Q: My Daughter is 9.5 months old and is weighing 10 kgs. Her birth weight was 2.46 kg.I am a working mother. Her physical, mental and other developments are satisfactory. She can walk even without holding any support. She is playful and naughty. Recently she has started rejecting her routine foods. Reason could be that her attendant has fallen ill and a new attendant is taking care of her. She is more interested in taking foods that are tasty but not that nutritious and that too in very small quantity. She did not like milk earlier but now has is it as many as 4/5 times a day. She does not have rice, dalia, sooji as she used to take earlier. Please advise as to what should be done about this. I am also worried whether she is getting adequate nutrition at this growing age.

A:A change in eating behaviour may be due to a combination of factors. A change in caretaker could be partly responsible for precipitating this, however it would be advisable to go in for a haemoglobin check, as well as routine stool test. As the child grows, the foetal iron stores get depleted and the diet must be rich in iron & vitamin C to compensate for the depleting stores. If she is not getting vegetables/fruits/egg/ meats in adequate quantities, she is likely to suffer from anaemia. Taking more milk will only worsen the condition, as it provides no iron. Please speak to your paediatrician and consult a nutritionist to plan a suitable diet for her.