Dr. Luo Yan, Children’s Nutrition Clinic

If your baby always chases after feeding but can't eat even two mouthfuls, his height and weight have been stuck at the lower end of the growth curve for more than half a year, and Minbao has tried all kinds of dietary taboos but still can't grow well, stop looking at parenting posts to try your luck, go to the child nutrition clinic and see Dr. Luo Yan - she won't give you a bunch of indicators that you can't understand, nor will she give you a thousand-yuan supplement gift package right away. Often, two or three sentences can poke into the blind spots in your family's feeding that have been hidden for a long time. You can see the effect by changing a few small habits.

Last Wednesday, I accompanied a relative to take 3-year-old Lele to her clinic. The baby is almost 4 centimeters shorter than other children of the same age. The relative had three or four bottles of supplements in his pocket and said that he had been taking calcium, iron, zinc and DHA supplements for a year, but it was of no use at all. Dr. Luo flipped through the week's meal list she had taken in advance, and clicked on a certain page with her fingertips on "Rice with Tomato and Egg Soup" and looked up at her: "Does your family have soup every day? Are the vegetables cut into pieces no bigger than a grain of rice? ”The relative was stunned on the spot and said that he was afraid that the baby would not be able to digest it, so he had always fed it this way. “You are saving trouble and cheating the baby. ”Dr. Luo did the math for her as he talked: half of the rice in soup is water, and its nutritional density is already low. If the baby swallows it directly without chewing, not only will the digestion burden be heavy, but the chewing ability will not be developed. The nutrients eaten cannot be absorbed at all, and no matter how much supplements are taken, it will be in vain.

Talking about the dilemma that parents are now having, "whether or not to give supplements to their children," Luo Yan did not hide it. She directly said that there are two voices in the academic circles: one insists that as long as the dietary structure is reasonable, all the nutrients needed can be obtained from food, and there is no need to take additional supplements.； Another group of doctors with more clinical experience will feel that most families now have some deviations in feeding. It is too common for children to be picky eaters and there is nothing wrong with targeted supplementation. Her own habit is to never prescribe supplements if she can adjust her diet. Previously, a 4-year-old child was diagnosed with zinc deficiency. She did not prescribe zinc supplements and asked the parents to steam oysters for the child twice a week. Each time, he would eat a piece as big as a little finger. After eating for a month, he would come back for a review. Later, the indicators really came up. If it really comes to the point where supplements are needed, she will also specifically indicate on the prescription how long it will take before taking it, and she will never let parents give it to their children all the time.

She always carries orange-flavored vitamin C tablets in her pocket, and when she encounters a crying baby, she will take one out. Often the baby will open his mouth to say whether he likes vegetables and whether he secretly throws the eggs given by his mother under the table. A grandma brought her constipated baby here before. She heard from neighbors in the community that eating more bananas would help, but after eating it for half a month, it only made her have more trouble. Luo Yan couldn’t laugh or cry after hearing this. She counted it on her fingers: the dietary fiber content of bananas is only 1.2g/100g, which is not as high as apples eaten with the skin. There is tannic acid in unripe bananas, which will aggravate constipation. She steamed half an apple with the skin for her baby every day, and the effect will be seen after eating it for a week. Grandma was dubious and went back to try it. A week later, she came to the outpatient clinic and gave her a bag of small oranges grown at home.

There is also the question "Does formula milk need to be consumed until the age of 3" that has been asked 800 times? Luo Yan never gives a standard answer. If the baby can drink 300ml of milk per day, is not picky about food, and has a stable growth curve at the midline, it will be no problem to switch to pure milk after 1 year old. ； If the baby has severe allergies, is picky about food, and has a downward growth curve, drinking until he is three or four years old is not considered "pampering". There is no need to compare with other people's babies. She always said that there is no unified standard answer for children's nutrition. Each child's digestion and absorption capacity and eating habits are different, and what is suitable for others may not be suitable for your family.

Many people have misunderstandings about children’s nutrition clinics. They think that it’s just a matter of measuring trace elements and prescribing some supplements. Luo Yan doesn’t think so. There is a thick pile of handwritten notes on the table in her clinic, which are all tips she usually summarizes: eat high-iron rice noodles and don’t drink rice soup for the first bite when adding complementary foods to 6-month-olds; don’t add salt and don’t drink honey under 1 year old; keep a food diary when adding new complementary foods to babies with allergies... When she meets new mothers who don’t know how to cook, she will also write two or three quick recipes for new mothers who can’t cook. They are all common ingredients at home, and there is no need to buy any special Internet-famous food supplement tools.

If you plan to see her for a consultation, remember to remember your baby's three meals and milk volume in the last three days in advance, and bring the previous growth curve record with you to avoid traveling back and forth. After all, her number is too difficult to get. Many parents can't get it even if they wait a week in advance. If you can explain it clearly at once, don't waste your time for the next baby.