Failure to thrive: what this means for your child.

What causes it? A child with failure to thrive is not getting enough calories to grow. The most common cause is not eating enough food. Some reasons a child may not be getting enough food include: • Feeding problems, like poor sucking or swallowing • Trouble with breastfeeding • Drinking too much juice, which has a lot of sugar but not enough nutrients needed for proper growth • Trouble switching from formula to solid food • Not enough high-calorie foods in the diet • Family problems that affect the diet Sometimes a child may burn more calories than he or she eats because of a serious medical problem such as heart or lung disease. Having a lot of diarrhea or vomiting may also cause failure to thrive. How do I know if my child has a problem? Your doctor will examine your child. He or she may ask about how you feed your child. It may help to show the doctor how you breastfeed or how you make your child’s bottles. If your child is older, your doctor may ask you for a list of everything your child eats or drinks each day (called a food journal). Sometimes, your doctor may suggest blood work or other tests.