Anyone Have Skinny Toddlers?

ha! my toddlers were the opposite. they had slender well-muscled limbs, and sweet little rounded potbellies.
kids come in all shapes and sizes. part of their charm. their pediatrician isn't worried, and you shouldn't be either.
:) khairete
S.

Small kids will still show consistent growth on their growth chart. If she is growing, then she is likely just small. I have a 29 lbs 4.5 year old. There was a time when I thought something might be terribly wrong because her percentile weight dropped when she was a baby. She was not a small baby, but settled on about 3rd percentile for weight and stayed there. Though small she grew. Sometimes people think she is the twin of her 25 lbs 20 month old brother. But she's just tiny and healthy.

I had two other people in my life who were very concerned about lack of weight gain. One turned out to be allergic to everything. He literally stopped growing around age 4 and 5. They had him tested and got him off wheat, soy, dairy and a host of other foods and he put on some weight. His body was too stressed to grow.
The other one turned out to have mitochondrial disease, and while weight loss and lack of weight gain was their initial concern, he also developed digestive issues, and aversion to eating.
So what I'm trying to say is, these things can be very serious or very normal. But skinny is not the issue, ribs sticking out is not the issue. Look at the growth chart. Is your skinny child growing? Then all is probably well.

The key here is that you write she is "lanky and a string bean like her dad." She is reflecting her genetics. The fact the doctor is fine with her development is great. So is the fact you are an attentive mom who is keeping tabs on the eating issue, with the doctor's help--rather than going nuts and going online to self-diagnose her with a thousand problems without a doctor's input.

Our godson was very tiny--short and thin. As a baby and toddler, some doctors started worrying his parents about it, sending them to specialists and eating studies and throwing around terrifying terms like "failure to thrive" - all based on his size and NOT on whether he was getting enough nutrients (he was) or anything else. One day a new doctor actually looked at the mom and dad. Dad is short and very skinny. Mom is very short though heavier. This doctor finally said: "It's genetic. You're small people and your son is small. He's fine."

All that heartache and all those pokes and prods when if some doctor had just taken one good look at the mom and dad earlier, things would have made sense!

Do keep watch on her eating, and if she doesn't grow at whatever pace is good for her, yes, get her checked and ensure she's absorbing nutrients (which can be an issue in some conditions).

But when people, especially random strangers you've just encountered on the playground etc., say "She looks so tiny for her age" or, heaven forbid, anything more critical, tell them: "She's built like her dad and he's thin." If they persist: "Her doctor says she's fine. Are you a pediatrician, yourself?" That should silence 'em.

I have a skinny 2.5 year old who has always been that way. She had some chub when she was between 2-4 months old, but that was the only time she had any chub. Thin legs, thin arms, and tall. Her hands are so dainty and delicate (but with long fingers), at 2.5 years old, they look smaller than some kids' hands who are a whole year younger. Her height was always higher on the curve than her weight. Her waist is so small, she can still fit into size 18 month pants (obviously the length would be too short) even though she wears size 4T on top. To get a better length, I put her in 3T pants, but they're always falling down...It's just her body type, I think -- she takes after my dad's side of the family. I wouldn't worry if her pediatrician thinks she's fine.

Both of my kiddos have consistently been on the low end of the weight charts, but the high end of the height charts. My son has always been very muscular, but never had much baby rolls past the 6 month old mark. My daughter was under 20 lbs at her 2 year visit. The pediatrician mentioned that she would likely start gaining more weight as she aged. She is now 5, has a well balanced diet, and just hit 30 lbs. Both kids are lanky, but strong and have good musculature. As long as the pediatrician isn't concerned, then I think you don't need to be. All kiddos are different as they age.

If the pediatrician isn't worried then you shouldn't be either. Kids come in a range of shapes and sizes. As long as she eats a variety of things and is active and strong then you are doing a great job. My oldest granddaughter is tall and lanky with monkey arms. You could feed her fattening stuff all day long and she'd just burn off the calories. She started off as a chubby toddler.

If you think she has a dairy intolerance then read labels and make sure you get all the dairy out of her diet. She'll be fine without it. Grandson #2 has the same issue so I'm a professional label reader. A lot of the food has a contains milk, nuts, soy, etc warning at the end of the ingredients list which makes it easier but that warning isn't always there. Check labels on everything because they stick dairy in things that will shock you.

Our son, now 13, has always been small and thin--we cheered when he finally broke the 10th percentile in weight a few years ago. Thank God for the sensible pediatrician who said from the start that we aren't big people, so he probably wasn't going to be big either and NOT TO WORRY. If your doc has been following her development and is happy, just take a page from him/her. You could answer the comments with 'yes, she's just like her dad--proof of paternity!' :)

My sister's kids were like this, as were my best friend's. Both of them heard endless comments that they should be feeding them more.

I had one big baby, and everyone told me what I was doing wrong. My other babies were all very small with pot bellies. Egg shaped.

All of them are pretty average now ...

I bet your daughter looks just like your husband did at that age. Have you seen any of his pics from that age? I was an egg shaped toddler and my husband was large. So it's genetic :)

I have lactose intolerance, my father had it, and 2 of my kids do.

We just use lactose free products. You can find them in the grocery store. Lactose free milk, cheese, etc. Or we take a Lactaid pill.

I found that much easier with kids. They used to go to parties and have to avoid things, but they come with chewable tablets and they are used to them. That way they can eat the same things :)

My oldest has always been skinny. He's 8 years old, and he is very skinny. It's just his build.

As long as she is following her own growth curve and your ped is happy, you most likely have no reason to be concerned.

One of my kids took after my family and was a very skinny toddler. No chub anywhere...maybe a little in her cheeks. She is now a skinny preschooler. If she's like me in school she will be a super skinny (too skinny) kid with knock-knees. I feel kind of bad for her already because kids were always so mean to my brother and I for having this body shape. Anyway...her being a skinny toddler gave me no worries bc she takes after me...she eats well and is growing well and has always followed her growth curve. I have to take in any pants/skirts/leggings that do not have an adjustable waist...I have had to do this since she was born. If your daughter takes after her father, you don't need to worry. This is just how she naturally is. The frequent comments from people/adults/kids/strangers really got to me when I was growing up. I am going to have little tolerance for that if people do it to my daughter. Bodies come in all different shapes and sizes and commenting on them is rude. I wish I could get this across to people.

My granddaughter, as a young baby, had eczema and was intolerant to milk. Her pediatrician tested her for alleges with a blood test. She was allergic to the protein in milk which is different than a lactose intolerance. Because you're concerned about allergies/intolerance you could have her tested. This would help you know what to not feed her.

I agree that if her pediatrician is not concerned she is OK. Because you're a concerned mom you will notice changes that might need her to have more tests. I urge you to relax and enjoy your beautiful daughter.

I have the hardest time finding pants that are long enough but won't fall down for my little one. It's getting easier now that he's old enough to find the adjustable waistband pants. But, he's perfectly healthy so no worries.

As long as her weight and height is increasing, please try to just ignore the comments. Kids are different and not all of them are chubby as toddlers. My DD was never big and I have friends with very tiny toddlers.

yup.. at 1 year my daughter weighed 17 pounds.. the tiniest thing..

she is 9 and weighs about 49 pounds.. pretty skinny..

she wore overalls until she was potty trained.. then leggings cause they fit..

at size 4 you can buy jeans labeled as slim...

clothes are the biggest problem... my kids are skinny but healthy..