Pediatrics in Review
HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS CME ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Take the CME quiz:
 Vol. 29 No. 8, August 2008
Right arrow Rapid Responses: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when Rapid Responses are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow E-mail this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My File Cabinet
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via CrossRef
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Cherry, R.
Right arrow Articles by Thomas, D. W.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Cherry, R.
Right arrow Articles by Thomas, D. W.
Related Collections
Right arrow Nutrition and Nutritional Disorders
Right arrow Gastrointestinal Disorders
Right arrow Disorders of Blood/Neoplasms

(Pediatrics in Review. 2008;29:274-280.)
© 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics

Infant Feeding in Special Circumstances


Rebecca Cherry, MD*
Dan W. Thomas, MD{dagger}
 * Clinical Fellow, Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Calif
{dagger} Division Chief, Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Calif

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.


   Objectives
 
After completing this article, readers should be able to:

  1. Determine the caloric requirements of neurologically impaired infants.
  2. Describe nutritional problems in infants who have malignancies.
  3. Plan the approach to feeding an infant who has multiple food allergies.
  4. Appreciate the importance of occupational therapy support for feeding difficulties.
  5. Discuss the indications for use of different types of feeding tubes.


   Introduction
 
Healthy infants are able to sustain themselves easily with the calories and nutrients provided from human milk or from standard infant formulas. Some infants, however, have increased caloric requirements due to chronic medical conditions such as cardiac disease, prematurity, or malignancy. Conversely, other children, such as neurologically impaired infants, may have decreased caloric requirements. Still other infants can have an intolerance to the components of standard formulas or an inability to take nourishment because of feeding dysfunction. Such differences may necessitate alternative approaches to feeding.


   Variations in Caloric Requirements
 
During the first few postnatal months, a healthy term infant typically has an energy requirement of approximately 100 kcal/kg per day to achieve both normal development and a weight gain of at least 20 g/d after the age of 2 weeks. This energy requirement decreases about 10% to 20% during the second 6 postnatal months, with an expected weight gain of approximately 12 g/d. The energy requirement of a low-birthweight infant ranges from 90 to 120 kcal/kg per day, depending partly on ambient temperature, activity level, and mode of feeding. Low-birthweight infants who weigh less than 1,000 g at birth, those who are sick, and those in the first 2 to 3 weeks after birth may have different requirements. In addition to a higher energy requirement than term infants, preterm infants differ in specific nutrient requirements and in the optimal intake of fats, carbohydrates, and proteins. Such infants require a specialized "preterm" (if taking <500 mL/d) or . . . [Full Text of this Article]






HOME HELP CONTACT US SUBSCRIPTIONS CME ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Pediatrics Pediatrics in Review
Copyright © 2008 by the American Academy of Pediatrics.