Low weight Gain Among Babies -- Know Some Common Reasons

Why baby's weight is not increasing adequately?

Many mothers ask this question - my baby's weight is low. However, most of the time baby's weight is in the baby's growth chart range, but a thin appearance creates doubt among parents.

First, if your baby's growth is as per the growth chart, the baby's immunity is good, and overall growth and development are visible month-on-month then there is nothing to worry about. Focus on building inner strength and overall development.

Now, coming back to the cases wherein the baby's weight is low or not in line with the growth chart. -- In that case, it is highly recommended to consult a pediatrician or healthcare professional if the baby's weight is low with no increase on a month-on-month basis.

Your pediatrician or healthcare professionals will do proper diagnosing. And they will give the right guidance. And here are some of the reasons for low weight among little ones,

1) Inadequate Feeding -- If a baby is not able to consume enough milk (breast milk or formula). It could be due to poor latch/sucking issues. Inadequate feeding may lead to low weight gain (or no weight gain) as per normal growth.

2) Inadequate Breastmilk: There are possibilities that the breastmilk supply is not sufficient for little ones. Several genuine reasons (eg. health conditions) for that, and because of that, the little ones may get lower calories than required. And this may lead to inadequate weight gain (or no weight gain) situations.

3) Premature Baby: It is observed that premature babies with low birth weight shows low weight gain compared to similar-age babies. They'd need extra attention for proper weight gain.

4) Health Conditions: Baby's low weight (or low weight gain) could be because of medical conditions. It could be a metabolic disorder, gastrointestinal problems, sickness, etc may affect weight gain growth. Some other health conditions eg. thyroid disorders may require extra attention.

5) HyperActive: It is also observed that hyperactive babies gain weight slowly. They burn most of their calories in activities and show low weight gain. It requires attention if there is no weight gain or the weight is reducing instead of increasing.

We brought down some known general points that could lead to low weight gain or no weight gain in extreme cases.

Not all babies are the same. So always find out the reasons for low weight and seek timely help from healthcare professionals.

You can book our Child Nutrition Counselling program. https://www.nutribudfoods.com/products/child-nutrition-program

Back to blog