3 Yr Old Girl Is Only 26Lbs

Have you taken her to her Pediatrician and talked to him about this? If not, then that is the first thing you should do.

J., as others posted -- Please take her to the doctor tomorrow. Don't wait. You need to have a full workup done on her to find out what the problem is -- and there may be more than one problem happening here. This could be anything from a food-related disorder like celiac disease or some form of food allergy, to a developmental disorder, to who knows what else. There can be many causes for these kinds of issues and only a doctor, tests and maybe specialists can help you find out the causes and treat them.

If you're posting this but have already seen the doctor and have some form of diagnosis and treatment going on already, please add that to your post and moms whose kids are in the same boat can post here and give you much more detailed help. Thanks, and do get her to the doctor right away if you haven't already.

I think you need to speak further to your pediatrician. My DD is 28 lbs at 3 yrs old so the weight itself doesn't worry me as much as you saying she has a poor appetite and low muscle tone. Has your pediatrician suggested any physical therapy or special dietary supplements? In our case, my DD is on her curve, has short/small people in her family, and has no other health concerns, but each kid is different. You really need a diagnosis from the doctor and if you have gotten one, he or she should have a direction to give you. If not, you may need to find a different doctor.

I think you should start at the pediatrician on this one. Does her dr. think she is healthy but small or is the dr. worried about her size? For low muscle tone, she might benefit from physical/occupational therapy. You might want to contact early intervention to look into this. A small appetite might mean she isn't hungry (e.g. not in a growth spurt right now) or it could have to do with not feeling well.

Trust your gut on this. My son was always "small" 25% then started dipping in weight. He always seem low in muscle tone as well. had trouble doing things other kids did. we talked to doc who said not to worry. fast forward age 6. he did not gain any weight in a year while growing 3 in. still can barley peddle a bike.... doc still said.. no worries. We finally pushed enough when more belly issues sufaced and are now under care of GI doc to see what is wrong and also in pt and ot. he is about 18-2 yr behind in gross and fine motor skills
there is no harm in asking for evals if you are worried

My daughter didn't reach 30lbs until almost 3.5 y/o and at 6 y/o she's only 40lbs. She has a good appetite and very good muscle tone... not to mention long and lean.

Are you sure your child has low muscle tone? Did a medical professional tell you this? Being petite is not a medical condition... some ppl grow up with smaller frames and are still healthy and not suffering from dwarfism.

If you are really concerned, have your child go to a pediatric endocrinologist and nutritionalist.

What does her pediatrician recommend that you do? What diagnosis did he give you? This could be caused by an illness.

What are you feeding her now? Do you give her foods that you know she likes? Do you try different foods? You can give her high calorie foods.

Low muscle tone is probably not related to a poor appetite. Does she physically move around? Do you take her for walks and to play in the park? Or is it possible that she has a physical condition that requires physical therapy?

What does the doctor say?

Hi J., my son has just turned 4 and he weighs 30 lbs. He has always been in the 5th percentile for weight and 75% for height. He just isn't interested in eating much. I give him supplements because he gets so little from food. He gets calcium, a multi-vitamin, a probiotic and nordic fish oil every day. He's as healthy as a horse. He is on the growth curve so his doctor is not vey concerned. Early Intervention is only till age 3 so talk with her doctor. If you are still worried get a second opinion. I know how you feel because I worry about my son constantly.

My 5 year old boy weighs about 35 pounds and he didn't weight 20 pounds until he was about 18 months. (I remember the 20 pounds, because we kept him sitting backwards in the car until 18 months. At the time, the AAP recommendation was 12 months and 20 pounds). He has always been in about the 5th percentile for weight ... very skinny boy.

It's hard to get an accurate picture, as I have boys and no height information, but it sounds like she's just small. Has she always been in the 10th or smaller percentile but still on the growth chart? If so, she's just following her own growth curve, just smaller than many girls her own age.

If her pediatrician is concerned, talk to him/her about specifics. Is this just her genetic make up? Is there actually anything that you can do? Is her ped concerned at all? What does he/she recommend about the low muscle tone? Low muscle tone can mean your daughter's not active enough and needs to work her muscles more ... it can mean lots of other things, too.

Talk to your ped. You'll feel so much better.

I don't know if her weight is a problem as much as her appetite and low muscle tone. If you're really concerned take her to her doctor and have them take a look at her.
On another note, I recently took my 6 year old to the pediatrician for her 6 year check up and forgot to ask her weight. When I took her back a few months later for something different, I asked how much she weighed and they said, 37 pounds. I was shocked! I mean she's in the 90% for height and only 5% for weight, but she's always been that way and they were not at all concerned. She is perfectly healthy! However, she is a very good eater and has a very healthy appetite.
Make sure your not induldging in too much liquids (like juice) that might cause her to feel full but only give her empty calories. Also, be careful not to give her "junk" snacks like goldfish or fruit snacks. Give her more nutritional snacks like nuts and cheeses.
I wish you the best!

my son is small too. 23 pds at 2 yrs. He eats he just likes to eat things that don't have a whole lot of calories (like lentil stew or a whole plate of lima beans) I add butter to what I can for him, and have considered using the pediasure drinks but haven't yet.

That doesn't sound terrible for a 3 year old. Plus, they don't have any real muscle tone at that age either. Does she have symptoms other than being a picky eater? If not, I would just assume it's age appropriate behavior. Use the search engine on here to find "healthy snack or meal ideas"., etc. You will be pleased by all that you find. Good luck and try not to worry.

My 3 yr old son is only 24lbs, and he also has low muscle tone. Our ped was never worried about him because he was technically a preemie & a low birth weight baby (born at 36 wks @ 5 lbs 6 oz), but I always was. He ended up being under the care of a neurologist after all of sudden having 3 non-febrile seizures in a wk when he was about 8 mos old, and she was the one who referred us to a Gastroenterologist & a Nutritionist. After much testing, we found out when he was just over 2 yrs old, that he had a swallow disorder. After surgery confirmed that his anatomy was correct, we were referred to swallow therapy and it was there that they figured out he also has low muscle tone in his jaw and that his tongue was not working properly (difficulty moving side to side). All this time I just thought he was a super picky eater who was driving me nuts by always spitting out his food. Turns out, he had trouble chewing & swallowing. He's been in swallow/feeding therapy for almost a year now, and I do see some improvement in his chewing, but we still have a ways to go. We expect to start OT next month. My older son, who is 5, is also very small -- 34 lbs, 38 ins, but my concern with him was that I felt he stopped growing. He was born 8lbs, 4oz, and was almost 13 lbs at 2 mos, but then seemed to stop growing at 4 mos. He wasn't put under the care of a Nutritionist, Gastroenterologist & Endocrinologist until he was 2.5 yrs old. He just had a bone aging scan at age 5 & turns out I'm not crazy -- he has the bones of an almost 3.5 yr old, so his growth did stop or slow to a crawl for a period. Although one of the peds in the practice we go to always insisted my boys were fine, that they were small because my husband & I were on the smaller side as well, I always felt like something was amiss and I'm glad I pursued it. Good luck to you!

My 4 1/2 year old weighs 30 pounds...he eats like a horse...just has an incredible metabolism! Talk to your doctor though to make sure...