Why do children eat a lot but do not gain weight or increase height?

The article is professionally consulted with Master, Doctor Nguyen Cong Canh - Department of Pediatrics - Neonatology - Vinmec Da Nang International General Hospital

There are children who eat less but are still fat, while there are also many children who eat a lot without gaining weight or height. Parents need to know the exact reason why their children are not gaining weight in order to have an effective remedy.
Children eat well but are still slow to grow, do not increase in height can be due to the following reasons:

Children 6 - 24 months old, their stomach size is still small, they cannot digest a large amount of food in each meal, so it is necessary to design the number of meals, the number of each meal will gradually increase with age to match the capacity. stomach and meet the needs of the child.
For example: Children 6-8 months old should eat 2 additional meals/day, each meal is 100 - 150ml; Children from 9 to 11 months old: 3 meals/day, 200ml each; Children from 12-24 months old: 3 meals/day, each meal is 250ml. The main meal is usually flour, porridge, soup cooked from liquid to thick, from sweet to salty and a variety of foods with all 4 food groups. Milk requirements also vary with age and feed intake.
Mother thinks that you eat a lot, but in reality, it is not enough in the amount needed in each meal, or not eating enough meals in a day.

According to recommendations, we should eat 15-20 different foods every day to get enough nutrients. Most parents feed their babies according to their preferences and appetite without paying attention to the quantity of food and the variety of foods to ensure enough nutrients.
Even if you eat a lot in quantity but not in quality, your baby may still lack energy and nutrients. The most common is the supplementary meal that often lacks fat, causing a lack of energy. Not only ensuring energy, fat also helps absorb fat-soluble vitamins (vitamins A, D, E, K). Lack of fat, children will be deficient in these vitamins, leading to stunted growth.

Putting into the child's body an amount of food that exceeds the baby's ability to digest. If a 6-month-old baby is just starting to eat solids, if they are fed in excess of the number of meals (2 meals) and the amount of food (100ml), the baby will not have enough digestive enzymes. This part of food will not be able to fully absorb into the body, making the baby full or causing diarrhea, causing the baby to bloat, indigestion, so he refuses to drink milk, digestive disorders and weight loss.

In each child's body, the ability to digest and absorb food is different, so a child may eat more than a child of the same age, but it is too much for him. Therefore, it is necessary to increase and decrease the amount of food and milk for the baby to have proper digestion and the best development of the baby.
Some children have intestinal diseases, hepatobiliary diseases, genetic diseases, allergic diseases, food intolerances, etc., which limit their ability to digest and absorb food.
Children with some endocrine diseases such as hypothyroidism, pituitary dwarfism, ... are also causes of growth retardation.

Many mothers think that giving their children a lot of nutrients to grow up quickly, the nutrients here are protein-rich foods such as: Meat, fish, shrimp, eggs, milk,... Feeding their children too much protein makes them lose weight. Baby indigestion, reduced appetite, reduced suckling. Eating a lot of protein also causes constipation, making children unable to absorb food, increasing the burden on the baby's kidneys, moreover, protein is not a source of energy for children, to gain weight, children must eat enough nutrients. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins only provide 13-20% of the daily energy intake depending on age.

In some cases, children have a high basal metabolism and consume a lot of energy, so they are still skinny when they eat a lot. Children who are too hyperactive to run and jump a lot also expend a lot of energy, so eating a lot still gains weight slowly.

This is also the reason why children eat a lot but grow slowly. Because the baby has been suffering from these intestinal parasites "fighting" to use nutrients from food. Mothers need to periodically deworm their children every 6 months from 2 years old.

This condition occurs when the baby's digestive system lacks some digestive enzymes or bacteria due to congenital or antibiotic use. This causes only a small amount of food to be converted into nutrients and energy for the body.

Here are the solutions for children to eat a lot but still be thin, not to increase their height:
Proper nutrition: In meals, it is necessary to balance groups of protein, sugar, fat and vegetables. Pay attention to the variety of foods and increase the amount of fat in the meal. Each child's cup of flour, porridge, or rice needs one tablespoon of oil or fat. Limit snacking: Do not give your baby snacks between meals, leading to the phenomenon of defiance. (Children snacking before main meals makes them feel full, making them refuse to eat or not finish the main meal.) Supplement nutrition from milk every day: Milk is one of the most easily absorbed sources of nutrition for babies. It is recommended to use more types of milk to help the baby gain weight well to increase the source of nutrients for the baby every day. Mothers should also pay attention to the baby to use enough in both quantity and quality. Your baby's milk needs can change with age. Supplementing functional foods: In addition to having a reasonable diet and paying attention to what type of milk to use for weight gain, mothers can also add probiotics from foods or functional foods. to increase the absorption of nutrients for the baby. At the same time, you should also let your baby be active because this is very good for the baby's body and digestive system. In addition to the above reasons, many children eat a lot but still do not grow up depending on other factors such as: genetic factors, birth weight of children, premature babies, fetal malnutrition, children with diseases There are many reasons such as congenital heart disease, children with metabolic and endocrine diseases or with high basal metabolic rate, consuming a lot of energy, so eating a lot is still skinny.

Note: This article is part of the Vinmec International General Hospital System's Awareness Program on Growth Retardation, with the support of Novo Nordisk