How to Make a 16 Mon Girl Want to Ear/ Drink More

Hmmm...first, I would want to know if the doctor is concerned about her weight.

However, what she does eat, is there something she enjoys eating? For instance, eggs? If so, you can make her eggs with olive oil to add extra fat to her diet. And what kind of drinks does she enjoy drinking? Can she drink from a straw cup? Maybe try a smoothie and see if she enjoys that.

Does she have low tone because of her nutrition or is there something else? I only ask because my daughter has Down syndrome, and it is typical for children with Down syndrome to have low tone.

If she has low tone/floppy baby syndrome I hope that your doctor has run a full gammut of tests. You should have seen a developmental pedi, and also a nerologist, as well as your therapists. There are many different reasons for low tone/ floppy baby syndrome. They key is to find the underlying cause for early treatment.

L cartinine deficiency is one reason for low weight and low tone. You could have the doc check her. Give a diet rich in med chain triglycerides (raw virgin coconut oil, or palm kernel oil, butter) and low in long chain triglycerides (canola oil, corn, veg, etc)You can feed coconut oil straight from the tablespooon, cook your pancakes in it, etc.
Put chia seeds in her pancakes. Look up the health effects of chia seeds online.

Choline deficiency should be looked at too. (folic acid deficiency will affect choline levels).

Fumerase deficiency can cause poor feeding, hypotonia and failure to thrive. it is rare but it is possible.

cobalamin deficiency is a curable metabolic disorder. Suspect if there is physcomotor regression after 6th month, to hypotonia(severe) by 12th month.

Certainly other vitamin deficiencies should be considered and explored. Lack of Vit b3 can cause lack of appetite, b6-weak muscles, b1-anorexia/weight loss, weak muscles. Since b vitamins work together, a full b complex vitamin should be taken, in liquid form, under the tounge for quick absorption. Benfotiamine is a fat soluable b1 that can be taken orally , maybe you could add that to the b complex. Consult your doctor.

Vit A deficiecy can cause a lack of appetite. Vit A is also good for bone development. Cod liver oil has BOTH highest levels of vit A, plus the vit D in it too. Buy high quality Carlson cod liver oil- (found online if you cant find it local). A bitter taste to cod liver oil means it has oxidized. Keep it in a cool dark place and use it up within 6 months.Throw it out after that.

Magnesium is another one that if deficient in, can create a large host of different problems. Magnesium is a chemical gate blocker for nerves. It helps muscle tone. It helps calcium harden the bone. Magnesium can be absorbed thru the skin by spraying on "magnesium oil" and letting it dry. Also "Nature calm" is a drinkable form.

So bottom line I would highly consider cod liver oil, b complex, and magnesium, if nothing else. They are all safe. Again consult doctor.

Other reasons for low tone could be hypothyroidism. (very prevalent in children on SOY formulas and soy in diet). Coconut oil should help with this as well, it is progesterone protective.Progesterone balances estrogen, and estrogen disruption causes thyroid problems.
celiacs/gluten intolerance (hopefully they have checked her for this already), and if a baby under 6 mo has had
low tone with the poor feeding and weak cry- botulism should be tested for. Vaccine reactions, other infections such as Gullian barr, meningitis, polimeylitis, sepsis, Myasthenia gravis. I have read reports by some physicians and scientists who claim that other bacterial infections from mycoplasma or spirochettes have been suspect in failure to thrive (poor feeding and low weight).

ps... you didnt say if she has any problems swallowing or not that may contribute. Problems swallowing , or choking on food, can be a sign of iron deficiency anemia or magnesium deficiency.

My dd was also underweight for over a year. She just got onto the growth charts in September. She was actually going to be hospitalized for a feeding tube in September if she didin't strat to gain weight and she gained two pounds in a month (something that had never happened in her life before). First does the OT have experience with feeding issues? Is if truly appetite or perhaps an oral aversion that the OT and a feeding clinic could work with. Our daughter's issue is malabsortion because of celiac disease and an unusually high metabolism. She needs to drink a high calorie formula hers is Kid's Boost Essentials 1.5 that we cut with half and half to make it less sweet. My dd cannot easily eat what she needs so we make sure everything she eats is high calorie. Lots of olive oil, dips and dressings, coconut milk. etc.. If she truly needs to eat more thier are appetite stimulant medications but those are usually a last resort before a feeding tube as they have some undesireable side effects.

Hi J.. BTDT with one of my little ones and still fighting it with my two teens. Smoothies are great but make them with Pediasure, powdered milk, and almond butter and bananas. Mix butter or olive oil in with any vegetables. Potato soup made with half and half and add cheese on top. Toast or breads only given with something spread on it - almond butter (it's higher in calorie than peanut butter), Nutella (for a treat), apple or pumpkin butters (lower in surgar than jellies), etc.

Why is she only getting OT and PT every other week if she isn't standing independently at 16 months? It should be at least an hour a week for each. Is she being followed by regional center or office of education? If she's only being followed by RC, then you may consider an office of education evaluation because they sometimes have services that RC does not have. If she is being followed by RC, then ask to be sent to a feeding therapy clinic or to be seen by a speech therapist that handles feeding therapy. Also, has she been checked for oral aversions? Has she seen a speech therapist to make sure there isn't any oral motor issues?

I know how to work the system, so please e-mail me if you have any questions, need to talk, or want more ides.

L.

Dear J.,

I understand your stress, but being so ntent to change your child into what she is not sounds like too much pressure on both of you.

She is what she is, and as a mother you try to do the best you can. is the doctor concern? Is he aware of the suplements you give her? There is a possibility of too much vitamins, too.

To do the best you can, if your child need to gain wight, you can add high calorie foods to her diet, like avocado and nuts spread (Like peanut butter but from other nits, if you worry about peanuts). Also: do not offer food all the time so she will experience hunger.

All this needs to be consulted with a professional. May be a pediatric nutritionists? Try to educate yourself with the best advices, but after that make a plan and stop worrying. This by itself can cause a lot of damage.

D. Orr
daliacoachesparents.com

I had the same problem with mine. I took her to her ped and he gave me a referal to a nutritionist (covered by ins) and when I took her to the nutritionist, she prescribed Pediasure. It was covered under ins and my daughter was on it for years. It really helped with keeping her weight up and reduced the frustration of trying to get her to eat more when she just wasn't interested. During that time, we found she was tactily defensive in her mouth and we worked on that extensively through pt and ot. She is now 19 and eats anything however will still not wrap her lips around a spoon. See if you can get a referal for a nutritionist from your ped. and push for some Pediasure. Good luck. T.

i was going to suggest smoothies as well. my daughter refused any meat for the longest time so my husband began making berry smoothies with peanut butter and she loved them, and still does! many toddlers are picky and you can sneak foods in what they like. you can sneak in pureed carrots or sweet potato in their mac'n'cheese for instance. the cookbook the sneaky chef has great ideas that have worked for us. good luck. i would talk to the doctor and see what he/she suggests.

My son dips everything. This has been a fun way to give him control of his food and also can sometimes mask flavors he may not like. He dips chicken sausuage in yogurt for breakfast. He dips meat and vegetables in ketchsup or BBQ sauce for lunch/dinner. He dips crackers in hummus or guacamole for snack.

Hummus and guacamole (really just smashed avocado with a little salt/pepper)are good sources of fat. Sometimes I even add a little extra olive oil to the hummus. I also agree with others who have said make sure you add olive oil to all veggies and toast (if you're not ready to give her peanut butter yet). If you are peanut butter is great also. Quesadillas would be another great option.

I also like the idea of letting her get a little more hungary before eating. Maybe a few less snacks will lead to better meals. I have noticed this in my son.

Usually kids will eat just as much as they need and not more. Has the pediatrician told you she is underweight, or is it just your opinion? I would not start feeding her more than she wants unless the pediatrician has told me to do so. I would then ask the doctor for a referral to a nutritionist.