Mom of Very Thin 9 Year Old Needing Nutrition Advice.

have you had her gluten tested? She may have celiac disease or other food allergies. I agree with the smoothies. You can add all kinds of healthy fats even avocado and she won't know they are in there.

Melaleuca's vitamins are scientifically proven to be more absorbable than anything on the market. http://www.melaleuca.com/Oligo/Content.aspx?Page=Superior... I hope this helps. Good luck!

Pediasure is a good start, if she doesn't mind the taste.

You can also make fruit smoothies and put in some protein powder. Use whole milk and add some yogurt, too, for an added "oomph."

I used to care for the terminally ill and I had a woman who was losing weight. We would make milkshakes from Ensure, just blend it with vanilla ice cream. Not the healthiest choice, but it worked to help her gain some weight. We gave her one every day for a couple weeks. I hope you find something that works for your daughter. Good luck.

What about a nice, big fruit & frozen yogurt smoothie every day?

Arbonne has delicious tasting healthy protein shakes and the vitamins are great too. If you add a shake in with each meal this will help a lot. The chocolate is so yummy my grandson begs for shakes. I also make peanut butter oatmeal protein bars. Arbonne products are made with all natural herbs and botanicals. I will PM my web site and other contact info. I trust no other products for my family. Good Luck to you and prayers coming your way.

When my son was a baby )young child) there was a vitamin that also open the appetite. You could also try feeding high calaories food and drinks. Mil shake, etc Pancakes, etc You might under your doctor's permission put ensure in the diet

To add to what Denise B said about smoothies you can try raw almond butter instead of peanut butter. Same healthy fats and protein but a much milder taste that just blends in with the fruit! If you need to entice her add a bit of honey. We make these smoothies a lot for lunch and my kids love them. I use frozen fruit a lot and it makes it more like an ice cream shake in texture. Also use coconut milk for some healthy calories!

Make her drink with lunch and dinner a smoothie. Fruit, whole milk, yogurt, banana, and a splash of OJ. Change the fruit combinations for variety:
*Mixed berries
*Mango & peaches
*Pineapple and strawberry

Adding peanut butter to any smoothie will also add healthy calories, but I don't like how the flavor overpowers the whole drink. But you could try PB, milk, banana and a little bit of chocolate syrup?

Best wishes!

ETA: We also do PediaSure, which works, but the flavor isn't that great. We rotate PediSure with smoothies.

A lot of unanswered questions popped into my mind: What does her pediatrician say about her weight? Is the doctor concerned officially, or is this concern yours and not the doctor's? Has your child been evaluated for her body's ability to absorb nutrients from food or for other conditions that could explain her weight? Does she have tall and/or slim relatives, not just including you and her dad but grandparents and other close relatives who are just built thin?

I'm also confused about whether the question is really about her overall weight over her lifetime so far, or about just helping her get her appetite back after a typical bout of stomach virus. If it's the latter, then as someone said below, keep the diet bland and don't go for heavy or milk-based protein shakes yet -- they could actually upset her digestion if she is just now getting over the virus.

But if the issue really is her overall weight prior to this virus, first be sure that there's actually a problem. Has she been otherwise fine since she had the tube at age 1? If so, and if her doctor is not concerned, take a deep breath. Our godson was small and his parents went from doctor to doctor to doctor for two years panicked about how tiny he was; they got lots of conflicting advice and nothing "worked"....until one doctor really LOOKED at the parents. Both are short and the dad is very, very slender and eats like a horse but doesn't gain weight. After two years someone finally realized it was the boy's genetics - he is and always will be small and thin! But his parents underwent huge anguish and were jerked around a lot by doctors who only saw a problem, not the whole child.

I'm not saying your daughter doesn't have any issues -- I can't know that -- I'm just saying, be sure there really is a medical issue. If she is thin but healthy and absorbing nutrients normally, there may not be a bigger problem.

If she's just thin naturally, stop trying to make her gain weight. Both of my daughters are in ballet, and I see a LOT of little girls there who are just built to be very thin naturally. It's not a bad thing (and is actually the coveted shape among ballerinas)! As long as your daughter is active and healthy (obviously just getting over the stomach flu is a temporary thing), let her eat a healthy, well-rounded diet, and don't worry about her size. She's probably afraid right now of throwing up, with good reason. Just give her bland foods that aren't likely to upset her stomach - toast, chicken soup, banana, applesauce, that kind of thing. She will be back on the mend soon!

If she just had a stomach bug, I wouldn't give her a heavy shake. I'd do BRAT - bananas, rice, applesauce and tea (or juice/broth/etc.) - Things that are easy on the stomach. One of my favorite things when I'm not feeling well is Campbell's chicken and rice soup or just a mug of warm chicken broth.

Pediasure. Atkins shakes

I like the carnation instant breakfasts. I add a banana to it, and you could also add a little peanut butter or almond butter to it. You could probably even add some yogurt to some of the flavors.

fruit smoothies! you can blend in nut butters, yogurt, and coconut oil to add nutrition and healthy fat. and they can be tweaked every which way to fit anyone's taste preferences.
:) khairete
S.

for my grandpa he doesn't want to eat ( he says he isn't hungry) or will think he just ate ( he has alzheimers). but he loves his ice cream!! That he will eat it all day if we would let him... that and cookies :)

We give him ensure milkshakes. He doesn't like the taste of the ensure but he doesn't notice it in the icecream... so he is getting some of the nutrients he needs plus gaining some much needed weight with the ice cream.

You could try it with pedisure.

My son is underweight for his age/height - always has been. When it was an issue several years ago I had him drink milk with Carnation Instant Breakfast in it as his beverage *with* his meals. That way, if he finished everything he got a nice helping of extra vitamins and good calories, but if he only ate half of everything, he still got a full meal's worth of calories, etc.

Good Luck!

M.,
I am a Shaklee Distributor I have child's meal replacements that you can use for or in addition to meals to help your child gain weight. I cannot post a link, so if you would like to see what I am talking about just message me and I'll send you a link to see if it is something that you might like.

Avocados
Olives
Olive oils in her foods
Protein powder in whole milk
Nuts
Cheeses
Whole milk yogurt (harder to find but they make it)

I have a four year old who has been small most of his life. My peditrician told me to put wheat germ in his food. Also to give him pudding and other dairy items.

You said she is "reluctant to eat...."
So is this the reason, for her being under weight overall?
If so, then I would think that the course of action would be to problem solve her reluctance to eat? Or, perhaps she is sensory sensitive? Or has issues with food texture etc.?
What has the Doctor said?
Beyond food intake and giving her more calorie dense foods, WHY is she reluctant, to eat????
And I assume she has food aversions?
So to me, these things has to be evaluated and why.
And perhaps a Therapist or occupational therapist to help her to eat????

OVERALL... does she just hardly eat? This can be due to physical or psychological, reasons.

Since this has been an ongoing concern in her (since she was a baby).... I am wondering what has the Pediatrician done? Or has the Doctor, referred you/your daughter to any Specialists???

And... is she just "thin"... or is she medically underweight for her age and health????