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Food and Nutrition Topics..

You are here : home > Food and Nutrition > Fussy Children > Skinny Kids

Skinny Kids

Skinny Kids

Parents always want their kids to be fit and healthy. It is important to parents that their children have a good metabolism, have a healthy weight and maintain good stamina. All of these are not only indicators of health, but also of positive growth in children. If a child is sickly, is not eating well or falls ill often, gains or loses weight too quickly, gets very easily tired, it is a cause of concern for the parents. All these are symptoms of health issues or complications, which are undesired for two reasons. One, it causes the child discomfort and pain. Two, it could cause disruption in their normal growth pattern and stunt development. Hence, maintaining the good health of their child is every parent’s first priority.

Skinny kids are as much a matter of concern for parents like overweight or obese kids. This is because they are the opposite and extreme ends of a scale that parents want to balance in the centre of. Parents wish for their children to maintain a weight that is considered healthy for their stage of growth. Anything below this healthy weight could mean the child is skinny or malnutrition, which means their growth is not at its full potential because the child is either not getting enough necessary nutrients from their diet or their body is unable to absorb the necessary nutrients from their diet. This needs to be inspected and remedied by a doctor or dietician so that the child can adjust their diet accordingly so they get sufficient benefits from the food they consume. On the other hand, a child that is above the healthy weight can be considered to be overweight, or in more severe cases obese. This is a cause of concern because it could be symptomatic of some other underlying complication, or could lead to a host of health concerns. It also means that their metabolism isn’t fast enough to burn the sugar they consume, and the extra weight can also lead to a lot of lethargy and reduced physical activity. This in turn leads to a greater chance of putting on more weight.

Overweight children can make some adjustments in their diet and alterations to physical activity and reach a healthy weight. It might be a bit trickier for skinny children to put on weight. So, check out the ways by which you can get your kid to eat more and help them gain weight to reach healthy weight easily, below.

The most common problem with parents and paediatricians is overweight or obese kids. But then it can be just as worrisome when the kid is skinny and tremendously underweight. It is mostly found that kids who are fussy eaters also seldom develop an interest in food, thereby, they happen to eat less food and be underweight because there is not enough substance in the amount of food they eat to ensure a healthy weight. Parents tend to think that the solution to this problem is to get the kid to eat more food, but the child needs not just more of just any food but more of the right food. Another point is that just more consumption of food does not necessarily mean more weight or lead to a healthy gain in weight. Some kids have a genetic tendency towards being skinny. Some such kids stay scrawny till they reach the adolescence period when the weight gain occurs, and they also gain some height.

So regardless of whether or not it is a genetic cause or faulty eating behaviour, parents need to get the attention of the doctor first before drawing their own conclusions about the weight, or lack of a healthy weight in their child. Given below are some ways by which you can get your child to eat more than what they currently consume as their daily intake of food:


1. Check the Type of Eater the Kid Is

Every individual has their own preferences in every aspect of their life. Similarly, kids have different patterns of how they eat depending on either their mood or the way their body digests food and when their body is ready for food. Their body alerts them when it is ready for food by making them hungry and informing them of how much food they can stomach by making them feel full once they have consumed the amount of food the body is ready for at the time. This means that some kids like to have very little food whenever they are served meals i.e 3 times a day and ask for snacks in between, whereas there will be kids who will happily chow down on a good quantity of food during these three meals and are not particularly snacky.  Try to observe your child and figure out when do they get hungry and what is the quantity of food they are willing to eat at the time and adjust their feeding schedule accordingly. So if your child is the kind who doesn’t prefer eating a heavy meal in one go, eats little at mealtimes and feels snacky later, you can go for multiple or frequent meals, so as to meet the nutritional requirements of the child. It is advisable to go six small meals every day. Do not skip any meal due to any reason. Even if you are going out during the scheduled meal time, make sure that you are carrying the food of the kid with you. And if your child is the kind who sits at mealtimes and eats a good amount, 3 square meals a day that consist of a balanced distribution of nutrients, vitamins and minerals they need is recommended.


2. Check the Quality of Food

Often parents assume that just because the kid is a fussy eater and is also underweight, it is alright even if they eat junk food, as it will help them gain weight easily. This is a very wrong notion and can do more harm than good. While it is true junk food causes putting on weight, it is often empty calories and unhealthy weight. Junk food only adds unnecessary extra calories without providing even a little bit of nutrition to the body. These empty calories and unhealthy weight do not help with growth at all, as they have no nutrients that the body can use to produce the things necessary for the body to develop. During the growing period, minerals, proteins, vitamins along with several other nutrients that are needed by the child. Junk food, on the other, helps them gain weight that is harmful to their body and can even cause complications instead of helping with their growth. Not just unhealthy, but junk food often uses substandard ingredients that are of questionable origin. They may even have ingredients that can cause buildup in the digestive tract, or cause other obstacles for the body.

While it may be okay to let your kids have junk food once in a while, it is very important for parents to ensure that the main chunk of their diet is fulfilled with healthy and homely foods. It is in your child’s best interest to use food that is made at home, either cooked by you or under your supervision where you know fresh and quality ingredients are used, which have retained their nutritional value.


3. Keep the Kid Away From Distractions during Meal Time

Consuming and processing food is as much a psychological process as it is a physical and biological process. At the end of the, your brain is the one that indicates your other organs to release the necessary enzymes etc… for the regulation of bodily functions. Similarly, it is important for you to focus on the food when you are eating it so that your body can properly process what you are eating, so it can absorb it accordingly too. Hence, make a habit to create a schedule or regular timings as to when the child has its meals and make sure to eliminate any distractions at the time. Ensure that there is no TV or Mobile phone or any other form of entertainment in the vicinity that could possibly distract your child and the child can focus on the food they are consuming. It is also a good way to encourage your child to truly appreciate the food that someone has painstakingly made. It also puts your child into the habit of closely monitoring their own self while having meals. When they focus on the food, and themselves they are less likely to under-eat or over-eat, as they will be quicker to read their body’s signals as to when they are full.

An added benefit is setting specific times for meals may even encourage the entire family to sit and eat together, which only serves to improve bonds and family relations. It is encouraged that the whole family sit together and eat with the child because the child is less likely to pay attention to the loss of stimulation in the form of TV and Mobiles they usually have. Research also shows that children who have meals at the dining table with the rest of the family are less likely to be fussy about what they will readily eat or not as compared to children who eat or are fed alone.


4. Learn To Trick the Eyes, it will trick children into being less fussy.

Despite what people might assume initially, food is consumed with all sense in attendance. We may think that our tongue tastes the food that we chew and then it goes to our stomach, but there is more to the digestive process. The way we view food also affects the way we consume it. Some kids feel that when they are served a full plate, they are just going to have the all of it. Just visually looking at a plate that is filled to the brim may overwhelm them and make them think they are eating a lot, or even feel pressure to completely finish it. As a result, as much as you may urge them and try to convince the kid, they will inevitably leave a part of the meal, always. The quick fix to that is to use bigger dishes to trick their eyes and brain into thinking they are having a smaller quantity of food than they are. Instead, you can try serving the same quantity in a large full-size dinner plate, so that the food amount appears really small. Or instead of the usual baby glass, serve the milk in big glass, but only half-way full. These are some of the ways in which you can trick a fussy eater that he is actually not having a lot of food.

It has been found that with some extra patience, you can get your little one to increase his diet little by little. You can serve finger foods that are wholesome and nutritious to the kid. Often skinny kids are likely to avoid food that requires some extra effort like chewing. Make sure that every food that you serve is rich in nutrition and is wholesome for the body.

Another good way to ensure that your child puts on a healthy weight is by giving them food that is healthy yet rich and calories heavy, without compromising on nutrients. The Indian household staple, toor dal is quite a calorie heavy dish, but it is home-made which means you have full control of whether or not the ingredients used are good quality, and even naturally it is rich in protein and has anti-inflammatory properties. 

If your child is big on snacking, there are multitudes of recipes on the internet that can give you instructions to make dishes that are nutritious, will provide your child with weight-gain that is favourable to healthy gowth, and your little one will find yummy as well, making it easier for you to make sure they are well-fed with healthy food. Keep in mind, empty calories are of no use, so non-junk bur calories-heavy is the way to go to help you child put on the weight necessary to achieve a healthy weight.




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Vishesh
Vishesh.10 years ago
My kid looks skinny. My wife used to give all sorts of fatty snacks to gain weight. Nothing worked. I felt it is not right. I ensure that my kids eats healthy food. It is okay if my child looks thin. We have admitted my kid in the Orchids The International School in Bangalore, I see to that my wife packs healthy foods for my child to eat at regular intervals. Now we are teaching the kid to follow healthy eating habits by completely avoiding unhealthy foods.
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Kirsten Rans
Kirsten Rans.10 years ago
i agree....often parents think their child should eat much more that they do in reality, because they way overestimate kids' portion sizes.
 
 
 
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Adam smith
Adam smith.10 years ago
there may be behavioral issues behind a child being too skinny such as kids quickly figure out they can get a lot of attention from parents if they don't eat.
 
 
 
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Martha Steward
Martha Steward.10 years ago
This is an interesting article....simply feeding your skinny kid more without finding out the real reasons for his thinness can set the stage for unhealthy eating habits
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Discussion Forum - Recent Posts
Why are the causes of kids being skinny? How to help skinny kids gain weight? How to find out if the kid is underweight?
Sohaila Chadha Sohaila Chadha
For kids being skinny, there are many reasons. the most common one that is not under our control is genetics. Sometimes being skinny runs in the family. Other than that the child may be active and bur...
read reply
Rubina Sayal Rubina Sayal
My son is 7 years old and quite an active kid. He is also into sports. His height is normal but he is very skinny. He does not seem to put on weight. He is also not a very big eater. He eats small mea...
read reply
Sumedh singh Sumedh singh
Hi rubina, If our son is healthy and active, then you need not worry. Gradually you can help him gain weight. You have to take care of his nutrition. Healthy foods will help him gain weight. When an i...
read reply
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