When babies are slow to gain weight, mothers need to calmly find out the causes of mulberry and follow the following helpful tips.
How is it called slow weight gain?
How to improve when the baby slowly gains weight
To see if a newborn baby is slow to gain weight or not. The mother should base on the criteria below, not self-judgment.
For girls:
- Children 1 month gaining weight rarely weigh less than 4.2 kg. Height below 53.7 cm
- Children 3 months gaining weight rarely weigh less than 5.8 kg. Height below 57.1 cm
Children 6 months gaining weight rarely weigh less than 7.3 kg Height below 65.7 cm
- Children 12 months old who gain weight rarely weigh less than 8.9 kg. Height below 74 cm.
For boys:
- Children 1 month gaining weight rarely weigh less than 4.5 kg. Height below 54.7 cm
- Children 3 months gaining weight rarely weigh less than 6.4 kg. Height below 58.4 cm
- Children 6 months old who gain weight rarely weigh less than 7.9 kg. Height below 67.6 cm
- Children 12 months old who gain weight rarely weigh less than 9.6 kg. Height below 75.7 cm.
Or mothers based on the child's weight gain rate. Normally children usually increase:
1-1.2 kg / month for the first 2 weeks
0.6 kg / month from 3 to 6 months
0.3 - 0.4 kg / month in the 6th - 12th month.
What causes slow weight gain in babies?
Babies born prematurely, underweight
In this case, the child often has difficulty with eating and absorbing nutrients. Babies born prematurely (under 2.5 kg) will have a much slower rate of weight gain than other normal babies. At the same time, these babies are inherently in weak health and easily get sick, so weight gain will be a bit difficult.
The spacing between meals is too long
If mothers let the space between meals too long, the baby's abdomen will produce a lot of gas causing gas. That makes children feel full and loss of appetite, babies suck less and not absorb enough nutrients, leading to weight loss or slow weight gain.
Experts say that the reasonable interval between milk meals is about 2.5 hours each. Or eat 8 to 12 meals a day. This gap will gradually increase as the child gets older.
Mother mixed formula incorrectly
Many mothers feed their babies formula with fear of constipation or indigestion, so mothers dilute the milk more than directed. This makes the milk that babies drink do not ensure the amount of nutrients needed for the baby's body to develop.
Not to mention, the diluted milk also makes the baby's body load a large amount of water. May cause water retention and adversely affect baby's health. Therefore, please follow the manufacturer's instructions properly.
Babies sleep more than suckle
There are many cases where infants give weight slowly because they are lazy to breastfeed or refuse to breastfeed. Sometimes when the baby is hungry, he will ask for a feed, but he will quickly "fall" to sleep, causing the feeding to be interrupted and the baby will only take a very small amount. If the condition persists, it will directly affect the child's development.
Digestive disorders
Infants often experience a number of diseases related to digestive problems such as diarrhea, reflux, milk intolerance, especially celiac disease. This is an autoimmune disease of the gastrointestinal tract when it is too sensitive or does not absorb gluten, a protein found in cereals, pasta, oats. With this disease, babies will be underdeveloped, slow or lose weight, and lead to a long delay in growth.
Feed your child on a rigid schedule
Some mothers feed their babies and follow mechanically for what time they "feed" their babies, not based on their baby's needs. As a result, babies often receive less nutrition than they really need. To avoid this, feed your baby as soon as he is hungry.
What do mothers need to do with babies slowly gaining weight?
How do babies slowly gain weight?
If an infant is slow to gain weight after the first 6 months, that is normal for most babies. You don't need to worry too much. There are many easy and effective ways to help babies gain weight that any mother can apply.
Give your baby a full breastfeed
Mom needs to know how to breastfeed properly so that your baby will receive all the nutrients. The flow of breast milk is not the same. If your baby wants to gain weight, he or she must be able to suckle last milk. So mothers need to try to maintain breastfeeding time.
Take care of your baby's sleep
Many mothers often have the concept that giving babies a little sleep during the day will help babies sleep well and sleep straight at night. This is really wrong! Because when lack of sleep, not enough sleep will make children uncomfortable and fussy. More especially affects the development of the infant.
As the baby gets older, the baby's sleep time will also decrease. But you still need to make sure your baby gets enough sleep and on time. Especially at night do not let children stay up too late. Because sleeping late will make the pituitary gland not to secrete growth hormone, making the baby slow to grow and gain weight slowly.
Feeding the baby properly
At 6 months of age, mothers should let babies practice solid foods to meet their baby's nutritional needs. To start weaning, you can offer your baby a variety of formula or make your own weaning powder with the following foods:
- Sweet potatoes contain sugar and beta carotene to help children digest, replenish energy for the body.
- Cereals used as snacks or cooked porridge are rich in vitamin E, fat, and protein.
Potatoes are foods that increase the source of carbohydrates and energy to help children gain weight quickly.
When you are stronger, mothers add fresh foods such as meat, fish, eggs, vegetables ... to your baby's daily diet.
Massage for your baby every day
Massage for babies is recommended because of the effect of promoting the digestive system to work more effectively. Once your baby has no digestive problems, he or she will gain weight quickly!
see more
Tips to gain weight fast without forcing food
How to make a newborn baby gain weight quickly and reach the standard, not slowly growing?
Want to know if your baby is gaining weight well or not, remember to refer to this Infant Weight Gain Standard
What is the minimum weight newborn baby in a safe “healthy” zone?