All of the comments on this subject have been very interesting so far.  I am also concerned about the overuse of what used to be an ominous diagnosis which really required a full diagnostic work up.  True failure to thrive should be a rare situation and I believe it is.  
In my area moms are often told that their baby needs a maximum of 6 milk feeds in 24 hours and that by 6 months the baby may take only 4 milk feeds daily.  If the baby wants to eat more often they are started on solids (rice cereal once daily) which is a much less calorie dense meal.  Reduced milk feeds in the second 6 months is responsible for a lot of the slow weight gain I see.  There is no solid food that will provide the nutrition ounce per ounce that milk can.   This mismanagement is avoided if mother's know that the majority of the first year's nutrition is milk feeds with supplemental calories provided by solids after about 6 month

The second most common cause of slow weight gain I see is Reflux.  This does go along with the discussion of food sensitivities.  Many times babies who were "diagnosed with colic" in the first months learn as time goes on to limit their intake to the minimum needed to keep going, because if they get  too full they have more reflux and that hurts.  They also may not view solids as pleasant and may be really slow to take foods with texture.  

tracy throckmorton rn, ibclc
portland, oregon
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