Question
A 10-month-old boy, since he has learned to stand, enjoys being bounced by adults. There is a rumor that excessive jumping in young children may lead to bowlegs. The child weighs 24 pounds and is 76 centimeters tall, as he is overweight, he has not learned to crawl and only knows how to jump. The parents ask if this behavior will affect his bone development and how to deal with it. At the same time, they inquire about how to handle the baby’s night feeding issue. The baby eats rice porridge or baby rice at 6 p.m. and drinks 180 milliliters of milk at 8:30 p.m., but wakes up at 3 a.m. due to hunger, even if he doesn’t want to drink water, he still needs to be fed 150 milliliters of milk to fall asleep quietly, and the parents hope to improve the night feeding situation.
Answer
Parents can support the child’s armpits and let them jump on an adult’s legs or help them stand by holding their hands, which can exercise the baby’s bones and muscles and promote motor development, but it should not be overdone. Every child’s growth pace is different, generally speaking, children can store food energy after three months of age and no longer need night feeding. Parents can provide baby rice one hour before bedtime and feed the baby formula again before going to sleep. If the baby shows signs of calcium deficiency, such as excessive sweating, night terrors, and body weakness, more severe cases may include pigeon chest, flared ribs, or bowlegs. If there is no calcium deficiency, parents can increase foods rich in calcium and vitamin D to help supplement.