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health & safety topics

Your child's health and safety is our top priority. Please search our resource library for information on health, nutrition, fitness, injury prevention and other important topics.

Weight & Eating Problems

A to Z: Failure to Thrive

Failure to thrive refers to a child's inability to gain weight and grow as expected for kids of the same age and gender. Most diagnoses are made in the first few years of life.

Anorexia

People with the eating disorder anorexia are very afraid of gaining weight. They have unrealistic views of their body and try to eat as little as possible. They also might exercise too much or do other things to lose weight.

Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is an eating disorder. Children who have it are extremely picky eaters and have little interest in eating food, which can lead to poor growth and poor nutrition.

Binge Eating Disorder

Kids who eat unusually large amounts of food - and feel guilty or secretive about it - could be struggling with binge eating disorder.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

Doctors use body mass index (BMI) measurements to assess a child's physical growth in relation to other kids the same age. Here's how to calculate BMI and understand what the numbers mean.

Bulimia

People with the eating disorder bulimia often eat large amounts of food over short periods of time (binge eat). Then, they try to prevent weight gain by doing things like exercising too much or throwing up what they ate.

Eating Disorders

Eating disorders are common among teens and kids, especially young women. Read about the warning signs, prevention strategies, and ways to help a child with an eating disorder.

Indigestion

Indigestion is an upset stomach that most often happens because someone eats too much or too fast, or has foods that don't agree with them.

Lactose Intolerance

Many kids have lactose intolerance - trouble digesting lactose, the main sugar in milk and milk products - which can cause cramps, diarrhea, and gas.

Overweight and Obesity

Preventing kids from becoming overweight means making choices in the way your family eats and exercises, and how you spend time together.