Poor Weight Gain - Symptoms

Following are the signs and symptoms of poor weight gain in children:

1. The child’s weight is stagnant for more than three months.
2. There is no height increase for more than six months, except in the older age group.
3. The child is easily fatigued, sometimes experiencing fainting spells and dizziness.
4. The child catches infections easily or is constantly ill.
5. The child has a problem of absentmindedness and low concentration.
6. The child has eating as well as mood disorders and displays rigidness, irritability, irrational fears and worries, making them prone to risky or troubled behaviour.

Reasons behind poor weight gain in children are as follows:

• Parents have inadequate knowledge about the daily food requirement according to the age of the child.
• Eating amidst distractions, such as the TV or a quarrel in the house.
• Forceful feeding, such as punishing the child physically or verbally for not eating food.
• The child is made to eat in a hurry.
• No encouragement is given to eat healthy food.
• Lot of family outings involve eating junk and fast foods.
• Parents are either too strict or too yielding to the demands of their children.
• Children have unhealthy eating patterns.