What to do if your child is malnourished

If a parent in a big city says that his child is malnourished, many people may not believe it because the current living standards in cities are not such that children will suffer from malnutrition. Even if the family is in financial difficulty, the children should not be left hungry. However, many children today are malnourished not because they have no food to eat, but because they have bad eating habits, such as not liking to eat and being picky about food, which can all lead to malnutrition in children. So, what should we do if our children are malnourished? What should parents do?

Children's bodies are in the best growth stage, so they need to supplement a lot of nutrients. Therefore, if the child is malnourished during this period, it will seriously affect the child's growth. Therefore, as parents, we must take measures to deal with it and let our children supplement enough nutrients as soon as possible, so as not to hinder their physical growth.

How to treat malnutrition in children?

(1) Eliminate the cause of the disease, actively prevent and treat the primary disease, correct various congenital malformations in a timely manner, and improve morning feeding methods, etc.

(B) Diet therapy for nutritional supplementation should gradually increase the quality, quantity and variety of food on the original basis. Rushing too hastily may make the child unable to tolerate it and lead to the opposite consequences.

1. Heat supply: The heat supply for the child must not only ensure growth and development, but also include the needs of the repair process. Therefore, based on the child's original heat, it is gradually increased to 6.27-0.711 MJ/Kg/d (150-200 kcal/Kg/d) (infant) within 1-2 weeks, and the water content is increased accordingly with the heat. However, high calorie intake can only be maintained for a short period of time. When the body weight increases to near normal, the normal physiological calorie requirements for that age should be restored. Since critically ill children have poor food tolerance, the initial calorie intake generally starts with a basic calorie intake of 0.167 to 0.251 MJ/Kg/d (50 to 70 kilocalories/kg/day).

2. Food variety: The protein supply should be higher than normal. For those with good appetite and digestive function, it can be increased to 2-4gKg/day within a few days. In addition, high-quality protein rich in essential amino acids should be supplemented, and protein should account for more than 15% of the total calories. Vegetable oils are easier to digest than animal oils and should be supplied appropriately. And pay attention to supplementing foods rich in vitamins and minerals. It is still advisable to feed infants with human milk. If there is no human milk, skimmed milk can be given. After the digestive function is restored, fresh milk or milk powder can be given. For those who originally ate starchy foods as their staple food, they should gradually replace them with milk products according to their digestive function, and add complementary foods at an early stage. If the child cannot accept large amounts of food, he can take hydrolyzed protein orally, 10 to 20 g each time, put it in sugar or juice and take it 2 to 4 times a day.

For a small number of extremely serious patients or those with gastrointestinal intolerance to food, short-term intravenous nutritional therapy can be given, with glucose, amino acids, fat emulsions and other therapies used as appropriate.

(III) Supportive and stimulating therapy

1. Supplement various digestive enzymes (pancreatin, pepsin, etc.) and multiple vitamins.

2. The main acupoints for pinching the spine and acupuncture therapy include Sifeng, Zusanli, Neiguan, Sanyinjiao, Zhongwan, Pishu, and Dachangshu.

3. As appropriate, multiple small amounts of blood or plasma and albumin transfusions, 25 to 50 ml each time, can correct anemia and hypoproteinemia, promote the recovery of metabolic function, and enhance the body's resistance.

4. For those with poor appetite, short-term use of nandrolone phenylpropionate, 0.5-1 mg/kg each time, 1-2 times a week, and a course of 2-3 weeks.

Children are indeed the best thing for physical growth, and many parents know this and also provide their children with nutritional supplements. However, many parents may supplement their children with a single nutrient. Too much of a certain nutrient and insufficient supplementation of other nutrients will also affect the child's growth. Therefore, in order to solve the problem of malnutrition in children, attention should be paid to balanced nutritional supplementation.