Failure to thrive Indicates that small child is not growing properly. It may have different reasons like a chronic somatic disease (heart failure, urinary tract infection etc.) but is sometimes due to stres factors in the family. In this case a girl was born with normal weight and length, but was not growing properly. No somatic disease. When at hospital growing better, when at home less. At the age of one year in preschool and suddenly growing better. Meeting with parents revealed that mother was alcohol addicted. She got psychiatric help, but suddenly took her life when the girl was 18 months. The family got a lot of support and the girl recaptured her expected weight within a few months and as can be seen from the chart even by time a normal length. In this unfortunate case the mother had been the stress factor. The small non-verbal child showed how stressed she was by growing slower. But malnutrition and bad growth can also be a part of a psychological depression, What we call failure to thrive Indicating how sensitive growth can be to an unsafe environment Growth chart from my own well baby clinic A newborn girl from a well-to-do family. Father and mother both having good jobs. Brother five years of age, growing fairly well but defecating continously in his trousers – encopresis The story….. ..As small children cannot tell their story verbally, they have to tell you with their body.