Concerned About My Daughter's Weight

I'll pass on what my pediatrician told me about my daughter. It's not so much what percentile a baby falls into, it's more about the baby having consistant growth. Doctors get concerned when a child suddenly leaps up or drops down several percentage brackets. Try not to obsess on the number. If she is growing at a consistant rate she is fine.

My son was like that until he started eating solid food. All babies are different. I would say if the doctors cannot find anything wrong and she is eating all the time, then she just has a really good metabolism. Especially if she is breastfeeding. My son metabolized breast milk really fast and moved around a lot, so he did not gain weight very fast as an infant. Just hang in there. I would not worry too much. Some babies are just thin.

D. P.

If the doctor isnt concerned I would be either. My oldest was always on the lower end too and he was breastfed and ate regular food too. He fianlly caught up when he was about 3 or so.

my grandson was premature and weighed 3 lbs. he is now 17 months and only weighs 19 lbs. at first his pediatrician put him on high calorie formulas but he is jsut small. he is nowvery active busy busy all day long. he eats all the time. for example this morning he had 2 scrambled eggs and 2 suasage links for breakfast. half hour later he had two slices of cheese and 3 crackers. then later some nuts, , an apple, grapes, juice and milk and all of this was before 10 am. then he took a nap and got up and ate a whole tuna sandwich a mandarin and juice. also had raisins, a banana, some yogurt, and half a bagel with cream cheese. this was by 2 oclock. after that he had BP&J milk, vegetable soup and a slice of cantalope. my husbnad gets home at 4 and they have a popsicle. then dinner. we had roast beef and mashed potatoes and peas. he ate almost as much as i did except i also had a salad. he later had some pie with whipped cream and milk. before bed time he had a graham cracker and milk and was in bed by 8. he eats like this every day, its non stop but he is also non stop. keeps both uf us trim i guess. i no longer worry about his weight because iknow that nutritionally he is getting more than enough. my son was the total opposite. he refused to eat so i had to chase him with finger foods and stick a bite into his mouth whenever icould. he was also a preemie and also small. he is still very picky eater he was always the cute tiny kid in class but his freshman year he gre 6 inches in 4 months. poor baby had stretch marks on his hips form growing so much. he is now 6'4' and weighs 160 lbs. he is a runner and a very strict eater, nothing with preservatives and the only meat he eats is fish and chicken. label reader galore but he is healthy and runs about 150 miles a week. my oldest son was 11 lbs 8 oz at birth and he was alwasy chubby. he is now 30 and in the last year lost a lot of weight becasue he was obese and starting to have health issues. he is only 6 ft tall but at one point weighed 290 lbs. he is now down to 190 and is healthier. i sometimes worry that little charlie will one day be like his heavy uncle becsue he eats so much but he is hungry all the time and doesnt seem to be too fat or too skinny. he is jsut tiny.

My daughter is 3.5 and weighs 28 lbs. She has always been small. She weighed 7lbs at birth and weighed around 18lbs at 18 months. I remember that one because of the age and weight being the same. I think she was 16lbs at one year.

Anyhow, to make a long response short, our pediatrician saw that her motor skills were fine and that her height was increasing, so he was never concerned. I remember at one point she wasn't even on the chart and he said that he was going to put her right on the zero percentile, just so he didn't have to do testing. I was never really concerned, as I WAS a small child and I have nieces that look just like her, so I think that it runs in my family.

As long as she is developing normally, I would not be concerned. I never pumped my daughter with high fat foods just to beef her up, that could be potentially dangerous for them in the future. Feed her a healthy diet and make sure she is developing and you should be fine!

Hello,
I have had two children and both of my boys were always considered in the 10% or less for weight. The doctor always had something to say but my boys ate well. It was not until my son turned 5 his weight % changes to being 85% because even though he is very slim he carries a lot of muscle and know would be considered overweight. Either way I would suggest you not worry as you know your child is eating. My sons are now 7 and 4 and very healthy with low body fat. Good luck!

There has to be babies on all end of the spectrum. If she's eating fine, you are demand feeding, and your pediatrician isn't worried, I wouldn't worry either. My little one arrived 3 weeks early and will always be in the lower percentiles too!

If she's eating and growing...don't worry about it!!!!
I have 3 girls and they're all completely different. My oldest was a huge baby and now at 11 years old I can't get a pound on her although she eats like a horse. My youngest who is 2 and a half is a tiny little thing. If your daughter is acting normal and developing and progressing- don't worry about the statistics. They're just numbers!!!!

I have a girlfriend whose son was always much smaller than then the growth chart said he should be. His doctors put him on a special diet and my friend had to meet with nutritionists. I have never seen a child eat like he did and he would not gain weight. She came to the conclusion that he would just be smaller than the doctors believed he "should" be. Once she did that...they were all happier. Every child is different. If your daughter is healthy in every other way, then you are doing everythig right. I know that once you start worrying it is hard to stop (she is your baby after all. Try not to weigh her until her 12 month check up. You may be pleasantly surprised!

My oldest, who is now 6, LIVED at the 5th percential for weight and the 50th percentile for hieght throughout her first year. She was my first baby and she never seemed to nurse as long as any of my friends' babies, so it worried me. But, her doctor checked her out and confirmed that she was completely healthy, just a little on the smaller side. She also reminded me of something important, there is no true "right" height and weight for babies. Not every baby is going to fall right on that 50% average line; the average comes from taking a pool of babies of various sizes, some very small, some very large, and some in-between and then averaging them all together to come up with those averages and percentile rankings. Very normal babies can fall at any point within the scale. So, please feel reassured, you have had her checked-out and her doctor has confirmed that there is nothing wrong and she's developmentally on track, so don't fret about it. Motherhood will bring you many future aopportunities to worry! Enjoy the fact that she isn't breaking your back when you carry her. :)

My "baby" has grown into a tall, thin 6-year old girl--I'm sure that she'll love it if she stays that way into adulthood! My biggest issue with her size is that I have trouble finding pants that are long enough and yet don't fall off of her little hips!

DONT WORRY!!!

Too many kids are too fat. My son is super skinny and small for his age (abt 30 lbs in 1st grade) and I KNOW "dont worry" is easier said than done, but truly, you do not need to worry as long as she's eating, healthy, active, learning & growing.

ps- be GLAD you have a light baby:
*they stay in one size longer
*they are easier on your back/arms/shoulders when you have to pick them up & carry them
*they're healthier than obese babies - less of a risk of diabetes later on, etc. (feed them right even now)
*I think they're able to walk & get around sooner/easier than heavy babies who have to lug their own weight around

Hi,
My daughter was the same way. She was sooo tiny. She was below the 5 percentile also. She was in 6-9 month clothes for almost a year!!! Anyway my pediatrician was not concerned as long as she was getting bigger. She is almost three now and still on the small side but doing just fine! I think sometimes there are just some little ones that are peanuts. It will work out I was worried too.

Deb

I have a 21 month old boy who has been "under weight" or had a weight "issue" since he was 6 weeks old. At his 18 month check up he was at the 5% mark in weight and had not even gained a half pound in about a 3 month period. Both his father and myself are lean and always have been. I was an extremely skinny child. As long as your pediatrician is not concerned, she is gaining weight consistantly, she is eating healthy meals, and is developing at a healthy rate; I think you should try not to worry. Remember, those growth charts are just averages. It sounds like you've been doing everything you can as far as looking into any potential problems. Continue to keep an eye on her, make sure that she is continuing to gain weight, and know that you are doing a good job in caring for her. Our sons height, and head growth were in the 90 some percentile, and his developement is also right on target with the exception of his weight. Good luck. And if you wish to talk more about your concerns please feel free to contact me.

If you didn't know that she was 'below' weight, would you be concerned about her? If no, then don't worry unless your instincts tell you too. With that being said, you are a good mom for checking it out on your own and as long as you feel good about the results, then relax and enjoy your precious gift. Because they really do grow up way too fast.

My daughter has also gone through this we were at the less than 3%. We did all the test and hospital visits. They didn't find anything abnormal only that she is petite. She is now 2 years old and is still low in weight but her height and development are excellent. Our Ped stated she didn't think there was anything wrong but she encouraged all the tests basically to CYA (cover their rears). My mom stated she wasn't surprised about Natalia's weight because they had said the same about me when I was young. The Ped agreed when I told her since we are small framed family. They just did the tests to be sure. I had only breastfeed Natalia until she was 6 months before we introduced solids. If your child is formula-feed they may suggest a calorie booster to add to the bottle. This could give more calories to "assist" in weight gain. However, our Ped didn't think it was necessary since the height and development were normal.

Dont worry R. unless she isn't eating at all. As long as she is healthy I'm sure her appetite will pick up. My first child was the same way and she at 13 is still petite but eats like a horse goodluck!

Hi, R. -
One of my twins girls, now 23 months, has always been a tiny peanut - never above 10% on the charts. I worried, too, but my pediatrician reassured me that if she is eating, developing normally, and growing, she is fine. Some babies are just petite.
Try to relax and enjoy!

R.,
My son has been the 10-15% his whole life. He is now almost 2. I was worried about it at first and I kept asking the dr but they said as long as he is still growing and developing then there is nothing to worry about. Some kids are just small. It is still hard not to worry but I see him doing all the same things all the other kids his age are doing and it helps me not to be so concerned.

I was relieved to see your post because I am concerned with my son as well. He is 4 months old and was born weighing 9lbs. 7oz. He has only gained 2 lbs since birth. I was very worried; however, it seems he is growing in height well and developing normally. Unfortanately I don't have any advice, but I can tell you you and your daughter are not alone. If I learn anything I will send the information your way.

she still might be a little young to be alarmed, but in the next 6 months keep an eye on her diet to see if something happens after that...like she is sick all the time, gets ear infections, quits eating (because she is sick/ear infections...) it's a pattern that is continuous. Could be a dairy allergy. Some dr's see this and keep scripting. It makes no sense....but you didn't say she was sick, so right now, just do what you can. Don't give her excess dairy (like ice cream! AAK!), but some extra yogurt and whole grain pasta is a good start.

It is nothing to worry about unless she is not gaining weight at all or the Dr has a concern. My first daughter was always in the 90th to 100% but my second daughter is in the 5%. We didn't get to turn her car seat until she was almost 18 months due to her weight. Our pediatrician actually told me that she had been to a conference and children in our daughters' range are almost better than those in the higher ranges due to childhood obesity. Plus, as she gets older she will get more and more active and weight gain will be even slower due to the increase in physical activity.

R.,

I can tell you first hand...don't worry about it. my twins were born 7 weeks premature but they were healthy. they were ALWAYS under % for weight, soemtimes for height (they were always on the negative side....they didn't even MAKE the charts). the clinic where i took them were always questioning me. I realized on day they were right on for development for their age in every other way. So i stopped listening.
Guess what? They are still skinny beanpolls (at almost 22). If I ate the way they eat??? I would look like TWO good year blimps. They are healthy, strong, smart, loving, compassionate, and generous.
My advice??? don't worry about it. the kid is healthy. She's just small. Feed her healthy food, be sure she gets plenty of rest and good play time and fresh air and lots of unconditional love.....she'll be JUST fine :)
Don't worry about her....just enjoy the fool out of her.
If you want any other advice from an 8 time mom (and grandma) don't hesitate to message me here or call me ###-###-####)
S.

Hi R.. Sounds like you are in the same boat I have been in with both of my kids. They have always been thin, but once they started crawling and moving around, they both dropped to around the 5%. If she is growing and thriving, she is fine. With my oldest, our pediatrician had us give him pediasure after his first birthday (they aren't supposed to have it before then) to try to put some weight on him. We also added some of the gerber desserts to their menu, just for some extra calories. I am sure she is just fine. Some people are just built to be thin. Don't pay too much attention to the growth chart. It will drive you crazy! =)

Hi R. -

I just recently asked this same question. My daughter is 11 months old and is in the 3rd percentile. She eats all the time and is very active. Her height is in the 50th percentile. The doctors were having me come in for weight checks but there was no other sign of something being wrong. I finally stoppped worrying about it because she is happy and doing great. Her weight does not affect how she is able to do things and she is hitting her developmental milestones just like every other child. Each child is also going to go through different eating stages - one day she will want to eat all the time and the next day she only wants to eat a little. You have to take each day as it comes. Some of the best advice that was given to me was that every child is different. Some children are in the 90th percentile and some are not even on the charts. My niece was never on the charts until she was 2 years and she is just fine. If she seems healthy then she is probably fine. She is just small. Enjoy being able to carry her around longer and her not out growing clothes too fast. Of course mine out grows them lenghts wise. I wrote my request on 10/17 of this year - small for age, I got a lot of great advice. Look at it and maybe some of it will help you. I finally just stopped worrying and am enjoying who she is and watching everything she is learning.

Best of luck,
B.

The one thing I've learned as a mother of two who's been dealing with percentiles for over 6 years, is that is doesn't matter where your child falls on the percentile chart. Just because your daughter is below the 5th Percentile doesn't meean she's underweight. All it means is that 95% of children her age weigh more than she does at this age (and in today's society, there are lot of kids that are overweight, so keep that in mind). As long as she hovers around that percentile consistently and doesn't drop or gain percentiles significantly between appointments (for example, she's at a 50th percentile and then all of a sudden drops to the 5th percentile), then she's just fine! Also, because she's eating well and seems healthy is another reason not to worry. Don't put too much emphasis on these percentiles. Sounds like she's just a petite little sweetheart who's doing just fine! Don't start overfeedig her trying to make her gain weight! She'll do that all on her own as she grows. Relax and enjoy her!

My son was, and at almost 3, still is, on the lower end of the weight spectrum. All his growth went to his height and he was always at around 5-10% on the weight spectrum. One previous ped tried to make me neurotic about it and said he needed to eat more, but quite honestly he was just on his own curve and did not (and still does not) have any problems. It sounds like your little one is like him and I wouldn't worry more over it unless something changes.

Has she dropped below the 5% mark recently or has she always been there? Some babies (people) are just small. The time to worry is if they drop down to another percentile - like from 8th to 5th. My son was in the 5% range when he was born and as long as he didn't go lower, he was OK. He ended up getting sick and dropped into lower percentile (briefly entirely off the chart) and that was the time to worry and sped every second of the day feeding him as much as he could eat.

If she is staying in the same range and your doctors are not worried, she's probably fine. If you are still worried, get a second opinion from another pediatrician.

All three of my girls were in the low percentages on the growth chart. Then my baby boys came a long and were healthy looking chunks. I can say, they were concerned about my youngest girl and gave me a small pitcher just for her. When I bought milk, it was always whole milk and we would fill her pitcher to make sure she got plenty. I don't remember how much they wanted me to push a day, but she sure liked having her own milk. She's all grown up and a lucky size 2 now. Another grown daughter had the same problem with her son and was told to give him chocolate or strawberry milk each day, as it had a higher fat content. He's 8 now and still thin, but not too scrawny. I know your little one isn't old enough for dairy products yet, but it's something to consider after her first Birthday. Also ask your Doctor for suggestions.

Hi R.,
sounds like your precious baby is just fine! Just a bit petite like my 10 mo old baby girl =) She is in the 4th percentile for weight & has NEVER been any higher, even in utero. As long as they keep eating & growing, they just have their own "growth chart" Watch to make sure she "pees & poos" a good amount & just enjoy her! The Drs say shes fine. You have lots of milestones to ENJOY!

my son who is now 5 was born off the charts (low) and stayed off the charts. (literally) The most he was was at a 3%. As long as your child is eating and growing developmentally I wouldn't worry about it. For us it is just the genes. My husband is over 6 ft 200 lbs but my side was small. Anyway, he is now a brick! And it took maybe 2 or 3 years for him to get to average!

I'm sorta in the same boat as you. My son is the same age as your daughter. He was small when he was born - overdue and 6lb 3oz. He grew really fast and got up to 50 to 75th percentile early on, but at his 9 month appt he had slowed down and was only in the 10th percentile for weight.

He's happy, he eats pretty well. The doctor said it's low but pointed out that I'm rather thin so perhaps the baby is taking after me.

Try not to worry about it. If you think there is really something wrong with her you can pursue it but somebody has to be at the bottom of those weight percentiles; it just happens to be your daughter right now.

Hi R.- Like all the other moms suggest, your little girl is probably just a little peanut. My 2 year old was born in the 25% but started dropping around 9 months old when she was eating more finger foods. She dropped completely off the charts and had her own imaginary growth curve. The doctors just monitored her with more frequent weight checks. For the most part she stayed right on her imaginary curve (below 0%). However, between 15 months and 22 months old she bounced around on her curve. As a result we did allergy testing, Ciliac disease testing, an upper endoscopy done at the hospital and she went to an immunologist. The good news is all of those tests came back normal. She is now 24 months and has had a good 6 weeks of healthiness and she has actually moved onto the charts and is at the 5th%. She is tiny, but I now embrace that and enjoy the fact that she is easy to pick up. My youngest (9months) is catching up to her!

Because my little girl was eating, playing, developing great and happy, I have now started to relax and just enjoy my little peanut. Trust your instincts and talk to your doctor in detail. If they don't seem concerned with her low percentile, then try to relax. However, know there are medical options out there if you feel that something "just isn't right". It can be reassuring to have testing done and find out everything is normal.

My daughter is about 10.5 months as well, and she has consistently been between the 3 and 7 percentile for her height and weight. She loves to eat, so i know she is getting nutrients and she is progressing fine as well, so I don't really worry about it. I just figure she's a little small. I don't think you need to worry. There are other ones out there.