Catch Up on Lost Growth in Children

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From the very moment you plan your family, decide to conceive till the time your last day on the earth, it is almost like starting a company of your own…

First you make your mind, nurture the idea, plan, visit the doctors regularly, start your execution once you greet the new born… then keep watching the baby's progress eagerly, monitoring every inch of growth and each new developmental milestone all the way...Isn't it sooo similar???

In the whole phase, sometimes, the growth of your child will worry you…sometimes fussiness in the child will make you concerned....what not!!! While you see him playing with his friends, questions like ‘Is my child shorter than his peers?’ ‘Is my child growing slower than his classmates?’, ‘Is my child’s weight lighter than I was at that age?’ keep scratching you.

Yes, a child’s growth is an important indicator of overall health and well-being. Keeping a regular tab on child’s normal physical and mental growth is extremely important, whereas we should not worry if the child is not among the 50th or 75th percentile of height and weight chart.

No child grows at a perfectly steady rate throughout the period of childhood. Kids actually tend to grow a bit faster in the spring than during other times of the year!

Here is an easy and accurate way to track how your child is growing: The Growth Calculator: http://growthpluscalculator.horlicks.in/

So, what can cause slower growth?

There may be several reasons why a child may not be growing as fast as his or her peers or classmates. Some may be entirely harmless reasons and do not affect the health of your child at all. For example, some children simply grow at a slower rate than others, but will eventually catch-up as they get older.

However, there are some other serious reasons for the slower growth of the child. These reasons can range from being born SGA (Small for gestational age) to poor nutrition to certain diseases, for example, conditions affecting the kidneys or the liver. It may even be that a child’s body is not making enough growth hormone, which is responsible for making them grow.

But, the most common reason among the above is that the meal time is not a pleasant experience, but a battlefield for huge number of parents and children. Eating difficulties is a major problem with the children which starts from age of one or two. You need to embrace new tricks to feed your child in daily basis, run after him, take him to the park, use pranks, force or even 'bribe' him to eat...If he eats properly, then its fine, if not, you are totally frustrated and worried.

So, what you need to do to Catch Up On Growth?

-    A good breakfast sets children up for the entire day of learning and discovery. It’s important that kids eat and drink well to set them up for the day. Not only does breakfast provide children with energy, but it is also a good opportunity to top them up with nutrients that support their physical and mental development. 
    Horlicks Growth Plus - with 23 vital growth nutrients - is a great addition to your child’s daily breakfast routine. Giving Horlicks at breakfast time leaves you reassured that you have provided your children with a great start to the day!

-    Universal truth that – kids love junk food and will like having a lot of it. Don't deprive them, but limit them. Try to incorporate healthy snacks in the child's daily diet. The child needs healthy snacks between meals that are nutrients-dense, high in energy, and also easy to digest.

-    Experts say children need 1.2 times more protein than adults for proper growth, and 80 % of it is used for growth and development. Inadequate protein intake may lead to slower growth in children. So, protein diet is extremely important for the child everyday.

-    Ensure everyday intake of Calcium, an important nutrient for bone health, normal heartbeat, blood clotting and muscle function. Your 1 to 3 years old children need at least 500 milligrams, 4 to 8 years old need 800 milligrams and 9 to 18 years old kids need 1300 milligrams of daily Calcium.

-   Mixed grains offer better micro-nutrients, include grains, beans and cereals in the daily diet. Fiber-rich diet and Foods rich in Vitamin C and E, beta-carotene and mineral selenium that empower the body with antioxidants to save the child from several diseases like cancer, heart ailments etc., are also extremely important for children every day.

-    Iron deficiency is very common in children. Fatigue, pale eyes and skin, poor appetite and fussiness in child could be early signs of iron deficiency. Though for the first six months, breast-fed babies get their iron requirements from their mother’s milk, iron intake should soon be started post six months which include fish, meat, green leafy vegetables, eggs, whole grains breads, iron-fortified cereals etc.

-    You need to introduce variety in the diet of the children. Wider variety may give better nutrition. Create a kitchen garden - grow vegetables/fruits to get nutritious food, include your kids in gardening, they would love to eat the vegetables/fruits, nurtured by them.

-     Involve kids in cooking, they would love cooking their own meal.

Nutrition tip: “HorlicksGrowth+ is a specialized nutrition product designed by international pediatric experts for children in age group of 3-9 years who are lagging behind in height and weight. It contains high quality whey protein with added nutrients that are known to enable children to catch up on lost growth. It has been clinically proven for visible growth in children in 6 months.”

Visit: https://growthplus.horlicks.in/ to know more.