Faltering Growth in Infants & Children

Faltering growth refers to a reduction in weight-for-age over a period of time, often indicative of underlying issues. It can be caused by disease-related factors such as decreased intake, increased nutritional requirements, or excessive losses, as well as non-disease-related factors like psychosocial and environmental influences

This webinar focuses on the identification of infants with or at risk of faltering growth alongside the consequences of inadequate nutrition and poor growth. It also provides scientific insights and practical advice on appropriate catch-up growth: too much vs too little, and when nutritional interventions should be stopped.

The animated video "Managing undernutrition in pediatric intensive care units" examines the issue of malnutrition among children in pediatric intensive care units (PICUs) globally. Highlighting a study from 2011 to 2019 with 8,725 PICU admissions, it reveals that 20% of these children are malnourished, leading to longer hospital stays, increased health risks, and higher care costs—including an extra $100,000 per hospitalization for malnourished children compared to those who are not undernourished.

A Danone Nutricia Campus Infographic on the Publication: Catch-up Growth in Infants and Young Children with Faltering Growth: Expert Opinion to Guide General Clinicians

This publication highlights the importance of adequate nutrition in supporting healing and immune function in pediatric surgery patients. Standardized nutrition protocols are lacking, and awareness of nutrition assessment and optimization is inconsistent among clinicians. The use of enhanced recovery protocols for nutrition support in adult patients is being evaluated for potential application in pediatric cases.

Infantile growth is often described as a "mirror of health," reflecting both the well-being of individual infants and the overall health of a population. Recognizing and managing instances of faltering growth are crucial for optimizing patient outcomes and promoting community health.

ASPEN (American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition) recently published a new healthcare provider fact sheet to support the nutritional management of children with growth failure. The document is titled “Nutrition Management of term infants with growth failure” and in some cases with poor growth the recommendation is to add an energy and nutrient dense infant food for special medical purposes up to 100% in addition to breastmilk.

An international group of experts reviewed the evidence and guidelines on disease- and non-disease- related faltering growth (FG) in healthy term and SGA infants and children under 2 years old in low-, middle- and high-income countries. Using a modified Delphi process, practical agreed statements and areas for research were developed to provide clarity and guidance to general clinicians for the appropriate identification, assessment and management of FG.

By Kenes

Nutrition and Growth 2025 is the ultimate meeting place to discuss the interplay between nutrition and growth in the pediatric age group. The field of nutrition and growth in child development continues to evolve, and we invite you to join us in uncovering new knowledge, discussing the latest data, exploring challenges and best practices and sharing ideas and perspectives between different disciplines in order to facilitate collaborations