Weight loss and growth retardation in children Weight loss and growth retardation in children are very common in pediatric clinics and child health clinics. The causes are related to genetics, diet and nutrition, sleep, exercise, psychology, environment, and disease. The lack of weight gain in children is closely related to growth retardation, both of which have a negative impact on the normal growth and development of children. Parents should pay attention to regular medical checkups for their children from birth, and if they find that their children are not gaining weight, they should ask their doctors to examine and analyze the causes, and early intervention is very important.
What are the dynamics of pediatric growth and development?
There are two kinds of dynamics of pediatric growth and development: internal dynamics and external dynamics. The first is the neurohumoral regulation in the body; the second is the secretion of growth hormone during sleep; the third is the special power of protein and nutrients in food, such as vitamins A and D in cod liver oil, the main function of vitamin A is to maintain the normal growth of the body. etc. The main function of vitamin D is to promote the body’s absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Vitamin D deficiency can cause impaired calcification of bone-like tissue and rickets. The specific manifestations are easy frightening, sweating, irritability and bone changes. However, giving children “brain” nutritional supplements can not produce “quick success” effect, because the so-called “brain” role of nutrients to play are determined by the body’s Internal regulation and balance.
The external force is mainly the fresh air, sunlight, water and the promotion of sports. Lifestyle also has an important influence on children’s growth and development. Reasonable arrangement of life and rest system, regular and rhythmic, and sufficient time for outdoor activities have a good effect on growth and development. Geographical climate and seasons also have certain influence on children’s growth and development, and atmospheric pollution affects children’s growth. The influence of social factors on children’s growth and development is multi-level and multi-faceted, affecting not only the physical development of children and adolescents, but also their psychological, intellectual and behavioral development. The family is the cell of society, and many factors in the socio-economic situation, such as living conditions, diet and behavior, parents’ character, hobbies, and expectations and attitudes toward their children, affect the growth and development of children directly or indirectly, mainly through the family.
How to determine whether the child’s growth and development is normal or not?
During a child’s physical examination, the doctor will determine whether the child’s growth and development is normal, mainly based on the results of height and weight measurements. Height reflects bone development. The average height of a full-term baby is about 50 cm at birth, 75 cm at one year of age, and 5-7 cm per year thereafter is normal. True dwarfism refers to children of similar living environment, same age, same race and same gender whose height is lower than 2 standard deviations of the same age or lower than the third percentile, and a lifetime height shorter than 1.45 meters for men and 1.35 meters for women is called dwarfism.
Weight Weight reflects the development of organs, muscles and fat of the whole body. The average weight of infants at birth is 3 kg, and the average increase is 0.7 kg per month in the first 6 months, 0.4 kg per month in the second 6 months, and 2 kg per year in the first 12 years. Weight below 1.5% of the normal standard is malnutrition, and above 20% is obesity.
Growth monitoring of children should start from the neonatal period. How can we determine whether the growth of an infant within one year of age is normal or not? We recommend several methods here: 1. Monitor the growth and development process of children In order to prevent early childhood growth retardation, parents should pay attention to monitoring the progress of their children’s growth and development, such as weight, length growth, language and motor skills. In the process of monitoring your baby’s growth and development, you can observe the motor and language skills that continue to emerge in the first few months of life. At about one month of life, babies begin to pronounce sounds, at three months they can hold their heads up when lying down, and at four months they can mumble and talk to you and laugh out loud.
The best way for parents to observe their infants’ growth and development is to note these early growth milestones, as well as the most important ones, such as when they start walking and talking. You can identify these two growth indicators by comparing your little one to other little ones of the same age or to older twins. However, it is important to remember that there are individual differences in each child’s development and that there is a range of time to reach the target. For example, infants can start walking as early as 9 months and as late as 15 months.
2. Identification of growth retardation How do you distinguish between normal and retarded development in children? Generally speaking, a baby is considered to be developing normally if he or she meets the growth milestones, while a stunted baby is one whose growth does not reach the normal upper limit of the above milestones. Although infant development has its own rules, every child should reach a certain standard by a certain age. These standards fall into the following categories: gross motor skills, such as crawling or walking; fine motor skills, such as stacking blocks and painting; language skills, including speech and comprehension; thinking skills; and social skills.
We present to you a timeline from which a child’s development may deviate and whose development still falls within the normal range.
If you are not sure of your judgment, please discuss your concerns with your pediatrician.
Timeline of developmental milestones: 2 months Laughs in the face of articulation; 3 months Can hold head and chest up when lying flat, can hold things in hands, likes to imitate people; 4 months Makes babbling sounds, laughs, wants to imitate people’s articulation; 6 months Can roll over and pass things with hands; 7 months Responds to calls for his name, can look for partially hidden objects; 9 months Can sit up independently, can crawl; 12 months With or without assistance Can walk with or without assistance, pronounce at least one word, imitate laughter; 18 months Can walk independently, drink from a cup, and say at least 15 words; 2 years Can run, say 2 words, follow simple instructions, and begin to play games; 3 years Can climb appropriately, say multiple words, and sort objects by shape and color; 4 years Can be with people outside the family, draw circles and squares, and ride 5 years old can tell their name and address, jump, dress, and count (1-10).