PeiaSure Issue

My daughter will drink it... I get the Parent's Choice brand from Wal-mart. I always give it to her really cold without mixing it in anything. There are 3 different flavors and she likes them all. Before she had these, we always put liquid vitamin drops in her milk and it changed the taste and smell. It seemed terrible to me but she loved it. Why not try the milk and vitamins to see if she will drink that, then perhaps trying to mix or add some chocolate syrup to it for a few days then switch?

My daughter has always been small and the Dr will always comment on it, but I was told that it wasn't until she was under weight would we need to deal with it. I know some people will consider being in the 5% or 10% underweight, but my Dr considers it to be off the charts to be underweight. She's almost 2 yrs old now and 23 lbs... At 18 months old she was 21 lbs. She's just very active and it doesn't seem to help feeding her higher fat foods or these drinks. Have you thought of getting a second opinion from another Dr? My pediatrician doesn't push the issue as long as she keeps gaining and stays on the chart.

Had an issue like this and my daughter didn't like milk at all. I added a few drops of Nestle Quik Strawberry and she drank it like a charm. You don't have to add much. Hope that helps.

K.

How is her weight compared to her height? And how tall are you and your husband? Were you underweight when you were a baby? My son always placed in the 25th percentile on his weight and 95th on his height. My son's doctor was slightly concerned at first until I informed them that my husband is 6'7" and about 175 on a 'fat day'. After that they suggested pedisure of carnation instant breakfast when he was ill to make sure that he was recieving enough nutrition. At 18 months, do you think she getting enough solid food and not filling up just on liquid. Keep a small record of what she eats, when she eats and where she eats and how much she eats, take it with you next time. Make sure you write down the calorie and serving size she is getting and you'll be more prepared to speak with the doctor on the issue. Chunky little babies do not always mean healthy little babies. Cheers.

Hi L.--
I gave my little girl Pediasure on and off for about 5 months. She was in the 50th percentile at birth but had dropped down to 3rd percentile by 13 months (she gained weight but was just very small). She has always been very active and learned to walk at 10 months. I breastfed solely for the first 6 months and then introduced solid foods, kept nursing until 12 months and then weened her to whole milk. By the time she was 13 months, she started getting monthly weigh-ins and we were "threatened" with hospitalizing her if her weight didn't improve. Anyway, I obsessed about what she ate--I'd estimate the number of calories she consummed for every single cracker--and she still would almost refuse to eat anything. I started giving her Pediasure Vanilla instead of whole milk (which she always has liked) for a couple weeks at a time depending on how much actual food she was eating. I never mixed it with milk. Now she is 2 1/2 and back up to 45th percentile for weight though still as active as ever (and hasn't had Pediasure for over 10 months). She still drinks only whole milk even though some doctors say it's okay to give lower fat milk at this age.
I agree with the other moms about serving it cold!
Good luck.

Hey L.. I personally use the Next Step Formula with my daughter and did with another child as well. I keep my kids on it rather than moving them to whole milk right away till they are almost 2. My youngest is 14 mos old and still has not reached 20 lbs so I opted to keep her on the formula knowing that she is probably not eating enough regular foods yet. I never had any problems with transitioning her to the other formula though. I honestly don't think it tastes any different cause my daughter never flinched. I would suggest however sticking with the same brand that you were on before..i.e Goodstart Formula...then Good Start 2...or Enfamil...then Enfamil Next Step. The consistency of the formualas remains the same. Also my daughter still does not like cold milk. I tried to mix in cold milk the other day and she kept spitting it out and would not drink it. I warmed it a little and it was gone in a few minutes. Just keep trying is all I can really say. She is eventually going to be hungry and will eat it. Also, just because the Dr. is concerned about her weight does not mean anything is wrong. Kids all grow at their own rate. I have three little girls and they all are very different..I have on that I battle to keep the lbs off of, one that is right on target and one that is under weight. I believe in the end they will grow to be just the way they were intended to be. As long as she is eating and playing happily...don't let the Dr. stress you out. Hope this helps some.

My son had to be on PediaSure also. Fortunately he liked it. But he only liked the vanilla. His therapist suggested adding fruit and making it into a smoothie if he didn't like it. we did that sometimes. She even suggested buying the carnation instant breakfast and doing the same. She knew the pediasure can be expensive and the carnation instant breakfast was the same thing but cost less. He didn't like the mix, he liked the already made one. But of course that one is hard to find. PediaSure also makes snacks and juice boxes. if you need anything feel free to contact me. i know what you are going through. My son is still a picky eater and he is about to start school (pre-K) and i absolutely have no idea what he is going to eat, especially when he starts going to school for a full day. But i will deal with it when the time comes. I am hoping by then, he will have a better diet. Good Luck! You seem to have all kinds of great ideas to try! :-)

God Bless,
J.

Pedia sure is for sick babies, It replaces missing nutrients or something.. I never hear of it being mixed with milk.

First I'd like to say that my kids very picky eaters until they were 5. Both of them were very skinny and they survived. They are in their twenties now and very healthy. My daughter was only 22 pounds at her three year old check-up and so her pediatrician sent her for tests to determine if she was a dwarf which she wasn't. She is only 4'10 now which totally surprised everyone because my son is 5'11". So it could just be in the genes as to how short or tall, and their weight just like everyone else out in our world.

Back then I did feed them the instant breakfast which was the only product on the market back then. You are giving vitamins right? She's should be eating solids too; I think it is crazy when I hear now-a-days that some pediatricians want the kids on formula only for almost a year. I did teach pre-k for years about 7 years ago and quite a few of my students were on Pediasure. Their parents instructed us to gradually increase it in their milk until it was full strength. Also in the beginning it was the vanilla flavor only until their taste buds developed and they enjoyed other flavors. We kept refrigerators in the classrooms to store it so it would be ice cold. Rest assured that your daughter will begin to enjoy most foods the older she gets and sees her friends eating other things.

L.,
Been there, done that.
I would start with a second opinion. Get your daughters growth charts and make an appointment with another pediatrician and ask for a referral to a nutritionist with experience with kids. Is your family small? Tall and Thin? Her fathers family? give them this information
My now 15 year old, weighed 10 lbs 10 oz at birth, the smallest of his cousins. He weighed 23 lbs at 24 months. He wore a 4T outfit to the first day of Kindergarten. I jumped through hoops with him and food and the doctors. I finally saw a Nurse Practitioner who asked about family history and dietary selection. She sent us to a nutritionist. They can eat enough if you know what enough actually is! Allowing them to drink calories as they transition to being big toddlers is not considered a good habit. They will eat, if not filling tiny bellies with milk. They need to eat like we should frequently and smaller meals than we traditionally think.
My 15 year old is still thin, but he is 6'2" 165lbs muscular with ripped abs. He is an elite soccer player who eats 2700 calories a day minimum during soccer season.

if your daughter is healthy, and growing, don't worry about it!!! dr's like to get us all worked up about stuff like this, when in all honesty, your daughter may just be small. nothing wrong with that at all. my son is tall and skinny....he is still rather underweight for his age...but he is healthy and that is what matters.
gove your daughter whatever it is that she will drink. if she doesn't like what the dr suggested to you, stick with what does work, and if she is healthy and doesn't seem sickly to you...then don't worry about it!!! kids grow at their own rate.....there my be a 'norm' but kids don't come out of a mold, so they are still gonna be different!!

At my sons 18 month appt he only weighed 20 lbs and the dr didnt say anyhting about it and even now at 22 months old he only weighs 22 lbs. He is a little on the picky side too, but no worries she isnt starving and she will eat when she wants....she will eventually gain weight its just a slow process for the next 2 years. Even my older son gained weight slow and he is 3 1/2 years now and only weighs 33 lbs. Just make sure she is getting 3 meals a day and 2 snacks and whole milk and she will be healthy! :D

My daughter who is now 6 years old was only 5lbs when she was born. Her doctor has now realize that my daughter is going to be small and that's it. Both my husband and i are skinny and so is my mom and his mom as well. Our daughter started drinking Boost and she LOVES it, We used to mix it with milk but now give it to her in a glass and she drinks the whole thing. My daughter now weighs maybe 40lbs but she has a high metabolism and is very active. I wouldnt worry at all. Your child will be fine and very healthy.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.
S.
____@____.com

my son has drink pedasure sence he was a year old, now he is four,do you get it cold first,he only drinks the vannilla,but he loves it, he manily drinks when he is sick and dont want to eat,it realy puts weight on him,keep on trying,just give a little at a time,dont mix with milk my son didnt like it that way,it took a while before we got him to drink it but we kept on trying now he loves it,we put it in a drinky cup also till he got used to it.

I never did any of that for my daughter. My daughter currently is 25mths old and wears 12mth clothes. She is only 24lbs. When my daughter was younger she was in the 15% for weight and dropped once she started walking to the 3% for weight (25%-50% for height). At 18mths she only weighted 19lbs. She was thin but it was her built. She was totally healthy and my pediatrician was fine with her weight. She discribed it has her being active. She never sat down for anything. During doctor visits she would be climbing up and down the step stool. She had no interest and still doesn’t in watching TV. Don't obsess over her weight it will only make her grow up to be very worried about her weight. When she is hungry she will eat just make sure she doesn't load up on milk before you feed her and give her vitamins. It wasn't until my daughter turned 2 that we had concerns with her not having enough iron, mainly because she isn't a big red meat eater and loves diary food which makes it harder for her body to absorbe the iron. My daughter always ate really good so I think her low weight was a result of being very active. I wouldn't worry unless your daughter isn't active or eating anything. My daughter would go days where she only ate one meal and then she would load up on seconds for a few days, it is totally normal. Don't worry just enjoy her. My second one is only 6 mths old and she can wear some of my older daughter's clothes already. It is weird having two girls that are built so differently but they both are healthy and active.

This may or may not help..I was always worried about my son getting enough protein etc.. (Picky eater)So every morning I Blended whole milk,Bannanas,peanut butter with chocolate mix (the healthy one I can't think of the name now..not ovaltine the other one) Anyhow he LOVED it..I also made smoothies putting peaches papya (babyfood) 100% juice etc..I know it's not very convienient however he loved the taste and you can customize it to fit your daughters likes and yet know she is getting enough of what she needs ( my sons doctor was pleased I did this!!) GOOD LUCK!!

Hi L.,
Unless you feel your daugther is severely malnourished, I wouldn't force anything on her or worry about the fact that she won't take the Pediasure or Next Step. I'd keep her on whole milk and try to make healthy things that she might want to eat (like mixing cheese and veggies into mashed potatoes to see if that makes it more to her liking). Has your doc put her on vitamins? I think that makes more sense than trying to force something on her that she won't eat/drink. As we well know, toddlers have a mind of their own and what they don't want, they're not going to have!

Good luck! I think you're doing the right thing, just follow your gut... you know better than anyone else what's best for your girl!

K.

Dear L. P.

Try making a milkshake or fruit smoothie to make it more fun for her.....add whipped cream on top....even some sprinkles !!! It worked for me, maybe it will work for you!!

Hope so.....good luck and let me know how it goes!

T. H.

L.,

Have you tried Boost drinks? Their chocolate drink is really yummy and it can be mixed with regular milk. Even my husband who is very picky likes to drink Boosts. I have also heard (from medical professionals) that if you have picky kids, feed them what they like. It is good to offer a variety of foods, but if they won't eat them, don't sweat it, you don't want them developing eating disorders. And don't let it get to you when the doctors say she isn't heavy enough. Every person, every child is different. Just because they don't fit into the "Normal range" of statistics doesn't mean there is anything wrong with them.

Hey, if she won't drink the nutrient drinks, try Ovaltine....it'll add calories and nutrients (though not as much as those drinks) but whatever she'll drink is where she's gonna get her calories from. I hope this helps...

H.

My daughter doctor told us the same thing at about the same age. I tried giving her infant cereal in her bottles. Some doctors tell you to start it with juice. By mixing a scoop or so of infant cereal to 6ozs of 100% fruit juice. This worked with my daughter. Then we were able to mix it with the formula and milk and it worked just fine. She put on some pounds (not alot) and she was getting enough iron and vitamins that were good for her.