Son Is Small

He's fine.

I was little until I was a junior in high school. Then I grew 6 inches in one year.

My 11 year old is the same. Shorter than everyone else.

Don't worry about it. Just help him to cultivate a good self image. His body will grow in its own time, but it's more important to grow his heart and mind.

My daughter was super small (1% for weight and 15% for height) and the doctor told me that my job was to put healthy food in front of her and her job was to chose how much to eat. She is now almost 13 and more evenly in the height and weight percentiles ( 25th for weight and 45th for height) but as long as he has is healthy and happy I would not worry.

My 10 year old son is only 59 lbs. He's always been small. His 7 year old brother weighs 5 lbs more than him! The doctor has never been concerned about his size because he is healthy, has lots of energy and he has followed his curve on the growth chart.

I had to fatten up my daughter (age 2) earlier around that age because our pediatrician didn't think she was gaining enough weight. I think the milk has a LOT to do with it. My daughter wasn't really drinking much by choice so we went heavy on the cereal and graham crackers and milk. Since you can't use milk you are out of luck there. But can you add lot more spreads and dips to everything he eats? That's is one tip, don't serve anything plain, always add butter, cheese, peanut butter, ranch dip, yogurt dip etc. I started using a lot more butter with my kids and that helped (real butter on pancakes, rice, noodles). It was a shift for me because I think being a female in this day and age we are trained to go "lite" and "lo fat" all the time. Then you become a mom and try to encourage fruits And veggies and balanced healthy eating. It was strange to suddenly be loading on the butter and giving my kids spoons of peanut butter for a snack. Waffles with whipped cream as a "healthy" meal (for weight gain purposes)...
Anyway, it helped, my daughter definitely seems yo be out of her "reverse growth spurt" as I called it.
I found she really liked hard boiled eggs also with a little salt sprinkled on... so lately she eats an egg a day. I think there is something to the salt too... my MIL who is an RN in NICU says the babies don't grow without salt. But she never explained why. We actually saw a nutrionist too who gave us lots of tips, like serving solid mini meals every 2 hours no grazing in between, and only serve beverages with meals, not between.
Hope some of this is helpful for your little guy!
BTW, he doesn't sound THAT small... my daughter was stuck at 19-20 pounds for about 9 months around age 2.

As long as your doctor don't doesn't seem concerned, I dont think you have anything to worry about. My son is now 5 and was below the 10% for weight up until he was about 4, then he jumped up to 30% for his weight and maintainted that. He's always been tall and thin and we could (and still can) see every rib outline and feel his ribs. As long as they are gaining weight, healthy and happy - i think you don't have anything to worry about.

My youngest was a little guy until he hit 8th grade, then he started growing and growing and growing. In one school year he grew 8-10 inches but his waist stayed small. Today he's 21 about 6' 2" and still has a 30 inch waist with a 32 inch inseam. He can lift an huge amount of weight. He's eats like a football player in training. In other words he is and always has been healthy, strong and happy.

I'm sure your son is fine just little.

One doubles a child's height at age 2 for their adult height. Assuming he only grows an inch in 8 months... That would make him 5 feet tall. If he grows
3-4inches, though (more normal) that's 5'6,
5-6inches (1-2 normal spurts) that just under 6'
7-8inches (a few 3" growth spurts, still normal), that 6'4!!!

So there's a lot in play, still... And 8 months before you'll have a good idea of adult height.

So all doctors can really do at this point is see how healthy he is NOW. As long as he's thriving and developing normally (and in the normal RATIO / percentile for height & weight), they won't be concerned.

If he were lethargic, missing milestones, off ratio (like 90th & 5th percentile a), then you'll see a lot more intervention.

That said... If you're concerned... You don't need to wait 1-2 months to address them with his doctor. Make a well child apt and go in :)

Hehe...Don't know if you watch Big Bang Theory...but according to Sheldon, 'Vitamins are just a forumla for expensive urine'. But if you believe they are helping then go for it.

As for his size...sounds about right. Might be on the lower range of normal, but still definitely normal. Are you or your husband smaller framed? He could just be a smaller guy...or he'll hit a growth spurt and catch up to his sisters. You just never know at this age. If your doctor says he is fine then I wouldn't worry about it!

I would call the doctor's office and ask to speak to the advice nurse. If the doctor is not concerned then you can wait until the appointment to have him checked out.

How old is he? You can look up his size on growth charts to determine if he's on the expected growth. The chart will indicate a concern if his height and weight are not close to the same percentile wise.

I also suggest that because he's had the flu that now that he's back to eating again he'll gain weight.

Here's a web site that talks about the charts and give access to them so that you can check out your baby. http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/clinical_charts.htm

Don't worry about it!! I can't speak for my daughter's height, but she is 18 months now and probably right around 22 lbs, and she's bigger than her sister was at this age!! As long as he is continuing to grow, please don't worry. :) Some kids are just skinny!

ETA: My almost 4 year old (turns in Feb) only JUST hit 30 lbs at around 3 1/2 years old.

Your son may take off in growth when he's older, like high school, and pass others up. Some kids grow early on and some later. I had two boys who people thought would be giants. They definitely aren't although they are over 6 ft. now they are grown. We have one son who no matter what he eats is thin and lanky. He wants to be fatter but stays the same and is healthy. I had brothers who were shorter than me in the beginning of high school and then shot up as a junior. Also keep in mind that usually in grade school boys are shorter than girls for some time. If the doctor isn't worried just be sure he eats and exercises and has fun.

Your doc is right..he's just small.

All of my kids were tiny babies and big chunckers by a year old. Then along came my 8th who was/is tiny. Height wise she is catching up, 4t in height but could wear 24 months in ever other respect. At a year she was 19 pounds at 3 she might be 30 pounds. Kids come in all shapes and sizes and if doctor isn't concerned and all other aspects of his life are right on track I wouldn't worry about it.

He doesn't sound TOO small to me - as in, I don't think it's a problem at all. If he is 22 pounds at 18 months, he's on the smaller side but still on the charts. He's fine. My daughter was only 23 or 24 at her two year well check. She is in the 10th percentile. Tiny, but not in a bad way.

Soy milk shouldn't make a difference. My son has always been on soy milk and he's consistently in the 90th percentile for height and weight. He's five years old and was born at 40 weeks (weighing 9 lbs).

If you want to give him healthy fats, avocado is great. Olive oil is good for cooking. Ask your doctor about giving him nuts when you go to the well check.

Stop worrying. Honestly, I don't think it's a problem at all.

I wouldn't worry about it....where is he on the growth chart?? My daughter has always been around 3-5 percentile - so she is super small, but completely healthy! She is now 3 1/2 and only weighs 27lbs, 35" tall. As long as the Dr isn't worried, then you shouldn't be. If he wasn't showing growth on the chart, then that would be a problem. I don't think it is wrong to share your concerns with the pediatrician, but just sounds like he is small.....

His weight sounds fine for his age (16 months). I doubt you need to do anything different on that.

I wouldn't worry if your dr isn't concerned. My first two (boy and girl) are both around the 90 th percentile for height and weight for their age. My daughter was born five weeks early and weighed less than six pounds, but after the first two years or so, she shot up. My youngest son, who was full term, is staying pretty steady at the 50th percentile. That's just the way he was made. He's a skinny guy too. Never had those chubby baby rolls like his brother and sister but he's perfectly happy and healthy and that's all I want!