In nonorganic failure to thrive, which action by the nurse is most directly related to promoting growth?

• A. Encourage planned play
• B. Demonstrate feeding strategies and infant cues that indicate hunger and satiation
• C. Refer for psychological counseling to identify parental detachment
• D. Provide instructions about formula preparation and feeding schedules

Answer: (B)

In nonorganic failure to thrive, growth improves most directly when the caregiver learns to feed responsively by recognizing the infant’s hunger and fullness cues and adjusting feeding accordingly. Demonstrating feeding strategies and showing how to interpret signals of hunger and satiation helps the caregiver offer nourishment at the right times and stop feeding when the infant is full. This direct focus on meeting the infant’s caloric needs fosters adequate intake and steady weight gain, which is the core goal in NOFTT.

Other approaches—like encouraging planned play—support development but don’t directly address caloric intake. Referring for psychological counseling might be appropriate in some cases, but it’s not the immediate, most direct way to promote growth. Providing instructions about formula preparation and feeding schedules is helpful, but without guiding the caregiver to read and respond to the infant’s cues, feeding may be inconsistent or misaligned with the infant’s needs.