Children gain weight slowly what to do?

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Weight is considered a measure to assess the growth and development of children. However, for many different reasons that can cause children to gain weight slowly, parents have to worry. Many parents do not know what to do with their children's slow weight gain?

1. Children's rate of weight gain

The older the child, the slower the weight gain will be, specifically as follows:
In the first month after birth, the child can gain from 1 - 1.3 kg. From 2nd to 6th month, baby gain about 0.6 kg/month. From 6 months to 12 months, children gain about 0.3 - 0.4 kg/month. After 1 year of age, children will gain 2kg/year. If the baby is gaining weight or is slow to gain weight, you need to check to see if the baby is getting enough milk or not. By checking to see if the baby has any of the following symptoms: After feeding, does the baby sleep well, the color and volume of the baby's urine like...
Breastfed babies often have yellow, yellow stools, slightly sour smell, the number of bowel movements can be 3-4 times a day. If your child's stool changes, such as green, mucus or bloody stools, or loose, watery stools more than usual, you need to see a doctor for timely treatment.

2. Children gain weight slowly, what to do?

2.1 Feed your child a nutritious and varied diet A basic principle you need to pay attention to in a children's diet, this determines a child's healthy growth and steady weight gain, That is to give the baby enough nutrients and a variety of foods.
As simple as in a child's meal, there should be enough meat, eggs, milk, fat, vegetables, tubers... and you should constantly change the way you process foods to make your baby eat better. Limit feeding the baby over and over again, because this will make it difficult for the baby to get enough nutrients and lead to the child's slow weight gain and height, as well as limit the child's absorption.

2.2 Add fat in the baby's diet In the menu to help children gain weight, fat plays a very important role. Fat provides a lot of good energy for the body, and even doubles the nutritional value of starch and protein.
Therefore, each bowl of rice or porridge for your baby, you should add about a tablespoon of oil or fat. In particular, in the first two years of life, there should be no shortage of fat in each baby's daily diet.
2.3 Don't force your child to eat When your child is gaining weight slowly, and you see that he eats little or doesn't finish the set portion of food, you should not try to force him to eat all of it. Because this sometimes causes children to spit up food and from there feel "fearful" every time they see food, causing children to gain weight slowly, anorexia later.
Therefore, you should only give your child a sufficient amount of food, if you find that your child is eating too little, you can give your child extra snacks such as bananas or milk to provide enough energy, to nourish your baby and keep them healthy. Help your baby gain weight well.
2.4 Supplementing nutrition for children in addition to main meals Nutrients outside of main meals are also of great importance in helping children to fully supplement nutrients and gain weight faster. Therefore, in addition to the main meals, you should also add nutrients for children from different sources such as milk to help children gain weight effectively, along with yogurt or fruits.
Regarding the choice of milk for children to gain weight, you should also pay attention to choosing milk products of reputable brands for many years. Besides, you can also give your child probiotics to increase digestion.
2.5 Increase the number of daily meals for your child You can divide your child's daily food intake and increase it to about 5-6 meals a day, and you can also give your child an extra dinner before going to bed . This not only makes it easier for children to eat but also better absorb nutrients, preventing malnutrition in children.
2.6 Do not arbitrarily buy "tonic" for children to drink Currently, there are many types of supplements that are widely advertised on the market as very good for children. However, if you arbitrarily buy medicine without a prescription from a specialist, giving your baby the wrong dose will cause bad consequences for your child's health.
Therefore, the best way to raise a healthy child is to take your child to a specialist doctor, for examination and advice, to prescribe the best tonic for your baby.
2.7 Get children to exercise properly Physical activities such as cycling, playing ball, playing with peers is also a very effective solution. These activities not only help children strengthen their resistance, but also help them grow taller, and also help them eat healthier and more appetizing. In particular, these activities also make the child's spirit always happy and sleep better.

2.8 Children should be examined for nutrition when they see that the child is slow to gain weight and height To understand the health status of the child as well as have timely adjustment methods, you should take your child for regular health check-ups to be Doctors advise and give the best solution to help children stay healthy, gain weight and develop comprehensively.
In addition, babies need to add necessary micronutrients such as: Zinc, selenium, chromium, vitamins B1 and B6, ginger, acerola fruit extract (vitamin C), ... to improve taste, eat delicious , reach the correct height and weight, and exceed the standard, have a good immune system, strengthen the resistance to get sick less often and have less digestive problems.
Also according to leading nutrition experts, parents need to be calm and persistent when supplementing with nutrients for children, even through eating or functional foods. In particular, the use of functional foods should choose those of natural origin that are easily absorbed, do not allow simultaneous use of many types or continuously change the types of functional foods. Besides, nutritionists also emphasize on the role of biological zinc; Parents should learn and supplement zinc for children properly at the appropriate time, to avoid zinc deficiency affecting the comprehensive development of children.
In addition to zinc, parents also need to supplement their children with other important vitamins and minerals such as lysine, chromium, B vitamins,... errands.
Please regularly visit Vinmec.com website and update useful information to take care of your baby and family.