For an infant with failure to thrive, what weekly weight gain target is commonly used?

• A. 0.4 kg
• B. 0.2 kg
• C. 0.1 kg
• D. 0.3 kg

Answer: (B)

Weight gain velocity is the key idea when assessing infants with failure to thrive. In early infancy, a healthy growth rate is about 20–30 grams per day, which translates to roughly 0.14–0.21 kilograms per week. In clinical practice, aiming for about 0.2 kilograms per week provides a practical target that supports catch-up growth without pushing gains too rapidly. This pace helps ensure the infant nourishes adequately while monitoring for potential problems like feeding intolerance or fluid shifts. Targets much lower (around 0.1 kg per week) are typically too slow to promote recovery, while higher targets (0.3–0.4 kg per week) may be aggressive and not sustainable for most infants.