Giving Baby Half N Half for Weight Gain Instead of Milk

When one of my daughters needed extra calories and extra fat, her nutritionist and pediatrician advised adding in more HEALTHY fat, like avocados, olive oil, coconut milk, nut butters, etc. They specifically told me not to make up the extra calories by using cream or extra whole milk. The added calcium actually hinders the absorbtion of other vitamins, and the fat in milk products is lacking nutrients to go along with it.

I., how old is the baby? And how many fluid oz of milk does s/he drink?

Yes, Half N Half is higher in fat, but lower in protein. One option is to serve Whole milk then add a few tablespoons of cream and/or oil like Grapeseed oil which is rather tasteless and very high in Vit E.

This is probably way more complicated of an answer than you were hoping for, but when I found I could not breastfeed my first dd due to my own lactation issues, I made an awesome baby formula that was a great substitute for her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NATkyZNMQQ.
Half-n-Half, not such a good idea. Good luck!

I., I think it's a really bad idea. It's very low in protein and dietary fiber. You will be lacking very important nutrients. You are better off feeding your little one things like avocados, whole milk fats, pastas tossed with olive oil, mashed potatoes with butter and cream, bread with cream cheese, smoothies made with milk or full fat yogurt, garbanzo beans (hummus), cheese quesadillas, and other high fat foods. You will not lose nutrition, that way. Are you consulting a Dr. for this. They should be able to get you dietary guidelines. See if your child has food allergies. Food allergies can cause a child to not absorb nutrients correctly.

Gaining weight by eating more saturated fat, is not a good idea. That's a very unhealthy way to gain weight. At least with whole milks there are also good fats, protein, carbohydrates, and lots of minerals.

What does your doctor say? Don't do something like this without talking to your doctor. I have NEVER heard of a baby drinking half 'n half. If you are measuring your child's weight along with his or her ped, then there should be no problem discussing this and finding a solution along WITH your ped. Don't just try things without the doctor's input.

Dawn

That does not sound healthy at all. Talk to your doctor.

The only time I would go out of my way to make my baby gain weight is if her doctor was overly concerned about her being UNDERWEIGHT, in which case I would ask the doctor's advice about what to supplement with.

From your profile, your baby is about 18 months, right? At 18 months, your baby should be drinking whole milk, and a variety of nutritious table foods indluding fruits, vegetables, dairy, meats, grains. I would NOT give Half n Half as a supplement. It's only additional FAT above what you'd get from whole milk, not additional protein or carbohydrates or vitamins or any meaningful nutrition - only FAT.

I.,

You should talk to your child's pediatrician before doing this. How old is your baby? I don't think it sounds very healthy to give a baby that instead of milk---if your child is at least a year old, whole milk is the best. If your child is under 1 year, they need to be given breastmilk or formula. Not half and half or milk. HTH

M

No, not at all. Very unhealthy. It has so much cholesterol in it, and very little protein. I would consult with your pediatrician. At the very least, whole milk..Do not give them cream.

I agree with Everly. My daughter had to have vegetable oils added to her food and when that wasn't working avacados, butters and finally Ensure shakes. But ONLY under the advice of her pediatrician.

I would not give your baby half and half instead of whole milk or breastmilk. But you could pour some on a bowl of strawberries or blueberries in the morning as a breakfast treat. I loved this as a child!

If you child is truly underweight - as in your pediatrician has said that he or she needs to gain - then your pediatrician should be able to recommend ways to do that.

One family I know was able to achieve the desired weight gain for their toddler by offering more high-fat foods - whole milk yogurt and cheese, butter, olive oil, avocado, coconut oil, peanut butter etc.

My sister has had to supplement her daughter's diet with PediaSure for over a year (she's 3) because she eats very little.

Few children are so underweight that they have to gain weight, so make sure this is something your pediatrician agrees with and get his or her input. My youngest child didn't weight 20 lbs until he was more than 18 months old and at almost age 6, still weighs about 35 lbs. but he's perfectly healthy, just slender and small.

I., if your baby's doc wants you to add something for his/her weight gain, the doctor would tell you. You can ask your doctor what is healthy and okay to give your baby. If baby is under a year old, they need breastmilk or formula. Anything with lots of saturated fat is not healthy, and really, half and half or cream is not a drink. Please ask your doctor for healthy options if your baby is really underweight.

No dairy is healthy for humans. Please go to www.pcrm.org to find out why.

Has your doc said the baby is underweight? Even still, charts are a good way to track growth, but that doesn't mean that they are accurate for every child. If he/she is eating well, gaining weight regularly, then they should be fine. If you are still breast feeding, you could look at your diet to see if you are offering optimal nutrition. Eat mostly plants with animal protein being the side-dish or used as flavoring for soups and stews. Whole grains and beans and starches (brown rice and potatoes, yes, potatoes) will constitute the foundation of your diet. Look to put a rainbow of color on your plate in terms of fruits and veggies. The colors offer all of the different micronutrients that we need for a healthy diet/disease prevention.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. I've taken a series of classes taught by a Naturopath who has her PhD in Nutrition. It's proving to be a fascination journey. I'm happy to share. Good luck. D.

Talk to your child's doctor. There is a lot of nutrients in formula and breast milk that are not in half and half.

When my daughter was around 11 months old the doctor was concerned about her weight gain. The peditrician sent me to a nutritionist. Around 12 months old I was advised by the nutritionist to stop nursing and switch to whole milk with added heavy cream. I would add the heavy cream to the milk for added fat. I guess it worked - she got back on the "growth chart" although she was tiny until age 6/7.

Check with your doctor!

I'd skip the Half and Half due to preservatives and additives, but instead give whole milk that is if she/he is over 12 months of age (otherwise breastmilk or formula is only option to prevent allergy or problems absorbing the nutrients). If your baby is over 1 yr and likes yogurt, try a higher fat Greek style yogurt. My middle child was severely underweight between 12 and 18 months because he was "too busy" to eat. I fed him all day long, even shoving food in his mouth as he ran by, to increase his weight. He's a healthy 3 1/2 yr old now. Nurse Midwife Mom of 3

Has your baby's pediatrician told you that baby needs to gain weight? If so then talk with him/her before doing this.

If you haven't take the baby to the pediatrician why is it you think he needs to gain weight? Again, I wouldn't give half and half without a doctor or nutritionists recommendation.

Well, the more fat content the fewer nutrients, vitamins and minerals.
Is this really a failure to thrive situation?
If the doctor is concerned then follow his instructions to encourage weight gain.
Otherwise try not to worry and offer healthy food choices.
All too often they eventually hit stages (in 1st to 3rd grade the average weight gain is roughly 40 lbs - it's where obesity can start for many people) where too much weight is a problem and that is a lot harder to deal with.

I would call up your childs doc and talk it over with them. I would not give my daughter that and she was underweight from 3 months - 1 1/2 years old, finally she just "out grew" it and fell into the "normal" weight range by the time she was 2. My daughter is still a skinny stick, tall, active and healthy. I would never give her a diet change unless a doc gave me a really really good reason to give her something out of the norm (like allergic to nuts so I stop using anything with nuts in it).

why do you think your baby is too skinny? can you see her ribs or is she unactive due too malabsorbtion? if not i wouldnt worry about it. many go on this chart in the dr's office that says your kid should be this tall and weigh this much. it's just a guide not a rule. if you do decide that your kid needs more then either give an extra scoop of formula that is called for per bottle or give ensure or add ovultine in the milk. both have vitamines and add to her growth not just fat. i know a few kids that are really skinny and you ca see a bit of their ribs not enough to be concerned about and they have outgrown this look a little bit each year. i'm sure your baby will outgrow this too just give him/her time.

we had to give my niece supplement shakes for snacks between meals she gained almost 2lbs in a few weeks....she was always a great eater but just a petite little girl

I don't know your specific situation, but my understanding is that babies under 12 months should NOT be having straight-up milk products: just breast milk or formula. I'd check with the doc on how to handle this.

My daughter has always had issues with gaining weight she is almost 8 and just recently has gotten up to 44lbs, her doctor put her on pediasure or ensure. She gets two cans of it a day as well as all of her normal feedings.

Why are you worried about weight gain? As long as baby is happy, healthy, and thriving, don't worry about it. My son, now 20 months, has always been, and still is, in the 20 percentile for weight. My doctor doesn't even bat an eye about it. Half and Half on occasion might be okay, but stick with whole milk (as long as baby is at least 12 months old). No need to over feed, because that could lead to obesity. Use whole milk yogurt as well, instead of low fat. As far as 'milk' goes, you can also check out soy, almond, oat, etc. milks. My son enjoys them (vanilla and original flavors) more than cow milk. Good luck Mama!

My 15 month old son weighs 18lbs and is 29" tall. He gained weight till he was 5 months old (about 60%) and then dropped down slowly to 5-10%. The tests for T4 were 14 (limit is 12) but the endocrinologist said that he has no hyperthyroidism. I was asked to see an ENT (for gulping sounds and snoring) and give him more milk and healthy fatty foods like peanut butter, cheese etc. ENT said that everything is normal and have been trying fatty foods to no avail.

I would ask the pediatrician on this one! I think whole milk is best, if your baby is at least 12 mo. old. Our pediatrician recommended more meat and more carbs for our 18 mo. old (we fed him lots of spaguetti and meatballs), and he put on weight nicely.