Failure to Thrive Baby Almost 2 Years Old Please Help with Some Ideas.

J., I don't know the whole story, but another mom who is a relative of a friend I know had a son who was the same way, and about the same age with the same description. Very small in size and weight for his age. Like I said, I don't know all the details, but they later found out that he ended up having Cystic Fibrosis.

I really wish I had more to tell you, but I didn't pry for personal information. Maybe this will help open another door?

HI J. -- If you are looking for ideas, the best idea I have is a "Wellness Home." I began turning my home into a Wellness Home about a year ago. It involves state-of-the-art technologies and nutrition from Japan. Over in Japan, they focus more on prevention and keeping people well than they do here in the US. The whole idea is simple: create a green-house type environment for our human bodies, and they will begin to thrive ... just like a plant thrives in a greenhouse. I know so many people who have benefited from a few simple steps. In my own household, I've virtually eliminated 6 years of nightly heartburn, and have finally helped my husband lower his cholesterol after 2 years of trying.

My niece has this same problem & has had it since she was born. For her, it did not turn out to be a dward issue. I wish I could remember what they ended up diagnosing her with, but she is healthy & happy & just a lot shorter & smaller than the rest of her family, but she is very, very cute & little & most of all, it hasn't caused her any health problems. I hope it turns out the same for you. Just a little encouragement -- they will finally diagnose it with something...L. S.

I have 2 daughters: 1 is almost 6 and the other is just about your son's age. They are both small kids. The first has never been much of an eater - we call her part fairy. My younger daughter eats alot. She loves food and is willing to give anything a try. Oldest child - oh how the nurses fussed! She was always below the charts and we feared failure to thrive. She's fine. On the shorter side and delicate in build and still doesn't eat much. Since our 2nd daughter loves food so much, we assumed she was much bigger than #1 but when we proudly took her in for her 1 year check up - she was almost the exact size and weight of our eldest! So we just make small kids! As long as your son is healthy and the doctors check him out for major problems, I would give yourself a break. Happy and healthy at any size is great, and beating yourself up (like I did) will just make you miserable. He will probably grow when his body is healthy. I hope this helps!!

http://www.elanaspantry.com/

My daughter was diagnosed with failing to thrive when she was only 4 months old. She went through extensive and exhausting tests. Every test they did came back negative. For a long time I felt like I was a failure as a mother, as my daughter wasn't thriving. I remember crying so often, as I was so worried about her.

She is now 23 months old and is still very tiny. I still try to offer her high fat and calorie foods (healthy ones like avocado, carnation instant breakfast mixed with her milk/soy milk and cereal, and extra meals throughout the day). Keep in mind that if children don't fit within the doctors set parameters of size and development, they worry. That doesn't mean that you should. It's certainly possible that there is nothing wrong with your son.

My niece is 26 months and still in 12-18 month clothes. She is 17lbs and she is very healthy. She is just little and has been since birth. If you have had your son's health checked and everything is all clear, rest your mind and enjoy your son. You have every parents dream right now, a baby that will stay a baby longer : )

Doctors are supposed to be concerned that is their job, but that does not mean that their is anything wrong with your son.

Have you considered or tried a naturopathic doctor? Their approach is very different than MDs/specialists. Good luck, that must be a very trying situation. I wish you the best!

This may already have been done, but has his thyroid levels been checked? I know of one family in my area whose daughter sounded a lot like your son and they diagnosed her with a thyroid imbalance (can't remember if it is hyper or hypo) she is happy and normal, but will probably always have the symptoms of it: skinny, high energy, eats a lot.

I've read the other responses you've received and there is a lot of advice there, good advice, too.
But remember, YOUR MOTHERLY INSTINCT. It is always the best answer for your and your kids.
YOU CAN DO IT and BABY CAN HANDLE IT.

I'm wondering how they have classified him as failure to thrive? My daughter was lactose intolerant and it took the first six months of her life to rule out everything else. (she has since grown out of it) However she still is a very small kid on her own curve well below the percentiles they give. But she is thriving just fine. At 21 months she was 32 inches and 20lbs. I know girls and boys have a different curve but... Has he been maintaining his own generally parallel curve to the norm or is he dropping?

I had a lactation consultant call and harass me that I was not a good mom because my daughter wasn't getting enough because I wasn't feeding her long enough. (I know this to be contrary to the truth because my second child is thriving perfectly well (he's a huge little fatty) and eats even less time than my daughter, my milk comes out fast and they get a full feeding in a short amount of time)My daughter just couldn't tolerate the milk and puked it all up, I mean projectile vomiting.

I remember it was a worrisome time for me but I needn't have been so worried once we switched her to soy formula. My daughter was and is plenty vital and active, she is bright and talented, she is just tall and skinny. Since being able to drink milk her weight has finally climbed up to just below the 5th percentile while her hight is in the 75%. So she's still on her own curve.

While there may be something, don't stress if he is mentally active and eating well and developing fine and it sounds like he is. What are the doctors freaking out about?

As parents we tend to worry esp when a doctor alerts us to something but you are his mom, listen to your intuition.

If nothing seems wrong with your son beyond his small size.. I wonder if your doctor is trying to fit your son into a box that not everybody fits into. As long as he seems healthy and isn't getting worse, I wouldn't worry. In fact, I would seek a second opinion from another pediatrician to set your mind at ease and make sure the first one isn't overreacting. There is no reason to torture your son with constant doctor's visits, and poking and prodding if nothing else seems wrong.

Listen to yourself as a mother. If you think something is wrong, then it probably is. If this is the case, look at the diseases described here. The only thing I would recommend you look into is have his heart checked by a cardiologist. Failure to thrive (especially if accompanied by fatigue) can be an indication of various heart conditions. I doubt anything is wrong, but I just thought I would suggest this.

My son is really small too. He just turned 2 and weighs 22 lbs. Have you tried medicine to treat giardia? that can be picked up if he played in fountains at parks or the gateway. Also, my doctor wasn't worried about my son as she said he has always been on the smaller growth chart size. He is my 4th and smallest so I wondered if my milk wasn't as good. But my doc has assured me he continues to grow even if it is slowly and that he is okay. Some doctors can be paranoid. Follow your gut. If he has not other problems, maybe it isn't worth all the research and doc visits.
good luck.

J.,
Debbie Sarfati, a holistic nutritional counselor, changed our life. Why don't you give her a call and see if it is something that she might be able to help with. When doctors couldn't help us we went to her and I am so glad that we did. It never hurts to try.
www.wholenourishment.com
Good luck!
S.

look for groups online that are moms with kids who have special needs. Someone might have the same problem that your having. Ask some questions to the social worker and see if they can help you out finding some research groups, online sites and or another parent that has the same problem that wont have a problem talking to you. The circles are small when your just starting out with something new but they get bigger if you start looking around. Mainly, their are physical resources and there are papers and web sites.
When I was a kid i was as skinny as a rail and i didn't blossom out till middle school. i was always considered tall because i grew in long period of time. Some time go by and my mom would wonder when i was going to grow and then middle school came and i grew like six to eight inches in several months. So no worries and always get second opinions if you ever have doubts in any of the doctors. some doctors that are called the best don't always solve the case. my son has had the same pediatrician for a while now, ever since he was born, and we are going to change because she is certain his condition is one thing and shes not budging on it. I'm my child's voice when it comes to his health and if things need changing then I'm on the phone or emailing people up a storm. So pretty much...your being a great mom and doing what you can just research some groups and call some hospital social workers.

I don't know if this is the same or not, but... both of my boys were premies and very tiny. They were both on the less than 10% scale. My older boy had all the tests done and everything was fine. He was just small. When he turned 3 and we were in for his check up, the doctor said - "OK I am not worried anymore". Now is he 11 and 5 foot tall, and (overweight) were working on that part. My younger one is still tiny. He is almost 7 now and weighs about 40 pounds. He is finally on the scale he is now at 10 or 15%. Long story, but I hope it helps. Don't worry, some kids are just small. Maybe you need a 2nd opinion. If you are in CO I can recommend my doctor. (Dr. Genrich). Good Luck. T.

Did he have a newborn screen at birth to check for genetic issues? My question is of Cystic Fibrosis. My youngest of 4 children has CF & F to Thrive is a big red flag for CF.
L.

J.,
Have you consider toxins? Heavy metals or other
enviromental toxinx?
I would suggest Natural Cellular Defense
Information
www.liquidzeolite.org
www.mywaiora.com/968229

It is safe has no side effects. It's only job is to detox the body from the inside out.
B.

first thing is to take a breath. My friend has been through all of the spec. and the tests. Her son is still small (just hit 30 punds and is almost 4 he looks like he is about 2. they never said anything about dwarfism. My friend finally got fed up with Dr's and said enough torturing my son.) BUT he is fine. My advice to you (just because of what she has gone through) is to tell the Dr's. that as long as he is eating a nutricious diet full of all sorts of food and not just junk then not to worry. He will catch up eventually. every child is different. I wish you the best. I am sure he is just fine and that there is nothing to worry about.

Please forgive me if I end up repeating info you already have- There are so many foods or lack of nutrients that can cause such awful, life threatening situations. We had a lot of health issues w/ our children while they were growing up-and my husband and I have continued to have to investigate health issues to deal w/ the effects of the bad diets we had as children. If you haven't already, I would reccomend you reading two books that include science info along w/ diet info that might help you find a way to help your baby. The books are: Breaking The Vicious Cycle and The Maker's Diet-I wish I had know about them while my children were still little; they would have saved me a lot of frustration. I hope they can be of use to you in your efforts to take care of your baby.

J., Please bring your baby in to see me a A Gentle Strength Education, Wellness and Herb shop. I will do a free Kinesiology (muscle) testing on him and help to recommend some suppliments and direct aid that may be helpful. Mention momasource and get the $30 testing for free. I hope to meet you soon. Please call for an appointment at ###-###-####. The shop (see my listing) is located at 4831 Barnes Rd. Colorado Springs, CO 80917
I will share with you that things I learned to do here have helped me with my own struggles from a devistating car accident where I broke my spine in 3 places. I did'nt walk then and now I am hiking in the red-rock canyon and enjoying life with my 6 year old. Blessings to you and your family. S.

Hi J.,

I just wanted to let you know that it is possible that you just ahve a little child. My son is going to be 2 on the 21st and he is just over 20 pounds and around 32 inches tall. He is just a little bitty thing. He eats very well also.

If there is something to be concerned about I hope that you find your answers soon.

Good luck!

Intracranial pressure could be a factor. I worked with a failure to thrive baby. After one adjustment with cranial work the results were amazing. A cranial-sacral therapist or Chiropractor that does this might be able to help. www.icpa4kids.com list doctors you want one that took Dr. Carol Philips class.

Dr. L.

J.,
Is this child different than your other ones? Both my sisters have very tiny children. One sister has a 23 month old that is the same height & weight as your child. No one seems concerned with their progress because they have been off the charts (on the low end) since birth. My sister & her husband are both tiny people & have tiny kids. Their 15 year old son is not even 5' tall yet. They looked at everything when he was younger but nothing was ever found.

I hope you can find the help you need.
T.

My oldest (now 18) seemed to have similar issues when he was 4th- 9th grade. What it turned out to be for him was that he was allergic to wheat, corn and dairy, basically everything he was eating. His body was working so hard to digest those foods that it did not have the energy to grow. We took him to our chiropractor, ###-###-####, who can actually eliminate allergies and we put him on a natural food diet with spelt bread, organic food, good oils, etc. We recently put him on "green drinks". They are basically powdered vegetables that you drink in water or lemonade. He is now 5'9''. His skin color has gone from pale grey to tan and healthy looking, he is much more energetic and gained about 65 lbs. I never thought he'd grow past 5 feet!

Eating healthy changed our lives so much that I wrote a book about it called "Shopper's Guide to Healthy Living" It is written for busy people such as your self (I have four kids also). It might make eating healthy easier.

Hi, J.. I have to say...I can totally relate. One of our twins was almost classified as a failure to thrive as well. I just looked at their baby book and at 20 months he was at 29.5 inches and 19 pounds - how similar to your son! All I can say is that the Pediasures did eventually help. We gave him three a day and this took a while, but he did start gaining some weight. Our pediatrician finally decided that he was just going to be the smaller of the two (twins) and that as long as he IS growing, he will be fine.

As of now our boys are four and the smaller twin weighs about thrity-one pounds and is 39 inches. Still small for that age, BUT thriving at his own pace. I think the big thing for me was I kept trying to force him to eat, which set up a huge power struggle and totally turned him off of food. The Pediasures helped with this as well!

Hope this helps. I guess sometimes kids start off small...I'm looking forward to those teenage years of chowing down!!

Michele

J.,
I can totally relate. My last son (almost 14) was born at 25 weeks gestation. He was in the hospital for 13 weeks, came home on oxygen and was so very tiny for sooo long. When he went to his 2 year old check up, he weighed 18 pounds. He had beed snoring a lot, and I panicked if I could not hear him breathe. I talked to the pediatrician about taking his tonsils out. It turns out that after taking him to the ears, nose and throat doctor,he told me that my son had been having recurring tonsilitis for a long time. After the tonsils were removed, he gained 6 pounds that year. I hope you find the solution for your son.

I honestly don't think that you need to do anything. To me he just sounds like he is going to be little. When my son was that age he was only 27 1/2 inches tall and weighed 15 lbs. He is healthy and has nothing wrong with him. But he is still little he is now 4 and only weighes 33 lbs. His dad was the same way until high school. I now have a daughter that is fallowing her brothers foot steps. According to there pediatrician as long as they are fallowing the curve on there measurment charts there is no reason for concern. Hope this helps you a little. If you have any questions about the way that my kids are as far as being little please feel free to contat me.

May I make a suggestion I have two children with cystic fibrosis. This is one of the most missed diagnosed dieases everyone including doctors forget to look at it with failure to thrive because it is usuallly assocaited with lung problems and asthma and failure to thirve. My children were diagonsed young but my sister in-laws son was 13 years old before he was diagonsed with it. Which is sad because he is only one year older then my son who has it. The younger it is discovered the better. It is a genetic disease don't stress to much until you find out but if it is please feel free to contact me ____@____.com there is wonderful information about CF and I can help answer any questions or tell you some great resources there are over 10,000 diffrent strains and they have many diffrent severities my 2 kids are alot diffrent with the same disease. Hope this helps M. 6 six kids love them all.