Patient's question:
My baby is now seven months old. She has one egg every day, a little milk in the morning, noon, and yesterday, and other times she eats complementary foods. But she just doesn't seem to grow. Why is that? Is she malnourished? Others say it might be poor nutrient absorption, and suggest taking probiotics. Is that okay?Doctor's answer:
Probiotics are beneficial for improving gut absorption, and they don't seem to have much to do with malnutrition. Let's check if it's a calcium deficiency. What is child malnutrition? Malnutrition is a chronic nutritional deficiency caused by insufficient calories and/or protein. It is more common in infancy. With the continuous improvement of people's living standards, the incidence of malnutrition has significantly decreased. Currently, the malnutrition observed is mostly due to improper infant feeding methods or disease factors, and the severity is often mild.What causes child malnutrition?
(1) Improper feeding. Long-term insufficient intake, such as inadequate breast milk and delayed addition of complementary foods; for artificially fed infants, the quality and quantity of food do not meet their needs, such as over-dilution of milk or feeding with only starchy foods; sudden weaning, where infants cannot adapt to new foods.