5 Effective Tips for Child's Positive Growth, Idea for Child Health Growth

"Is my child’s growth normal?” – is a question that every parent asks a paediatrician when the child is growing up. While doctors are there to address your queries and provide solutions, it’s a good idea to be aware of certain growth facts so as to ensure that your child is on a healthy track.

As parents, we always try to do our best to provide for our children. We want to see them enjoy an active healthy life and grow to their full potential. To do so, we must be aware of what is “normal growth” and what should be done in certain situations, such as when the child falls sick or when the child is going through a phase of food tantrums…
 

4 Things to Check Your Child Catch-up on Lost Growth

It is good to know that when your child is recovering from an illness, it is important to increase the intake of proteins – infact, supplementation of daily diet with additional nutrients will ensure that your child’s growth is not negatively impacted because of an illness.

First things first -

It is important to keep a track of your child’s growth – weight and height. We know that 3-9 years of age is a period of fast growth and optimal progress in these years would ensure a good growth outcome. This is best done by having your child’s weight and height measured every 6 months and plotted on a growth chart, which you should have reviewed by your paediatrician on regular intervals. This will help to detect if the growth is moving in the right direction or not.

If your child is found to be under weight or lagging behind height, we need to find a reason for it and address the problem in time.  The most common finding is the failure to gain weight appropriately. The reasons for not gaining weight may be manifold – the most common one being nutritional.
 

When your Child Becomes Fussy about Food -

During infancy, it is easy to feed a child as it is primarily parent-led feeding, but as the child get older, s/he tends to develop his/ her own food preferences and tends to become fussy over food.  At such times, the nutritional value of what they finally end up eating may drop to levels that start to affect their growth. Therefore, it is important to encourage a healthy balanced food habit at all times – and from early on. Parents should do so by setting an example by eating healthy themselves and also make meal times sacrosanct – eating together as a family should be made non-negotiable and there should be no distractions such as television or mobiles. [Explore Ways to Handle Fussy Eaters]

When Your Child Becomes Falls Sick -

During and after a period of illness, it is natural for your child to lose appetite. Gastrointestinal and even minor viral illnesses can affect the appetite considerably and may cause a significant weight drop in young children. At this time, the emphasis should be on providing foods that are packed with calories and protein. Studies have shown that increasing the protein content during the recovery phase of most illnesses leads to faster catch up growth. During this time, the child may need an extra meal every day for upto two weeks after the illness to make up for lost ground. Having said so, there is no reason to panic, as they will invariably bounce back once normal eating resumes. [Explore Weigt Gain Foods for Toddlers]

When Child's Diet is Changed -

There may be times when changing the diet is difficult or it is taking time to implement (we all know that dietary improvements are easier said than done!). The child may need to be assessed and treated with supplements like iron, zinc or vitamin D for a short period of time until natural foods can take over.

Also, at times you may find that despite having managed a balanced and adequate food intake for your child, there is little improvement. It would be worthwhile discussing it with your paediatrician to rule out other causes like hormone deficiencies and problems with absorbing the food etc.

Simple Child's Growth Hacks:

To sum up, here are the hacks to help your child catch up on growth…

• Be aware of normal growth pattern and recognise any falling behind early on
• Ensure a balanced nutritious diet for you and your family
• Expect a temporary stasis during an illness; provide extra proteins and calories to catch up
• Check with your doctor regarding need for any supplements and to rule out any other treatable cause of growth delay

Disclaimer: The views, opinions and recommendations expressed in this article are solely those of the author and intended as an educational aid. This is an awareness drive powered by Horlick’s Growth Plus to help your child catch up on lost growth. Horlick’s Growth plus is clinically proven to show visible signs of growth in six months. You are encouraged to obtain professional advice concerning specific health / medical matters.