Best Healthy Foods for Weight Gain in Babies & Children

Whenever you visit pediatrician, he always measures the height and weight of the baby in the initial years. This is because these are the two most important factors that reflect the overall health and development of a child. In the initial few months after the birth, weight and height change really fast thereby indicating how healthy the baby is. Though childhood is the time when kids gain weight and grow easily. Whatever they eat is reflected in their well being but there are some children who despite all the efforts and timely feeding are unable to gain reasonable weight and look under- nourished. In order to make them look healthy, parents often feed them with diets rich in calories like fried food etc. which is surely not recommended.

This article talks about all the foods that are very effective in increasing the weight of your baby the right way thereby helping in their overall growth. But before that let us have a look at the weight gain chart for the kids of different age groups.

Weight Gain Chart As Per Age

  • Birth to 3 Months: 175 to 210 grams per week.
  • 5th Month: Double the weight at time of birth.
  • 6 Months to 12 Months: 400 grams every month.
  • 2nd Year: Four times the birth weight.
  • 10th Year: Ten times the birth weight.

A child gains an average of 2 kg every year from 3-7 years.

From 7 years till puberty, he gains 3 kg every year.

Baby Food Items For Weight Gain

Here is the list of food items that you can include in your baby’s diet to help him put on weight as per his age. Design a customized diet chart for your toddler after discussing it with the doctor so that he is able to grow in the right way without missing on anything important and essential.

Butter

Fat is needed for cognitive development of a child. By adding butter to the dal, chappati or khichadi that you are going to serve him, you can actually see a good change in his growth. Make sure you limit it to half to one teaspoon in a day.

Eggs

Eggs are rich source of proteins which help physical development. They also contain Vitamin A and B12 which are again essential for overall physical growth. By including an egg in his everyday diet, you can help him grow better. Serve it in form of scrambled eggs or boiled eggs. Do not start egg yolk before the 8th month.

Milk and Cream

Milk is must for every child as it is rich in protein and carbohydrates along with various other nutrients. Two glasses of milk on daily basis are a must. You can add fresh cream to a bowl of cereals.

Cheese

Feed him with a small chunk of cheeses once in day. It is a rich source of protein for him. You can include cheese in his meals in different forms.

Bananas

Mash one banana and give it to your child or prepare a shake with it. For a child above one year, one banana is good and for a baby younger than one year, half is enough.

Sweet Potato

Sweet potato is loaded with Vitamin A, Vitamin C, sugar and beta carotene. Cook finger food with it and you baby is going to love it.

Potatoes

Potatoes are the most loved of all the vegetables and they also contain amino acids like which make them a wholesome food for weight gain for children. You can prepare different snacks and foods with them.

Nut butters

Feed him with peanut butter or almond butter in sandwiches. They are rich in unsaturated fats, vitamins, fibers and proteins.

Nuts

You can also give your baby mixed nuts either in roasted form or in grounded form depending upon the age of your child. They are loaded with Vitamin E, proteins and fat.

Ghee

You can add few drops of ghee to your child’s food after he is seven months old and then you can increase the quantity gradually. It can be added to dal, rotis, rice and various other preparations.

Whole Grains

Always go for whole grain cereals and brown rice and they are rich in fiber content and promote health and growth.

Chicken

If you wish to have wholesome physical development of your child then chicken is a very good option which helps in building muscles. Add it to soup or rice.

Fish

Fish is another wonderful food. But you really need to help your child have it in his meals as it is surely not easy to consume. You can select the fish he likes and then cook him well to suit his taste buds.

All of these food items can be included in the diet of your toddler to make sure that grows into a healthy person. Keeping check on your baby’s meals in the starting years of his life is very important for his overall physical and mental development and you must make sure that he consumes all of these items if he is really very lean or under-weight as per his age.

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