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14 Solutions for Your Underweight Toddler
There are plenty of reasons why some children are underweight. Genetics, changes in growth, or sometimes an increase in height that precedes weight gain are some of the causes of an underweight toddler. Of course, there are a number of solutions to put an end to this mother’s dilemma.
As a parent, you are bound to be concerned about your child’s eating habits and his growth and development. And chances are, you're a tad anxious to know whether or not he is meeting his developmental milestones. Many toddlers are extremely fussy when it comes to eating healthy food and an unbalanced diet leads to underweight babies.
If your child is underweight, he might not be getting enough calories required for his age. At this stage, he should be eating nutritious food to get his growth and development back on track.
WATCH: Weight Gain Tips for Babies by Dr Varsha Saxena
https://youtu.be/8aM7dgPwWoc
KEY TAKEAWAY:
Know when a child is considered underweight and what you can do to help him gain weight:
A child is underweight if his weight is less than a 3rd percentile of the weight on the growth chart.
Give your child a high-protein diet which includes eggs, meat, soy-proteins, and nuts.
Include foods rich in carbohydrates in his diet, like whole wheat bread, pasta, and chapatis.
High-calorie fruits, like bananas and mangoes, can also be given to children. You can give high-calorie supplementary drinks to picky eaters.
As the child grows you will see an improvement in your child’s health.
6 Solutions to Help Toddler Gain Weight in A Healthy Way
Here are simple solutions that you can use to help your toddler gain weight.
1. Create A Relaxed Atmosphere for Eating
Most often kids get distracted by television, phone calls, or the computer when eating. When there are too many distractions, you yourself might feel rushed, which also puts a pressure on your baby to eat. Sometimes your child also refuses to eat in such a situation. Creating a peaceful atmosphere helps you and your child concentrate on the task at hand.
2. Set A Routine for Your Child’s Meal Times
Maintaining an organised routine for meal times is imperative for your child to fall into a regular eating pattern. Monitoring the clock and feeding him at regular intervals will help his weight gain. If that means pulling your child away from play time, so be it. Don’t give meals a miss even when you have to go out. Carry light snacks with you so you can feed your children at their allotted time.
3. Increase The Intake of Calories
Some children eat very small quantities. So when increasing the amount of food doesn’t seem like it’s going to help, it’s best to introduce high-calorie foods for toddlers weight gain. This'll ensure that your toddler is getting the right amount of nutrition. Include foods like full-fat dairy products, cream cheese, mayonnaise or puddings made from milk.
4. Try Weight Gain Supplements for Children
It might be a good idea to include some weight gain supplements in your child's diet for underweight children, especially if your child has a small appetite. Vitamin supplements should include vitamins A, C, and D and they should be specially formulated for their age group.
5. Try and Make It Easy for Your Child to Eat
Knowing what your child loves and how he loves to eat it is as important as determining the right kind of food for an underweight toddler. If he likes his banana smashed, feed it to him that way. Peel and cut up fruits or mash his food so that it’s easier for him to eat. Serve him his favourite dishes too so that your child looks forward to his meal time.
6. Offer Snacks but Healthy Ones
Snacks form an important part of toddlers’ diet. Finger foods are loved by children and when your baby picks up finger food on their own, it ensures that they are meeting their development milestones. However, be careful in offering snacks. To promote weight gain in toddlers, make healthy snacks like a granola bar, peanut butter crackers, and cereal bars. Oats are a healthy option to make snacks. You can also give your child fruit juices but abstain from those aerated drinks.
8 Foods to Help Toddlers Gain Weight
Foods play a major role in weight gain and weight loss, whether it is a child or an adult. If your toddler is underweight, try and include these foods in his diet to help him gain weight in a healthy way:
1. Potatoes
A child who doesn’t eat potatoes is rare to find. Potatoes are the best option that promote weight gain in babies. Carbohydrates intake is necessary for the weight gain process and potatoes are the optimum source of carbohydrates. Potatoes also contain amino acids which encourage weight gain in babies. Apart from potatoes, you can also include other starchy vegetables in your baby’s diet.
2. Olive Oil
All of us are aware of the benefits of eating olive oil. It is rich in monounsaturated fatty acids which makes it a healthy addition to your diet. It is also rich in antioxidants and high in calories. Add olive oil to your toddler’s salads and in other healthy recipes.
3. Bananas
Bananas also top the list of healthy foods for weight gain. Bananas are easily available and you don’t need to make something out of it. Being rich in carbohydrates they make the process of gaining weight simpler in babies. All you have to do it peel a banana and give it your toddler while he is busy watching his favourite cartoon show. To make it more appealing add it to yoghurt or curd, mix some other fruits to and give it in the form of pudding.
4. Nuts
Nuts are favourite among children. All they have to do is grab some and munch while they play. Nuts like almonds, walnuts, cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and sesame seeds are rich in fats, protein, and fibre. Include these nuts in their diet every day. You can also give them badam halwa, or give milkshake garnished with these nuts.
5. Eggs
Eggs again are a good source of protein and contain vitamin A and Vitamin B12. Eggs can be included in a baby’s diet by the age of 8-9 months. There are umpteen ways to give eggs to your baby; you can give him omelette, boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, egg sandwich and so on. Make it look interesting so that your baby won’t deny eating it.
6. Jaggery
Jaggery also helps in weight gain in toddlers. Jaggery is better than refined sugar and is rich in calories. It is also abundantly available in India, so use it in generous amounts in your baby’s diet plan.
7. Avocados
Avocados are a rich source of vegetarian fat. Avocado is full of calories, carbohydrates, protein, and fats, almost everything that fosters weight gain. It is a buttery fat and can be used to make dips, salads, and mashes. And rest assured because kids will love all these recipes.
8. Fruits
Fruits and vegetables are the best foods for healthy weight gain. Include mangoes, papaya, pineapple, and steamed vegetables in your baby’s diet. You can also add butter to steamed vegetables freely. If your child is refusing to eat fruits, you can whip up a fruit salad and add nuts to it. Toddlers love colours and they will eat it without fussing.
Weight loss is not always a sign of an underlying medical condition. To get your child to eat it's important to make eating easy and enjoyable for them. Try these weight gain recipes for an underweight toddler for positive results. Take note: if you obsess over your own weight and keep counting those calories, your child will quickly pick up on this, which could easily affect his or her own eating pattern! Read more
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Ringworm in Babies: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment
Babies can face numerous challenges during their development cycle; they will have to overcome numerous fevers, allergies and infections. Some of these infections can be extremely contagious, one of which is ringworm. Treating these illnesses is one of the most important aspects of helping your child grow in a healthy and happy manner. Here's how you can identify them, treat them and prevent them.
What is Ringworm?
Ringworm is a type of fungal infection that can be extremely contagious. Surprisingly, it has nothing to do with worms. The infection is called ringworm because of the shape of the contusion or bruise that manifests when your baby has this fungal infection. It is common to find ringworm infection in babies. This condition is not dangerous or extremely painful, but it can be extremely irritating and itchy. It is also known as tinea corporis and is most evident in children. This condition can manifest on any part of your child’s body from the scalp to the toes.
How Common is Ringworm in Young Children?
Ringworm is a very common infection that manifests in school children; this disease is extremely rare in toddlers or infants. The most common age range for children affected by ringworm is 2 to 10 years.
What Causes Ringworm in Babies
Ringworm in children and babies can be caused by a variety of factors that include:
1. Pets
If your child has any kind of interaction with pets such as cats and dogs that have the infection, it can spread to your child.
2. Surfaces
If your baby has contact with the infection lingering on a surface, he is considered at risk for ringworm.
3. People
Ringworm is contagious. Your baby or child can get ringworm if he comes in contact with others that have the disease as well.
Note: Ringworm spreads through touch, if your child has ringworm, please keep them quarantined during their treatment period, so other children do not get sick as well.
Symptoms of Ringworm in Babies
One of the most important parts of fighting against any infection is understanding and identifying the infection. To do this, we must first learn about the symptoms of that infection. To understand ringworm, it is crucial that we know what the symptoms are and how they manifest.
Ringworm begins manifesting as either a single rash or many rashes that are red and scaly.
Hair loss is a common symptom of ringworm; this condition can often be mistaken for cradle cap or dandruff due to the manner of hair breakage.
Red patches on the face can mimic the symptoms of eczema, but could be a symptom of ringworm.
The patches can be extremely itchy, especially in children suffering from ringworm.
The growth of the patches in a ring-like shape, and rapid increase in the number of such patches is a typical characteristic of ringworm.
These patches on the skin can grow between a half-inch to an inch in a circular shape with slightly raised borders and a clear area in the centre. This type of patch indicates ringworm.
Diagnosis of Ringworm
Ringworm is known to manifest through an extremely distinct wound or patch on the skin; this allows doctors to make the diagnosis through a physical examination and by taking a medical history. If there are still doubts about the diagnosis, the doctor can take shavings of skin from the affected area and examine it under a microscope.
Complications
If left untreated, ringworm can lead to the following complications.
Leaving ringworm untreated can weaken your child’s immune system to a large extent, leaving your baby susceptible to further infections and diseases. If your child has ringworm, consult your primary care physician immediately and implement the recommended treatment plan.
An additional infection could leave your young one weak; they may need to go on an extended course of antibiotics.
Ringworm can also cause some minor scarring, ringworm on the scalp can cause hair loss along with the scarring.
Treatment of Ringworm in Babies
Depending on the severity of the infection, doctors can recommend the following treatment for ringworm in children:
1. Creams
One of the most common ways to treat this condition is by applying ringworm cream for babies. This type of cream is specifically made with the skin requirements of children in mind.
2. Shampoos
A simple way to treat ringworm would be by using a children’s antifungal shampoo while bathing your baby to ensure ringworms on the scalp are treated effectively.
3. Soaps
Similar to shampoos, using antifungal soaps on your child while giving him a bath can help combat this fungal infection.
4. Ointments
Using anti-fungal ointments can help ease irritation in your child while combating the infection itself.
5. Antibiotics
If the ringworm is severe and on multiple parts of your body and is also accompanied by another infection, your child may need to go on a course of antibiotics.
Remember that ringworm medicine for babies is prescribed on a case-specific basis. Do not share the medication with others or use them on other children even if they have the same condition. Before applying any of these treatments, talk to your doctor about the procedures for applying the medication and what has to be kept in mind and what to look out for.
Home Remedies for Ringworm in Babies
Using home remedies for ringworm can be considered an alternative to prescription medication. It is highly recommended. However, that you consult your doctors about home remedies and natural medication for ringworm in babies natural treatment methods. Here are some home remedies that may help combat ringworm:
1. Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea tree is known to have numerous dermatological benefits, it has properties that are assumed to combat ringworm. Be careful how you use this or how much, talk to a dermatologist before applying tea tree essential oil.
2. Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar is loaded with essential probiotics and acids that are hugely beneficial to the human body, applying this as a salve by dousing it on cotton and gently cleaning the patches with it is assumed to combat ringworm and other fungal infections.
3. Grapefruit Seed Extract
This is considered one of the most potent natural antifungals around, using two drops of this mixed with some water to clean the patches of ringworm is thought to help combat the infection.
How to Prevent Infants From Getting Ringworm?
There are some steps that you can take to ensure that your baby does not get a ringworm infection.
If you have pets in the house, make sure that they get their shots regularly and that you brush their fur from time to time.
Keep your infant’s nails trimmed as the infection can spread because of long, overgrown nails.
Change your child’s brush and comb every two months.
Change and wash your child’s bed sheets and pillowcases regularly. While washing, let the cloth soak in hot water for a few minutes.
Be sure to wash your child’s clothes at home and do not give it to the dhobi. Ringworms are notorious for being spread through contact with infected clothes.
Though the ringworm infection is highly contagious, you can exercise certain precautions to ensure that your child remains comfortable. Making sure that the infection does not spread to other members of the family or to other children is important. Talk to your child’s doctor about any concerns you may have regarding the infection.
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Pinworms in Babies
Common Skin Allergies In Babies Read more
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4 Important Feeding Precautions To Keep Your Baby's Appetite & Weight Healthy!
Between 5 to 7 months of age, your baby will be ready to start his solids. If you have just started your baby on solids, you may face many doubts and questions. The time that babies start feeding on solids is also one of the times when they might drop weight. However, this is not because of a health problem, but because of a few common things that start happening when babies wean from breastfeeding into a solid diet. If you just observe these associated precautions, you will not have to worry about your baby's appetite or his weight!
If your baby is nearing or has reached the age of 6 months, you might have started noticing these signs. He may have started looking at different foods with interest. He is curious about your meals. He moves his jaws whenever you are chewing something. Your baby is finally ready to start solids and semi-solids in his diet!
However, before you tie that colorful bib around his neck and start feeding him, there are a few things you must know. Many babies face a number of feeding problems at this time, which can have an impact on their overall appetite and weight. Knowing about these problems will help you deal with them in the right way.
4 Common Eating Problems In Babies and Their Solutions
1. Spitting Problems
Babies spit a lot. It is a reflex. While it may look harmless in the beginning, a baby's spitting almost always concerns the mother when she starts feeding him on solids. The reason being – babies tend to spit out their food too!
What You Can Do:
As long as your little one is gaining normal weight, and is being his normal playful self, these spitting episodes should not worry you. Wipes are an easy way to clean up the mess. That said, these spitting episodes normally reduce between 6 months and one year of age.
To reduce these spitting episodes, feed your baby only when he’s hungry and avoid force-feeding.
It might worry many parents if their baby seems to be crying continuously, and is not gaining weight and spitting more often. Consult his paediatrician to rule out any chances of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
2. Reduction in Breast/ Bottle milk
As your little one discovers the joys of solid food, he might start refusing breast milk more often. This is one of the reasons why babies may lose weight after starting on solids. However, milk contains nutrients that are essential for the baby's brain development, and is crucial for the healthy development of his bones. At least for the initial couple of months, you must feed your baby both – breast milk and solids.
What You Can Do:
Experts recommend milk as the first course or first meal of the day, keeping the solids for second course.
Some babies may get used to this routine and may figure out what’s happening. They may start categorically refusing the first meal of the day! So, keep alternating between milk and solids as the first and second meals of the day.
3. Developing Your Baby's Taste Palate
Your baby’s digestive system is not yet fully developed. Neither is his palate. There is a good chance that he may refuse or reject many foods you try to introduce to him. And for a brief period it might feel like your little one is never going to like anything!
What You Can Do:
You need to introduce foods to the baby in a phased manner. Experts recommend the '3 Day Rule', or giving your baby the same new food for three days to understand if it suits him or not.
Observing your baby would also tell you about how he’s able to retain different types of food.
You can start with pureed, or semi-liquid food and graduate to mashed food. Check this useful list to see some solid foods that are well-liked and digested by babies. You can start with these
Finally, when you feel your baby is able to digest everything you’re feeding him, you can start giving him finger foods.
4. Food Allergies
Food allergies are every parent’s worst nightmare. Not only do they limit the options of food you can offer your little one, they can also be fatal. If by chance your baby is allergic to a food that can in fact be used for healthy weight gain, allergies may affect his overall health too. Yet, there is good news around – experts say that not every baby born in a family that has a history of allergies, will necessarily develop allergies. Isn't that good news!
What You Can Do:
According to many doctors, the more you delay the introduction of solid food, the more are the chances that your baby will develop food allergies.
There is no need to specifically keep away those eggs and peanut butter for later years. Proceed with due precaution. If you fear that your baby might be allergic to a certain class of foods, introduce them in a phased manner.
Consult your paediatrician about first-aid in case of an allergic episode. Be prepared when you are feeding your baby with any solid that you suspect might give him an allergy.
If your baby has been diagnosed with a food allergy, come out with a suitable plan of action in consultation with his doctor. Also, make sure that your baby’s day care (if he goes to one) is thoroughly acquainted with a plan of action.
Feeding times should be used as a time to connect and bond with your little one; snap a picture of him as he gingerly picks up a tiny piece of bread for the first time and puts it into his mouth. Record his reaction when he puts an orange pip in his mouth for the first time. After all, 'first times' are always special for parents, aren't they! Read more
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Bring Outdoors Inside to Decorate your Home
Embrace nature-inspired textures and elements in your living space and create a peaceful haven for you and your family. Bring home stunning and elegant nature-inspired home decor to make you feel surrounded by the outdoors. The organic appeal of such designs will refresh and rejuvenate you.
Turn your home into a refreshing piece of paradise by incorporating contemporary natural decoration ideas for your abode. Nature-inspired interior decoration can create a sense of harmony in today’s hectic times. Who knows? Maybe your children will keep calmer too!
Explore Exciting Nature-inspired Interior Décor Ideas
1. Set Out A Fruity Centrepiece
This is a cute way to bring nature indoors. Have a centrepiece like a basket or a rustic wooden box and load it with colourful fruits. You can also have a decorative tray filled with refreshing and aromatic limes, lemons and oranges. You can get your children engaged by letting them arrange the fruits and deciding where they should be placed. Who knows? You just may get them to enjoy eating fruits too!
2. Floral Inspiration
Is there anything more soothing than the presence of flowers! Fill clay pots with daisies, roses, geraniums and place them on tabletops and shelves to brighten spaces. You can add more interest with pine cones, rose hips, sweetgum pods and moss. Get your children involved by asking them to make handmade flower holders, or use old jars and use ribbons for decoration. They’ll love decorating their home with nature.
3. Use Natural Flooring where Possible
If your home’s in need of a pick-me-up and you have the money, consider replacing the flooring with eco-friendly options like cork or bamboo. They may be pricey but they’re hypoallergenic and absolutely gorgeous, not to mention so inviting to your tiring feet. And if replacing the entire floor is too expensive, you could have accent flooring with a portion of the floor done up in cork or bamboo.
4. Create Accents Out of Tiny Bits of Nature
Do your children love collecting pretty pebbles or wood pieces? Do they love going sea shell-hunting? Turn their little adventures into something worth displaying. Take their pebbles, sea shells, sand and broken pieces of wood, and put them into glass jars. Set them on top of mantels, shelves and tables to create lovely accents.
5. Frame Small Objects
Just mount small plants to a painted board and slip them into a frame or a shadow box to give your children’s rooms an interesting element. You can also do the same with twine, shimmery stones and sand. Make a mom-kids project out of this nature-inspired decorating idea and hang the finished creations on the walls for all to see.
6. Fragrant Decor
Entice your senses with the magical fragrance of nature itself. Whether you like the sweet aroma of flowers or the woody scent of spices, nature can offer both. Ribbon up some cinnamon bundles and add pieces of pumpkin for a lovely aroma. You can also bundle rosemary, bay leaves and thyme for an amazing fragrance.
What's a more fun project than to do up your home? Bring a sense of peace and an outdoor vibe to your abode and stay connected with nature with these innovative home decor ideas. Read more
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A note to working mum's: The journey of impossible to possible
9 months of my magnificent motherhood came to an end and so did my maternity break at office.
Reminiscing the transition from a happy-go-lucky woman to a responsible mum, progressing through the phases of c-section delivery, intense breastfeeding, sleepless nights, emotional outbreaks, weight gain stress, the journey had been reviving though it felt like a fish out of water oftentimes.
During the break, I always pondered over the thought of rejoining to work and weighed the pros and cons of being a working mum and a stay-at-home mum. Every time I would experience cognitive dissonance – the state of having contradictory thoughts and I would end up being in two minds.
Once and for all, I decided to resume work; for I couldn’t cherry-pick something without knowing what it was and how it would feel. After all, it was a work from home job and my baby would be at my close range.
The initial days of being a working mum were a cakewalk. But as the real work pitched in, it became a tough row to hoe alongside motherhood responsibilities.
I had an insecurity of my job skills having taken a long break in career. I was too careful to let my seniors pity/blame me. I committed to deliver work in stringent timelines in an attempt to prove that my motherhood hasn't affected my capabilities. I exaggerated my tiny mistakes and eventually deemed myself incapable at work.
Casting light on my motherhood side, I was stumbling badly clueless of ways to balance my duties. Skipping out on few motherly tasks had become a new norm. Motherly guilt soared up high and I deemed myself 'failure-as-a-mum'.
Life always teaches us the most valuable lessons in the hardest way. As time went by, I made peace with my motherly guilt and my career. To all working mum's out there, here's what I have to tell you:
Out of office for months together doesn't mean you can't cope up with the current pace. Do away with your unrevealed insecurity!
At work, commit to only what is possible. If people blame you citing your motherhood as a reason, care not!
If you have an option, choose a lighter workload. You still can roar your skills one day!
It's ok to make mistakes at work and home; for to err is human!
Get rid of your motherly guilt. Even if you are a stay-at-home mum, you will still have your own chores to do and so is your job!
Take sufficient breaks personally and professionally to revive your inner spirit. Ultimately, only if you are doing good, you can take care of everyone and everything! Read more
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
10 hours ago
Q. hllo am in 34 week of pregnancy,cramps in my hand and foots,my pulses is very fast,i feel tiredness internally,are these symptoms are normal
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
10 hours ago
A. get investigations particularly hemoglobin level. if there is no relief it is better you see your doctor for proper examination particularly physical examination if there is need for doing investigations to find out the problem and treatment ok
Dr Ghouse has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
10 hours ago
Q. i feel some fever internally also
Dr Ghouse
Paediatrician
10 hours ago
A. please check the temperature and get the investigations. fever can be because of different reasons most of the times viral bacterial sometimes due to less immunity there can be recurrence better to treat only with paracetamol if the fever more than 100degr
Rashmi has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
9 hours ago
Q. Now I am having pain till then my miscarriage has been done at home
Rashmi
Mom of a 9 yr 8 m old girl
9 hours ago
A. I’m sorry I’m unable to understand your query as you haven’t given any detail about it so whatever the situation is you should get a check with your gynaecologist the doctor would be able to give you better help in whatever treatment of precaution you need to require further
shilpi Bhandari has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
5 hours ago
Q. Hello
What is better normal or csec?
shilpi Bhandari
Mom of 2 children
4 hours ago
A. hello dear this is not about which is better this is all about your body and the condition of the baby no doubt the normal procedure is the painful but side effect are not there but after C6 you have to be little more careful and you have to take more precaution but again I am saying that this is not about the better one this is about the condition of your pregnancy
Santu has added a new answer
Expecting Mom due this month
2 hours ago
Q. #asktheexpert
1) till how many days after delivery baby needs to keep on uterus temperatures/warm temperature?
2) Can baby & mother both take bath after 24 hours of delivery?
Santu
Mom of 2 children
2 hours ago
A. It depends on moms and babys health I feel and suggest It's better to check with your doctor and follow their advise. That would be one of the best and safest option for your baby as of now. Take care.
shilpi Bhandari has added a new answer
Guardian of 0 children
2 hours ago
Q. dual marker test is for what purpose??
shilpi Bhandari
Mom of 2 children
1 hour ago
A. The double marker test helps determine whether the unborn baby has any risk of developing neurological abnormalities or mental disorders
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