Parents should ensure their babies are weighed regularly, especially during every immunisation visit and other hospital appointments to detect growth problems early and prevent severe malnutrition, developmental delays and underlying illnesses, child health experts have asserted.
The child health experts said regular growth monitoring is one of the simplest and most effective ways of assessing a child’s health, noting that poor weight gain or weight loss could be the first sign of malnutrition, infections, chronic diseases, feeding problems or other serious medical conditions.
In interviews with PUNCH Healthwise, they explained that beyond checking a baby’s weight, healthcare workers should also routinely measure length or height and head circumference, plot the findings on standard growth charts and explain the results to parents to enable them to actively participate in monitoring their children’s health.
The specialists further urged health workers to educate mothers on the importance of growth monitoring at every opportunity, stressing that parents have a right to know their babies’ weight after every assessment and understand what it means for their child’s growth and development.
