constitutional features, mobility of the child, etc.), which will be difficult for a non-specialist to correctly correlate with each other. If the mass is insufficient, then during measures to restore it (special nutrition, sometimes biological supplements, vitamins and medications are required), it is imperative to find out the reason.

Nutrition of low birth weight babies in the first half of life

At the age of up to 6 months, there are several main reasons for underweight, according to which nutrition selection will be carried out:

Premature babies and children born with IUGR (intrauterine growth retardation)

Breast milk will help your newborn gain weight well.

Immediately after birth, such babies have a low (less than 2500 g) body weight; they are often transferred to the intensive care unit, where they immediately begin feeding with artificial formula. However, mother's milk will be optimal for them, so the mother needs to maintain and stimulate lactation even if she is separated from the child. It is breast milk, even if obtained from a bottle after pumping, that is best absorbed and will help the baby gain weight. Well, when there is not enough milk or there is no milk at all, babies are prescribed special medicinal formulas for premature infants, the name of which contains the prefix “pre” (“Friso Pre”, “Pre Nan”, “Pregestimil”, etc.). In addition, artificial formulas for premature infants are divided according to the weight of the child (“Nutrilon Pre” - for feeding children weighing up to 1800 g, “Nutrilon Pre 1” - for children weighing from 1800 g).

Special formulas for premature babies, compared to regular formulas, contain more protein, fat and carbohydrates, and therefore are higher in calories. They also contain more vitamins, macro- and microelements. Some manufacturers produce mixtures with partially digested protein (“Nan Pre”). The enriched protein-fat and carbohydrate composition helps the child gain weight faster, the additional introduction of vitamins, macro- and microelements helps prevent the development of rickets and iron deficiency anemia, and partial hydrolysis facilitates the absorption of the mixture in the immature gastrointestinal tract of the premature baby.

If the newborn tolerated the formula prescribed to him in the maternity hospital normally, then after discharge no experiments are carried out and this same mixture is left either until the child reaches the age of 1 month or until he gains weight of 3 kg. Then the question is decided individually (in each case by a doctor): is formula needed (for mixed feeding) or will breast milk be sufficient? If necessary, a subsequent formula is selected.

False hypogalactia

They talk about false hypogalactia when the mother (or pediatrician) for some reason believes that the baby does not have enough milk, but in reality the child receives enough. Advice: do not immediately rush to supplement your child’s feeding, first understand the problem: carry out repeated weighings on the same scales, control weighing after feeding, consult another doctor if necessary, rule out pathology (primarily diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, enzymatic deficiency). Premature introduction of supplementary feeding will lead to a gradual decline in lactation and the development of true hypogalactia.

True hypogalactia

When the fact of insufficient breast milk production is established, and no measures to stimulate lactation have an effect, we can talk about true hypogalactia. In such a situation, the baby constantly lacks mother's milk and either additional introduction of artificial milk substitutes - supplementary feeding (mixed feeding) is required, or, in the complete absence of milk, a transition to completely artificial feeding.

Remember that supplementary feeding of a child under the age of 6 months is possible only with specially designed formulas for artificial feeding (usually marked with the number 1 next to the name: “NAN-1”, “Nutrilon-1”). The selection of the mixture should be carried out on the recommendation and under the supervision of a pediatrician.

Do not listen to the advice of all-knowing grandmothers and neighbors and other “natural and healthy” foods. The gastrointestinal tract of a baby up to six months is not able to cope with the digestion of any food other than human milk (or at least adapted mixtures that imitate this milk). Otherwise, you risk not only not getting the desired result (weight gain), but also providing your baby with such unpleasant conditions as functional digestive disorders, gastritis, etc.

What and how to feed a child from 6 months to a year for weight gain

Complementary feeding for underweight children usually starts with porridge.

From 6 months onwards, complementary foods begin to appear on babies' menus. But the principles of introducing complementary foods for children with malnutrition (lack of weight) are exactly the same as for children with normal weight - there is no need to rush to include new types of food in the diet.

What helps you gain weight:

Feeding on schedule. After six months, it is recommended to accustom the child to a certain daily routine; even breastfeeding can no longer be given on demand, but “according to a schedule.” Complementary foods are even more important - feed the baby at the same time, which will normalize the processes of separation of digestive juices and, in general, will have a positive effect on the condition of the child’s gastrointestinal tract, the percentage of digestible food will increase, which means there will be an increase in body weight.
Feedings should be frequent - at least every 4 hours. Night break – 6 hours.
Increasing the daily calorie intake is carried out only after consultation with a doctor. It is recommended to primarily increase the intake of carbohydrates (through cereals - they can be given twice a day, sweet fruits and vegetables) and proteins (mainly through infant formula). Be sure to give your child meat, cottage cheese, kefir every day - they are introduced according to age. The fat content in the menu is usually not increased.

What to avoid:

Overfeeding. Overfeeding leads to overload of the gastrointestinal tract. With frequent overfeeding, digestive disruptions with episodes of diarrhea and vomiting are possible - as a result, the child will lose, rather than gain, weight.
Force feeding. Force feeding often causes the baby to vomit after eating. In addition, with this approach to nutrition, children develop an aversion to the very process of eating, and each time it will be more and more difficult to persuade the child to eat.
Introducing fatty foods and easily digestible carbohydrates (sugar, pasta). An excess of fats and refined carbohydrates disrupts metabolic processes and creates the preconditions for further developments. And getting rid of extra pounds will be much harder than gaining them. Fats are poorly digested and lead to digestive problems.

What and how to feed a child over one year old to gain weight

Which will help your child gain weight:

Regularity of feeding – we feed according to a schedule and at least 4 times a day.
A varied diet. Children often refuse monotonous, boring dishes, but willingly agree to new types of food. Experiment, select new products and dishes (in accordance with your age, of course).
Pay attention to the presentation of dishes. A plate of porridge decorated with berries or jam in the shape of a smiling face, cutlets with “eyes” and a “tail” made from pieces of boiled vegetables and herbs, a figuratively laid out side dish and other decorations sharply increase the child’s interest in food.
If possible, feed your baby at the same time as other children - friends, cousins or siblings. As you know, kids eat much better with company.
Avoid snacking, especially buns and sweets between meals - they create a false sense of fullness.
Before meals, it is good to give sweet and sour fruits and berries (cherries, apples), which stimulate the secretion of gastric juice and increase appetite. In addition, salted fish (herring, mackerel), pickled vegetables, and salads from fresh vegetables have a juice-containing effect.
Enriching the diet with fermented milk products, pre- and probiotics, since underweight children often have problems with stool and intestinal dysbiosis.
Additionally, after a year, you can use special formulas for children with low weight - “Pediashur”, “Clinutren Junior”, “Peptamen Junior” - these are high-calorie, protein-enriched mixtures with a rather pleasant taste.

Please note that all of the above recommendations are intended for relatively healthy children who have a moderate decrease in body weight compared to the age norm. In the case of severe retardation in physical development and severe weight loss, it is necessary, after identifying the causes of malnutrition, to carry out full treatment, including the prescription of medications. And therapeutic nutrition for children with severe malnutrition is built only under the constant supervision of a pediatrician, with a daily calculation of the daily calorie intake and determination of the need for basic nutritional components.

Sometimes, from the first days of breastfeeding a newborn, he begins to gain weight, which, of course, is a reason for panic among nursing mothers. You just need to find out how to properly feed a newborn with breast milk,to avoid underweight in infants . First, let’s find out what can really be considered underweight in a baby. In the maternity hospital, the nursing mother should have been informed that in the first day the baby loses a little weight (this happens to all children without exception), but this is not a terrible weight loss, it is usually called physiological. This is a maximum of 10% of the newborn’s weight. If the baby was born at 3500, he is capable of losing up to 350 grams in the first 3 days, but usually this is 100-200 grams.

How to properly feed a newborn with breast milk to avoid infant weight gain

Starting from the 10th day, if the mother knows how to properly feed the newborn with breast milk, the babies should slowly begin to gain weight. Typically, pediatricians focus on standards for newborns up to 6 months:

The baby should gain about 18-20 grams per day.
This is 125-130 grams per week.
Per month, respectively, 500-600 grams.

We have to talk about underweight in children from 7 to 9 months if:

The increase per day is less than 12 grams.

In this article we will not consider the situation when older children remain thin, because the article is devoted to the fact that how to properly feed a newborn with breast milk to avoid underweight in the baby.

Improper organization also means improper breastfeeding, but 95% of success depends on this. There is no need to be shy; even in the maternity hospital, ask again and again to show you exactly how to insert the nipple and part of the areola into the newborn. Sometimes the baby just holds the nipple in the chest and continues to sleep. Weak children often behave this way. Shake the child (by the heel), wake him up. You should hear that the newborn is swallowing and not just holding the breast in his mouth. I remember that my daughter was even sweating from the effort, but since I didn’t give her anything other than the breast, she patiently pumped her mother’s milk.

The baby looks so wonderful with proper breastfeeding on demand.

Know that the basics of how to properly feed a newborn with breast milk imply that the little one receives his mother’s breast at the first squeak, and not by the clock. The baby has little strength to “get” enough milk at one time; every minute he weakens (if they regularly try to feed a weak child only at certain hours) and will eat less and less. Ignore the schedule, meet the newborn halfway and gradually the baby will get stronger and work out its own schedule (sometimes after 2.5 hours, and sometimes after 4).

How to properly feed a newborn with breast milk, hour by hour

A common mistake can be considered too short a period of time when the little one eats. In terms of time, the feeding procedure should take about 40 minutes. It is a mistake to simply transfer the sleeping baby into the playpen after 15 minutes; you need to wake him up and resume feeding. Nobody says it's easy. For the first month or two you will probably have to eat and drink with the newborn in your arms.

How to properly feed a newborn with breast milk - night feedings

Ignoring night feedings if the baby does not wake up on his own. The most valuable in its composition and the most nutritious, high-calorie milk is night milk. You shouldn't skip night feedings. Let one of your relatives wake you up at night from 1-3 o'clock.

Proper breastfeeding means that the newborn receives the mother’s breast at the first squeak, and not by the clock.

According to the advice of grandmothers, newborns are given some water. Do not do this. Nature itself took care of everything. Mother's milk is conventionally divided into fore (light) and hind (fattier). By applying to the breast for a short time, the newborn first receives foremilk, it quenches his thirst, and only then begins to flow (here is a useful article). By supplementing the baby with water, you simply create a false feeling of satiety for the baby.

How to properly feed a newborn with breast milk - expressed milk from a bottle

This is only permissible in your absence for valid reasons. It is easier to suck from a bottle and the baby may refuse to breastfeed, and the nursing mother’s milk production will gradually decrease.

Due to inexperience, mothers alternate both breasts in one feeding. In this way, the little one gets a lot of foremilk, and a minimum of fatty and healthy hindmilk. As a result, the baby seems to eat and eat, but the baby loses weight.

I hope the advice properly feed a newborn with breast milkwill help nursing mothers avoid the sad diagnosis of “underweight in infants.”

All photos for this article were kindly provided by the reader. Copying is prohibited.

The problem called “the child is not gaining weight well” is one of the most pressing for parents and pediatricians in the entire post-Soviet space. And, in fairness, let us note that it is one of the most “inflated”. Because in those countries where, in general, the child health index is much higher than in the territory of the former USSR, the baby’s weight is not generally considered a direct indicator of the state of his health. If they pay attention to the deviation of a child’s body weight from generally accepted norms, then, as a rule, if we are talking about a tendency towards obesity.

Let’s try to figure out in what case your baby can receive a diagnosis of “underweight,” and when you should listen to it, and when you can write it down in the category of “myths and legends of Soviet medicine.”

What are the criteria for “correct” weight gain?

In 2006, new standards for height and weight of children from 0 to 5 years old, developed as a result of many years of comprehensive observation of 8,440 healthy children from different countries, were published on the website of the World Health Organization. All children were breastfed in the first months of life and received complementary foods in accordance with WHO recommendations. Below we present the weight standards for boys and girls published in these documents.

Let us note that, although the use of standards published by WHO in medical practice is advisory and not mandatory, in most civilized countries they are at least taken into account. Meanwhile, among Russian pediatricians (and their colleagues from the countries of the former USSR) the situation is quite common that they have no idea about these new standards, but use tables 30-40 years ago, compiled on the basis of observations mainly of artificial children. Thus, such a doctor diagnoses a six-month-old child with a body weight of 6 kg as “dystrophy,” although, according to WHO standards, there is absolutely no reason for this.

Let us pay attention to one more nuance: according to the standards often used in Russia, children under one year old should gain weight fairly evenly (600-700 g per month) - such data is also given in some training manuals for parents. Meanwhile, such dynamics of body weight gain are also typical for bottle-fed babies. If you look closely at the WHO data, you will see that infants “gain weight” most intensively in the first three months (600-700 g per month or more), then their “gain” becomes more and more modest.

What conclusion can be drawn from all this? Obviously, if your pediatrician believes that your child is not gaining weight well, but the child’s body weight “fits” into WHO standards, then no measures need to be taken. There is no need to supplement him with formula (if we are talking about a baby), change his diet to a higher calorie one (if we are talking about a child older than one year), and, moreover, give him drugs to adjust his metabolism. And if formally everything is fine with the weight, but you or your relatives subjectively think that the child is too thin, take into account the order of one good doctor: “parents, remember that you are raising a child, not a suckling pig!”

What if the baby is excessively delicate, even according to WHO standards? Here are the most common causes of underweight (here we are not considering the option when the child is truly malnourished - this is no longer a pediatric problem, but a social one).

Option 1. The child does not gain weight well due to constitutional features.

If the father or mother (or both parents) of a child in childhood were “goons” who were simply impossible to fatten, there is a non-zero probability that the children will inherit their constitution. If this is your option, and your child’s body weight deviates somewhat from the WHO standards to a lesser extent, but the baby feels well and is developing in accordance with his age, most likely he does not have any deviations (if you still have doubts, it makes sense consult an endocrinologist). In order for your little one to grow healthy and strong, take him for walks more often, teach him to exercise, and provide him with good sleep.

Option 2. Problems with breastfeeding (for children in the first months of life).

In fact, the problem “mother has little milk” is often a figment of the imagination of overly suspicious young mothers who cannot understand why their child often cries and blame everything on hunger. Meanwhile, signs of malnutrition in children in the first months of life are often the exact opposite: lethargy, drowsiness, low physical activity. If your child has similar symptoms (plus dry skin), this is certainly a reason to sound the alarm. In addition to your pediatrician, be sure to see a lactation consultant who can recommend ways to increase your lactation and, possibly, new breastfeeding tactics (for example, if you were feeding on a schedule, it would make sense to switch to on-demand feedings, increase the number of nighttime latches, and etc.). You may need temporary supplementary feeding with formula (consult with specialists on how to fully return the baby to the breast over time).

Option 3. Metabolic disorders.

This problem can be diagnosed by a number of signs, and insufficient weight gain is just one of them, along with poor health, changes in blood composition, etc. Naturally, this is a serious disease that requires medical intervention.

Finally, a few popular myths about baby weight.

In addition to purely pediatric “myths,” there are a lot of prejudices regarding a child’s weight gain that exist among “experienced” mothers and grandmothers, which they are happy to share with young parents. Here are the most common ones.

1. A baby may not gain weight well due to the fact that the mother has “empty” milk.

Milk cannot be “empty” - it always contains the substances a child needs for full growth and development. In principle, if you include certain foods in a nursing mother’s diet, its fat content will increase slightly, but, as studies show, this does not significantly affect the child’s weight gain.

2. If a child eats fractionally, and not according to the accepted “breakfast-lunch-dinner” scheme, then he may begin to have problems with weight gain.

In general, this statement is incorrect: physiologically, fractional nutrition is more consistent with the child’s needs; in itself, it cannot cause weight loss. Although, if your goal is to “fatten” your child, and not to maintain his weight at an optimal level, then three meals a day of at least two dishes will allow you to do this faster and more efficiently.

3. If a child has a poor appetite, he must be force-fed, otherwise he may become exhausted.

In fact, children have a good instinct for self-preservation, and if he has access to food, he will never push himself to the point of exhaustion. Poor appetite is treated not by force-feeding (this can only worsen the situation), but by playing outdoors, playing sports, and changing the baby’s diet.