After birth, the baby should add 400-500 grams of weight every month. But these figures are approximate. Do not constantly weigh the child, panic at the sight of a chubby tummy or, on the contrary, thin handles. Problems with weight gain in a baby are more likely to "live" in the minds of parents than are the cause for panic.
Features of development
Before worrying about the child, analyze the situation by answering the questions:
- How often does the baby regurgitate?
- Do you feed the baby with formula or breast milk?
- With what weight was the baby born?
- What are the weight parameters of the baby's dad and mom?
If a child was born with a weight of more than 4 kg, then he will overtake the majority of peers. Conversely, infants with low weight gain a normal weight for a long time. Note that it is almost impossible to overfeed a baby with breast milk. Therefore, if the baby eats with appetite, rejoice. But with the mixtures you need to be careful. Depending on the manufacturer and the type of mixture, it can be both too high in calories and "empty". Assess the effect of the mixture can only be observing the dynamics of weight in the baby.
Do not hurry with the introduction of complementary foods for thin children! Undead is still better than allergies and digestive problems, which often accompany too early lure (up to 4 months). If the baby lags by weight, it is better to start luring with cereals. If the child does not experience problems with weight gain, his first lure will be vegetable and fruit purees.
Do not introduce strict restrictions. Children who are kept on a diet, with the slightest indulgence, not only make up for lost time, but also gain even more weight. If there are no medical indications, older children should not be prohibited from sweets. As a snack, carrots and apples are allowed. Keep in mind that when you add sugar to cereals, mashed potatoes, juices, there will be no benefit from it.
Butter should not be added to children for at least eight months. A serving size should not exceed five grams. Fat men, having started to run and walk, most often discard excess grams. And do not compare your child with the child of friends. Shortage or weight loss is quite normal, because there are no identical people.
Why do children eat a lot
- Increased weight gain (especially over one and a half years) sometimes indicates some diseases, for example, juvenile diabetes.
- Often the cause of increased appetite is the psychological discomfort of the child. Lonely undernourished children usually lynch. For them, food is the most accessible way of comfort.
- Also, food helps from boredom. Those who do not have enough communication and games, strive to eat delicious. But the crumb, whose life is bright and rich, on the contrary, there is not even asking - there is no time! The task of parents is to diversify the life of the child and give him enough attention.
- Sometimes the problem with the weight of a child is in the psychological problems of parents. They all think that the baby is not plump enough and blush. And they ignore the recommendations of specialists, thinking that the mother's heart knows best how and when to feed.
- A special case when the parents themselves are complete and do not consider the excess weight a problem.
Why do little children eat
Poor appetite can be explained by the peculiarities of the baby's biorhythms. Owl children get up late, and their digestive system wakes up too slowly. Therefore, they do not want to eat this morning. Moreover, for owls an abundant breakfast is harmful. Their liver produces little bile in the morning. And enzymes of the pancreas, fatty acids are not ready to dissolve. Therefore, fats are poorly digested. A child-owl needs to be fed no earlier than 1-1.5 hours after awakening. And breakfast should be easy: instead of oatmeal treat yogurt. Supper is also better not at 6-7 pm, but for an hour or two later.
Children of a certain constitution (pale skinned, thin-boned, small, fragile) from birth are indifferent to food. To feed them is a whole story. But it is not necessary to feed by force. Even from thin children grow up healthy adults with normal weight. It is necessary to take care that such babies get the necessary microelements and vitamins.
What to do?
First of all, it is necessary to optimize the nutrition of the whole family. Kids take an example from their parents. Therefore, if you follow a rational diet, then only the whole family. For grown-up children, one must eat five times a day and in small portions. The products must be environmentally flawless. A diet - a variety (as the child's age allows).
Diet for children from year to year must contain obligatory nutrients: veal, fish, chicken, eggs. Children of any age should not be introduced to adult diets. Let the parents experiment with vegetarianism, raw food, Kremlin and other systems. Without animal proteins, the body does not fully develop. You can limit the fats contained in sausages. But butter and vegetable oil in small amounts are useful. They contain the most valuable vitamins, acids omega-3, omega-6, etc. It will be necessary to differentiate carbohydrates. First, exclude digestible (semolina porridge, white bread, pastries, sweets, sugar). And as a source of energy leave "slow" carbohydrates. Useful vegetables and most fruits, pasta from durum wheat, porridge.
Communicate the kids to the mobile games, make them move more. Physical activity activates the metabolism. If a little fat boy is a bit difficult to run, let him learn to swim. Morning gentle charging, massage, games and outdoor walks will help to normalize weight.