Help Getting 10 Month Old to Gain Weight

I had a friend once who only gave her babies goat milk in the can (like carnation can milk). Her babies we the chubbist smooth skin babies I ever saw. Perhaps you can try that.

I woudn't worry about it he may have a high metabolism or he just may not be in a growing phase right now. 1-2 lbs is really nothing to worry about, i may worry about the rebound effect later if you try to stuff him now to gain weight, and then he will be too hefty later.

Hi A.,

I am seriously concerned about the advice your pedi is giving you and I would strongly encourage you to get a second opinion by a nutritionist. I switched pedi's after mine told me to start my ONE MONTH old on solids. My mom and i are both lactation consultants and my mom also has two master's degrees in nutrition. Doctors do not study much nutrition in med. school and are woefully and shockingly uneducated on the subject (my mom taught nutrition to med students, this isn't just my opinion.) This is not their fault, rather the curriculum.

I just mentioned your post to my mom and she says(and I agree!) that children have genetically programmed food needs and bodyweights. Both of my babies were much thinner people than other babies. They still are. I was that way and so was my husband. My daughter did not reach 18 pounds until she was over a year old. My son weighed about what yours does. They are thin people and that is FINE.

The weights he is being compared to are an average. Nothing more. There is no reason that every child would be average in any way.

I find it very disturbing that your pedi would be of this opinion. Please speak with a pediatric nutritionist. I'm certain that she/ he will tell you what I have. Your baby is perfectly normal. If he is thriving (alert, growing at his own pace, intelligence is normal) then there is absolutely no cause for wanting to change his weight or feed him more. That can be detremental to his health.

My son was in the 98th percentile of height and the 50th percentile of weight at his one year check up. If what your pedi is saying is true, he'd be a candidate for forced feeding and hospitalization. Actually he is very strong, perfectly healthy and wonderfully him.

first of all, you have NOTHING to worry about with his weight. my daughter is 15 months and still weighs only 18 pounds. she dropped to the 3rd % on weight, but b/c she gained a pound in 6 weeks the dr was happy. (i have to mention that she also is 95% for her height - she's a stringbean). i started feeding her whole milk yougurt, cheeses, oatmeal and egg yolks w/ cheese for breakfast, refried beans, cottage cheese etc. i've finally quit freaking out about her weight and am trying to make her healthy not "fatten her up". feed him healthy foods and he will slowly gain weight. i would also bet that he is very active. if there are no medical problems, then chances are he's just burning a ton of calories each day - more than he can consume. also, my daughter is pound for pound and inch for inch what i was at her age. i'm perfectly healthy and in the normal weight range today. genetics can play a part of it. good luck!

Have to agree with the other moms - there is a wide range for "normal" weight and he is well within it. Don't know why your pedi would encourage you to make him gain weight, especially if he's drinking formula and eating balanced meals.

As another post suggested, I would suggest a second opinion also. My 18 month old was 21 pounds in October. That is only after giving him pediasure all summer in place of his bottle.

Children grow at their own pace. As long as he is growing and doesn't seem to be hungry I think you are doing the right thing. In addition, he will go through time periods that he will eat more/less

Our pediatrician has said that as long as he is still on HIS (my so's ) growth path that he is okay.

Also take into account how you or his dad was/is. I am only 4 ft. 11 in. Therefore my son will probably not be a large boy. So him being in the 5th and 10th percentile for measurable head, weight, and height are not a big deal to us. And yes, the measurements doctors compare to are for AVERAGES primarily on Caucasian kids in the 50's. So take it with a grain of salt.

1-2 pounds "underweight" is nothing to be concerned about and it's NORMAL to fluctuate in the weight (like the .1 lb you mentioned.) None of my children were 20 lbs at age 1. In fact, my oldest was about 15-18 months old before she got to 20 lbs (she was born 2 months premature though.)

Anyway, none of their doctors have ever been concerned and they are on WIC and are monitored by a nutritionist who has never been concerned.

S.

I would not worry. He is just small. My daughter was 18 lbs at 1 years old and now at 4 1/2 she is less then 35lbs she's just tiny but perfectly healthy. Just make sure you are feeding him healthy foods and he will be alright.

Jill and Tricia have the right idea. Does he eat any veggies (organic is best because of the dense nutrients, no pesticides, or chemicals since he is hypo-allergic). Have you thought about omitting the milk, maybe that is why he is rejecting it (give him some credit), His Dr. probably has never taken more than one course in nutrition. Cows milk should never be given before the age of 1 (especially if he is hypo-allergic, it is not even close in consistency to human breastmilk (checkout:www.notmilk.com). He does need some fat in every meal, I would get it from avocados, coconut, almond milk). Try to make a trip to Whole Foods or other health food store they have many baby foods that are great for allergies. Also, they make Quinoa (complete protein grain) flakes or rice that could be used in addition to oatmeal. I hope this helps. C
P. S. www.mybiopro.com/claudia13 (learn how to protect your babies from cell phone radiation). Since you are expecting try to keep your cell use to a minimum, avoid keeping it close to your belly. Always keep away from babies.

Hi A.,
sounds like you are getting a lot of good advice. Here are my 2 cents:
Both of my kids are small. My son was born 6lb, 8 oz and by the time he was 1 yr he was hovering at the edge of the charts. My dtr was 6 lb 2 oz at birth and she too is only in the 5-10% at her 9 mo checkup. my ped is not worried about either of them. i just have small kids.
As long as they are growing, meeting milestones and active, there is no need to worry. i wish they'd just throw out that darn chart!
Now, having said that, i am concerned about allergy. more and more kids are turning up allergic to foods, and your child is on special formula. as others have said, please have him tested for allergy, and do speak to a ped nutritionist. they can really help. For your own sanity and a lot less expense, please check out a book called the BABY FOOD BIBLE. it is small, well organized, easy to read and best of all easy to follow. it was written by Eilleen Behan, a mom, nurse, dietician etc. she talks about giving our children superior foods, those that offer maximum nutrition with minimal processing. It is a very practical book, giving prep for baby, family, storage, how to buy, and nutrition value. such a good book. i make all my baby's food and it takes no time at all, and i know what's in it. hope this helps and good luck with your baby & #2!

Hi-

My 20 month old was on a similar path at that age-and still is. He is very active and just does not put much weight on. At 20 months he is about 22 pounds. Our pedi said not to worry-that from 9 months until 2 years they gain very little (3-4 pounds) due to activity levels. We just enforce good eating habits and he is a really big eater-eats every 2-3 hours. At 9 months I think our little guy weighed around the same as yours-and at 1 year he was just over 19 pounds. Good luck but don't stress about it too much!

It sounds like he's eating pretty well. At 10 months you could start adding vegetables. Try cooking carrots on the stove until soft and either mashing them up or cutting them into bite sized pieces (depending on how many teeth he has).

Is your pediatrician concerned about some other medical problem? My nephew was not gaining weight. When he was one year old he was diagnosed with celiac disease (gluten intolerance) and lactose intolerance. My sister-in-law put him on a gluten free/lactose free diet and he started gaining weight and doing fine. He is now 9 years old and thriving. There is a simple blood test that can be done to check for celiac disease.

What in the formula is your child allergic to that would cause the need for the special formula? Once you have determined that, is it also in any of the foods your child currently eats. If so, that may be keeping him from gaining weight.

If it is not an allergy in the foods he is eating, then I would suggest the following (my children are very small - born at 33 weeks - and only just started showing up on the growth charts at 4 years old)...add butter (the real stuff) to everything your son eats from toast, to veggies to pancakes, eggs etc. If it makes sense to add butter to it, then do so. Also as long as he eats fairly healthy throughout the week go ahead and let him have extra on the fatty items, nuts, peanut butter, avacados, etc. These should help bulk his weight up.

My kids were borderline for being considered undernourished, but only because they were so small from the start...Their growth curve was fine so they simply sent me to the nuriotionist to help with bulking htem up in case of illness. The things I listed above were suggestions she gave em for my two...

Good Luck!!! ;-)

hello A..you might try giving him little hotdogs little finger foods to snake on threw the day.stuff with more fat in them.try giving him fatty foods.i wish i had his problem i cant lose it lol.well i wish yall well let us know how he is doing

I am pretty shocked that your pedi is reacting that way. However, I have a girl and I know the charts are different, but by a year my daughter had fallen off the charts in weight. My daughter started out in the 60% for weight and then gradually dropped, she would only gain one pound and grow one inch every 3 months. She didn't reach 20lbs until 18 months and now at 3yrs she is only 25lbs. Some kids are just smaller than others, and they are judging our kids on an average for what they think they should be at. I have always been more concerned about my daughters weight and height then the pedi, she is still growing and she has reached all her milestones. Don't let you pedi freak you out, it sounds to me that your son eats plenty, he is just smaller than what the 'norm' is. With the child obesity being as high as it is in this country, I wouldn't worry too much. I would really recommend getting a second opinion, I just have a hard time with the idea of putting olive oil in your sons food. Good look, and try not to worry, you are not alone and you are doing a wonderful job.

Hi A.,
I would not worry. My son is the same way. You can not force kids to gain weight. My little guy is so active and just really doesn't have a big appitite. He weighs less than most kids his age but he is very healthy and active and smart. As long as he is healthy, I would not worry about how much he weighs.

B.
www.MoreForMyBaby.com

I know girls are probably a little different, but either way, I think some kids are just smaller than others. My daughter didn't weigh 20 lbs. until she was at least 16 months old. She was always in the 5-10% for weight, but she was eating fine and hitting all milestones, so my pedi never worried about it. Now she just turned 3 and weighs 29 lbs.

My son, who is 7 months old, went from being in the 50th% for weight at his 4 month apptointment to the 20th% at his 6 month appointment and the doctor said that was normal for breastfed kids at that age. He is crawling, pulling up and standing by himself, so again, nothing to really worry about. They all go through growth spurts and maybe he'll just hit his a little later than normal and in a month, you won't believe the size of him! I think it sounds extreme to be putting olive oil in a childs food purposely, but I guess if that's what the doctor said to do, I might consider it. As for the formula refusal, maybe you could try putting it in a cup instead of a bottle? Does he have a sippy he really likes? Did the doctor say it was okay to start him on whole milk to drink since you're putting it in his oatmeal? It's a little early to do that instead of formula, but maybe you could start mixing it half and half if the doctor says it's okay.

I don't think I would worry so much about his weight unless he really starts wasting away and isn't active. Maybe you should talk to another pediatrician for a second opinion. Best of luck to you. It's really hard to know what's right for your kids!

18.5 pounds at 10 months is not something I would worry about. Ever notice that the rear facing infant car seats say to get a new one after the kid has reached a year old AND 20 pounds? That's because it's not unusual for those 2 things to coincide. Sounds like your son is just fine to me. Don't worry too much. Every kid grows at their own rate.

coconut milk!!! or avocados!! green smoothies!! my 8month old loves it!,
coconut milk is awesome it can help in so many ways!
If your near Lockhart check out the Life Emporium, on the square, 111 San Antonio, Donna Voetee (my mom) can be very helppful!! go on like Thur or Fri!!

Hi A.,
I'm very surprised that your doctor is telling you that he needs to gain weight (you may want a second opinion on that). My son Connor is now 21 months old and through THREE well-baby visits (12, 15, and 18 months), he was the same weight...20 lbs. He had always been tall and thin (75th percentile in height and 50th in weight). But over those months, he fell into the 25th percentile (maybe even the 10th percentile? not sure) in weight!!

Needless to say, I was a bit worried. His regular pediatrician at the time (in Dallas) told us not to worry about his weight right now. He said that as long as he is holding steady, then the leveling out of his weight gain was just because he was being a more active toddler.

Since he was a bit later than other babies to be active (crawl and then walk), I would not be surprised if the same thing is happening to your baby at a slightly younger age.

By the way, now that our family just moved to Austin, Connor has another pediatrician. What's nice about that is that this anxious mother has received a SECOND opinion from this doctor, who said the SAME THING our previous doctor did.

So, I wouldn't react too strongly and start loading on calories for the sake of calories. All you may be doing is creating very bad habits (a taste for high-fat foods) in the short-term that your son will want to continue in the longer term...beyond when his weight gain resumes.

I would seriously get a second opinion before I do anything too rashly.

I hope this helps!

D.

Is your son starting a new mile stone like walking or really getting efficient with crawling? My little guy was only 16 1lbs 14 oz at his 1 year check up. He started off in the 25th percentile but by the time he was about 5 months he fell completely off the charts in his weight. In fact we were not able to turn him around in his car seat until he was 21 months old b/c that's when he finally weighed 20lbs. He crawled, walked and ran early and was always on the go. Our pediatrician wasn't concerned about him b/c he was so active. Even though he wasn't on the charts he still continued to gain weight on his curve. She did have us give him 1-2 bottles of pediasure/day for a while to help boost his caloric intake. He loved it! IT's kind of expensive but you can get the HEB buddy with the same ingredients for about half the price. Of course you need to listen to your pediatrician but as long as he is healthy and happy, I wouldn't worry to much about the scale. Hope this helps.

You have NOTHING to worry about as long as he's hitting all his milestones. My 8 month old is 14 lbs, my 2 1/2 year old is 23lbs and my 4 year old is 29 lbs. My husband and I are both small, so they come by it naturally. As long as he's not losing weight he's fine.

You didn't mention if he had any diarrhea or other signs of food allergies, but mentioned the hypoallergenic formula. Have you or your pediatrician considered the possibility?

My now 18 month old son was slow to gain weight. My pediatrician was more concerned with it than I was initially. Then he started to have diarhea and started losing weight. Again, lots of people said not to worry (my husband and I are both small), but my pediatrician pursued it and did allergy testing. It turns out he has an allergy to milk and oats (very unusual according to my pediatrician). Now that we have that figured out, he has gained a pound a month and is up to almost 23 pounds.

I would not worry about it personally. My daughter is 3 and weighs only 21 lbs. Her brother who is a yr younger weighs 30 lbs. My little girl is just petite. SHe is very healthy although her stats at the dr say she is in the 25th percentile. My sister was the same way as a child and has grown up fine. I think some kids are just small. As long as your child is not experiencing health issues to go along with it, I would not worry. Kids eat when they are hungry:)

D.
moms helping moms work from home:)
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