How to Increase Weight in Children

Although many children are slim yet healthy, children who are significantly underweight are at risk for health problems. These include delays in physical developments such as puberty, lower immunity and less energy. If your pediatrician has suggested your child needs to gain weight, there's plenty you can do that doesn't require micromanaging every meal. You can increase weight in children by providing the right amount of calories and nutrients, boosting appetite and encouraging muscle-building play.

Things You'll Need

• Nutrient-dense foods
• Equipment for muscle-building play

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Instructions

• 1

  Get the child a complete checkup to rule out medical problems that may be causing a failure to gain weight. Low weight and unexplained weight loss in children can indicate dental, intestinal or gall bladder problems, kidney disease or diabetes. Food intolerances, such as lactose or gluten intolerance, and food allergies can also interfere with weight gain by causing loss of nutrients or preventing nutrients from being properly absorbed.

• 2

  Provide the correct amount of calories. A child may eat frequently but still not get the calories she needs to gain weight and grow. Find out how many calories your child needs for her height, weight and activity level. Then take note of what she eats for a week. If you find the child's average daily calorie intake is lower than the recommended amount, take steps to increase healthy calories in her diet.

• 3

  Include sufficient protein and healthy fats in the child's diet. Toddlers up to age 2 should get around 40 percent to 50 percent of their calories from fat, but 30 percent is sufficient for older children. Depending on age, children require anywhere from 13 to 52 grams of protein a day. In addition to meat and dairy protein sources, also provide oatmeal, buckwheat kasha, lentil or bean soup and bean dips such as hummus. Adding olive oil is another way to sneak in extra calories from heart-friendly fat.

• 4

  Encourage frequent nutritious snacks. Children have small stomachs and can't go as long between meals as adults can. Between meals, provide your child with nuts, dried fruit, granola, sandwiches made with tuna, peanut butter or avocados and wholegrain bread, tropical fruits, fruit smoothies, pitas and hummus and dairy or non-dairy puddings.

• 5

  Make sure the child takes part in muscle-building play. Healthy weight gain comes from muscle gain, and muscles need exercise in order to grow. Muscle-building activities for children include climbing, batting games such as baseball and cricket, crab-walking, see-saws and swimming. Children can also lift weights if you're careful to choose the right size weight and teach correct lifting form. Remember that aerobic exercise, while good for the heart and lungs, doesn't help with weight gain.

• 6

  Experiment with different foods and different ways of preparing foods if your child has a poor appetite. For instance, a child may dislike cooked broccoli but enjoy fresh broccoli. To make foods more palatable to children, use breading, dips and sauces with pureed vegetables added. Also try occasional sweetened fruits and vegetables, such as applesauce or mashed sweet potatoes with butter and cinnamon.