A wise mother does not give weight to the child
Looking at you thinner, more stunted than you, I am very worried and wants to gain weight for you in any way. But did you know that the child's weight is not the only factor in assessing development. So when do you need to worry about your child's weight?
Do not let weight put pressure on mom
The child's weight
In fact, many Vietnamese prefer their round, chubby descendants and often compare their grandchildren with little regard for the recommended weight standards. This will put pressure on the mother and inadvertently, everyone takes the plump, fatness to measure the child's well-being as well as predict the child's health.
In Vietnam, the rate of underweight children under 5 years old is 13.6%, while the rate of stunting children is 24.6%. Currently, there are no studies showing that children overweight will develop healthily in the future.
Dr. Francisco J. Rosales - Medical Director, Abbott Nutrition Research and Development (USA) said: “Growth is an important indicator of the overall health and nutrition status of children. Children with good growth must have a balance of height and weight that is in harmony with their age ”.
Comparing the weight between babies of the same age is meaningless
Weight is part of a child's growth assessment. It represents the level of nutrient absorption and normal growth of organs. At the same time, weight is also an indication that reflects the medical or normal state of the child.
However, weight is not the only factor in assessing a child's development. Weight also does not always increase and double as a newborn. And moreover, the weight between children is different, comparing the weight of one child to another is meaningless. Because each child will have a different development.
To evaluate a child's growth, British nutrition experts rely on many factors such as the child's height, diet, children's physical activity, reflexes ... but not weight alone. For example, a child has a sub-standard weight, but at that time the other indicators are stable, the child will and will still be growing. Rest assured, soon you will see that your baby will get back to the standard weight without any intervention.
The child's weight
Please understand the child's weight correctly!
Weight relative to standard is only an average estimator, not absolute
The reason is:
Children are able to self-adjust their weight some time before 2 years old
The child's needs are different, the difference with the standard is not large is still considered normal.
Time standard deviation if not more than 3 months
The weight will adjust
If the weight has exceeded the previous standard, the child will adjust slowly or not to increase. This self-regulation will cause the baby to reduce the amount of food on their own. This self-regulation is not anorexia. You should comply with the needs of the child, and wait a few weeks to adjust to the original intake. Mom should also be aware that this adjustment tends to be beneficial for the health of the child.
Do not look at fat and thin, do not look at the Kg at the beginning and at the end of the month. Should look at the progress of weight gain each week. The rates of weight gain each week by age are as follows:
0-3 months: increase 140 to 210 grams / week
3-6 months: an increase of 105-145 grams / week
6- 12 months old: increase 70-91 grams / week
13-36 months: increase 50-75 grams / week
3-5 years: Increase 25-37.5 grams / week
In 5 weeks, if the number of weeks reaches the rate increasing each week more, the child is still growing normally. The fact that the child is not increasing is because the child is adjusting. Thus, healthy weight gain is what parents should do for the baby.
Is weight really important in a child's development?
Weight is one of the factors in determining whether a child is healthy, intelligent or not. It is necessary but not all. If the child's weight is consistent with other developmental criteria, that weight is perfectly normal.
Parents should learn to be calm with the child's weight. Avoid comparing your child's weight to that of your neighbor's. Each child has different developmental standards in both weight, height and intelligence. When a child is 1 year old or older, it is normal for a child to increase only 1-2 ounces each month. On average, a child can only increase 1kg - 2kg a year.
Parents need to monitor the child's communication development and social activities. Need to balance nutrition for children, eat a variety of foods. Instead of focusing only on fat, protein can affect children's health later. Such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, liver, kidney ...
Take good care of your baby through balanced nutrition
Diet affects the child's weight
For children to grow healthy, mothers need to build a balanced and complete diet. Helps increase weight and height, improve resistance. Fast food, fried food, sweets ... should be excluded from the daily menu. Instead, children need to eat a balance of 4 groups of substances including: starch (rice, pho, cereal ...), protein (meat, fish, eggs, milk ...), fat (balance vegetable oil and animal fat ... ) vitamins and minerals (vegetables, roots, fruits ...).
For stunted and underweight children with anorexia, mothers can supplement nutrition with drinks. However, instead of using fast weight gain products. Mother should choose reputable products to help children increase both height and weight and resistance.
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