Failure to Thrive :
Failure to thrive (FTT) is a medical condition in which the growing child is not gaining weight (less than two standard deviations as per weight for age) and growth is delayed either due to inadequate nutrition or an underlying cause. It can occur due to various factors like inadeqaute nutrition, child neglect, poor socioeconomic status,cleft lip/palate, GERD(Gastro esophageal reflux disease which peaks at 4 months of age), cerebral palsy, feeding difficulties, congenital abnormalities that effect swallowing, infections that hamper absorption and digestion, metabolic diseases, certain genetic conditions like Down's syndrome, Turner's syndrome etc. Diagnosis is made by growth charts, physical examination and monitoring by the pediatrician. Management is by identifying the underlying cause and treating it .