The skinny on weight loss in children

CHILDREN usually gain weight faster in their earlier years than any other time in their life, but there are some babies who fail to gain weight at a normal rate or who lose weight rapidly for no apparent reason. There are varying reasons for slow weight gain in children. According to paediatrician Dr Lisa Franklin, these reasons can vary from medical to social in nature.

"When I think of low weight gain, how I would approach it, is looking at a child who is one, not getting enough calories; two, the child who is getting enough calories, but for some reason he or she is not absorbing those calories; or three, the child who is requiring more than the usual amount of calories," she said.

Franklin also noted that in some cases, babies do not get enough calories because they are not being fed properly.

"For some reasons, mommy is breastfeeding and there are some issues with breastfeeding," she said. "Maybe the child is not sucking properly, maybe the child is having a problem that is causing him/her not to suck properly [and] if the child is being formula fed, the formula might not be prepared correctly."

In addition to this, the paediatrician explains that there are some medical conditions that would prevent the child from getting the correct quantity of feeding. This occurs, for example, when the child may have a cleft lip or a cleft palate.

"There might also be some children who have milk protein intolerance, so they may be vomiting and that sort of stuff. So you can think about illnesses that may affect the way calories are absorbed; one example is cystic fibrosis -- not common here -- but you have to think about it," she said, adding that a child with a congenital heart condition or gastro oesophagus reflux usually requires more calories than the average child.

Children who do not consume the right amount of nutrients usually suffer from slow weight gain. The paediatrician explains that in some cases poverty prevents parents from giving their children food with the right amount of nutritional content, while in other cases children might refuse to eat foods that are nutritious for them.

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