Definition

Abstract

Clinicians are acutely attuned to monitor children for healthy growth and development. When infants and children are smaller than expected or do not grow at an appropriate pace, a concern for failure to thrive arises. Historical attempts have been made to explicitly define and describe failure to thrive. Organizations including the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have collected and analyzed large representative populations of children to define what appropriate growth is for infants and children. Growth charts, accurate measurements of individual child size, and a careful history and physical exams shed light on faltering growth and the complex definition of the failure to thrive in infants and children.