Mothers of Little Boys

My two year old weighed 30 lbs and she is VERY thin. She is almost five and now weighs 40 lbs which is normal but again thin. I would take him to the doctor. OOPS! I am wrong she weighed 30 lbs at 3 not 2. I wouldn't worry about that.

Hi, I also have a boy who weighed 9 lbs. at birth. But his weight didn't stay at the upper end, also like you. He weighed 22 lbs at 1 year, and 29 lbs at 2 years. I don't specifically remember his 18 mo. weight, but I would guess it was somewhere in the middle of those, say 25.5 lbs. He is now 44 lbs at 6 years old. He has always been tall and thin, just like his Dad.

A few suggestions, I think it's great that he's still breastfeeding. But I would make sure that he's not preferring breast milk to solid food. In other words, he should be getting most of his calories from solid food by this point. So don't nurse just prior to a meal, because he would be too full to eat much. And make sure he's getting good nutrient dense foods, like avocados and whole milk yogurt for example.

Good luck!

It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job! My son was born with a heart defect and underwent 3 open heart surgeries between 16 hours old, 11 days old and 8 months old. He has a pacemaker that literally sits over the top of his stomach so he has always had an issue with eating small amounts. He was born 7lbs 6 oz, dropped to 6 13, and now is turning 5 in April and weighs 32 pounds! As long as your son is growing at a steady pace, and has not shown any learning complications, I would not worry at all! Dallas has been on the shorter side of my other children, but in the past year has caught up with his classmates that are the same age. He still wears 2T shorts, and his pants have to have the drawstring buttons in them....but he's doing fine health wise. I wish you the best and would recommend Nutripals milk shakes. Dallas just loves them and they help with in between meals to increase his vitamins/mineral and protein levels. Take care!

I have two boys. My four year old has always been off the charts on height and pretty far up there on weight. He nursed until 14 months old. My second son turned 2 in January and is still nursing. He eats constantly and weighed in at 27 pounds at his 2 yo check up. The dr was not concerned because there had not been a sudden spike or decline in weight. He said that it appeared to be how he grew. He was 8 lbs 15 ounces at birth and has gained weight at a slow steady pace. He started walking at 9 1/2 months and is now very active. The dr attributed his size to his activity levels.
My first son was 7 lbs 13 oz at birth. By 1 month, he was 11 lbs and at his first birthday he was 27 lbs. He turned 4 in November and he is currently 47 lbs and 44 inches tall. So, my first is tall and within his weight range for his age and my second is just smaller. He is 34 1/2 inches tall and 27 lbs.
Don't worry too much about it. If you are concerned, talk to your dr about it. Good luck!

Hi, Monique (farm girl! LOL)~

I'm 51, reared 4 and have 3 little 'grands' and my philosoply about children's size is - as long as they're eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, playing, laughing, sleeping, learning, and interacting well they're probably just being the wonderful, healthy, unique individuals that God meant for them to be! I've known at least 4 kids who were 'petite' as youngsters, and the families were SO concerned that they EAT that they made a really big deal of it. Now those 'petite' children are (or have been) obese adults (some lost weight, but it was still a battle for them to learn to only eat what their bodies needed). My mom was a micro-manager over food -- 'Eat everything on your plate and don't waste it', then when we became adolescents and 'grew like a weed', the comments changed to, 'You're eating too much. You're getting too big,' etc. I became anorexic at 16 thinking I was overweight at 150 lbs (my daughter, at 20) is the same build and height as I was and weighs 160 and looks good. Thankfully the anorexia was temporary (and I now weigh 200 -- which is too much, but only by abt. 30 lbs for my structure). I told my kids to eat til they were full and stop. That's about the only rule I had (now my oldest daughter is making all kinds of 'eating rules' for her kids. Go figure! Her youngest of 3 is tiny, but proportionate and is in line with the above criteria.)

Simply watch for symptoms of anything actually 'wrong' with him (like you said he's been sick). If it's chronic, try to find a dr. that will find the underlying reason. Otherwise, just enjoy your kids. They're gone ALL TOO SOON!

All kids grow at their own pace, with growth spurts at times, and other times when they lag behind. Breastmilk is the best nutrition there is. Formula fed babies may get fatter, but they're not healthier!
I had 7 kids, 3 of them boys, but I never weighed them after birth. Both my dh & I were & still are, self-employed, and never could scratch out enough for insurance, so we never had a pediatrician, just routine immunizations at the local health dept. They all seemed healthy, happy normal babies, so I never bothered to check weighs. Judging by how they outgrew clothes, though, I'd say the bigger they were at birth, the slower they grew after birth. And, yes, mine were all breastfed for the 1st three yrs, they each started solids and juices whenever they showed an interest, which was at a different age for each, but all somewhere between 5 mo & 2 yrs. They are all healthy adults now, all tall and skinny, except my one married son, who has been enjoying his wifes cooking a little too much! They are all 5'8" to 6'3" now.
I know my one granddaughter was 11 lbs, 8 oz at birth and 19", and by 7 months she had only gained 1 1/2 lbs, but she has been senn by a ped. who says she is perfectly normal & healthy, just going to be a petite little girl. What a surprize for one who came out looking every bit like a miniature sumo wrestler!

Hi Monique. I don't think you have anything to worry about. My daughter is the same way and is only a couple of months older than your son. She's has been stuck at 24 1/2 lbs for the past 6 months. I think we all get caught up with everyone having big babies and they continue to stay big. I have a nephew that is only 7 months old and he's already almost 25 lbs and 28 inches long. Almost as big as my daughter. I had the same concerns and explained those concerns to the pediatrician. He said she is right where she is supposed to be based on charts and to stop worrying about how big other kids are in comparison to mine; that she was perfect the way she was. I'm sure your son is perfect just the way he is too. Additionally, kids tend to slow down with their weight when they become mobile, running around, etc. He may have a high metabolism that keeps him in his "school girl figure". :) Good luck!

my son will be 3 in sept and he weighs 27 lbs. he started out at 5 lbs 11 ozs and has followed his chart perfectly along the way. i'm sure your little guy is doing just fine, he may even surprise you and hit a growth spurt one day and just shoot up there

Monique,

I will tell you that my oldest son was a little bitty thing and still is. He was born at 6lb 3oz so he was small from birth. Around his 2 year birthday he was about 25 lbs. I worried that he was too small and he was behind on weight but not on height. He is now 8 yrs. old and still behind on weight and normal on height. He's just going to be a skinney little fella.

Now my 10 month old is different. He was born 3lb 10oz and like I said at 10 months old he already weighs 20lbs and is way ahead on height on his growth chart. So even though he was tiny at birth he's going to be the hoss in the family. As long as the doctor doesn't seem concerned I wouldn't worry about it. All children grow at different rates. You just wait - he'll hit a big growth spurt when he gets older and you'll wonder why you were so worried.

Also, if he's like every other little boy - he's probably very active and that keeps the weight down. My two boys won't sit still for a minute unless they are sleeping.

Hi Monique,

I think it is great you have been able to nurse this long and plan to go longer. My son was born 5 lb 7 oz but was 30 days early. We nursed full time for a year hen at at night until 19 months. He was always a little under the charts for weight but did fine for length and head circumference. As long as our little one was thriving and eating, we didn't worry too much about the weight. Every kid is different and our Pediatrician wasn't too concerned. Trust your gut. Ours is over 2yrs old now and we are still behind in the weight category and our Pediatrician recommended we continue on whole milk and not to go to 2% yet. He also was fighting colds all winter. Hope this helps you.

my son was 7lbs when he was born
was 18lbs at 9mos and seemed to stay there FOREVER, no matter how tall he grew
at 2 years he was at 22lb
and now, soon to be 3, he is 30lbs.

a lot of people ask me if he’s 4 or 5 years old and that blows my mind. He’s tall, but not that big in my opinion.

It sounds to me like your little one is just right.

I a have a son who has just turned 3 in Feb. He just hit 31 lbs. He sounds much like your son. Everything else with him is perfectly normal. I am not worried because his development is very normal. His doctor feels the same way. I really don't think you have anything to worry about. I guess kids are all different sizes and shapes much like adults. My daughter who is 8 now always weighed less then the normal average. She has developed beautifully! She is right on track with her weight now and is very healthy. Hope this gives you a little peace of mind.

My son was 9.4 at birth, and 29 lbs at two. He stayed in the 75-95%, dropping more into the 75% band for height and weight as he got a little older.

Once you are sure he doesnt have nut allergies, try milkshakes with peanut or almond butter or Sunbutter (found at Target) mixed in with other goodies, a foundation for great nutrition. I think its great you are still breastfeeding (I am too) but I cant tell if you are giving him cows milk also. If not, supplementing with that or almond milk/shakes could help too.

My first son weighed 7 pounds at birth. He was around 21 or so pounds at 1 year. At 2, he weighed about 26 pounds. He is now 2 years, 9 months and he still only weighs 29 pounds. He is tall and skinny. He eats fairly well. I would think that as long as your son eats a variety and enough of the major food groups, he is fine. You also have to remember that as they get more active, they will not gain weight as fast.

I have a boy that recently turned 2. He was around 7 lbs when he was born and he has gained weight steadily throughout. Right now he is about 29 lbs depending on the week, but he eats all the time and reports indicate that he is healthy. I wouldn't worry about his weight right now as long as he is hitting the milestones he needs to hit.

Hi Monique, I have a skinny mini too. My son is 26 months old and weighs only 25 lbs. He was 24 lbs at his 2 yr. appt. He sounds a lot like your son. He was chubby until about 6 or 7 mos. and then once he started crawling his weight gain tapered off. We went thru a barrage of tests that I thought were unecessary being that he looked healthy, was hitting all his milestones (a bit early too,he walked at a little less than a year) He nevered lost weight he was just slow to gain it and he's REALLY active. His hair's growing, fingernails growing, eating well, sleeping well. Turns out he's just tall and thin! Anyway, hope this helps :)

J.

Hi Monique,
Sounds like your little one is doing just fine to me! My son will be 4 on the 22nd. His birth weight was 7.4. At 6 months he was 18.14 and at one year he was 21.4. At 15 months, 22.2 in the 20th percentile. And at 18 months he was in the 10th percentile and weighed 21.4. He went back up to the 25th percentile for 2 years at 26 lbs.
Hope this is helpful to you!
Best Wishes!
T.

Hey I also have an 18 month old, he weighs just 24 pounds, he weighed almost 6 pounds at birth, but he has stayed in the same percentiles through his check ups his pediatrian says he is just fine, just little and very active :) Hope this helps.

My youngest was 6 lbs. 9 oz. at birth. He is small still I think. At his 2 yr. check up he was 25 lbs. All his milestones were met and he eats well. Breast milk until 1 yr. and then went to whole milk. If your dr. is comfortable with his weight gain I'm sure he is fine. I had similiar questions and every time I'm assured it's normal. Children are just different.

My oldest was well over the averages in height and weight and still is above average height.

Both were consistent with the weight and height at each appt. for the expectations of the dr. One was just bigger for his age and one small. My oldest weight has averaged now and he just remains tall.

My son weighed 8.5 lbs at birth and then 19 lbs at one year. I can't remember the 18 month weight, but I wouldn't guess it wasn't more than 22-23 lbs. My son is 4 now and weighs 35 lbs.

A doctor can better answer your question, but it sounds like everything is fine.

I wouldn't worry about it as long as your doctor says he's fine. I have 2 sons that are almost 6 and just turned 3. They both are growing differently and my 3 year old is much bigger than my older son was at his age. Actually at his 3 year checkup, he was bigger (height and weight) than my older son was at his 4 year. We also have a cousin who is 10 months older than my 3 year old, but he's so much smaller that he gets my son's hand me downs. My sister in law has 3 boys and all of them are much smaller than our two, but all are perfectly healthy. It's just how they are. All children are different and have to grow at their own pace.

Hi. I just wanted to let you know that my daughter is 19 months and weighs about 24 pounds. I was concerned, so at her last doctor's appointment, I asked her doctor about it. He said she still has a little baby fat on her and she is tall for her age (upper 90% for height) and her head circumfrence is on target, so he wasn't concerned. He said they are more active at this age and the weight gain starts to slow around now. So, I hope this helps to relieve some of your worries.

Hi Monique,

I just left a posting about the same situation with my little guy. He is 18months old and weighs 21 pounds. He is not even on the charts anymore. He is SUPER hyper and I think he is just burning the calories quicker than he can take them in. Plus me and my husband are both on the small side. I am still looking for advice though. The doc wants to do blood work if he hasn't gained anymore in 8 weeks. I would rather not put him through that if I don't have too. Anyway, good luck!!

My son is now six, but he has always been very thin for his age. He was under 30 lbs. till he was 3 years old. He is also tall for his age. The doctor said that he was thin when he was young but that it was nothing to be concerned about. I think at two he was around 25 lbs. and has always been in about the 75%. It's probably just good genetics and hopefully your son will never have to worry about obesity.

My son, too, was in the 10-20%tile for weight most of his early years. He was 7 lbs 13 oz at birth, 19 lbs 9 oz at one, 22 lbs at 18 months, and 22 1/2 lbs at 2. His height was always in the 75 - 80%tile. Our pediatrician said to nurse him only 2 to 3 times a day and supplement with high calorie foods and whole milk with Strawberry Quick. He stayed a slim until he was 10. He is now 13 and 5ft 7.5 in and weighs 130 lbs which are both off of the growth charts.