Before we get started, you should know that, in most cases, there is only so much you can do if you have a skinny baby.
While some children may naturally have a slim build, there are often long-term adverse effects it MAY have on the child.
When a child looks thin, most parents get uncomfortable, worrying that the child might not thrive. As a result, they frequently attempt various potential solutions to the problem, but in most cases, nothing productive.
Nobody wants their child to appear underweight or very small, but what should a parent do if their child is excessively thin?
A child’s health concerns, such as food allergies, hormonal or digestive disorders, or drugs, such as those used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), can lead to underweight.
Your child may be losing weight and appearing undernourished for various causes, and this post will go over a few reasons why.
How To Know If Your Baby Is Skinny
Each child is born with a genetic blueprint that specifies their ideal weight and body type. For example, some newborns are designed to be chunky, while others are meant to be slim.
These children also have an inherent ability to eat the appropriate food to maintain their body type.
Low birth weights are defined as babies weighing fewer than 2,500 grams (5 pounds, 8 ounces) at birth; very low birth weights are defined as kids weighing less than 1,500 grams (3 pounds, 5 ounces).
A child is considered underweight if their weight falls within the lowest 5th percentile for their height. Kids are clinically classified as underweight based on their height and how they compare to other kids their age.
Weight-to-length measurements are used to monitor infants from birth till age two by physicians and dietitians. After age 2, they look at weight, height, and BMI (body mass index) using the Centers for Disease Control growth charts.
In this age group, the BMI measures a child’s weight in relation to their height. A child is underweight if their BMI falls below the fifth percentile for their age.
Should I Be Worried If My Baby Is Skinny?
It’s crucial to remember that your baby is unique because no two newborns are the same. As a result, a child’s growth may occasionally be slower than average.
However, monitor your baby’s weight because an alarmingly slow growth rate may occur. Consult your child’s pediatrician, maintain a balanced diet, and avoid panicking and overfeeding your child.
Ensure your child always eats well; this can be primarily achieved by instilling healthy eating habits from birth. Every child’s growth curve is different.
If your child is eating healthily and your physicians aren’t concerned, you may relax knowing that his weight gain will follow his natural growth rate. Infants’ slow weight increase can be normal but should be closely watched.
What To Do If Your Baby Is Skinny – The Measures To Take
1. Check the Growth Chart
Children’s typical growth and development, as seen on the growth charts from the Centers for Disease Control, will tell us if they are growing well. During well-child visits and check-ups, your pediatrician routinely charts your child’s weight, length, and height.
Normal-growing kids will follow a predictable path on their growth curve. However, the growth curve of kids who are not healthily gaining weight may flatten. As a result, they could also exhibit a decline from their typical growth channel percentile.
The growth chart reliably indicates your child’s general nutritional status. You can be sure your child is getting enough calories if their growth on the curve continues to follow a regular and predictable pattern.
2. Try Multivitamins
While some kids may be thin by nature or genetic predisposition, others may be skinny because they are picky or selective eaters. These children might not be receiving enough vitamins and minerals.
They might also shed some pounds. A multivitamin may be a wise addition to your child’s daily diet if they skip one of the essential food groups (dairy, fruit, vegetable, grains, proteins), eats more processed foods than whole, natural foods, or is underweight or struggling to gain weight.
3. Bedtime Snacks
Before bed, have some peanut butter toast, smoothies, milkshakes, instant breakfast drinks, or other high-protein foods.
The hour right before bed is prime time for consuming more calories. Additionally, they will burn off slowly. This will guarantee that kids get the nutrition their bodies require to encourage a restful night’s sleep and prevent nighttime hunger wakeups.
4. Stick To A Meal Schedule
Consistently eating meals and snacks can help break the cycle of hunger and encourage a sufficient intake of nutrients.
Maintain this regular schedule of providing meals and snacks every three to four hours. Offer balanced meals, of course.
The procedure will be less stressful if you follow a routine, and you won’t have to worry about what you’re feeding your kid all the time. In addition, you can keep track of everything with this schedule.
5. Use Feeding Techniques
Your child develops a bad relationship with food when you beg, bribe, or threaten to take away his food if he doesn’t eat enough, plead for him to eat more, or offer dessert as payment.
These are also controlling feeding techniques that could lead to your child becoming pickier or eating less in the long run.
Give them plenty of time to eat by maintaining a regular schedule for meals and snacks. Additionally, provide wholesome, approving foods.
While you cannot make your child eat, you can give him the freedom to decide which foods he will eat from the options you have provided and how much.
How To Keep Your Infant At A Stable Weight
1. Only Feed When Hungry
Infants cry for a variety of causes. Sometimes infants scream because they are hungry, but other times they cry because they are worn out, terrified, anxious, overwhelmed, bored, uneasy, or simply want to be carried.
Before feeding the infant, if it has only been a short while since a feed, parents should try a few different things. For example, try diaper-changing, holding and comforting, or playing and chatting with the baby.
It’s especially crucial to start doing this at a young age because if a baby is fed every time they cry, eventually, the child may learn to associate feeding with being bored, tired, or upset, making other strategies less effective and hard to undo unhealthy associations with food.
2. Instead Of Formulars, Breastfeed
Many mothers can’t do it for long, and some can’t even try. However, breastfeeding is a fantastic way to start your baby off.
Not only is the meal ideally formulated to meet the baby’s nutritional requirements, but nursing makes it nearly difficult to overfeed.
Even if the infant remains there for a considerable amount of time, after 10 to 15 minutes, they are primarily sucking for comfort and not receiving milk.
3. Always Take The Healthy Option
Give fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, fish, and lean meats to your baby as soon as they are ready. Infants will attempt anything.
Build their appetites for meals you want them to consume permanently during this period before they become fussy eaters. Although iron-fortified baby cereals can be beneficial, moderation is advised.
Always follow the healthy path so they can develop along the road and remain in good health.
4. Start Eating With Them
Bring your infant to the table to eat with you as soon as she can sit in a highchair. Family dinners foster strong bonds between members of the same household, promote academic success in kids, and help keep teens out of trouble.
Children who have meals with their parents are less likely to be overweight. Develop the habit early. The family meal habit benefits all family members, not just the infants, especially if it encourages families to prepare nutritious meals.
When you eat nutritious meals as a family, the kids look forward to dinnertime, and if they are picky eaters, this may be a way to modify their eating habits.
Conclusion
Keep in mind that some kids are naturally skinny. If you’ve tried these tips and are still concerned about your child’s weight, consider seeking additional help from a Registered Dietitian or pediatrician.
Most of the time, your baby’s weight will improve on its own, so don’t overthink.
Even if you attempt various methods and they don’t work or if your kid’s weight isn’t speedily improving as you thought, stay calm and ask for help from others around you.
If the scenario worries you, you might also reach out to other mothers and discuss it with them. And if there seems to be no change at all, reach out to your doctor.