Little Guy Too Skinny

Hey!
I wouldn't say that is too skinny. My 19 month old son weighs 24 pounds. He is kind of tall for his age I guess, but he looks like a bruiser. And he goes through his picky eating days..sometimes just a decent lunch and hardly anything at dinner or breakfast. Unless the doctor has concerns for other reasons, I would totally not worry about it.

A.

My daughter was very small when she was young also. Are your doctors concerned? We were told just to be sure when she ate it was healthy and she was not filling up on juice or junk food. She's now 17 and is small like her grandparents. I am glad we followed our doctors advice.

Cheryl

S.-
I don't think your son is way too skinny at all. How tall is he? My 16 month old daughter is only 18 1/2 pounds and has always been very small. You said he is super active so it sounds like he is healthy. It's totally normal for an 18-month old to be a very picky eater-just keep offering him a variety of healthy foods, even if you know he won't eat them. (Eventually he will.) I've noticed that mothers of boys are much more concerned with weight issues than mothers with girls. I guess it's because boys are supposed to be "big and strong". I know it's hard when your child is smaller than everyone else, but it's really not a big deal. Babies come in all shapes and sizes, just like adults, and they hit growth spurts at all different times. In two years, your son may be bigger than all his friends. The most important thing is that he is healthy and receiving adequate nutrition. I hope this helps!

My son just turned 2 and is only 25 lbs. He recently had his well baby visit and the doctor saw absolutely nothing wrong with his size. He's 35 inches, with long skinny legs. =0). If he is eating regularly, I wouldn't worry about it.

My two oldest kids were always near the bottom of the charts. At my son's most recent appointment (2 year), he was 10th percentile in weight- 27 pounds. Unless the doctor has said it's an issue, try not to worry. Kids have a way of making sure they are getting enough calories. Is he drinking a lot of juice or milk? That could be filling him up, and maybe that is why he isn't eating much. When my kids went through picky phases, I just kept offering regular meals, with at least one thing that I knew that they would eat. Then I would try to get them to try the other thigns on their plate. Eventually they learned to eat a wider variety of foods.

Good luck!

J.

Hi S.!
My 12 1/2 month old is only 16 1/2 lbs! He too is a picky eater, but I found something that he loves, Pediasure. It has helped pack on a little wieght, and has tons of calories and vitamins. Check with your Dr. to see if it is ok to start him on it, but my son REALLY loves it, it is worth a shot. Good luck!

Hi S.,
My son Is also on the thin side he is 3. But he is tall. He is very picky eater also. Some days he eats alot but other days he eats very little. I to was very worried about this He only gain a 1/2 lb between may and dec. The doctors told us not worry. His height takes up a lot of his weight he is 3feet 4 1/2 inches tall. He also was a small baby weighing lees than 6 pounds. If the doctors are not worried try not to worry as much. As moms we worry any way.

It looks like that's skimming the bottom of the chart for his age. What's his height? Generally, I wouldn't worry about it unless his pediatrician is concerned. My kids were both tall and skinny (at one point, my oldest son was something like 80th percentile for height and 5th percentile for weight). During the second year they tend to get skinny because they are more active and put on height so quickly.

That same skinny kid has now become quite sturdy since he started first grade (not as much exercise) even though his diet's quite healthy. Son #2, who is 3, is also tall and skinny.

One thing you might do is limit milk, so that he eats a wider range of food. That's how we got #2 to finally start eating at about that age. He used to drink quarts of milk a day and barely ate.

Has he always been on the small side...like he may be naturally small? My first son has always been small and my second son has always been big (although the first son eats most anything and the second is super picky...go figure - very different metabolisms). Has the pediatrician shown any concern at all? Pediasure is a good way to be assured that he has all the nutrients he needs if you are concerned about that. My son LOVES the taste of Pediasure. They have generics as well. You could ask the pediatrician about that. Just some thoughts. I'd check with the pediatrician if there is concern though. Best wishes to you!

Well, my 30 month old weighs 22 pounds and my 14 month old weighs 18 pounds, so maybe I am not the best to give advice;)

Just curious, why do you say he's too skinny? My husband and I were both skinny as kids so we are not worried about our kids.

As far as nutrition, my daughter is a picky eater too. I just try to give her things like whole milk yogurt, cheese, and give her frequent snacks rather than big meals.

I have a daughter who is almost three and she is the exact same way. I would not know what to say. I am going to take my daughter to the doctor tomorrow because I am just concerned, I've tried everything I can think but it may just be the way they are.

S.,

Our son is built the same way. He's maybe 22 pounds at 19 months. We try to feed him as healthy as possible and our doctor said that was part of the reason for him being so thin. She was happy about that, though and would rather see that than us stuffing him with french fries or whatever. At this point, Jacob is getting more and more picky with his food, though. Broccoli, eggplant, avacado are no longer acceptable to him. At our 18M check-up the doctor was completely fine with his weight. She said as long as we offer the food to him and give him the opportunity to eat, he will not starve himself. If your little guy likes mac and cheese, try putting some other things mixed in there with it - veggies, some small pieces of chicken. As for pancakes, we use the whole wheat mix and I throw fresh blueberries in there or some banana's - they go right down.

If you are concerned, ask your doctor about Pediasure. Some of the kids at daycare are using it. Our doctor had also recommended Carnation Instant Breakfasts at one point to mix in the milk when Jacob was refusing to eat. They provide some added calories and help the milk go down.

Good luck,

T.

It is relieving to say the least that I'm not the only one with a Little Man. (22 months and 21 lbs) He's a terrible eater, always has been, and is as active as the day is long. We give him pediasure on a regular basis and sometimes, that's all he'll eat. Our Dr. says as long as he remains active you know he's alright. But on the growth chart he is under the lines. good luck, R.

As the mother of three, ages 20, 14, & 13, a school psychologist, and a wellness consultant, what concerns me is the focus we as a society place upon "normal" size and weight. I would suggest you may want to look at the diet he has begun to crave even at this early age. All the foods you listed are high in carbs and are processed foods. Fruit is great yet, no dairy or protein was listed. Introducing non-processed, whole foods, with yogurt, varieties of cheese, and milk will balance his diet.

My oldest son was always in the top 10-15% of his height and weight. He went through the early teen chubby stage and is now a very health focused eater - no sugars, few carbs, protein, and milk - even as a college student.

My youngest two are adopted from Korea so we expected different growth patterns. Instead, my daughter, the youngest, has always been in the 50-60% in height and weight.

Then there is my 14 year old son. He has been in the 5-10% in height and weight ever since he was a baby. His metabolism is so fast that during the winters, he lives in shorts and t-shirts in the house and is never cold. Fortunately our physician has always focused upon his healthy eating habits and has never focused upon where he was on the growth charts.

As your son's eating habits improve and if you supplement his diet with correct nutritional supplements, you can be assured no matter where he is on the growth chart, he is acquiring the nutrition he needs to grow at his own pace.

If you have questions, you can reach me at ____@____.com.

Our little guy just turned 2 and although he is 35 inches tall, he only weighs 24 lbs. The doctor noticed that his tonsils are huge, this may be why our son hasn't been eating well. It might be difficult for him to swallow. Our son is also anemic and has to take iron supplements twice a day. We will have his iron rechecked in two months and discuss his enlarges tonsils (our 3 1/2 year old had speech delays at 18 months old, but after having his tonils and aednoids removed at the age of 2 his speech developed quickly). Both my kids are picky eaters too, we just do the best we can with yogurt, cheese sticks and fruits/veggies. Just some things to check out.

Hi S. - I have a 22 month old daughter who weighs 22 pounds. We have just finished over a year of testing to determine why she is so small. They tested for CF, gluton allergies, etc. The tests were all non-conclusive. The doctor finally conceded last week and said she is just a small girl. The year of testing was awful.

Different from your son, my daughter is not picky. Some days, she eats a lot and others, she eats very little. Typical toddler. My suggestions for you.....add butter, cream, etc to all of his food. We even gave her Pediasure every night before bed. She loved it.

The other issue we had is that we created a "grazer." We were so neurotic about getting food down her throat that we would feed her anytime she opened her mouth. So, instead of 3 meals and 2 snacks a day....she was eating small snacks all throughout the day. The nutritionist said this is another reason why she was not putting on weight. So, we're at 3 meals and 2 snacks a day and she really does seem to eat more.

My biggest piece of advice to you is to not worry. Your son will not starve himself and he will grow out of this stage. Be sure to give him a multi-vitamin everyday and he will get what he needs. I am sure he will grow out of this. Once we stopped obsessing about what we put in our daughter's mouth, things got lots better.

Good luck!