Change. One word. So small yet so big. While most people shudder at the idea of change, there are those that embrace it and roll with the wave, so to speak. Unfortunately, while I can ride with change, I perhaps would like to ease into it slowly and have a little bit of control. So how is this connected to today’s Kwezi and I column? Well, change is what you have to deal with on a daily basis when raising a child, especially a toddler, so it in itself is potentially a subject, but today, I would like to concentrate on Kwezi’s change in weight. The girl who was just a year ago a chubby two-year-old is now a lanky skinny girl. I can’t place a timeline on when this really started but with each day, my eyes open wider and wider every time I see how skinny she has become. All I see are long limbs, a big head and big ears. As I have told you before, when I want something concerning child growth done better, I hand it over to my mother. She just returned from her grandparents after a few weeks and while I was hoping that maybe there could be some magic there, the girl is back and she is still the same. Interestingly, the appetite is now back with full force but it has done nothing to contribute to her weight gain. Her weight loss has bothered me so much to a point that I am now looking at passers-by suspiciously. If you stare at me a second longer than I expect, I wonder if you are wondering that I perhaps eat and deprive my child. It doesn’t help that I am also not a short woman and I am not also necessarily on the small side when weight scales come in. What exactly should I do to help Kwezi gain weight? It’s a dilemma. I am consoled by the fact that many other mums have told me that these changes come with growth and hard as it is, I am beginning to think so since I have seen my nephews go through the same. What I am doing right now is concentrating on what she enjoys eating and making sure that she gets it whenever she wants. I am planning on going back to blending veggies and making soup since eating them as part of her meals is not necessarily her favourite thing. I am also looking into more smoothies mixed with yoghurt, bread and how to add milk into some of her meals since she can’t seem to let a sip of milk pass her lips. The feeding programme must change and for one to not lose their mind about this whole weight change, it’s best to keep calm and try to play around with some meals. We in the end shall overcome. We always have.
