Navigate Baby's Language Labyrinth

"A, B, C, Z!" exclaimed our 2-year-old, Rachel, as she pointed at a sweatshirt. My wife and I exchanged a surprised glance as we realized that our daughter had somehow grasped the concept of symbols even though she had uttered the wrong letter.

Like many parents, we're puzzled by the dense, maze-like experience called language learning. Parents can more easily foster language acquisition when they understand how kids learn to speak and when there might be signs of speech delay.

How Babies Learn Sounds

Babies interact with others by listening to adult speech and by trying to identify and understand the specific properties of their native language. The social aspect of language emerges immediately as babies begin listening to sounds such as "r" and "l." Initially, these sounds are simply acoustic, something the baby hears without rhyme or reason.

As they grow, babies acquire the ability to organize different sounds into categories that become building blocks for words. These sound categories are language-specific.

For example, "r" and "l" are important categories in English but are meaningless in Mandarin Chinese. An English-speaking baby older than 11 months would be able to distinguish "ray" from "lay," while a Mandarin-speaking baby would not.

"Babies subconsciously count the number of times a phonetic unit (a basic sound) is used in the language they hear," explains Paul Yoder, PhD, a language expert at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN.

Dr. Yoder says that babies track sounds best when listening to real people talk, and do not learn nearly as well from audio or video recordings. "There is something about social interaction that is important. It's not just all cognitive. There is a social element even at the very, very early stages of language acquisition."

Use Milestones Cautiously

Milestones are one way to monitor a child's language development, but use them cautiously, advises Jenny Saffran, PhD, a language acquisition expert at the University of Wisconsin. Take the first word at the 12-month milestone, for example. "I guess the best way to put it is, if you say that the first word comes at 12 months, that means that for half the babies, the first word comes before 12 months and for half the babies it comes after 12 months. So both of those are typical," she says.

Parents may become concerned or upset if their child does not hit a particular milestone on time. "Milestones can be misleading, I think, which is why it's nice to focus on what your baby understands more than what your baby is saying," says Dr. Saffran.

She illustrates the point with an example: Recently, she taught her 11-month-old child the difference between the mother's name and the nanny's name by saying "Give mommy five, give Jane five." The child was able to do it. If Saffran were tied to milestones, she might have overlooked the child's ability to understand which name was associated with each person.

Delayed Development

Language Development

Keep track of your child's journey through the language maze. Basic stages:

• 4 to 8 months: Babies often coo and gurgle, progressing to babbling around 6 months of age. By 8 months, babies can remember single words.
• 9 to 12 months: Babies learn to pick out individual words in the speech stream that is everyday language. By 12 months, babies often understand up to 50 individual words. They also learn how to make gestures to communicate certain basic needs such as hunger or thirst.
• 12 to 18 months: Many children utter their first word, and some begin to use two-word phrases; comprehension increases considerably with some children understanding 150 words or more.
• 18 to 24 months: Children's active vocabulary expands considerably. Parents often stop counting words at this point because they can't keep up. Additionally, most toddlers produce and understand simple phrases such as "more juice." They also understand long phrases, some sentences and even basic grammatical concepts such as "ing" for an action occurring in the present or the preposition "with."

Dr. Yoder says parents need to distinguish between late-bloomers and kids who are truly delayed. "Kids who understand a lot of words and who use a lot of gestures but aren't saying words by 24 months tend to be the late bloomers who are usually fine without early intervention even though they are not talking at 24 months," he says.

"Kids who don't seem to understand many words, or don't use gestures to communicate very much and don't talk by 24 months are often truly delayed and could probably benefit from early intervention," Dr. Yoder says.

Early intervention refers to speech and language therapy conducted by a speech pathologist with expertise in children's language development. Both Dr. Yoder and Dr. Saffran recommend consulting a qualified speech pathologist if parents have serious concerns about their child's language development.

Helping Kids Learn

Wherever a child is in the language learning process, parents can help their kids with some basic techniques.

First, Dr. Yoder recommends that parents consciously put into words the child's non-verbal communication. For example, when a baby points to a juice bottle the parent might say, "Oh, you want the juice."

Second, he suggests focusing on compliance, which refers to children doing what parents ask them to do — for example, if a parent asks a child to open a jar, and the child completes this task. Compliance is important because it shows that the child understands.

Third, Dr. Yoder encourages descriptive talk. "The basic idea is talking about what the baby is doing without telling the baby what to do." In other words, parents can practice during meals with statements such as "Abigail, do you like the banana? The banana is yellow."

Parents can also help their kids by repeating and adding to the child's two- or three-word statement. For example, the phrase "want ball" is not grammatically correct, but an adult can say, "You want the ball." In this way, the parent gently and non-critically teaches the child that the statement needs to be a little bit longer and requires additional grammatical elements.

Dr. Yoder suggests similar action when the child's pronunciation is incorrect, a normal occurrence when kids are first starting to talk. "It's probably helpful, if the child is way off in his pronunciation, to acknowledge that what he's said is right and then say it as an adult would say it."

By focusing on what babies perceive and understand, parents can assess their children's progress and avoid pressuring them to produce words before they are ready.

Frequent interaction is the best way to nurture a child's language development. Indeed, at 26 months, Rachel is not only a chatterbox but seems to understand nearly everything we say. Was it really worth fretting over that first word?

How to talk to your newborn baby

It has been a few years since we have had a newborn baby in our house.  Miss Four and Miss Five are now such chatters, that I have needed to consciously think about how to speak to a tiny little person.  This isn't the time to be teaching them lots of vocabulary skills or asking them questions, but to build the basics of a talking relationship.

These are the things that I have remembered to use with our little man in his first few months…

One-sided Conversation

At this stage, most of your language interaction with your baby is one-sided.  They may make reflexive or bodily noises like snorting, grunting, crying, etc.  We then interpret them with meaning, and a conversation is born!  This is the basis of their later interaction skills, and helps them learn all about your voice and the way you speak. It also helps you not to go mad as you spend hours on your own with a newborn – chat away!

Interesting Voice

You might feel a bit odd, but it's important to use a melodic and exciting voice for your baby.  It's called parentese and is used around the world by people to entertain their children.  Stop when you find yourself using it with an adult in public…

Repetition

The first few weeks of a baby's life are so shocking and confronting – new temperatures, new bodily functions, new sensations.  It must be totally overwhelming for them, no wonder they cry so much!  On top of the physical comfort we give our babies, we can also add to their feelings of safety by using the same words over and again to 'warn' them of what is going to happen.  Of course, they can't yet understand our words, but they do know our voices.  And they help your child feel safe as the same thing happens each time.  Try:

• 1-2-3-up! – when you are about to pick them up
• nappy off! before you expose them to the cold air!
• are you hungry?  lets him know that you are about to feed him
• Name Feelings

After knowing your bub for a few weeks, you will learn to anticipate some of their small range of emotions:  happy/content, hungry, grizzly, tired, etc. Name them for your child – your voice calms them and it helps keep the one-sided conversation going.  Try:

• you sound hungry!  are you hungry?  yum yum yum
• oh, you're so tired.  What a tired girl you are.  Sleepy time now
• do you like that?  Is that fun in the bouncer?  Are you having a good time?
• Sing Songs

Singing songs to calm your baby is an oldie and a goodie.  I have four songs that I sing to my three over and over again – they're similar tunes and keys, and all lead into each other without too much thought:  Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Hey Diddle Diddle, Hush Little Baby and Hey Dee Ho.  I sometimes add songs to the repertoire, but these are the favourites that they request when they are unwell.

Pick songs you like – you are going to be singing them for many years to come. Remember the movie Sleepless in Seattle?  Jonah's late mother used to sing him Bye Bye Blackbird when he had trouble sleeping.  Makes me cry every time!

People

Help your baby learn people's names – including their own.  He doesn't know his name yet, so many of your conversations can be as stimulating as "Hello baby Jack, it's Mummy!"  or "Where's Sarah?  Here's Sarah!".  Name people for your baby when you hand him over:  "Here you go to Daddy" or "Do you want a cuddle with Nana?"

These strategies cover the first few months of your baby's life.  I'll add another update when our little man gets a little older, and share with you the strategies that I have rediscovered for that age group!  If you'd like to read more about children's langauge acquisition, and what you can do at home, I definitely recommend BabyTalk by Sally Ward. Available at Fishpond and Amazon.

The benifit of learning drawing

Art can help children express, communicate and create order. Children generally lack the breadth of vocabulary necessary to articulate all of the complexity of their thoughts and emotions succinctly. Not having the words to express feelings can be frustrating for young children and art provides a useful outlet by which to express themselves. Children also seek order as a means to define their world and understand things in context. There is a methodical component to art that allows children to creatively explore new ideas and make sense of them through association. 

Stimulating Brain Development

Drawing stimulates the brain to grow in the areas that learn how to observe. Some children are born with the intellect and instincts that predispose them to spend more time drawing, but these habits can nurtured and developed by the settings in which they are raised. Even children with no inherent artistic talent can use art as a means to increase their intellectual capacity to observe and express.

Children who frequently practice drawing often discover how to make observations and drawings that seem advanced for their age. Drawing and other observational art projects such as collages and collections encourage an eye for detail and the ability to differentiate or find similarities that might be overlooked by someone who is not trying to create an artistic rendering. Observational drawing strengthens memory and all drawing promotes fine motor skills, spatial understanding as well as better handwriting and manual dexterity.

How Art Originates

Art is fruit of memories, imagination and observations. Memories are the inspiration, imagination provides the material for constructing art and observations help the artist make sense of the project, giving it direction and meaning.

Drawing is the best "starter" art for young children and it is also something that can be enjoyed and perfected as the child matures. Drawings can be inspired though observation or imagination although, observational drawing is preferable for very young children as they will find the activity of drawing more enjoyable and effective as a creative outlet if they are able to draw some common and recognizable subjects such as stick people, houses, trees, flowers, animals and the like.

While most children benefit by early instruction and practice in observational drawing and modeling, it is important to remember their age when you are deciding upon observational subject matter. Drawing skill is based on practiced observation and children who do not realize that will be very frustrated by their inability to draw more realistically. Regular observation drawing and painting can be enjoyable and stimulating for preschool aged children and these children should be encouraged to practice these art forms even when most of their work product is crude and unrecognizable.

 

Drawing Instruction

At the preschool age, a child is less inclined to follow verbal instructions and restrictions. Art learning is best kept in the self-initiated fun category in order to promote long-term interest. An adult can offer to teach, but not demand it. Since preschool age children do much of their learning through play, art should be encouraged informally, always with a focus on fun.

It is easier to teach observational drawing to preschool age children as children younger than five years old have not yet reached the stage of self-criticism and frustration. Younger children are less apt to compare their drawings to others and they are less self-critical and more tolerant of their own work.

Learning to draw is more rewarding as drawings become more realistic. There are certain techniques to help young children along the path to more realistic renderings:

TACTILE PRACTICE. Observation is a total sensory experience, not simply a visual experience. Have your child run his finger slowly along the side of the object he wishes to draw. Talk about the movements and the change of direction as your child runs his finger along the object. "Now you are going sideways…see how it slants a little…". Ask the child to describe the motions in the same way.

AIR PRACTICE. Ask the child to finger trace the object in the air as he closely observes it from about a foot away. Once again, talk about the motions, so each little change of direction causes my finger to copy it in the air. This activity forces the child to start looking at the edge of a thing to learn to see one actual line rather than the overall shape.

BLINDER PRACTICE. After feeling the object and tracing it in the air, the child can try a practice edge line on paper using a soft lead pencil. Tell the child to concentrate on a particular line rather than the overall shape and to make a drawing of that line without looking at the paper. Observation is not learned by looking down at the paper while drawing but rather, by concentrating on the thing that is being studied.

A REAL DRAWING. After practicing all the edges, it is time to draw the whole object. Again, remind the child to look at the object most of the time rather than staring down at the paper. Before the child begins a drawing, ask questions that encourage the study of edges and contours. Ask for size comparisons and light/dark comparisons as even very young children will be able to grasp these concepts and attention to these details will strengthen the drawing.

Writing and drawing for a baby

When and how it develops

Your child's early attempts at writing certainly won't look much like words and sentences, but his scribbles, lines, and drawings are all helping him get ready to learn his ABCs — and perhaps someday produce the next great American novel.

Many children are able to grasp a crayon and shove it around on a piece of paper when they're about 12 or 13 months old. Their writing and drawing skills improve in tiny incremental steps throughout the toddler years until they're able to draw recognizable pictures and, eventually, put a few letters down on paper.

12 to 18 months

Over the last several months of his first year, your child's fine motor skills improved steadily. Now he's physically ready to grab hold of a crayon and start experimenting. At 12 or 13 months, some toddlers are already able to scribble vigorously, while others start tentatively (they'll drag a crayon around on paper, scrawling inadvertently). If yours takes longer, that's fine, too. Children develop at different rates, some faster than others. By around 16 months, your little one will probably be a scribbling pro, creating a gallery's worth of drawings for the refrigerator.

19 to 25 months

Your toddler's scribbles will start taking discernible shape now, though he doesn't yet form letters and numbers — he can't hold a writing implement steadily enough yet for that. But he's become enthralled by anything he can draw with — crayons, pens, and colored pencils. Beware, this is prime time for crayon scribbles on the wall. And he's probably starting to spend longer on each individual drawing now, covering more of the paper rather than making a single swirl. Draw a single line and he can easily imitate it, though it may not be very straight.

26 to 30 months

At about 29 or 30 months, your child moves from mere scribbles to true art; he's more interested in coloring and painting, and he starts adding colors and trying to represent real objects and things. A drawing may look to you like a solid mass of green ink, but ask him and he'll tell you it's a snake in the jungle. He may also start attempting to incorporate language into his drawings; look closely at a painting and you may see that the larger scribbles are figures, while the chicken scratches are attempts at letters or words. He may also start signing his pictures, though the letters won't look like any alphabet you recognize.

31 to 36 months

By the time he's 2 and a half, your child will be able to hold a thick pencil or crayon solidly in a writing position. According to Nina Lief, a child development expert and co-author of The First Three Years of Life, children this age are usually able to master the up-and-down movement required to make a "V," which is a little trickier and requires more dexterity than making a straight line. Between now and his third birthday your toddler will also start making circular strokes, and some will be able to write a few letters — or squiggles that look an awful lot like letters. A few will start writing their first name — or a few letters of it — around or just past their third birthday. Many don't, though, and that's okay. Don't feel pressured to push your child to learn to write; wait until he's really interested and excited about it. Writing is a developmental skill that does not have a formal timetable; your toddler can take his time and still be developmentally on track. Slow and steady may well win this race: A child who is just learning to write his letters in kindergarten may well have lovely penmanship by second grade.

When to be concerned

All children are different, but if yours hasn't started scribbling by the time he's about 15 or 16 months old, bring it up the next time you see his pediatrician. Keep in mind, though, that premature babies may reach this and other milestones later than their peers.

What's next

As preschoolers get more adept at using crayons and pencils, they'll start making more elaborate and accurate drawings. Most will be able to write their first name before they enter kindergarten, especially if they've been learning the alphabet in daycare or preschool. Sometime before his fifth birthday, your child will learn to make horizontal lines, to copy a circle and a square, and to draw people (he'll probably start with stick figures and add on curves as he gets better at it).

EARLY MUSIC EDUCATION AFFECT A CHILD'S LEARNING ABILITY

The years from newborn to age 6 are critical times for engaging in and incorporating music education in a child's life. Children develop at a faster pace than adults during the early childhood years, and that period has been identified in literature as the "music babble" stage or primary music development.

Kirsten Morgan, the executive director at The Diller-Quaile School of Music in Manhattan, speaks about the benefits of music education and how parents can incorporate music into their child's life.

Music is a universal form of expression and communication that is inherent to all cultures. We believe that rich, socially interactive, sensitive, and nurturing interactive musical experiences positively affect young children's lives and build a foundation from which all future learning may be flourished. Our young students at The Diller-Quaile Schoole of Music participate in music by actively listening, watching, and engaging in each experience we share with them.

It's important to remember that all children depend on their own experience in order to make sense of their evolving world. Musical and artistic experiences all offer emotional and sensorial means by which they may connect. These experiences all enhance future learning.

When you're thinking about young children, they are developing at a rapid rate. More rapidly than at any other time in their life. Their brains are actively seeking experiences to build connections and to learn. Music provides ongoing opportunities for the brain to build strong connections and it's very compelling for the young child. They are developing critical thinking skills, purposeful focus in their music experiences, problem-solving abilities, perseverance, and music making inspires us to think in new ways, express emotion, connect with others, and build community.

HOW TO MAXIMIZE YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING ABILITY

All of us learn through our senses AND through the senses of sight, hearing, touch, taste and feeling, We use these to gather information. We interact with our environment using these senses. We look at things, hear things, touch them, taste them or feel them to try and understand them. This information that we get from our senses is then sent to the brain.

For example, we look at a lemon see that it is yellow and round, touch it and know that it is smooth, taste it and realize that it is sour. This information is then sent to the brain where it is processed. Then it is put away in the brain and stored till it is required. All this information that we gathered from our senses has helped us learn what a lemon is and what its properties are. Then when we come across a lemon again, we know that it is a lemon, because we remember when we see it that it is round and yellow, smooth to the touch, has a citric smell and tastes sour.

However, each individual takes information in different ways from the environment. Some people use one sense; say for example, sight, more that they do hearing. That means they prefer to look at things and learn about them rather than listening to information about them. Each of us has a different way of learning and we have to try and discover this style of learning on our children to help them become more efficient and more effective learners.

Early in life, a baby rnakes sense of his environment by picking up things and putting them in his mouth. At his stage, his sense of touch and taste are the strongest means of understanding the world. These, taste and touch are the modalities, which are the stronger channels of learning.

As we grow older we rely less on our sense of taste. Other channels of learning become more acute and stronger, such as the sense of vision, hearing and movement. We begin to rely more on these to get information and to learn. Often One sense becomes stronger the others.

This is the sense (or senses) that we use to learn. For instance some of us may be better at remembering information when it is presented visually, and some of us may do better if we listen to information. This becomes our channel or modality of learning. This becomes our learning style.

How do you know the learning style of your child? What are the signs to look for? What will give you clues as to what modality your child prefers?

There are three basic styles of learning.

• visual,
• auditory and
• kinesthetic (movement)  

Children with a visual learning style, learn by looking at pictures, seeing things, watching demonstrations.

Children with an auditory style of learning, learn by listening to others and to themselves.

Children with a kinesthetic style of learning learn by doing, by touching and by using movement.

A child, whose style of learning is visual AND where the sense of sight is used, likes to read things. This is the child who recognizes spellings from the way they look. He has a good name for faces, but may not be able to remember names. This child will watch a speaker's face, and / or try to take notes while listening to a teacher. This kind of learner watches people's faces to gauge their emotions. A child with a strong visual mode of learning focuses on details and sees things as a whole. This child makes lists to remember what has to be done. He looks around and tries to remember details of what has been seen. When not involved in any activity, this child doodles / draws / sketches.

The visual learner prefers to write down telephone numbers and e-mail addresses to remember them, directions to a destination need to be written, or a diagrammatic map would help, just hearing these is not enough. Watching a movie or TV is an activity that the visual child prefers to hearing a story or listening to music. Imagery is mental in a visual learner; the child has a detailed, vivid imagination. In a new situation, a child with a visual mode of learning looks around and figures out what to do. Visual stimuli distract the child.

What helps your visual child to learn?

The visual learning child learns best when he is allowed to draw what he is learning. Encourage your child to make diagrams, note down points, highlight his work, colour code, important points, make notes in the margin underline important facts and make lists. Content material can be broken up into "chunks" so that the material is visually separated into segments. These techniques help the visual learner to learn better.

 When teaching spelling, the words can be broken up in syllables, with a gap between each syllable. Syllables can be colour coded. Encourage the child to make flow charts for science, maps for geography, and timelines for history, posters for literature and for poems. Encourage the child to make all study material as visual as possible. Remember that this visual child remembers and understands information better if he has read it. He learns by seeing it on paper.

The auditory child is the one who likes to learn by listening to things. Telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and verbal directions are understood and remembered quickly, This child enjoys plays and listening to dialogue. While working, he vocalizes what he is doing. When not doing anything in particular or when bored, the auditory learner will hum or sing softly to himself or talk to others. While spelling, this child uses phonic rules to sound out words and understands the sounds that go to make up a word. The child with a strong auditory modality of learning has a good memory for names, but cannot remember faces. This child repeats things to himself to remember them. Sounds distract the child. In a new situation, the child talks aloud and deliberates on the pros and cons. listening to music is a favored activity. Things are perceived as a whole, rather than in it are component parts. Auditory stimuli can distract this child.

What are some of the techniques that you can use to help your auditory child learn?

This child needs an auditory input while studying. So let him read aloud when studying. If he finds reading difficult, then you, the parent, read out aloud to your child. This child needs to be able to hear information to be able to understand it and to be able to remember it and to recall it when needed. This child needs to repeat things and to hear his voice when studying. The child memorizes by repeating out aloud. Multiplication tables and content material in various subjects will be best learned when they are put to music, chants, poems, etc. This technique has worked very successfully on children. Teach history through dialogue, through conversations between historical figures. Encourage this child to talk aloud the steps in a science experiment, to verbalize the steps in a multi-tiered mathematical problem. Sometimes having quiet background music helps this child to concentrate while studying. Ask the child, if this would help. Remember that the auditory child learns by hearing words spoken.

The child, who has a kinesthetic style of learning, is the child who is always moving and always doing things. This child takes things apart and puts them together. The kinesthetic child enjoys constructing things. He is interested in how things work. He is inquisitive as to how things are built and will take objects apart to see how they fit together. This child learns through manipulating materials.

 The child with a strong kinesthetic modality of learning fidgets while reading, is not a great reader and prefers stories which have action and where the action in the story comes at an early stage. Listening a long time to things, and activities that involve a lot of dialogue are not favoured activities of this child. When spelling, this child will write and rewrite words to see if the "feel" of the word is right. This child remembers things best when he does them himself.

The child with a strong kinesthetic style of learning fidgets and squirms when there is a period of inactivity. This child gestures while speaking and responds to new situations by touching, feeling, trying things out and manipulating things.

Teach spelling to this kinesthetic child by tracing and writing over words. If the words have a texture to them, for instance, if the words are made out of sandpaper, the learning will be stronger. This child will learn spelling better by writing words on his desk with a finger, writing words on parents' backs, essentially by using movement and touch. Doing experiments in science, using manipulative and blocks for mathematics, measuring angles in geometry of objects such as tables and chairs will reinforce learning. Spelling can also be taught by having this child manipulate blocks that have letters written on them.

Other learning styles have to be kept in mind also. These refer to whether your child is an individual learner or a group learner. If your child is a group leaner, then your child prefers to study with at least one other child. For the group learner, the amalgamation of people and the interaction helps to increase learning. Socializing is important to your child. This child values the opinions of others.

How to Make Babies Laugh

Who doesn't love a happy baby? There's nothing quite like seeing your little one dissolve into riotous laughter. Wondering how to elicit those precious baby belly laughs? Give these 10 common laugh inducers a whirl and let the giggle fits begin!

1. Strange Sounds

Unusual noises are one of the most common ways moms inspire baby giggles. "Try changing your voice," suggests Tasha H., or else a slurp like Nancy S.: "My lil' girl laughs really loud at slurping noises."

2. Animals

With their abrupt movements, furry coats and strange noises, live animals are extremely amusing for babies. As Amanda C. shared of her daughter: "She thinks it is hilarious when the dog yawns."  And Jennifer S. shares:  "Our cats make her laugh like crazy. She loves touching their fur and pulling their tails." Don't have a pet? Take a trip to the zoo or aquarium!

3. Older Children

"He thinks it's hilarious when his big brother jumps around or throws things or drops things," shares Becky F., one of several Circle of Moms members who have noticed that their babies often laugh at their siblings. Jessica H. concurs: "My son thinks his big brother is so funny. All he has to is sing or dance and the baby starts laughing hysterically."

4. Tickling

Gently tickle your baby's feet, chin, armpits or inner thighs and you may be rewarded with uncontrollable giggles! As Amber C. found: "I found she is extremely ticklish, especially when I change her clothes...if I get her under her arms she laughs uncontrollably." Other babies, including Caroline D.'s 4.5 month old son, are especially sensitive to tickles during bath time: "He chuckles himself PINK when I wash him."

5. Peekaboo

"My son loves peek-a-boo," Crystal H. revealed. She's hardly alone — peekaboo is one of the most popular games moms play with their babies to evoke laughs. As Amanda D. suggests: "Try peekaboo with a brightly colored blanket, something with reds and yellows, like small two inch square quilt patches."

6. Funny Faces

All kinds of funny faces can inspire baby chuckles. For example, Teagan C.'s son laughs when she sticks her tongue out at him, and Erin S.'s daughter laughs when people pretend to sneeze: "When she sneezed, my friend copied her and she laughed so hard."

7. Blowing Raspberries

Whether you call it blowing raspberries or a Zrbtt, blowing against babies' skin is often utterly hilarious to them. As Kara O. shares: "I tend to blow raspberries on her tummy and the soles of her feet and that makes her laugh."

8. Chasing Games

If you're little one is crawling already, chasing him around on the floor may also inspire laughter. Amanda F. shares of her son: "I heard him laugh the HARDEST I've ever heard him before........but it was me pretending to "catch" him and making a total fool out of myself :)"

9. Pretend Biting

Pretending to gnaw on your bub's body parts is extremely silly to many babies. "His auntie will 'eat' his toes and he squeals and laughs and just loves it." And Sarah C. shares: "He seems to laugh the most for me when I'm 'biting' him on his chest, almost his side. He'll laugh so hard he nearly chokes himself."

10. You Laughing

Laughter is contagious! Many Circle of Moms members, including Erin M., share that their babies like to join in whenever there's mirth in the room: "She also laughs whenever anyone else is laughing."

10 Common Newborn Baby Sleep Mistakes

01

Keeping Baby Awake Too Long

Most new parents are confused by how long their newborn baby should be awake because so many believe that they'll simply fall asleep when they need sleep (some will, most won't). Truthfully most newborn babies can only stay awake about an hour. For the first few weeks your newborn baby may only be able to stay wake for 30-40 minutes. Even if your baby SEEMS content to stay awake for longer periods of time it is in your and your baby's best interest to help her sleep more frequently. Overtired babies cry more and sleep poorly at night so managing sleep throughout the day is a great way to make the first few months a happier time for everybody.

02

Keeping Baby Awake During the Day

Most newborns are surprisingly awake at night. Horrifyingly this "playtime" often happens between 1:00 am – 4:00 am when no civilized parent has any interest in playing (and the TV selection is limited to infomercials and Who's the Boss). It is a commonly held myth that keeping baby awake during the day will solve this problem (this is the "tire them out so they sleep better" theory). This is patently untrue. Keeping baby awake during the day will simply make baby more tired and potentially exacerbate your night party problem. What will fix it?

Time.

When baby is up at night keep the lights dim and activity to a minimum. No loud, blinky, bouncy toys. Most babies will organically sort out this day-night sleep reversal by ~6 weeks of age.

03

Trying to "Fix" Baby's Sleep

I love it when families take their children's sleep seriously. I really do. However while there are many things about newborn sleep that parent my not love (awake at night, short naps, frequent feedings, etc.) part of being the parent of a newborn is accepting that for now, baby is driving the sleep bus. Trying to force a schedule, getting frustrated with cat naps, feeling anxious about how much your baby sleeps, etc. are all loosing strategies when you have a newborn. Which leads me to…

04

Forcing the Crib

About 0% of newborn babies will sleep happily in a crib. I know you just spent $1000 on that delightful Pottery Barn crib and can't wait to see your little peanut sleeping in it. But you and your peanut will be much happier and will get a lot more sleep if you accept that most babies aren't sleeping in the crib until sometime between 2-6 months of age (and sometimes later). For a newborn, the crib is huge and flat which is pretty much the opposite of what they are used to. Where do they sleep? In co-sleepers, with Mom, in car seats, or my personal recommendation, in a swing.

05

Letting Baby Cry it Out

Listen tired peeps, there are definitely times and circumstances where CIO is the answer. This is not one of those times.

06

Worrying About Sleeping Through the Night

Your newborn baby might be sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. Or it may be 8 months. You may get a lucky night where she sleeps all night and then be horrified when it never happens again. I know how tired you are. For a year and a half I would fantasize about leaving my baby home with my husband so I could go to a hotel and sleep blissfully uninterrupted for AS. LONG. AS. I. WANTED. Newborn sleep bounces around like an angry snake. You'll have hideous nights. Wonderful nights. And you'll never know what you're going to get. Don't worry about it. It won't be like this forever.

07

Not Accepting Help

I see MANY couples who have convinced themselves that there is only one parent who has the skills to care for baby during the night. This is ridiculousness. If your partner can't care for baby at night then show them how. Put them through baby boot camp. Whatever you have to do to enable them to take some night parenting duties off your shoulders. If you're nursing and feel like it HAS to be you, start working on getting baby to take a bottle (it doesn't get any easier as they get older so best to introduce this now). Let Dad take 1 feeding a night while you get some uninterrupted sleep in the guest room. Don't allow yourself to be the sole baby zen master in the house.

08

Not Sleeping When Baby Sleeps

After a few weeks you'll probably notice that there are general times of day when your baby is more likely to sleep in larger chunks. One of the first good chunks to develop is when they go to bed at night (generally after being awake for a longer period of time). So if you aren't going to bed when your baby does, you're missing out on the biggest window of uninterrupted sleep you're likely to get all day. I know the house is a mess, you haven't showered in a week, and the grass in your yard is so high that your neighbor's 5 year old got lost in there. Forgetaboutit. Go to bed.

09

Not Using Sleep Aids

Parents will also express their concerns about baby getting "addicted" or becoming "dependent" upon sleep aids (swaddling, white noise, pacifiers, swings, etc.). So their solution is to not use them and thus avoid sending their baby to White Noise Anonymous to deal with their sleep aid addiction. If your baby is under 6 months old, sleep aids are your friend. Embrace them. I promise you, your kid will be out of the swaddle by kindergarten.

10

Comparing Your Baby to THEIR Baby

In every new baby playgroup there is the blessed child who starts sleeping through the night at 4 weeks and takes huge chunky naps during the day. You will look at this well rested, recently showered parent and start to feel like you must have failed in some significant way. You haven't, they just got lucky. About 33% of babies are "easy" – they are easily soothed, fall asleep easily, sleep longer with less frequent night wakings, etc. It's just the way of the world. Your baby will get there too. 

Eventually

If you haven't already checked it out, Baby Sleep: What is Normal is also a really great resource on how much sleep babies need by age.

So did I miss any? Feel free to share any stumbles you've had. I promise you, you aren't the only one!

How to increase body height naturally

A person's height is basically established genetically but a lot also depends on the nutrition especially during the growing years. If the person gets the right nutrition the growth will be to the maximum which is possible, but if not it will remain stunted. It is the proteins which make the body grow as they are the building blocks for the bones, cartilages and tissues in it. This is what forms the frame of the body to which the muscles and fat are added upon. Eating a substantial amount of proteins during the years when the body is growing will make the person increase his or her height. 

While increasing the intake of foods which have a high level of proteins in them one should be careful to avoid the ones which have a lot of fat and carbohydrates in them. These foods will slow down the metabolism of proteins and hinder the growth rate. Foods which are rich in proteins are skimmed milk, eggs, poultry, meat, soybeans, oatmeal and calcium.  Along with these foods the body also required human growth hormones which are needed for the growth of the bones in the body. This hormone is secreted by the pituitary gland; however, there are supplements available to enhance the growth too. Such supplements for growth should be taken under a qualified doctor's supervision as the dosage has to be prescribed carefully.

The diet should consist of the six groups of food which help build up the body. These are the good fats, meat, vegetables, fruits and grains. The quality of these essential foods should be of high quality and proteins and calcium should be increased while vitamin D should be present to help assimilate the calcium.

Along with the nourishing diet there should also be exercise which will make the person stretch like swimming, volleyball, basketball and certain vertical stretching exercises. Smoking and the use of tobacco in any form should be avoided as this will limit the function of the lungs which in turn will reduce the intake of oxygen. The adolescent should be exposed to fresh air and should avoid being in places which are confined and the air circulation is not proper. Stress is bad as it inhibits the digestion and the growth.

A diet alone cannot help in enhancing the height. Along with a diet which is balanced it is good to include some exercise which will activate the secretion of the hormone for growth. If the bones are still growing then a supplement of growth hormones could help. However, if the bones have stopped growing administering this growth hormone supplement could prove to be harmful. The exercises should be ones which stretch the body so that there is a natural tendency for the bones to lengthen. 

To try to increase height with diet may not be the only solution if you are not blessed with the height you wish to be. Yoga has been used from time immemorial to correct physical problems and increase in height is one such one. Yoga consists of various types of asanas which improve the posture of the body and also make it function at its best. This is how one can make the bones grow; the limbs stretch and the growth hormone secretion improve. Learn the various asanas under a qualified guru who knows what is best for you as doing it wrong can do you more harm than good.

During the formative years parents and guardians should instill good eating habits in their children and ensure that they learn to eat right. It is during these years when the growth rate is at its maximum that the child will benefit most. The habits inculcated at a young age remain through out one's life and wrong habits should on the other hand be curbed. Keeping a watch on kids and the habits which they are picking up is very important to their future health.

How to increase height during puberty

The increase in height starts at birth and usually stops at puberty or a little later. There are three stages when there is a spurt in height the first stage is at infancy, the next between six years and eight years and the third at adolescence. It is during these three stages that proper nutrition will have the maximum benefits by way of height gain. The long bones of the body which are in the legs and arms are soft prior to puberty and can grow more. Once puberty sets in the epiphysis or growth plates start to solidify and this marks the end of the growing period. Before the growth plates fuse a healthy lifestyle would help to build up the adolescent's bone structure and increase the height. 

Increase height during puberty

As this would be the last chance to increase one's height, everything should be taken into consideration which would help to increase the height and done to the best of the person's ability. After puberty there is almost no chance to grow at all and this means you need to act now before or during puberty. 

If every kind of diet has been used to increase the height and it has not helped then one of the last resorts would be to try the human growth hormones which have been approved by the FDA. Here again this will only help if it is used before the epiphysis which are the growth plates have fused. For those who are ready to go to any length to increase their height the last option would be surgery for lengthening the legs. 

Some essential nutrients that are required for body growth are proteins, Vitamin A, Vitamin D, and minerals. Proteins provide amino acids that help the body to build new muscle tissue. Calcium helps to maintain strong bones which are needed for good posture. Prosperous, zinc and magnesium are needed for bone growth as well. Vitamin A is also required for proper growth and for proper functioning of the body as well. 

If you are a teenager, you might be wondering how to increase height during puberty.

Puberty is a time when the body undergoes several hormonal changes. While some teenagers grow taller, some remain shorter. Here are some tips that will help you to increase your height during this time. Remember that the growth process is natural and the growth process differs for each person. It is all the more important to follow a nutritious diet at this stage. You should eat foods that are high in calories, protein and amino acids. There are also certain exercises that you can do to increase your height. Many sports help to produce the human growth hormone (HGH), which helps you to grow. Getting enough sleep is vital too as this increases the release of HGH and also helps to straighten your posture.

Apart from following a balanced diet to increase height, you should also attempt some of the disciplines of yoga in order to boost your height. Yoga asanas  like tadasana is known to be very helpful as it very acrobatic – making sure to stretch the muscles on a regular basis as well as add a significant amount of flexibility to the tendons. One will notice that a number of individuals that play sports like basketball during this time grow to be rather tall. This is primarily because of the fact that basketball requires a substantial amount of jumping – which again causes the muscles to b stretched regularly – thereby also causing the bones to elongate at a much faster pace.

If you wish to know how to increase height during puberty, one should always remember that almost all the factors present during these ages are likely to play a role in how tall you become. Regular pull-ups are also extremely effective when it comes to increasing your height naturally. Again, it is extremely important to ensure that you try all these avenues of height gain during the stages of puberty – where they are likely to be all the more effective.

Poor weight gain in infants and children

POOR WEIGHT GAIN OVERVIEW

During infancy and childhood, children gain weight and grow more rapidly than at any other time in life. However, some children do not gain weight at a normal rate, either because of expected variations related to genes, being born prematurely, or because of undernutrition, which may occur for a variety of reasons. Undernutrition is sometimes called a growth deficit or failure to thrive.

It is important to recognize and treat children who are not gaining weight normally because it may be a sign of undernutrition or an underlying medical problem that requires treatment. Undernutrition can have complications, such as a weakened immune system, slower than expected linear growth, shorter than expected height, or difficulties with learning. These complications are more common in children who are undernourished for a long period of time.

HOW IS POOR WEIGHT GAIN DEFINED?

Poor weight gain is defined as gaining weight at a slower rate than other children who are the same age and sex. "Normal" ranges for weight are based upon the weight of thousands of children. In the United States, standard growth charts are published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); these charts are available for boys and girls and are appropriate for all races and nationalities.

For children two years and older, charts are available here for boys (figure 1) and here for girls (figure 2). For children less than two years old, charts are available here for boys (figure 3) and here for girls (figure 4).

Weight gain normally follows a predictable course from infancy through adolescence. However, some children do not gain weight normally from birth, while other children gain weight normally for a while, then slow or stop gaining weight. Weight gain usually slows before the child slows or stops growing in length.

A child is said to have poor weight gain if he or she does not grow at the expected rate for their age and sex.

POOR WEIGHT GAIN CAUSES

Poor weight gain is not a disease, but rather a symptom, which has many possible causes. The causes of poor weight gain include the following:

• Not consuming an adequate amount of calories or not consuming the right combination of protein, fat, and carbohydrates
• Not absorbing an adequate amount of nutrients
• Requiring a higher than normal amount of calories
• Poor weight gain can occur as a result of a medical problem, a developmental or behavioral problem, lack of adequate food, a social problem at home, or most frequently, a combination of these problems. Common causes of poor weight gain for each age group are described below:
• Prenatal – Small for age at birth (called intrauterine growth restriction); prematurity; prenatal infection, birth defects; exposure to medications/toxins that limit growth during pregnancy (eg, anticonvulsants, alcohol)
• Neonatal (<1 month) – Poor quality of suck (whether breast- or bottle-fed), incorrect formula preparation; breastfeeding problems; inadequate number of feedings; poor feeding interactions (eg, infant gags or vomits during feedings and parent assumes child is full); neglect; birth defects that affect the child's ability to eat or digest normally
• Three to six months – Underfeeding (sometimes associated with poverty or not understanding dietary needs of infants); improper formula preparation; milk protein intolerance; problems with child's mouth/throat; medical problems that affect absorption of nutrients (celiac disease; cystic fibrosis); medical problems that increase the number of calories needed (congenital heart disease), gastroesophageal reflux
• Seven to 12 months – Feeding problems (eg, struggles between the child and parent about what will be eaten; problems with the child's mouth that make it hard to adapt to textured foods, not introducing solids by six months of age; refusal to eat new foods when first offered, and then not offering the food again); intestinal parasites
• Over 12 months – Easily distracted at meal time; illness; new stress at home (divorce, job loss, new sibling, death in the family, etc); social issues (underfeeding related to fear of overfeeding, limiting food choices, poverty); sensory-based feeding disorders in children with developmental disorders (eg, autism); swallowing dysfunction  

POOR WEIGHT GAIN DIAGNOSIS

If an infant or child slows or stops gaining weight, it is important to try to determine and treat the underlying cause. The first step is a complete medical history and physical examination. Most children will not require blood testing or imaging tests, although testing may be recommended in certain situations.

The parent(s) should mention if the child has any of the following:

• Vomiting, diarrhea, or rumination (swallowing, regurgitating, then re-swallowing food).
• Avoids foods with particular textures (eg, hard or crunchy), which may be a sign of a problem with chewing/swallowing.
• Avoids types or groups of food (eg, milk, wheat), which can be a sign of a food allergy or intolerance.
• Drinks large amounts of low-calorie liquids or fruit juices. Drinking these beverages may prevent the child from eating solid foods, which contain more calories.
• Follows a restricted diet (vegetarian, wheat or lactose free, etc).
• Behavioral rigidity or sensory aversions that result in self-imposed feeding restrictions.
• Parents should also mention if they have eliminated foods from the child's diet due to concern about the effects of these foods (eg, abdominal pain, diarrhea, "hyperactivity").

The provider may also ask about the child's household, including who lives in the child's house, if there have been recent changes or stresses (eg, divorce, illness, death, new sibling), or if anyone in the house has a medical or psychiatric illness, including history of feeding/eating disorder. The provider may also ask about the food supply (eg, if there have been days when anyone in the family went hungry because there was not enough money for food). Although these questions can be difficult to answer, it is important to be honest.

In some cases, the provider will ask the parent(s) to keep a record of everything the child eats and drinks for a few days (form 1). This can help to determine if the child is eating an adequate number and type of calories.

How To Increase Height of Child

Here are some helpful tips to increase your child's height naturally.

* Milk supplies them with many vitamins, minerals and protein source having high biological values and substantial acid amines. Vitamins and minerals also play an important role in developing the height of children. 

* Practice exercises like stretching, yoga, swimming and pull ups. Stretching exercises can add up to three inches of height permanently.

* Have you kid go up against a wall with their back towards it. Raise their hands over their head as high as they can go. Make them sit there on their tippy toes for as long as they can. Once they can do it any longer, let them rest and do it again. 

* Basketball is one sport that helps to augment the height immensely. If your kid is not in the school basketball team then there is no reason to worry. Set up a mock basket in your courtyard and get the ball to play with your child. Play basketball for at least one hour in the evening.

* Develop good posture. Do not sit or walk with a hunchback.

3 stage ideal help kids increase height

There are three phases of rapid body growth in height:

The fetal period: in 9 months of pregnancy if the mother is eating well, up from 10-20kg, then I will reach 50cm in height and birth weight from 3 kg or more.

Newborn period to 3 years: 12 months child up 25cm, 2-year high next year more children are 10cm if possible good raised .

The period of puberty: Girls from 10-16 years of age and boys from 12-18 years of age is puberty. During puberty, body height will be 1-2 years jumped from 8-12cm per year if well nurtured. But in reality, we can not know exactly what was in that year so they have to ensure good nutrition for children during puberty to child development. After puberty, body height also increased but children with very low speeds, increasing the total height of the year after year not by a soaring height of the period of puberty.

It is often estimated height of young adulthood will double the height at age 2 (eg high youth at two large 82cm high, when adult is height 1.64 m). Or height at maturity by height at age 10 multiplied by 1.25 (eg when kid 10 year old high 1.4 m then adult children will be higher at about 1, 75m). Thereby we see foster care in the stages of pregnancy, 3 years and puberty stage is very important to develop the child's height.

Measures to help care for children greater than

The study showed the height of human impact factors: nutrition (32%), genetic (23%), exercise (20%), living environment, sunlight, disease , sleep …

Nutritional measures: There are most influential to the development of height, body and intellect of the child. While pregnant women need to understand is that you eat for themselves and their children. So in addition to your food full of nutrients must also focus on food supplements vitamins to help the baby develop well.

Period of breastfeeding infants should be completely up to 6 months for food supplements. A day for children to eat three meals morning, lunch, dinner and snacks 2-3 more mid-morning and after nap to help them gain weight, increase the height of the monthly standard. 4 to enough food group is high protein, sugar, fat, vitamins and minerals, and have abundant food type, should have the 20 best foods every day.

These important nutrients help to increase height are: protein (protein) needed for body growth and development. Foods rich in protein as meat, fish, eggs, milk, beans, soybeans.

Calcium is a vital mineral in bone structure (hold 99%), making bones strong and helps children to develop height. Calcium needs change with age, the average child from 6 months – 18 years require about 400 – 700mgCa/day, so you want your children to drink 500 – 750ml of milk per day. Foods high in calcium are: milk, fish, shrimp, prawn, crab, oysters, clams, snails, mussel, tofu, vegetables.

Vitamin A: It is necessary for the growth of the young, help form bones … Dietary vitamin A is liver of animals: fish, beef, pork, goat, milk, egg yolk, dark green vegetables, tubers fruits such as red or yellow carrots, papaya, ripe mango, orange, peach …

Vitamin D: Helps the body absorb calcium, increasing the synthesis of calcium transport proteins in the blood. Body to absorb vitamin D from foods such as cod liver oil, milk, butter, phomai, eggs, liver, shrimp … skin and vitamin D synthesized under the influence of light. So apart from your children eat more vitamin D you need take the sun in the morning  from 15-30 minutes per day, light intensity and light exposed skin area as large as possible.

Substances also affect height growth, such as iron, zinc, iodine. Foods high in iron are: liver, eggs, meat, fish, beans, spinach, milk supplemented with iron. Dietary zinc is more oysters, scallops, pork liver, milk, beef, egg yolks, fish, soya. Much iodine food: iodized salt, phomai, eggs, milk, fish, seaweed, algae.

Measures of exercise: The campaign will stimulate the muscles, boost energy metabolism, metabolism, body growth, increase bone calcium to help strengthen bone tissue and more better development. Because such benefits, you need to guide and create for the exercise routine with daily exercises just power, consistent with the child's age. You can refer to the guidance of exercise on television, in books and exercise your child's school to teach the practice.

Make sure your child sleep: Sleep well, deep sleep helps the body more growth hormone, which helps increase calcium absorption, stimulating bone elongation and overall physical development. Hours of sleep depending on the needs of every age, but children generally need to sleep eight hours a day. You should make your child sleep in the room was spacious, clean, fresh air, with a quiet space, warm winter, cool summer, let your baby sleep and deep sleep, you will see me grow up after each sleep.

How can you increase your height during puberty?

whey protein, milk, yoghurt, cheese, and boiled chicken. Your bones need phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium while your muscles need water, protein and carbohydrates to grow. Since you are growing taller, both your muscles and bones are getting bigger and longer. Don't waste your money or your health on drugs, alcohol or cigarettes. 

Tips for healthy nutrition 

1. Eat at regular hours. 

2. Don't skip any meal. 

3. Don't forget to eat breakfast. Always start the day with a well-rounded meal. 

4. Take the time to taste and to chew your food well. 

5. Vary your menu. 

6. Avoid pastries, sweets, crisps, soda drinks - anything that has little or no nutritious value. 

7. Beware of salt consumption. It can cause hypertension. 

8. Eat a lot of raw vegetables and fresh juice. Choose whole wheat bread. 

9. Drink six (6) to eight (8) glasses of water or vegetable juice or sugar-free juice per day. 

10.You should also drink milk. 

11.Eat good quality food supplements every day. 

12.After each meal you should rest. Don't start to work or exercise right after. 

Have the hair style that makes you appear taller. In order to appear taller, a hair style should be thin at the sides and higher up top, which can make you appear as much as an inch taller Avoid clothes with horizontal lines. Belts are horizontal so make sure you conceal it in your clothes. 

Avoid clothes with a tartan or checked pattern. Avoid cuffs that makes your legs appear shorter. 

• Wear clothes with vertical lines or striping. Vertical lines or stripping make a person appear thinner, 

and thinness in turn gives impression of more height. 

Wear shoes that will make you appear taller. If you are a female, this should be easy since you can find a lot of female shoes with 2 or 3 inches' heels. For males, wear shoes with thick soles to add the illusion of height. 

To increase your height, it is important that your blood is oxygenated as blood provides nourishment to your bones. Regular breathing will also purify your blood. There are three phases to breathing: 

1. Inhaling - take in air into your body through the nose 

2. Retaining - hold your breath inside your body 

3. Exhaling - blow out air from your body through the mouth 

It is during deep sleep that growth hormone does its job of thickening and lengthening your bones. So appropriate sleeping time (not the longer, the better) and correct sleeping posture is very important for your body to grow. Sleep is defined as a natural periodic state of rest for the mind and body, in which the eyes usually close and consciousness is completely or partially lost, so that there is a decrease in bodily movement and responsiveness to external stimuli. 

During deep sleep, growth hormone produced by your pituitary gland is released into your blood stream and travel through your body and causes the thickening and lengthening of your bones. Therefore, you should achieve "deep level" sleep on a daily basis in order to coordinate your affords of exercises and proper diet. The following are some helpful tips on how to easily achieve deep level sleep. 

Sleep in a comfortable and firm mattress. 

Sleep in a room that is dark, quiet and fresh smelling. 

Sleep with clean, soft, and comfortable clothes. 

Keep your hands and feet warm. Scientific studies have shown that warm hands and feet will help induce REM (rapid eye movement) deep sleep. Cold hands and feet will keep you from deep sleep. 

Drink a big glass of water before going to bed and when you wake up; this will help clean out your system. 

Practice total relaxation and deep breathing for a few minutes before you go to bed. 

Relax from head to toe. Close your eyes and relax every part of your body. 

Maintain a habit of sleeping at the same time everyday, including weekends. 

Sleep on your back with a flat pillow under your knees. This will align your spine properly and prevent any back aches caused by sleeping in a bent position. 

Undoubtedly, the quality, quantity, and type of food we eat affect our height, growth, and health. We cannot emphasize enough how important your food intake is in determining how much growth you can possibly obtain. The types of food you eat will either improve or decrease your growth potential. 

After careful consideration and research, the daily content of protein, carbohydrates, fats and water can be achieved if the following items were taken regularly. 

Carrots Fish Liver 

Egg Yolk Beef Red Meat 

Milk Cheese Apples 

Green Vegetables Potatoes Nuts 

Yellow Vegetables Almonds Bananas 

Peanuts Chicken Beans 

Peas Salt 6-8 glasses of water per day 

If you eat a lot of peanut butter, your height will not necessarily stop. Neither does masturbation stop height. 

What might stop you from growing is smoking, drugs, alcohol, lack of sleep, stress, digestive problems, or lack of exercise.

POOR WEIGHT GAIN TREATMENT

The goal of treatment is to provide the child with adequate nutrition so that he or she can "catch up" to a normal weight. There is a range of normal weights for a particular age. Catch-up growth may require changes to the child's diet, feeding schedule, or feeding environment. The parent and healthcare provider should work together to develop a plan that meets the needs of both the child and the family.

The type of treatment needed depends upon the underlying cause of poor weight gain, any underlying medical problems, and the severity of the situation.

• Most children who are mildly to moderately malnourished can be managed at home with help from the child's healthcare provider, and in some cases, other specialty providers (eg, dietitian, occupational or speech therapist, social worker, nurse, developmental specialist, child-life worker, psychiatrist).
• Children who are severely malnourished are usually hospitalized initially. While in the hospital, the child's diet and weight can be monitored closely.

Nutritional therapy — Nutritional therapy is the primary treatment for children with poor weight gain. The goal of nutritional therapy is to enable "catch up" weight gain, which is usually two to three times the normal rate of weight gain for the child's age. The best way to increase calories depends upon the child's age and nutritional status; individual recommendations should be determined by the child's healthcare provider or dietitian. A multivitamin supplement may be recommended in some cases.

For infants — The number of calories in breast milk can be increased by pumping the breast milk and adding a predetermined amount of formula powder or liquid concentrate. This combination is called fortified human milk. (See "Patient information: Breast pumps (Beyond the Basics)".) For the safety of the infant, this treatment should be undertaken with the supervision of a healthcare provider or dietitian.

The number of calories in infant formula can be increased by adding less water to powder or liquid concentrate, or by adding a calorie supplement, such as polycose or corn oil. As above, for the safety of the infant, this treatment should be undertaken with the supervision of a healthcare provider or dietitian.

Infants between zero and four months require frequent feedings, typically 8 to 12 per day; older infants typically require four to six feedings per day.

In older infants, calorie intake can be increased by adding rice cereal or formula powder to pureed foods.

For older children — In older children, calorie intake can be increased by adding cheese, butter, or sour cream to vegetables, or by using calorie-enriched milk drinks instead of whole milk. Other ideas are provided in the table (table 1).

During catch-up growth, the amount of calories and protein that a child eats is more important than the variety of foods eaten. For example, if a child is willing to eat chicken nuggets and pizza, but refuses all vegetables, this is acceptable. At meal and snack time, solid foods should be offered before liquids. Fruit juice should be limited to four to eight ounces of unsweetened 100 percent juice per day.

The older child should eat often (every two to three hours, but not constantly). The child should have three meals and three snacks on a consistent schedule. Snacks should be timed so that the child's appetite for meals will not be spoiled (eg, snack time should not occur within one hour of meal time; snacks should not be offered immediately after an unfinished meal). Examples of healthy snacks include crackers, peanut butter, cheese, hard boiled eggs, pudding, yogurt, fresh fruit or vegetables, or pretzels. A multivitamin and mineral supplement may be recommended in some cases.

Eating environment — Changes to the area where the child eats may help the child to eat more. All members of the child's household should be aware of the importance of these changes.

• The child should be positioned so that the head is up and the child is comfortable. The child should be allowed to feed him/herself (eg, by holding a bottle or eating finger foods), but may need to be fed soft foods with a spoon. A certain amount of messiness is to be expected as the child learns to feed him/herself. Allow the child to finish eating before cleaning up.
• Meal time distractions, such as television, phone calls, and loud music, should be minimized.
• Make meal time routines consistent, no matter who feeds the child.
• Meal time should be relaxed and social; eating with other family members and pleasant conversation (not related to how much the child eats) are encouraged. Eating with others allows the child to observe how others make food choices, hopefully encouraging healthy eating habits.
• Do not be discouraged if the child refuses a new food. New foods may need to be offered multiple times (even up to 10 or more) before they are accepted. Among children with behavioral rigidity (eg, those with autism), new foods may need to presented up to 30 times before they are accepted.
• Meal time should be free of battles over eating; caretakers should encourage, but not force, the child to eat; food should not be withheld as punishment. In addition, food should not be offered as a reward.
• The child should be praised when he or she eats well, but not punished when he or she does not.

Medical treatment — Children who have an underlying medical problem that is limiting weight gain are usually managed by their primary healthcare provider (eg, pediatrician, family practitioner). On occasion, a specialist may need to be consulted (eg, an allergist/immunologist for a child with food allergies, a gastroenterologist for a child with gastroesophageal reflux). These specialists can provide guidance regarding the need to eliminate certain foods. Foods and groups of food (eg, milk products) should not be eliminated without the advice of a knowledgeable healthcare provider because this can further increase a child's risk of undernutrition.

Children who are undernourished are at risk for complications, including an increased risk of developing common infections. Normal infection prevention techniques, such as handwashing and avoiding exposure to sick friends or family, are encouraged. However, it is not usually necessary to take additional precautions (eg, by preventing the child from attending day care or school).

Childhood vaccinations should continue to be given on schedule; immunizations that have been missed should be updated. (See "Patient information: Vaccines for infants and children age 0 to 6 years (Beyond the Basics)" and "Patient information: Vaccines for children age 7 to 18 years (Beyond the Basics)".)

Developmental and behavioral treatment — Developmental and behavioral problems can increase a child's risk of being underweight. For example, if a child has difficulty chewing or swallowing food, he or she may not be able to consume an adequate number of calories.

In the United States, early intervention programs can provide developmental stimulation and physical and occupational therapy when needed. Some children also benefit from seeing a developmental behavioral pediatrician or behavioral psychologist for further assistance. These clinicians have specialized training in the medical, psychologic, and social aspects of childhood developmental and behavioral problems.

Psychosocial issues — In some situations, the child's poor weight gain is related to issues at home, such as not having an adequate amount of food in the house, parental concerns about feeding the child certain types of food (eg, foods with fat), or medical or psychiatric problems in the parents (eg, alcohol/drug abuse).

In these situations, treatment includes measures to improve conditions at home, ensure that there is enough food for all family members, and educate parents about the importance of adequate nutrition. This may involve:

• Home visits by a nurse, social worker, or other clinician to provide education, support, and guidance to parents.
• Referral to programs that provide supplemental food, eg, Commodity Supplemental Food Program ([CSFP] www.fns.usda.gov/fdd/programs/csfp/), Supplemental Nutrition for Women, Infants, and Children ([WIC] www.fns.usda.gov/wic), and food stamps (www.ssa.gov/pubs/10101.html).
• Referral to programs for parents, including assistance locating child care, housing, job training, or alcohol/drug abuse treatment. A social worker can usually help to connect a family with these programs.

POOR WEIGHT GAIN FOLLOW UP

Children who are underweight are usually seen by their healthcare provider on a regular basis after treatment begins; the frequency of visits (weekly to monthly) depends upon the individual situation. During these visits, the child will be weighed and measured and the provider will talk to the parent(s) (and child, if applicable) about any new or ongoing questions or concerns. These frequent visits are usually continued until the child's weight is near normal and increasing regularly. If the child is able to take in an adequate amount of calories, catch up weight gain is usually complete within three to six months.

Many parents wonder how poor weight gain will affect the child's height and weight as an adult. A child's size as an adult depends upon several factors, including genetics, the age at which the child was underweight (eg, as young infant versus toddler), the severity of the malnutrition, the presence of underlying medical problems, and how successfully the child's weight and medical problems were managed.