Q: My baby is 5 month old. At birth, his weight was 3 kg. Now it is 8.5 kg. He had good hair at birth. Now he suffered heavy hair loss and it seems that his weight is also increased above normal. He also seems to be constipated. But urine and stool are passing frequently. Is there any chance of hypothyroidism? Should he be tested for this? Although no doctor has suggested to do this so far. Is it better to get child tested for it to know everything is right with his development? Please reply.

A:Your 5 month-old son is slightly obese, the upper limit of normal being around 8.2 kg. The infant tends to loose a lot of hair initially due to cradle cap and for other reasons, but will develop normal hair, as he grows older. He is not really constipated as you state that he is passing urine and stool frequently. In view of your concern about his overweight, loss of hair and constipation, it is better to rule out the possibility of hypothyroidism by blood tests for thyroid hormones (Free T4 and TSH).