Tips for taking care of underweight babies
Underweight babies are often picky eaters or have weak resistance, and are susceptible to digestive disorders...
Causes of low birth weight in babies
- The child shows signs of being a picky eater: The amount of calories in the daily diet is less than the child's needs. Some children are too active, causing their bodies to consume a lot of calories. If the child is not provided with additional energy to compensate for the lost calories, the child also tends to be underweight.
- The baby has some illnesses such as fever, diarrhea. Prolonged diarrhea causes the baby to lack nutrients, causing low weight.
- Children with chronic diseases or congenital heart disease are often weak and thin. In many cases, weight loss in children is closely related to some dangerous diseases. That is why you should take your underweight child to see a doctor.
- Other reasons that make babies underweight: the mother lacks scientific knowledge when taking care of the baby; the baby has worms; the family does not have economic conditions...
Signs of low birth weight baby
- The most effective way to check if your baby is developing normally is to monitor his/her growth chart. A baby gaining weight steadily every month is a sign of good health. Not gaining weight or losing weight is a warning sign of illness or an inappropriate diet. Refer to the normal weight chart for babies.
- In the first 3 months: Baby gains 1-2 kg/month.
- Next 3 months: Baby gains 500-600g/month.
- Next 6 months: Baby gains 300-400g/month.
- A 1 year old baby usually weighs 3 times more than when he was born (about 9-10kg).
- From 2-10 years old, children gain an average of 2-3kg/year.
- The average weight of a baby over 1 year old can be calculated using the following formula: X = 9kg + [2kgx(N-1)].
(X: Baby's current weight, in kg. N is baby's age, in years).
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How to take care of underweight babies
- For picky eaters, you should be patient. Feed your child many small meals a day, a little food at each meal. Some children are hungry but are reluctant to eat, so parents do not pay attention, and they do not ask for food. Some children are so playful that they forget mealtimes. Other picky eaters are because the food is not to their taste...
- Change the way your baby eats: If your baby hates eating meat with porridge (or rice), you should put the meat in bread. Or you can process the meat into floss and feed it to your baby with sticky rice. If your baby is lazy to eat soup in a bowl, try pouring the soup into a cup and let your baby use a spoon to scoop it up.
- You should not let your baby eat and drink at the same time: You should also not let your baby drink before meals. Because, drinks will make your baby full and also reduce the ability to absorb nutrients from food.
- Let your baby eat for as long as he wants: Rushing will only make your baby bored and fussy while eating. Even if your baby's meal lasts for hours, you should not be too impatient.
- You should turn off the TV when feeding your baby: Eating while watching TV can easily lead to digestive disorders in your baby. This habit will reduce your baby's ability to absorb food over time.
- Make sure your baby eats foods rich in protein and fat such as meat, eggs, fish, milk, etc. every day. You should add cooking oil to your baby's porridge or powder. When your baby reaches the age of eating rice, you can stir-fry vegetables or cook soup with oil and fat to increase the fat in your baby's diet.
- You should diversify foods so that your baby can absorb maximum nutrients and have a good appetite.
- Keep your baby clean to avoid infectious diseases or worms: Keep the habit of washing your baby's hands with antibacterial soap before and after each meal. You should also trim your baby's nails neatly. Avoid letting your baby suck his fingers, suck his fingers or pick up food with dirty hands.
- Ensure a reasonable diet, sleep, and play schedule for your baby. The air around your home must always be cool and fresh. Your baby's bedroom should also be cleaned daily. Utensils for preparing and storing baby food must always be sterilized and dry.
- If your baby has any illness, you should take him to see a doctor immediately. If you want to supplement vitamins or give your baby digestive stimulants, you should consult a doctor.
According to Young Intellectuals