Underweightchildrenarepronetoillnesses,allergiesandinfections.Assuch,itisimportanttoensurethatchildrenaregettingrightnutrientssothattheygainhealthyweight.Letustakealookatthecharacteristicofunderweightchildren.Modernparentsareveryconsciousabouttheirkids’health.Intherecenttime,obesityissurelyaproblemthatleadstoseverehealthhazards.Asaparentoneshouldbecarefulenoughtokeepakeeneyeonthehealthofhisorherkids.Beingunderweightisalsoanotherprobleminkids.Parentsshouldhavefairideaaboutvarioushealthproblemsthatkidsmayfacewhentheyareunderweight.Therearecertainsymptomsthatindicatethatachildisunderweight.Parentsmusttaketheirchildrentothepaediatricianorgeneralphysicianinordertogetthemexamined.BodyMassIndexorBMIcalculationisdonetofindoutifachildisunderweightornot.InthisarticleChildFallsSickFrequentlyChildGetsTiredEasilyConsumesOnlyMilkandFluidsImproperDietEatsLotofUnhealthySnacksChildFallsSickFrequentlyIfachildisnotanunderweightchild,heorshewillkeepfitandwillnotfallsickfrequently.Achildwhomaintainsthecorrectweightaccordingtohisorherage,physicalfeaturesandsex,willbemoreresistanttoseasonalillnessorotherinfectiousdiseases.Anunderweightchildwillfallsickfrequentlyandwouldtakemuchmoretimetorecoverfromanykindofillness.ChildGetsTiredEasilyAnunderweightchilddoesnotgetrequiredamountofironandvarioustypesofBvitaminssoitwouldshowcertainsymptoms.Lackofironinthebodywouldleadtoanaemia.LackofVitaminBwouldleadtolessnumbersofRBCproducedinthebodysotransportationofoxygenishindered.Thiswillmakethechildfeelcold.Anaemiawillleadtoweakness.Ifthechilddoesnotfeeltiredveryoftenordoesnotcomplainaboutfeelingchillyattimes,itindicatesthatthechildisnotunderweight.ConsumesOnlyMilkandFluidsChildrenwhoareintothehabitofconsuminglotsofmilkorfluidsmayleadtoconsumptionoflessercaloriessothechildwillbecomeunderweight.Manychildrensufferfromdigestivedisorderssotheyexperiencesymptomslikechronicdiarrhoeaorvomiting.Thatiswhythechildcannotconsumerequiredamountoffoodneededfornormalgrowthandhavebowelpainorheartburnafterfoodisconsumed.Achildcanbecomeunderweightbecauseofgeneticfactors.Childrenwhosufferfromfoodintolerancecouldalsofacepoorweightgain.Manychildrenareunderweightbecauseofthyroidproblem.ImproperDietThechildrenwhoareintheagebracketof2to5yearsaregrowingandthatiswhytheyneedmorecaloriestomaintaintheircorrectgrowth.Ifachildisnotgettingtherequiredcalories,theyarelikelytobecomeunderweight.Parentsmusttakentheirchildtothepaediatriciantofindoutthecorrectheightandlengththechildshouldhaveandbringintherequiredchangesinthedietplanordowhateverissuggestedbythedoctorordietician.Asachildespeciallythosewhoarebetween2to5yearshavesmallstomachtheymaynotgettherequiredcaloriesfromthefoodtheyeatduringthethreemainmeals.EatsLotofUnhealthySnacksTheyneedtobegivensmallsnacksinbetweenmeals.Childrenwhoeatmoresnacksdonoteattheirmealsproperly.Childrenhavethetendencytoeatchocolates,chips,biscuitsorcakesassnacksbutparentsshouldkeepacheckonthis.Achildmustbegivenhealthyoptionsforthesnacks.Nuts,fruits,sproutsetccanbegiventothechildrenforsnacks.Mostofthechildrendoalotoffusssoparentsmustbeabitcarefulaboutthewayfoodisgiventothem.Childrenliketogetvarietyintheirdietsohealthyfooditemslikefruits,vegetable,nutsetc.canbeservedtothemindifferentforms.Whatarethesignsthatachildisunderweight?Howtodeterminethatachildisgaininghealthyweight?Howtoensurerightweightgaininunderweightkids?Discusshere.
Underweight children are prone to illnesses, allergies and infections. As such, it is important to ensure that children are getting right nutrients so that they gain healthy weight. Let us take a look at the characteristic of underweight children.Modern parents are very conscious about their kids’ health. In the recent time, obesity is surely a problem that leads to severe health hazards. As a parent one should be careful enough to keep a keen eye on the health of his or her kids. Being underweight is also another problem in kids. Parents should have fair idea about various health problems that kids may face when they are underweight. There are certain symptoms that indicate that a child is underweight. Parents must take their children to the paediatrician or general physician in order to get them examined. Body Mass Index or
BMI calculation is done to find out if a child is underweight or not.
Child Falls Sick Frequently
If a child is not an underweight child, he or she will keep fit and will not fall sick frequently. A child who maintains the correct weight according to his or her age, physical features and sex, will be more resistant to seasonal
illness or other infectious diseases. An underweight child will fall sick frequently and would take much more time to recover from any kind of illness.
Child Gets Tired Easily
An underweight child does not get required amount of iron and various types of B vitamins so it would show certain symptoms. Lack of iron in the body would lead to
anaemia. Lack of Vitamin B would lead to less numbers of RBC produced in the body so transportation of oxygen is hindered. This will make the child feel cold. Anaemia will lead to weakness. If the child does not feel tired very often or does not complain about feeling chilly at times, it indicates that the child is not underweight.
Consumes Only Milk and Fluids
Children who are into the habit of consuming lots of milk or fluids may lead to consumption of lesser calories so the child will become underweight. Many children suffer from digestive disorders so they experience symptoms like chronic diarrhoea or vomiting. That is why the child cannot consume required amount of food needed for normal growth and have bowel pain or heartburn after food is consumed. A child can become underweight because of genetic factors. Children who suffer from food intolerance could also face
poor weight gain. Many children are underweight because of thyroid problem.
Improper Diet
The children who are in the age bracket of 2 to 5 years are growing and that is why they need more calories to maintain their correct growth. If a child is not getting the required calories, they are likely to become underweight. Parents must taken their child to the paediatrician to find out the correct height and length the child should have and bring in the required changes in the diet plan or do whatever is suggested by the doctor or dietician. As a child especially those who are between 2 to 5 years have small stomach they may not get the required calories from the food they eat during the three main meals.
Eats Lot of Unhealthy Snacks
They need to be given small snacks in between meals. Children who eat more snacks do not eat their meals properly. Children have the tendency to eat chocolates, chips, biscuits or cakes as snacks but parents should keep a check on this. A child must be given healthy options for the snacks. Nuts, fruits, sprouts etc can be given to the children for snacks. Most of the children do a lot of fuss so parents must be a bit careful about the way food is given to them.
Children like to get variety in their diet so healthy food items like fruits, vegetable, nuts etc. can be served to them in different forms.
What are the signs that a child is underweight? How to determine that a child is gaining healthy weight? How to ensure right weight gain in underweight kids? Discuss here.
