Let them get what they deserve

by Pooja Late so cut

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.

Here are simple solutions that you can use to help your toddler gain weight.

Create a relaxed atmosphere for eating

Television, phone calls, or the computer when eating distracts most kids. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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 favorite dishes too so that your child looks forward to his mealtime.

Offer snacks but healthy ones

Snacks form an important part of toddlers’ diet. Children love finger foods 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.

Author’s Bio

Christina David, a health nutritionist expound on Supplements for kids and the importance, especially for underweight children. She further looked at the food supplement for children and its widespread used in the hospital.