Growth

Growth is an important indicator of your child’s health and development. It is assessed using various measurements, including weight, height, and, in young children, head circumference. These measurements are monitored over time and compared with growth charts to better understand each child’s growth pattern.

Slower growth or insufficient weight gain can have several causes. Certain medical conditions can affect nutrient intake, digestion, or absorption. Feeding difficulties can also play a role, including challenges with breastfeeding or feeding, food refusal, a poor appetite, sensory difficulties, or a limited variety of foods.

Every child is unique, and growth measurements below the reference growth charts do not necessarily indicate a problem. Rather, the child’s growth pattern over time, along with their overall health and individual circumstances, helps healthcare professionals assess the situation.

Support for Optimal Growth

Concerns about your child’s growth or eating habits can be particularly stressful for parents. It is completely normal to have questions and look for solutions.

A registered dietitian can support you throughout this process, in collaboration with your child’s other healthcare professionals when necessary. The goal is to better understand your child’s nutritional needs, identify potential barriers to adequate nutrition, and develop strategies that fit your family’s reality.

Following a nutritional assessment, your registered dietitian may:

• assess your child’s eating habits and nutritional needs;
• determine whether their diet adequately meets their energy and nutrient requirements;
• identify factors that may be limiting their food intake;
• suggest strategies to increase the nutritional value of meals and snacks;
• support you in addressing feeding difficulties or behaviours that make mealtimes more challenging;
• determine whether nutritional supplementation may be appropriate and, when necessary, guide you in its use.

The goal is not simply to count calories. It is about finding realistic solutions that help your child meet their nutritional needs while making mealtimes more enjoyable and less stressful for the whole family.

Strategies That Fit Your Everyday Life

Every family has its own reality. Our registered dietitian, Jasmine Brousseau, can provide practical tips and strategies that are easy to implement at home, based on your child’s eating habits, food preferences, and your family’s daily routine.

Whether your child eats very little, refuses certain foods, has a limited appetite, or mealtimes have become a source of stress, you do not have to figure it all out on your own. Our registered dietitian can also monitor your child’s growth over time, assess how the situation is progressing, and adjust recommendations as needed.

The goal: to support adequate nutrition and healthy growth while giving you the tools and confidence you need to support your child every step of the way.