In the first few years of life most kids gain weight and grow
much more quickly than they will later on. Sometimes, however,
kids don't meet expected standards of growth. Most still follow
growth patterns that are variations of normal, but others are
considered to have "failure to thrive." This is a general
diagnosis, with many possible causes. Common to all cases,
though, is the failure to gain weight as expected, often
accompanied by poor height growth. Diagnosing and treating a
child who fails to thrive focuses on identifying any underlying
problem. From there, doctors and the family work together to get
the child back into a healthy growth pattern. About Failure to
Thrive Although it's been recognized for more than a century,
failure to thrive lacks a precise definition, in part because it
describes a condition rather than a specific disease. Kids who
fail to thrive don't receive or are unable to take in, retain,
or utilize the calories needed to gain weight and grow as
expected. Most diagnoses of failure