Seeking Advice on How to Fatten My Baby in a Healthy Way

what percentile was she born into? this has a lot to do with where she is now....my youngest was born in the 95 percentile for both height and weight and stayed theree her first year. her Dr told me she was fat and needed to 'diet' at a year (22 pounds) because she ws in the 95th percentile....i changed doctors. :)
if she is otherwise healthy, eating, playing, meeting her milestones, dont worry about it. and dont let him test her with out gettkng a second opinion.

Some babies are just small. My nephew is a little peanut, while my son is 17 pounds at 4 months! Someone has to be 5%, just like someone has to be 100%.

I think now that she's 1 year she can have eggs. My little boy loves scrambled eggs. The protein will be good for her and her muscles. Muscle weight is heavier than fat weight. Add some melted cheese over the eggs too. Best wishes!

Personal pet peeve so I apologize in advance.

Someone has to be <5% or there couldn't be 100% !! It doesn't mean she's abnormal. It COULD mean there is a problem, particularly if she started at 75% and dropped to 5%. If she has always been petite it is not so much of a concern. Especially at 1 year of age- she is getting more active and burning more calories.

You say she has always been petite... were your or your husband small? Is your other child small? Are there small people in the family? My husband and I were both small and now we have small kids... it makes sense.

I also take issue with doctors telling people to fatten up kids. If an adult ate a Big Mac every day she would gain weight but that wouldn't make her any healthier. If you add things that are high in fat- like whole milk, oil, etc you are not increasing her nutritional status (of course some fats are better for us than others but none of them are GOOD for us, just less bad). If she had a health problem the concern would be with her getting adequate nutrition- adding fats will not take care of that problem. It will make her gain weight and set her up for a lifetime of unhealthy eating, weight problems, diabetes, heart problems, etc. It will also mask the problem if she in fact has an issue.

If you were feeding her a really healthy diet and she was showing sign of malnutrition, unhealthy hair or skin, etc then I would be concerned.

So to sum it up, I received this advice from one doctor and promptly found another doctor who was more informed and less worried about covering his butt with expensive and yes, invasive, testing.

When my grandson was 2 years old he was only 23 lbs. He was tiny. My son, his father, is 6' 5 1/2 " and weighs 300 lbs., so I have to say I was concerned. We took him everywhere for that second, third, and even 10th opinion and it turns out he was petite (if you can use that word for a boy). He is now three and still is small but is the most amazing kid. He is smart, funny and so engaging. I have learned to "just enjoy and stop worrying". What a gift he is to us. Please just enjoy your child. She will be 21 years old before you know it. AND she will be the size of an adult.

My daughter was 18 pounds at a year. My doctor got off my back once I got her to 20 pounds (around 18 months) Look at her current diet--it looks like it is mostly fat free (fruits, veggies, cereal) I called my friend who also needed to "fatten up her daughters" and she told me to bring on the butter and cheese. It worked. You can do it in a healthy way--use whole wheat pasta, melt butter and cheese over it. We also did a lot of whole wheat grilled cheese sandwiches. If she is not allergic to eggs (mine is) those would also probably work. Just know you are not alone. My daughter is now 3 1/2 and is almost 30 lbs--last I knew she was still in the 5th percentile.

Those percentiles are such a bunch of BS. My doctor did not even use them at all.

As long as she is eating and growing, and if your GUT tells you she is okay, I would not worry about it.

When I switched doctors and found that my oldest son was on the low end of the weight chart, but the high end of the height chart, his new doc wanted him to drink pediasure and put on weight. I never did it. I just gave him whatever he wanted to eat and eventually, he gained. Just let her eat as much as she wants and do not worry about it.

I have to agree with Elizabeth, that weight percentiles are a bunch of BS. If your daughter is eating well and healthy food, she might just be a girl that burns it off and has a high metabolism. My son was skinny when he was born and stayed thin for years. He then put a little weight on, now at age 19 he is 6' 2" tall and weighs around 220. He turned out just fine. I think the doctor is jumping the gun a little bit but that is just my 2 cents. You need to decide what is best for your daughter.

One mama said avocado already, and I cannot reccomend this enough. Additionally, you may want to try that whole milk yo baby yogurt or greek yogurt mixed with fruit. Also you could increase her grains? When my girl was in a similar situation, tall and thin and then lost weight when she was sick, we gave her these things and let her eat whenever she was hungry. Good luck!

My sister's son has always been tall and low on the weight, her doc recommended the Pediasure drinks-- My sis in law had a premie and he is now 3 w/ some big feeding issues--and he's not gaining weight and they have tried, chocolate milk, icecream- which he didn't like.. and now they put carnation instant breakfast and maybe even whipping cream in with his milk and that is supposed to help give more calories..
GL!

The same thing happened with my son at his one year check-up. He had dropped from the 25% range to the 5% range. The doctor suggested that I continue to give him a bottle of formula before his 2 naps, and bedtime. We go back next month, but I can see the difference. He is sturdier feeling, thicker legs, etc... I had been breastfeeding and supplementing with formula before that. The doctor said that babies who continue to nurse after the first year tend to say on the lighter side, as the breast milk keeps them full longer, causing them to not eat as much.

Good luck. I pray there is nothing medically wrong with her, she's just a petite little girl for you!

Well, clearly she needs fat in her diet, so I would push fruits like banana and avacado, and red meats. Whole milk yogurt, ice cream, rice puddings... all would have healthy milk fat.
I'm curious though because my 1 year old weighed less than that at her check-up (she weighed 17 pounds 8 oz.) and our physician did agree that she had fallen off the curve a bit, but it was certainly no cause for alarm. She said that we were probably just getting to a big growth spurt, and now our DD is about 13.5 months old and although we haven't weighed her, I can tell that she's hit a growth spurt b/c her clothes are getting more snug, she's fitting into more of her 12-18 month stuff, her feet have grown tremendously...

If I were you, I'd probably hold off on any major testing and wait and see what things look like at the 15 month check-up. I think your doc is jumping the gun a bit... sounds like she's a healthy eater and that's the most important thing.

If she eats well and has a good appetite, I wouldn't be too alarmed. Some children are simply small for their age. I don't think I would do too much to *fatten her up*, because if there was some sort of medical reason causing her low weight, I would want to know it, not *mask* it. And I certainly wouldn't advocate high calorie food like McDonald's that is lacking in nutrition, as one poster's dr. suggested.
My suggestion is simply make sure she is receiving adequate caloric intake, and incorporate more *good* fats--many were already mentioned. Best wishes!

If I was you I would take her for a second opion. My grandaughter was over height and under weight by the charts at the docters at her one year check up. Now shes 2 and shes average.

Lots of eggs, whole milk, avocado and cheese.

1 of my friends added olive oil to everything strong enough to cover the taste. Kind of the same idea the other mom had about the higher in good fat foods. Do you still have her on whole milk? Maybe add something to it like a Carnation Instant Breakfast powder,so she's not eating more and getting way over full but making the meals higher in calories. Visit your health food store. Maybe they have some good ideas. I would check with her ped. before giving her anything even if it's just a natural additive.

Sounds to me like she's so tall it makes her seem more underweight! At 33" tall, 17lbs does seem pretty thin - my son just turned two and is 36" tall and 29lbs, and he's fairly thin for his height. Personally, I'd feed her as much fat as I possibly could. Kids her age need a lot of fat. And by "fat" I mean full-fat dairy: milk, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, ice cream, pudding, cream soups; plus eggs, avocados, whole-wheat breads and pastas, pancakes, mashed potatoes, and hot cereals, and cooking with real butter and olive oil. And since she does have a healthy appetite, eating all that fat should help put some weight on her. I think some people are being a little harsh regarding the doctor - he's only concerned about her health and wants to make sure that if she does have a problem, she gets the help she needs. Truly, if she's very thin and can't gain weight there may be an issue. But if you're reluctant to put her through the testing just yet, ask the dr for a little additional time, I do think he may be asking for a lot in just six weeks.

Good luck to you and good health to your little girl!

Ensure? They do have the Pediatric kind. Sounds like you are doing a lot of natural stuff. I made my baby food too! You can put more Carbs in her diet like sweet potatoes, squash, pumkin by themselves or with her meat. My son appreciated sweet potatoes with apricots and chicken. He always finished this meal! Ask her care provider to log what she eats and when. It is a pain, but before long your doc will ask the same of you! Cheeses are always helpful, and loads of calcium.

Hi L.-Coconut oil, avocados, flaxseed oil and borage oil. These are all great omega's to help. Nut butters (organic of course) are also perfect.

T.

We are still watching what our daughter eats and she's 4. At 2 her doctors put her through blood tests, scans, the works. I wish I would have listened to my "motherly instincts". There is nothing wrong with her! I wish now that I would of said no to the testing, but I was scared that there might be something wrong. Luckily she doesn't remember that long day. She just happens to be petite. She is now 40 inches and 31 pounds. Just make sure your children are getting lots of fruits and vegetables. Dairy and protein too. We kept our daughter on whole milk until she turned 3, then went to 2%. Her only allergy we know of is peanut butter, so she eats everything else!

If you aren't using whole milk I would try that...

I'll admit I haven't read all the responses.

My son has always been less than 5%. We were told at 1 year to fatten him up- he actually said try some "kid food" take him to McDonalds. Well at 18mo he wasn't "fat enough" and was having constipation issues so we had to get the tests. They were just blood tests but to a child that age it IS A BIG DEAL. I had to hold him done so they could draw blood.

We just kept feeding him everything we ate. An occasional McDonalds burger. We added real butter and/or olive oil to everything. Bacon and sausage was a a favorite and we kept him on whole milk and got carnation breakfasts.

He has moved up the chart. Now at 4...and he doesn't eat a lot. He is over 10%. Once we saw the GI she was never concerned with his weight gain...she saw that he gained at least a pound every 6 mo and that is not the normal rate for kids over 1. When my primary went back and looked over the chart the "dip" that was in the chart that prompted all this...was probably because the nurse used the "big scale" instead of the child (sit on) scale that we had been using for all the other weights.

After 3.5 years of 6mo weight checks we are finally done and have been told...well you and your husband were skinny (I mean all bone skinny) kids....I guess he is just going to be long and lean. (Which is also the case if you breast feed for at least 6 mo).

Good luck!

Avocado Milkshake

1 avocado
1/3 quart whole milk
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 scoops vanilla ice cream

Blend and drink.

You don't have to add the sugar, you can keep it out, it just won't be as sweet.

Green Sauce

1 Bag Spinach
2 cups 4% Cottage Cheese
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp fresh basil
dash of pepper

Wash spinach, gentle shake water off(not all you will want some to cook it with). Put spinach in a pot, cover and cook on low-med heat for 7 minutes. In a food processor blend cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, basil and pepper. When spinach is done, drain squeeze excess water out add to cheese mixture and blend until the spinach is well blended. This great to eat by itself, on rice cakes or noodles. My son eats this right out of a bowl. It's really great made with lowfat cottage cheese too!

Good luck!

K.

I was in your same shoes. I have twins. A boy and a girl. My daughter has always been on the petite side as well. At nearly 4 years old she still hasn't reached 30lbs (she hovers between 25-28lbs). When she was 1 we ended up taking her for teh full round of tests to she if there was some reason she was so small. It ended up that she was just small and likely always will be. The Dr. said as long as she eats well, stays healthy, and eats the right things then she was fine. At one point they had my daughter on Prevacid for acid reflux and after seeing no change I finally just stopped. The one thing I did add to her diet (I wasn't about to give her the nutrient lacking, calorie dense foods the nutritionist suggested)was adding a Carnation Good Start packet to her milk at least twice a day. She was drinking the milk anyway and it did seem to add some extra calories along with some nutrition as well. Otherwise if you believe she is fine then the tests certainly won't hurt and it may finally put to rest what may be the culprit behind your daughters lack of weight (genes vs. disease). Good luck.

My daughter is almost 2 and she weighs just over 20 lbs. Her pediatrician sent us to a GI specialist, who has done some blood tests (all normal so far) and given us tips for increasing her calories:

*One thing we do is add heavy cream to her whole milk - 1 oz. of cream for every 7 oz. of milk.

*Try this recipe for "Pudding with a Punch"
2 cups Whole Milk
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 pkg. instant pudding
2 pkgs. instant breakfast mix
Add vegetable oil to the milk. Blend milk and oil with the pudding and instant breakfast mixes. Chill in fridge until set. It has 250 calories and 8 grams of protein in a half cup. My daughter is a picky eater, but she likes this pudding.

*We also put butter (or olive oil) and Parmesan cheese on her veggies and on pasta, which she likes a lot. And she's a big mac-n-cheese fan.

*I made her a quesadilla today by putting some cheese between two tortilla halves, spreading the outsides with butter, and heating it in a non-stick frying pan. You can add refried beans and/or sour cream, too.

*I have given her small slices of apples and pears served with caramel ice cream topping to dip them in. Good but messy!! (Like apple dippers you can get at BK and McD's)

*Cream cheese is also good on graham crackers, raisin bread, bagels, waffles - anything like that.

We don't deny her occasional cookies or ice cream, but we are trying to add the calories in a more beneficial way. My husband and I feel that she is a small but healthy girl, and we are not worried about her. But we are willing to listen to the doctor's advice, and just trust our instincts. Good luck!

Hi L. Your daughter sounds pretty healthy just a little underweight which could be gentic. (if you and your husband or his or your family is on the small size). If her doctor has to test her, it will probably come back normal. Try giving her some Pedisure. This may help her put on some extra pounds or give her second helping of her food.

Testing won't hurt- it's just a blood draw, not the end of the world. Better safe than sorry, unless of course he is suggesting you do someniothing more invasive (in which case I would get a second opinion!)

However, as long as she is on the same or similar curve, I would not be super worried. Is she pale? Does she have any problems with constipation or diarrhea or tummy pain, sleeping problems? Does she have dark circles under her eyes, thin or brittle nails? Those are all signs she could have some allergy going on.

I would not add dairy and I would also go gluten free, but of course if they are testing her, she will NEED to have gluten in her diet to see if she has Celiac's. I would second the avacado suggestion.

You can mix a fattening "formula" of hemp milk, coconut milk, and flax seed oil. If you would like the recipe and nutrition stats on this, let me know. It is a recipe from a nutritionist for a severely underweight baby to replace a dairy-based baby formula.

Also, my now 9 yr old daughter was also a tiny thing (and continues to be at less than 50 lbs and 9 yrs old) and the ped has never had issues with it. She was only 20 lbs at 3 yrs old and was a VERY slow gainer, but a great eater. The curve should also mimic biological parents.. so if you and your husband are also on the small side, it stands to reason that she's just going to be small.