Feeding the hospitalized large‐for‐gestational‐age infant: Clinical dilemmas and the need for growth standards

Infants born large-for-gestational-age (LGA) are increasingly common because of the rising rates of maternal obesity and diabetes. Some infants born LGA require hospitalization and nutrition support, yet no specific growth standards exist to guide nutrition management. Feeding practices based on weight-based guidelines for infants born at appropriate weight for gestational age may unintentionally promote overfeeding and increase long-term obesity risk. This Clinical Dilemma explores the challenges of feeding hospitalized infants born LGA and highlights the urgent need for research to develop evidence-based growth standards for this at-risk population.