What should parents do to improve growth retardation in children?

Growth retardation is a term used to describe a child that is not growing by standard standards. At that time, children will gain weight or height more slowly than other children of the same gender and age.

Slow development can also lead to delayed physical, mental and social skills. Doctors and parents need to discuss with each other to come up with a supportive method to help the child develop as usual. Please find out how you can help your child overcome this situation!

Understand the reason

To help a child with growth retardation, parents should learn about the cause of this problem. There are many causes today that can cause growth retardation, and sometimes it can be many things all working together at the same time.

Not eating enough nutrition can cause growth retardation. If parents miscalculate the baby's daily energy formula or do not pay attention to when the baby is hungry, the child will not absorb enough calories.

In addition, this condition also leads to many other illnesses such as a metabolic disorder that can cause loss of appetite or vomiting. Parents should also find out what foods are indigestible for children. If a baby cannot digest the protein in milk, his body may not be able to absorb dairy foods such as cheese or yogurt, which can lead to growth retardation. Other health problems related to the digestive system are also likely to prevent the baby from gaining weight.

These problems include gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), cystic fibrosis, diarrhea, chronic liver disease, ... Infectious diseases, emotional problems or illnesses. Development involving the heart, lungs or endocrine system can lead to growth retardation.

Treatment

The specific treatment for growth retardation often depends on the cause of the disease, the baby's age, previous medical history and a physical exam, ... Need a team of health professionals including the physicians. therapists, nutritionists, social workers, geneticists, and other therapists.

If your baby's growth retardation is caused by medical problems, conventional treatments are enough to help your baby gain normal weight . If the child has emotional problems or situations that are caused by living at home, treatment should be added to counseling and improving family life.

Usually, doctors can visit regularly to treat children with growth retardation. Your doctor can calculate the number of calories needed for your baby and recommend some high-calorie foods to recommend.

Parents should leave enough time between meals for babies to feel hungry and avoid “empty” calorie foods like candy or juice.

For children with more severe growth retardation that do not develop after conventional therapies, a gastric tube is required. Stomach sonde is designed to bring food from the nose into the stomach. Food inserted into the tube should be liquid food. You should let your child use a gastric tube at night, which means that the baby is still living as usual and eating freely throughout the day. Only when your baby starts to absorb more calories and feel better will he or she regain appetite and you will no longer need to use a gastric tube.

The time it takes for a child to return to normal development depends on the cause of the disease and the severity of the illness. Your baby can take months, or even a lifetime, to recover if the condition is chronic.

Take a lot of time to take care of and provide adequate nutrients so that your child can develop normally.