What vitamins should children with slow weight gain?

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Children eat a lot without gaining weight often due to malabsorption, improper nutrition, lack of micronutrients, leading to reduced absorption of nutrients, vitamins and minerals. So what supplements should children with slow weight gain and what parents need to do to help them develop a healthy, healthy weight?

1. What should I do if I don't gain weight?

In order to solve the problem of what to add to children who are slow to gain weight, parents need to pay attention to give them enough nutrients to keep up with the standard weight for their age. Each specific age will correspond to a certain weight range. To meet the growth needs of children, parents may have to change the child's diet, habits or nutritional conditions.
What supplements should be given to children with delayed weight gain will depend on the underlying cause of the delayed weight gain, the severity and potential health problems.
Most malnourished children with mild to moderate stunting are cared for at home with the support of a doctor. In some cases, children may need help from professionals in other fields, such as a dietitian, physical therapist, nurse or psychologist.
In case of severe malnutrition, the child needs to be hospitalized from the outset. At that time, the baby's diet and weight will be closely monitored and controlled by experts.

2. Children with slow weight gain should add what?

For the problem of not gaining weight what to do, nutrition therapy is the main treatment applied to the baby. The goal of nutritional therapy is to help a child quickly gain weight, which is usually 2-3 times the normal gain compared to children of the same age. Children who are slow to gain weight should supplement with what vitamins will depend on the age and current nutritional status of the baby, under the guidance of the doctor. Usually, experts will suggest giving your baby a multivitamin to get enough nutrients.

2.1. For babies

Parents can increase the calories in breast milk by extracting some breast milk and adding a percentage of formula. This will help add more nutrients to the baby. Alternatively, you can also boost the calories in infant formula by dissolving them with less water to create a concentrated milkshake, or by adding calorie supplements, such as maltodextrin or corn oil. . For the safety of infants, this supplement should be taken under the supervision of a doctor or dietitian.

2.2. For older children

In older children, calorie intake can be increased by adding cheese, butter, ice cream, yogurt or vegetables to your baby's meals or by offering high-calorie dairy drinks. instead of whole milk.
During a time of essential growth spurts, calories and protein intake are more important than the variety of foods. During meals and snacks, your baby should eat solid foods before liquids. Besides, the baby should only drink from 120-240 ml of pure fruit juice, without sugar per day.
Older children should be able to eat often (every 2-3 hours, not continuously). If possible, arrange for three meals and three snacks accordingly. In addition, parents should time snacks so that they do not interfere with main meals (for example, snack time should not be within an hour after eating, children should not eat snacks right away). immediately when the child has not finished the main meal). Healthy snacks that can serve as snacks for kids include crackers, pudding, yogurt, vegetables, fresh fruit, peanut butter, hard-boiled eggs, and cheese. The doctor may also suggest giving your child a multivitamin and micronutrient supplement in some cases.

3. Changing eating habits and environment helps children gain weight

Changes in eating habits and environment can create excitement and help your baby eat more. Accordingly, all family members should be aware of the importance of these changes:
Children should be positioned to eat so that their heads are up and they are comfortable. Parents should practice self-feeding (for example, let the child hold a bottle of milk or hold food in his hand). Avoid distractions during mealtime, such as turning on the TV, listening to the phone, or playing loud music. Set meal times on a consistent schedule, no matter who feeds your child. Children's meals need to have a comfortable, happy atmosphere. If possible, have your child eat and talk with other family members. In addition, eating with others allows children the opportunity to observe how others get their food, and this will encourage healthy eating habits. Don't be discouraged if your child doesn't want to eat new foods. Many children may need more than 10 tries before they will eat new foods. For children with rigid eating habits (such as when a child has autism), it may take more than 30 attempts and persuasion before accepting new foods in their daily meals. Don't worry too much about your child not gaining weight. Parents should encourage instead of forcing their children to eat, should not let children skip meals as punishment and vice versa, should not use delicious foods as a reward when children do something right. You should praise your child when he eats well, but do not punish him when he does not show good eating habits.

4. Treating diseases that cause your child to eat a lot without gaining weight

Sometimes the cause of the baby's slow weight gain stems from a number of diseases. In this case, the child needs to be examined by a doctor and treated promptly. The doctor can also diagnose whether the child is allergic to certain foods or has symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, thereby guiding parents to build a proper nutrition and eating plan. physical.
When children do not like a certain food group (for example, a group of dairy products), parents should not arbitrarily remove them from their daily diet without consulting a doctor or specialist. nutritional deficiencies, as this may lead to malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies. Malnourished children will have delayed physical development, poor resistance, and are susceptible to common infections.
Besides, behavioral and physical problems can also slow weight gain in children. For example, children who have difficulty chewing or swallowing food may not be able to consume enough calories each day.

5. Psychosocial issues

In some cases, children's slow weight gain is related to family problems, such as not having enough food reserves, parents worrying too much about feeding certain foods. certain foods (such as high-fat foods) or a parent with a physical or psychological illness (such as alcoholism). This will indirectly cause slow weight gain in children. In the case of children with prolonged anorexia, malabsorption, and growth retardation, parents should supplement children with supportive products containing lysine, essential micro-minerals and vitamins such as zinc, chromium, selenium, and B vitamins. help meet the nutritional needs of children. At the same time, these essential vitamins also support digestion, enhance nutrient absorption, help improve anorexia, and help children eat well. Parents can simultaneously apply dietary supplements and functional foods derived from nature for easy absorption. The most important thing is that improving your baby's symptoms often takes a long time. The combination of many types of functional foods at the same time or continuously changing many types in a short time can cause the baby's digestive system not to adapt and completely not good. Therefore, parents must be really patient with their children and regularly visit the website vimec.com to update useful baby care information.
Reference sources: nutifood.com.vn, hellobacsi.com,tudu.com.vn