Weight and 2 1/2 Year Old

Hi J.! It sounds like she is eat healthy foods. If she is active, I wouldn't worry about it. My daughter will be 3 in 1.5 months and only weighs 25lbs and is 36.5 inches. She might have a great metabolism.

J.,

My daughter is 4 only 35lbs and 40 inches tall. She doesn't eat a whole lot and is very picky in what she eats. But she is very healthy besides that. She was almost nine pounds when she was born and around 1 and half she started growing taller and losing the baby fat. My doc said she is just fine, they did a blood test and everything is where its supposed to be. If shes not saying shes hungry you are feeding her enough and she will tell you if she is hungry. My daughter is far from a balanced diet, shes not big on fruit and veggies and barely eats enough meat to satisfy me. Good luck but she is probably just fine and going thru one of those weird growth things.

J.,
My son is going to be 3 in 1 month and he only weighs 29 pounds, only 1 pound more than he weighed months ago. My 15 month old daughter is only 8 pounds lighter. My son started out in 50% but is now below the 5%. We are constantly concerned that he's not eating enough, but the doctor reassures us that he is growing and cognitively he is ahead of the game. The key is to just make sure that the calories are good calories and it sounds as if you are doing that, and better than I am, at that. My husband constantly thinks that he needs to shove food down our son's mouth, as long as he eats, it doesn't matter what, is his mantra. Its been difficult to try to get him to understand that quality is better than quantity.
Our kids will be fine. Just make sure when she's hungry, she eats. And you are set!
Some foods that I provide in addition to what you do are: avocado (good fat), string cheese, Wonder Bread's 100% whole grain bread (the only place I can find it is Walmart), mix black beans into rice and/or corn. I also cut the chicken up really small and mix it with rice and pasta so my kids will eat it. When I serve it by itself, it just remains on the plate.

It sounds like your daughter has an excellent diet. If she eats what you give her and is not hungry, why are you making yourself crazy about it? She's healthy and the doctor says she is fine, so relax. I think we tend to over worry as mothers and caretakers. And your mother said you were the same way, so relax. My son is 2, 34 inches tall and 26 pounds. On the lighter side for his age, but the doctor said his height and weight are proportionate. He is very active and VERY, VERY strong, so I just make sure he eats when he's hungry and that's that. Your daughter is fine! Take care.

Hi J.,

Here are some web sites:

http://www.nal.usda.gov/wicworks/sharing_center/SC/what_t...

http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/feed...

http://kidshelath.org/parent/nurtrition_fit/nutrition/pyr...

Hope this helps. D.

Hi J.. I wouldn't worry about your daughter. My daughter was the same way at that age, maybe even a few pounds lighter, and she never made it in the shaded area of the growth chart. I would stick with the healthy diet you are giving her. You can't beat fruits and vegetables,etc. The good eating habits will stick with her longer. As long as they are growing and gaining weight, you shouldn't have any concerns.
M. P.

The best thing to do is probably discuss your concern with your pediatrician - and they will probably tell you that most 2 year olds are picky eaters. My brother's son, who is about to turn two, was a hearty eater and had a little "budda belly." The doctor said be prepared for his eating habbits to change. My brother and his wife said, "No way." A few weeks later, he started to just graze. My daughter was a little peanut as well. Unfortunately, our first pediatrician had us concerned she might have some illness and she had to go through a painful sweat test. Turns out she was just a normal two year old. Needless to say, we switched pediatrician. As long as your child is thriving, happy, alert - I am sure your pediatrician will tell you you have nothing to worry about and to just encourage small, healthy meals throughout the day (peanut butter on wheat thins is what my mom always fed my daughter for snack).

I know EXACTLY what you're going through!!!
My DD's a peanut too. She's just turned 5 & is just BARELY 30 lbs soaking wet!!!!

It sounds to me like you're doing everything right. I, too, refused to load her up w/ junk food--it was ALL healthy, high protien, high complex carb foods.

Some things that I did, in addition to what you're already doing, are:
*add wheat germ and/or crushed flax seeds to almost everything!
*give her whole (RAW) milk
*give her a "graze" plate (muffin tins with little snacks in it work really nicely)
*Be patient! Do NOT make a big deal out of it. Realize that children come in all shapes & sizes & that a child will NEVER starve themselves. Children will eat when they are hungry (as long as they are healthy) and will grow at their own rates. Chances are, if you were a peanut, yuur child will continue to be one. As long as she's happy & healthy, you have nothing to worry about!

Take care!

kids shouldn't be on skim milk. 2% the lowest. They need some fat so they grow up properly in their body and brain.

As long as she is growing slowly and surely don't worry. I have a dtr who will be 10 in Jan she is only 61 pounds and like 4 ft 3ish she is tall and thin but she is active and runs around soccer, etc.

I give her no junk food on a daily basis.

Hot dogs not the best, chicken, beef, eggs make sure she takes a vitamin

Hi J.,
As a mom of 3 girls--ages 7 and 3 yr old twins--I can tell you not to worry if your little is getting enough to eat yet. Mine go through all kinds of phases. Right now the twins are going through a growth spurt and feel it necessary to eat us out of house and home. There are other days when all they want to eat is a banana. It sounds to me like you're doing a good job at making sure she's eating right. I honestly wouldn't worry about it, but if you are seriously concerned--ask your Dr. to be certain.

I definitely wouldn't worry about your daughter's weight. My son actually fell off the charts, we could see his ribs, and he was my best eater. He is now sixteen and overweight. I think we worried too much when he was younger and we kept trying to get him to eat. My 19 month old daughter is a great eater as well, but she is not gaining very fast. She is slender but really tall. Like in the 20 some percentile for weight, but 80 some percentile for height. She eats her fruits and vegetables pretty well, but hardly touches her meat. She likes cheese and peanut butter, milk and yogurt. She also likes tuna fish as long as it is in a tuna noodle casserole. She loves scrambled eggs, and is always snitching her dad's egg sandwich. She likes Wendy's chicken nuggets, but no others. She will eat crackers and cereal, we get WIC so it is usually a healthy cereal. She gets one cup of juice a day, then gets her fruits from raw or canned fruit. She drinks milk and water.

I had the same issue with my son. We added carnation instant breakfast to his morning milk, they have sugar free too, but made sure he also had milk without it too. Also, Arnold brand bread makes a double protein bread. We use it for everything from pb and j to pizza bread, that I sneak a layer of pureed squash under the sauce and cheese and add ground chicken too. My son is 2 and is finally up to 27lbs, 25th percentile. Seems like you are doing well, and being concerned is what we do!

J.,
I know and hear your concerns. As a mother of a preemie born at 1 lb and 1/2. I constantley worry,in fact its been my main concern since she as born. She is 2.5 and weighs 31 lbs and is 37 inches tall. I have a Nutritionist come to the home once a month and she provides me with ideas on what to prepare. I agree with the other poster its better to give quality not quantity. As this age they are picky and wont sit for too long. I can offer you advice as to getting a Nutritionist if your interested you can e-mail me.Or I can say to you not to worry they are resiliant and are very active at this time and alot of their grown is going in so many areas that if they are hungry they will eat just provide high calorie meals. I use mac & cheese (whole grain) perogies,hot dogs,chicken nuggets,ff,chicken noodle soup,scrambled eggs with alot of milk and cheese,chips AND DIP.Focus and what is good and not be concerned so much with whats not happening,it can drive you crazy!

Try Milkshakes for weight gain,with ice cream and peanut butter or fruit and yogurt.
Sincerely,
S.

Hi J.,
Sounds like she is eating very healthy food and a wide variety of food as well. Does she like milk? I would try to give her skim milk with meals for protein and eggs as well (egg salad, etc.) I wouldn't stress out too much. Sounds like she's eating pretty well and she's just a little peanut!
My son also likes just about every food on the planet but what we struggle with getting him to take the time to eat and stay focused on eating. He's now 5 and I could count on two hands the times he's said "I'm hungry" or I'm thirsty"!

It sounds like you're doing fine! I know how easy it is to worry about our kids... But it sounds like she has a very healthy and varied diet! Some kids are just small! And if your mother says you were small too, then I really would try not to worry! My best friend's daughter is 3 1/2 and she just barely hit the 26 lb mark! She's very petite, but healthy! If you've talked to her pedi and he/she's not concerned, then try to relax. You're doing fine!

My daughter is 2 years, 1 month and just had her check up. She is 24 lbs 7 oz and 33 3/4 long. The doctor just told me that she is very petite. She eats alot and he told me to just make sure she is getting 3 servings of milk, cheese, yogurt or ice cream a day and it sounds like u are already doing that.

This is a hard age for kids and eating. Many at this age can be picky, but she seems to be eating fine. If you're concerned about her nutritional intake you can offer her half a chewable vitamin to supplement anything she may be missing. If her doc isn't concerned then I wouldn't be either. All kids gain differently. My daughter is a skinny mini as well. Her matabolism is high, is with one of the other triplets. I give them both whole milk for those extra calories and full juice as well, but that's also because they have a harder time pooping so the doc said to keep them on straight juice, and the extra calories are nice for them. The other triplet has a low matabolism like his dad and older brother. He looks at food and gains weight. He drinks 2% milk and half juice/water for less calories. In the end, they're all gaining the way their body wants them to gain. Don't stress it! Keep offering her a balanced and healthy diet, give vitamin supplement if you think she may be lacking in any areas, and as long as the doc isn't concerned and is gaining and growing on time (which is a large range for her age, hence the percentile scale) then don't stress it. Just enjoy her!

K. B
mom to 5 including triplets
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HarrisburgPAChat

I know my children don not the most balanced diet they can!! Peanut butter is good to help pack on weight. Try eggs with a little cheese in it as well. But really if skinny runs in the family you should be fine. Kids eat when they are hungry. My son is 3 and 50lbs. My daughter is 2 and 25. They just kind of go their own way I guess. As long as you think she is getting enough she should be fine. Also you could try some of those Ensure for kids drinks.

You're doing well. The only thing that matters is nutrition, don't be concerned with size or weight. If you are making sure that everything she eats is nutritious, and contains all of it's natural healthy fats (whole organic milk, avocados, full fat natural cheeses, almond butter (MUCH more nutritious than peanut butter-worth the extra $s, olive oil in natural pasta sauce, etc), she will be getting enough calories. Don't skimp on the fruit and veggies, because even though they are not fattening, they have tons of important vitamins and minerals and help her metabolism and give her energy. Make sure she's getting multi grain carbs, not just wheat-healthy cereals and whole grain breads are good. Just think, if we adults ate right, we'd all be skinny with tons of energy too! Never try to force calories with some junk food. Especially if you're afraid she's slightly malnurished-do not waste any "food intake" on bad food. Her body size is what's right for her, good nutrition is always the answer! Beware of peanut butter, it's usually loaded with high fructose corn syrup and chemicals etc, she'll feel full, but her body won't be getting any value from it. Make sure it's natural! And don't worry about protein too much, with full milk and dairy intake, it's usually the other nutrients that get skimped on. Guacamole is great protein though, and fast. And eggs, and all beans.

J..
I am in the same situation My son was 5 lb at birth. My son will be 2 in October and just his 21 pounds. I think as long as she is eating and is at least gaining something she is fine. I started giving my son pediasure in the morning in his sippy cup with breakfast it seemed to help a little.
Sorry that wasn't very helpful but try not to worry as long as she is healthy she will be fine, but i do feel your concern.

I don't think I would worry at this point. My experience with kids this age is that their appetites are all over the place. If she is eating healthy foods, if she is happy, if she is active, if she hasn't given you any other reason to worry then I wouldn't be too concerned about her weight and height being a little low. I don't know what the ranges are for this age but I just had my daughter to the doctor for her 3 year check up. She weighs 29 lbs and is 36 inches tall - not much bigger than your daughter. Her doctor felt she is doing great and I haven't felt any reason for concern. I would say keep offering the healthy foods. Look at her eating patterns and make sure she isn't filling up at snack time so she doesn't ruin her meals. Same thing for drinks - limit them before meal time so they don't fill her up prior to eating. If she should have a sudden/big decrease in weight or if she becomes less energetic/more tired then I would be concerned. Maybe ask you doctor about giving her a vitamin supplment or something like pediasure.

It sounds like your daughter eats a lot of good, healthy foods - well done!
If she has a lot of energy and is growing and happy and your doctor is not worried I'd say you're all doing just fine!

My 5 year old son is barely over 30 pounds. I was 4 pounds 5 ounces at birth and remained in the 5th percentile for weight over the years. As long as she is gaining consistently to stay in her percentile, then that is fine. We ran into trouble when he dropped to the 3rd percentile, only gaining 1 pound in a year, then we were on a regimine of lots of pasta and Pediasures before bedtime daily. He's much better now, but he will always be light. As long as he gains consistently for him, I have no worries. My guess is that your daughter has remained in the same percentile and that's what is important. Parents at the other end of the spectrum with their kids in the 95th percentile for weight are worried about the opposite being true, but as long as they are consistent, it is normal. Kids come in all shapes and sizes and as long as they eat healthy foods and are active, all should be well.