Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Failure to Thrive
- Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
- Symptoms & Signs
- Diagnosis & Tests
- Prevention & Expectations
- Treatment & Monitoring
- Attribution
- View All
Overview, Causes, & Risk Factors
Failure to thrive, also known as FTT, occurs when an infant or toddler fails to gain weight and grow in a healthy manner. In some cases, the child may even lose weight.
What is going on in the body?
Usually discovered in infants and in children younger than 2 years, failure to thrive describes a child's lack of steady growth. It may refer to body weight and also to inadequate growth in height and head circumference.
FTT is generally classified as:
Most infants between 6 months and 1 year of age stop growing as rapidly as they did during the first few months of life. They will continue to eat well yet show no decrease in activity or development. Caregivers should not mistake this healthy slowdown in growth for FTT.
What are the causes and risks of the condition?
The causes of FTT vary and are not always obvious. Certain diseases or physical conditions can cause inadequate weight gain such as:
A child may not be adequately fed if there is a bonding or behavioral problem between the parent and child. Some infants may have difficulty expressing hunger, a poor appetite, or intolerance for some foods. This makes feeding them harder, especially for a new parent.