Under Weight

Hi N.,

My son is also on the thin side. It used to cause me so much stress...I spent my day trying to find things to feed him, with no luck.

My Dr. said a few things that have stuck with me and have helped tremendously:

- He will eat when he's hungry. Promise.
- His serving size is the palm of HIS hand (I don't know why I was serving him adult portions)
- As long as his growth chart is doing well in all areas (meaning they are getting taller, head larger, etc.) then being skinny isn't a bad thing
- DO NOT give him fatty or sugary things just to "fatten" him up. Keep the diet healthy; feed at meal times only and have them eat what everyone else is eating (expect spicy foods and those foods that cause choking).

I know it's hard. Good luck!

(:

High calorie foods, if you are that concerned. Ice cream, cheese, milk, shakes, grilled cheese etc. My lil brother was always underweight, still is at 16 and that is the diet the dr suggested so he could bulk up...its worth a try.

Peanut butter or almond butter is AMAZING for kids and helps them bulk up right away.
Also butter and whole milk, avocados (a super food).
I wouldn't worry too much though. If your doctor isn't worried I'm sure she's healthy. Just make sure you give her all her good foods! :)

N.,

As long as your baby is healthy, please do not worry about meeting the standards. If you would like, you can talk to her ped and see what they say. But if you would like her to gain a little bit, avocado + mango smoothy is a healthy way to help her gain. Try to give it to her at least once a day. It is yummy too, she will love it!!

her weight isn't all that uncommon. my baby girl was born a healthy weight but fell off the growth chart at 3 months. she was admitted to a children's hospital which tested her for everything under the sun, then spent 5 weeks in aother children's hospital rehab feeding program. they found nothing wrong with her and she still doesn't eat much. my doctor now says there has to be small children to make the low end of the chart and she is just going to be a thin girl. my daughter didn't want to drink anything that resembled milk but if yours will try getting her to drink a carnation instant breakfast shake everyday. or make your own smoothy. the hospital used orange juice, yogurt, and milk starting with more OJ and decreasing the OJ slowly to add more milk. i know it's a constant worry, my daughter is 7years old now. even if she doesn't like the shake or smoothie today, change the ingredients a bit until you find a combination of what she likes. a wise doctor once told me that what children dislike today, they may like tomorrow, so keep trying. good luck.

Charts are only guidelines and the weight is not the most important element to check. What is the height and weight/height ratio? How is her growth going?
If she has always been a small baby is different than if she was a chubby baby who suddenly stopped growing, for example.
If she eats healthy and balanced diet, if her growth is consistent and if the pediatrician is not concern, then let her be herself. Forcing more calories than she needs could only backfire in the long term.

My 19 month old was 10.3 pounds and 2 weeks early. At his 6 month visit, his pedi referred him to a GI because he was gaining weight but not enough. So we saw the GI and a dietian they changed his formula to Neocate ( very expensive ) and he still wasn't gaining weight so we waited for about 3 months to schedule a scope and they didn't find anything, THANK GOD but he's currently on Necate Junior they are saying that he's allergic to milk products and etc but the blood work denied any allergys. And I also feed him what ever he likes when he likes. They kept blaming him not gaining weight on him being sick. At his 8 week check up the pedi notice that his right side of his neck was very week, and referred him to early intervention, so we also saw a dietian with him. I also breastfeed until he was 10 months old. He tested out of early intervention. He started walking late around 18 months old, now he has issues with him feet pointed out ward. He now weighs 21 pounds. I think you don't have any problems if your dr was concerned they would have referred to specialist and started doing test. I know it makes you nervous it did me too. Your child is probably walking and killing off alot of calories, offer dairy products, juice, bread they are all high in carbs. GOOD LUCK. if you need any more advice or ask questions feel free to email me. Im a mother of 4....

Those charts are based on the average child. The average child is over weight which skews the norm. If your child is healthy and eating right, I would not worry about it.

whole milk, cheese yogurt...

put real butter on toast... butter her veggies..

ice cream..

my daughter weighed 17 pounds at one year..she is healthy but small.. dont worry..

Hi N., do not worry at all. I have three beautiful girls all were low birth weight at birth. My oldest was 5 pounds 6 ounces, second one was 5 pounds and third one was 6 pound 3 ounces at full term.

My youngest one now 8 years, was -5% on the growth chart in terms of weight and she is still a peanut 5-10% on growth chart in weight. I am Asian Indian by heritage and my peds explained to me that if you look at other kids with the same ethnicity your kid will probably be okay. My doctor did put my kid on Pediasure but one Pediasure would fill her up for 6 hours! so I discontinued it. She is now 8 and yes all my girls are skinny but they are by no means malnourished - I rest my case when my peds told me , have you heard of any kid dying in the US due to malnutrition? No then stop worrying!!! My recommendation will be to give your child a healthy diet, they will eat the junk when they are older why give it tot them now, this is the time where they can build good healthy eating habits.

If you are India by heritage, one ethnic meal that always worked for my kids were dosas, butter them up or cheese it up, gives you the lentil and rice proportion. Email me if you have any additional questions.

Charts and standards are only averages. If your doctor isn't worried you shouldn't be either. My daughter falls in the 20-25th percentiles for weight but she's very healthy and happy. That's just her! DON'T stress about it unless your doctor tells you to be worried. Your child just might be small for now. It's OK! :)

Same with both of my kids and they are fine. They have varied on the height, sometimes being short and other times tall. The weight they are small. Feed them a healthy diet and they will be fine. I know sometimes I think my kids look really skinny but their are a lot of obese children out there. You will get to know your kids eating habits and if their normal eating habit drops off then you know something is wrong. Learn their "normal" so you can gauge their "abnormal".

Dont stress like I did with my first, I wasted a lot of time. ;-)

is she height weight proportionate? if so I would not worry unless there is something else going on too. Also if she was a preemie she will be smaller usually. is your family or the fathers family small in stature.. if so it could be genetics.

Has she always been small? If so, then this is just normal for her. Your pedi can tell you if there is cause for concern. Both of my daughters were picky eaters, so I kept them on Enfacare, the Enfamil formula for older kids (up to 36 months), until they were past two. I would mix it with milk sometimes to make it a little bit cheaper, but that way I wasn't so worried if they were eating the right mix of foods.

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Has she always been small? If so, then this is just normal for her. Your pedi can tell you if there is cause for concern. Both of my daughters were picky eaters, so I kept them on Enfacare, the Enfamil formula for older kids (up to 36 months), until they were past two. I would mix it with milk sometimes to make it a little bit cheaper, but that way I wasn't so worried if they were eating the right mix of foods.

Does your baby eat healthy, is he/she active for her age. If so, you may not need to worry about bulking up. My son (now 11) was 7lbs 12 oz and 22 1/2 inches a birth. He has alway been on the lower side of the weight chart. At his last check up he is 60 inches and 82 lbs. I asked the doctor if I should worry, and his response was, "What we have here is a child who is a soccer player and eats about as healthy as I have every seen" Our guides are just that guides, everyone walks thier own path. So I will say the same to you. Keep a vigilant eye, make sure you communicate your concerns to you pediatrician and try not to worry too much. Easier said then done. I know.

If you have not consulted your child's pediatrician, you should do that first. They maintain growth charts and can show you where your child is on the scale of percentile. You can then see if they are concerned and receive good guidance on what to do. If they are unconcerned, then I wouldn't worry too much. Some kids are thinner or lighter than the norm, and that is better than heavier. Good luck!