Little One Not Gaining Weight...

Nothing to worry about. It's kinda nice to be able to let them eat all the fries and chocolate and ice cream that they want. My son is almost 4 and still weighs less than 30 lbs. He's skinny and never stops moving and 25%-ile for height. Healthy as an ox.

My sister's youngest was very skinny when he was younger (still is at 5), but her pedi had her give him a cup of milk with carnation instant breakfast mixed in every night before he went to bed. I don't know that it did too much because he's still skinny, but he's very healthly and active too. It's just how he's going to be and they are no longer concerned about it.

I wouldn't worry about it. I'm sure your son is active, just make sure he eats healthy. It's all that really matters. Do not create fat cells just to please a Doctor. Fat cells are there for life. Reality is the health of your child is more important than what he weighs in comparison to other kids his age. My daughter's pedi wanted to "make her grow taller". My son had the blood test because of his weight. He's 2yrs now and still 24 lbs. It's nothing to worry about. Don't stress over it.

My son had trouble gaining weight after he started walking which was at 9 months. He still doesn't weigh as much as an average 3 year old but he's healthy and has really healthy eating habits. When he was younger (around 15 months) we kept a diary of what he eats to show the pediatrician that he does eat a lot so he's not concerned. He runs and plays a lot; talks non-stop and is very smart so I'm not that concerned that he's underweight.

I do give him yogurt to help fatten him up and to make sure he gets enough protein. He loves Fage yogurt which is a Greek yogurt that is very nutritious and recommended by a pediatrician in my family. My sister gave her son milkshakes to help him gain weight but I think that prevented him from developing better eating habits-at ten years old, he's still a picky eater and fills up on liquid. I try to count my blessings, my son might not weigh enough but he eats plenty of veggies, fruit, yogurt, cheese and will hopefully keep these healthy habits. He's also very happy and healthy. I think we pay too much attention to those height and weight percentiles.

As long as his blood work is fine, I wouldn't worry about it. Good luck.

Hee hee, I hope you were joking on the twinkies and milkshakes.

I agree with everyone else that there is probably nothing to worry about and once you get the blood work it will most likely confirm that and help you to relax.

But in the meantime, may I suggest some fruit smoothies. They are yummy. One version is to juice a few oranges on a citrus juicer (very cheap at Wal-mart) and then put that in a strong blender with some frozen bananas and/or strawberries. My son loves this and it has lots of healthy calories. I'm sure you can find other recipes on the web. You can also add some protein in the form of whey if you want.

If he is eating milk and cereal for breakfast, then maybe you could add a couple of eggs (boiled or whatever). If he likes nut butters then there are a variety out there you could try - almond, tahini (technically a seed butter), etc. They can be put on toast, in a smoothie, on a celery stick, or diluted for a salad dressing.

Take care.

I have a 15 month old son that weighs 20.4 lbs as of last week. He is only in the 10th percentile for weight, but that is right on his growth curve, so they are not worried. I try adding heavy cream to his sippy cup of milk. I also feed him ground flax seed in everything like yogurt and things I can hide it in. You can google high fat foods and try feeding him healthy high fat foods. My son loves avocado. I would stay away from twinkies, but milkshakes are actually very healthy. I have been using the book Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron to figure out what to give him. As long as you are giving him healthy, nutritious food choices and he is eating, you shouldn't worry. He will eat when he is hungry and as long as he isn't falling off his growth curve, he is OK. Good luck. I know how hard it is to get them to eat....

My son is exactly the same way. He will be two next month and weighs almost 25 pounds. There is not a thing wrong with him medically. He eats all the time, and well but he NEVER stops moving unless he's asleep! His doc said he just instantly burns all calories because he is so active (I call him my little nightmare - lovingly of course! :)). One thing I did that has been putting some weight on him is that I haven't been watering his apple juice down quite as much and I have been letting him drink 3 sippy cups of whole chocolate milk every day (I figure it's better than potato chips or something - he's still getting the milk...). I think some kids are just small and you should not worry. You could also try some of those pediasure shakes. They sell them in the baby food aisle. They are a bit pricey so I opted for the chocolate milk paired with a multi-vitamin. Try not to worry! I'm sure he's fine, just small like my little man.

I would get in touch with a nutitionist and see what they say. I would also try getting him to eat more protein. This may help maintain his muscle mass. It works with adults! When my son was born, I was a new mom and didn't feed him enough so he didn't gain well, but eating doesn't seem to be a problem with your fellow. If he isn't picky, that is good. I would ask your doctor for a referral to a nutritionist or find one at a hospital. At least you could contact a hospital for a referral to a nutritionist. I have found doctors are not always "giving" with information. They tell you what to do but with no help on how to get information. Best of luck and keep us posted.

I personally would go for avocado, hard boiled eggs, cheeses, whole milk and protien drinks. He might have sugar issues and twinkies and milkshakes wouldn't be very healthy.
Hope all turns out well. Some kids just go, go, go and are so active it is hard to keep weight on. My brothers and one sister had/has that problem, for them it's a problem. Most of us would love to have that problem! LOL

Has he always been slow with the weight gain? My daughter is 18 months and weighed in at 21.6 lbs at her appt last week. At 15 months she weighed 20lbs and we thought for sure she would have gained 2 lbs, but not quite. She follows the curve graph just fine...she's just petite. he sounds like he eats like her. how is he with the milk intake? Every child is different & grow at different paces. I'm sure he's ok.

I wouldn't worry but definitely let your dr check him out.

Some friends of ours have a son that had a moderate to severe problems with their son not gaining weight even though he was drinking his formula/milk and eating like normal. They had him checked out and their was a problem with his body (kidneys or pancreas issue I think) not absorbing the nutrients from his food like it was supposed to. The food was just going stright through and he was not benefiting from it much.
He goes to see a local Memphis Endocrinologist named Dr. Danish who is a wonderful dr. They put him on meds and he is fine now! Easy to fix issue.

Not to assume your child has the same problem but just something to keep in mind while your dr is testing him.

Good luck and God be with you!

Does your gut tell you something is wrong or is it just that he's small? ask yourself, if it were your daughter on the small side would you be as concerned? (I don't mean this in a negative way, just that sometimes when boys are small we worry about them not growing later more than we do our daughters - it's somehow cuter for a girl to be small) Is he following the growth curve without any sudden drops off of it? if so there is probably nothing wrong. My son just turned 5. he is 32 pounds. I remember wanting him to hit 20 so I could turn the car seat around. he did at 18 months. he was 20 pounds 1 ounce :) His doctor plots his growth on the chart and anthough he's at the lower end he is following the curve. he said that for him this is normal. Of couse if you met my son you would think he is 6 feet tall as he thinks he is. I think he's only gained 2 pounds in about 18 months. He was full term, but 5 lb 12 oz when he was born, so this may be part of it. Was your son smaller at birth? I would let the doctor run a test or two just to easy your mind, if they are not going to scare him, but otherwise unless your gut tells you to worry, just enjoy the fact that you can still carry him a bit longer without injurying your back. good luck. please keep us posted.
one more thing? is he very active? maybe he's just got a great metabolism. I think a pound in 3 months between check ups is more than what most kids gain. I think it's after the first year they slow down a bit on how fast they gain. You might want to check to see when normal weight (growth) progressions occur. if he is gaining at the appropriate times thenn maybe the amount doesn't matter so much :)

my now 4 yr old only weighs 35lbs. He was 5.1 lbs when he was born. We were sent to Duke Chhildren's Hospital and ran lots pf tests b/c he was not 20lbs when he was 15 mo. They found NOTHING wrong. I would let them run the blood test in your dr office, but it sounds like he eats good. We used to add instant breakfast into his milk to boost calorie count and pediasure is good too, but cost a lot. I now have a 20 month old daughter that just now weighs in at 20lbs. She eats fine so they are not worried, guess they are just doing to be little. Remember they have that chart from 0-100% so somebody has to be at the bottom!!!! Mine always are too. Good luck and best wishes to you and your family.

were you or your hubby small as a child? i was small and so was my daughter she was 5 pounds when born and only 16 lbs when she turned one.i personally wouldnt worry some kids are just little... good luck

My daughter was the same way and they wanted to see her soon after the check up. We did everything we could to "fatten" her up but someone said to me that if she is burning the calories she is eating then she will not gain weight". It was right around the time for me where my daughter was walking (she was a late walker). I would just advise giving your son higher fat versions of good foods. Does he eat pasta. We know the carbs are what makes us adults heavy but that is a good thing for little ones. We would make my daughter mac and cheese, give her whole milk, pasta with red sauce, veggies and fruit of course too. Really at this point, it sounds like your son is eating well so I really wouldn't worry about it. I think all kids reach a plateau and that is normal. I am sure your doctor just wants to be sure. Whatever food is your son's favorite (pizza?) then try to give him more of that. Also, maybe add more snacks. Healthy choices but more times for him to eat. Good luck!

E., as you can see, you're not alone! My son was born with a heart defect and had a pacemaker placed at 11 days old. It sits on his stomach so he has always eaten small amounts. he eats well, but stayed below the 5% until he was almost 2yr. As a baby, they had me add vegetable oil to his formula/breast milk. It didn't seem to help. I had spoken to a nutritionist about a great shake they designed, I'm afraid they would not give it to me because he was too young to eat eggs. Right now he will be 5yrs next month and weighs 32 pounds. His height is on target so no one has really fussed about his weight. He's very active, too, which helps keep his metabolism up. I do give him the Pediasure Nutripals between meals, when he's home, and just make sure he gets a balanced diet with a multivitamin. I can't stress enough that kiddos need the vitamins! We do too, because we all know we don't eat right! I have a constant battle with my teenage daughters because I'm cooking healthier and they just don't eat it. I wouldn't try the unhealthy fattening foods. He still needs good nutrition no matter how small he may be. Make sure the Dr. checks things out, as it could be something wrong, but I doubt it. He actually sounds like he is doing well. Does he drink alot of milk? My girls stayed 35 pounds for 3 years each, growing straight up, but it was partially because they would drink milk and then not eat! You could even try a milkshake with banana and peanut butter between meals. Maybe one a day, and another milkshake with blueberries and strawberries the other days. Please don't add sugar, he'll have plenty of that with the fruit! The protein is the main thing, although I would discuss with the dr before you buy any protein powders. I use one from my company for weight loss, but it suggests only 18yr and up. Natural found proteins in food will be best for him. Good luck and try not to worry too much, they make up for it the older they get. In 10 yrs you'll be like me complaining that they eat all the time!

Every child is different. My oldest was a preemie and they told us she would be a runt. Within 6 months she was in the 95% for height. My youngest child was 2 days late and she is petite. She is 9 years old and just within the last 3 months we have taken her out of the booster seat. She weighs 55 pounds and only now has 1-2 kids in her class shorter then her. Usually she had kindergartners taller then her.

If you and your husbands family are not tall there is a very good change you'll have a not so tall child. Some medications can also cause stunted growth.

I have a 21 year old son who was a toothpick the whole time he was growing up. Now he is 5'8" and only weighs 125 lbs. AND he has about a 5% body fat!!! (which is technically starvation standards) He just has INCREDIBLE metabolism, and always has. That being said, go ahead and let the drs run their tests, just to be sure there is nothing going on with his thyroid or electrolytes. (those were the two things the dr was concerned about when my son was little. they ran dozens of tests on him and found nothing wrong)
No, I would not resort to twinkies and milkshakes - but you can give him as much healthy fat as possible and make sure he gets plenty of protein. One thing we did do with our son was get some protein powder at the health food store and make shakes with rice milk (he is lactose intolerant) and fruit with the protein powder. Peanut butter is also really good, if he likes it. It has LOTS of good fat and protein as well. Just continue to feed him a good diet and try not to worry! God bless.