Question
My baby seems to be growing slowly since birth. At birth, he weighed 5.9 jin (about 2.95 kg) and now, at 4 months old, he weighs only 15 jin (about 7.5 kg) and is only 63 cm tall. In the past month, the baby has refused the bottle and his diet has been poor. How should we handle this situation? Is my baby growing slowly? How should we deal with it? At 4 months old, can I start giving him egg yolks? How should I provide complementary foods, and how can I get my baby to eat more and grow faster?
Answer
Generally speaking, a baby should gain 0.7 kilograms per month in the first 6 months, 0.5 kilograms per month from 6 months to 2 years old, and the weight for children aged 2 to 12 years is usually age divided by 2 plus 8 kilograms. A fluctuation of ±10% around this standard is normal. From the third month onwards, you can start gradually introducing vegetable juice and fruit juice. From the fourth month, you can begin to offer rice porridge, egg yolk, thin congee, noodles, fish meat, and minced meat balls. In summary, follow the principle of gradual introduction, from small to large, from thin to thick, from single foods to a variety of foods. From simple to complex, avoid fussy eating. However, it is usually recommended to provide complementary foods during meal times and change diapers at other times as needed. If there is vomiting, temporarily stop providing complementary foods.