Need High Protien Diet Ideas for 13 Mo Old

My now 3.5 year old kept losing weight/not growing and dropped below the 3rd percentile (technically classified as failure-to-thrive). They diagnosed her with acid reflux but even after giving her meds (which in hindsight I now know killed all her good bacteria/digestive juices then replaced it with medical ones -- not what she needed!) she just didn't seem to gain weight, despite eating far more than my other friends' kids. At the same time she was diagnosed with food allergies as well as global developmental delay (so she has several other things challenging her body besides not growing)

After having no luck with traditional western medicine, I found a homeopathic md (Dr. Margaret Gennaro in Fairfax, VA -- I HIGHLY recommend her) and we started enzymes and probiotics to help her digest and utilize her food (as well as other things to help her with her other issues). In her case her body just couldn't use the nutrients of the food she was taking in, so no matter how many calories she got, she wasn't using them.

She's now on the normal growth chart (10-15%) and doing very very well.

The supplements are expensive but very worth it (imo).

I also second the recommendation to get her assessed by ChildFind or Early Intervention Services through the county if she is having any other issues/challenges. They were very helpful in getting our daughter the help she needs to grow and thrive.

Feel free to email me directly if you want more info and good luck -

L., wife, sahm, part-time writer, mom to 2 girls, 9.5 and 3.5

my daughter has a milk allergy. So she is on soy milk. There is more prtien in soy milk compard to cows milk. Soy is now fortified with calcium. The only thing to worry about is colesteral. Your daughter still needs that for brain development. It is found in all animal products. One egg is all she needs! Hope the best for you!

Great advice below. Beans, as someone said, are an excellent food for protein -- combine them with rice for a "complete protein" that's also vegetarian and high in fiber! A good product if she likes yogurt is "Greek yogurt." Yogurt processed this way tends to have a LOT more protein per serving than regular yogurts (these have 10 to 17 grams of protein per serving, and that's two or more times what regular yogurts contain). Brands available around here (in Whole Foods, Giant and I think Safeway too) are Oikos brand, made by Stonyfield Farm; Fage brand; and Brown Cow. You may need to flavor these some with fruit-only spreads if she's used to sweet yogurts; they do come in flavors but not as sweet as kids sometimes are used to. Another product is a "double the protein" bread that's available in most stores --can't remember the name but the label has bright green on it. Be warned, though, that it seems very moist and will spoil if left on the counter, I find. Meanwhile, take care that she not get too used to sweetened foods, flavored milks and sweet supplement drinks, or super-processed foods, or there could be issues later in her life with too much sugar etc.

Avocados are great - healthy fats with mild taste. You can mix them into soups, smoothies, etc.

Nut butters are another excellent source. See if she likes almond butter with date jam on bread (sandwiches cut into fun shapes). Or try mixing the nut butter into oatmeal with cinnamon, sugar, etc.

Good luck!

the best diet for everyone is a vegetarian diet. Offer your child whole wheat bread and oatmeal and corn and rice with lots of fruits and vegetables and nut butters and beans. There are lots of whole grain cereals on the market. Cow milk is not so good. It is the number one food allergy. Soy milk is better. If the doctor says your child is healthy, then don't worry if she is small. I was a very small child too until I reached puberty. Kids grow in their own time. AF

I use Body FX. It is a true meal replacement shake that has 50% of the DV of essential nutrients, plus it has 10 grams of highly quality protein from three sources. It is broken down to the smallest digestable molecule to assure absorption. Drink this with her regular meals and she will not only get excellent nutrition, but body building proteins as well. Please respond to my email and I'll tell you where to find it.

Hi Stephanie,

You have gotten lots of feedback, so I just wanted to add a little abt my daughter. She was adopted at 15mos by us, and was just shy of 15lbs (up 6lbs from when she was with her birth family). After abt 6 mos of trying to bulk her up, we were told by the docs (there were several involved by this time) to give her 4 pediasures a day. That was everything she needed (iron, vitamins, fat, protein) for the day. Anything else that she ate was a bonus. By doing this, we were able to stop flipping out when our tiny tiny little girl decided that she didn't want to eat. We also added cheese, butter, sugar to different foods to up the calories. She is now 4 and in the 50% in height and weight. She is eating a much more rounded menu (nothing special), but definately has a sweet tooth. Luckily, fruits and a lollipop (once a week or so) seem to suffice. Our only complaint abt this diet is that she thinks that all milk should come with flavors. It is well worth the battle now to explain that milk is white, so deal with it <g>.

Good luck. One day she will just spurt up and you will be amazed.

S.

Pediasure is really your best bet as a dietary supplement. Otherwise make things with heavy cream (50kcal/tbs) when you can for her - pancakes, pudding, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, etc. Butter everything you can(and on both sides). If you are comfortable with peanut butter it is excellent for both calories and protien. Smothies are great ways to get in vitamins and calories. Know that your daughter may not grow tremendous amounts at first just because you up her calories - it takes a while for the body to store up and grow. Know that her height is way more important than her weight - if her height is tracking you are probably looking at a minor growth problem not a big one. Any growth is good even if its only two ozs. Ask your daughter to refer you to a nutritionist and check the feces for fat. You could also weigh her food for a couple of days and calculate her calories (I like the website www.calorieking.com) - she should be getting about 1000 calories per day. You are getting at least 500 from the pediasures so thats a good start.

Gone through the extra protein thng earlier this year.

Ideas:

Protein fortified pasta (like Barilla Whole Wheat) and bread ((Pepperidge Farm, I think, has a double protein whole wheat)

Avacado

Beans pureed in everything (black and white beans are simple to add to sauces, sandwiches, quesidillas, but my daughter ate them whole... briefly)

Eggs (scrambled with cheese)

Hummus and babaganoush with pita or chips for dipping

For weight gain, we also started giving half a bottle of pediasure several times per week. But you need to be careful, because if she dislikes milk, she may start asking for just pediasure.

Personally, if she is a formula baby, I wouldn't feel bad continuing her on formula for a while or mixing it with milk. There is a line of thought that kids need formula past one year, much as some babies are breastfed past one year.

What I basically learned is that if a baby is small, that itself is not always a concern. It is worse if they suddenly stop gaining weight ro fall off the weight curve. It's important to follow it with a doctor's care, but try not to worry too much.

Hi S.,

I recommend using Carnation Breakfast. My daughter also had weight gain issues and my grandmother gave her carnation mixed with whole milk once a day. It has all of the vitamins for a full meal and she gets the whole milk. She's also guaranteed to drink the chocolate. My daughter just had her 2 year checkup and she is in the 50th %tile for weight for the first time ever!

Hi there. We have the same issue with our 2 year old son, who is about 1% on the weight charts and has been hovering there for 18 months. The doctor has us giving him 2 pedisures a day (or your own "pedisure mix", which is a packet of carnation Instant Breakfast made with whole milk and 2 tsp of oil.) I know your kiddo is only 13 months so some of these things are down the road, but ideas that have started to help us are things like cheese, ice cream, beans (can be mashed in anything), peanut butter products (we know our son does not have any allergies to peanuts, so this is a great protein product) and even tofu based products like Morningstar sausage and patties. Can you see a dietician? They have many ideas! Also, we finally tapped into the county program and have enlisted the help of an OT, that is helping with sensory food issues and low muscle tone in his mouth. We have seen a difference in what he eats now (quantity wise as well), so may be worth your time getting an evaluation to see if that may help you. Good luck!

I would go with the enzymes and probiotics as they did soooo much for my daughter. Renew Life is a good one as it comes in caps and can be opened so it can be mixed in applesauce(i just did one to two bites)plus it's not bad tasting. Also we got ours from Vitacost as it's half the price of a health food store and it comes stright to your door.

Hi.
If your girl was formula fed, I would take to the dr. about continuing on the NextStep powder. Its formula for 12-24m. My daughter was on it until about 18m. If she doesn't like whole milk, try using 2%. My daughter doesn't like whole milk but will drink 2% all day.

Have you considered introducing V8 juice, etc?

Some other ideas:
cheese roll-ups
pigs in a blanket
vienna suasages/meat sticks
homemade smoothies