Seeking Advice to Help Toddler Gain Weight

if she is on the growth curve, is there really that much reason for concern? can you seek out a second opinion?

also, i think some of the growth curves are a load of crock. they are based on actual weights of babies. no one ever said those weights were even healthy, considering the trend towards being over weight and obese in this country. maybe you can find a growth curve for asian babies. it might be different. you never know!

in any case, if your daughter will try yogurt, i suggest greek or mediterranean yogurt. i got a brand called "mediterrane" from whole foods. it has 8% milk fat. i think just half a cup a day of that will quickly put on some pounds. at her age, fat is good for brain development, so you shouldn't be concerned about it. you do have to look at the label though. some greek yogurts are nonfat, etc. look at the total calories in the serving and compare the fat calories to lowfat yogurt. it should be 2 or 3 times as much as a typical lowfat yogurt.

My son always seemed 'underweight' to me. He has always been the thin one out of all of his friends. He's four now. I used to worry a little, but his pediatrician told me how "refreshing" it was to see a child who wasn't overweight! He said well over 80% of the children he treats is overweight. And my son was right where he should be. He didn't reach 30lbs. until just about four months ago. The only advice I have for you is, DON'T stress about what she eats! And DON"T try to push food on her. If she feels pressured about you standing over her and trying to make sure she eats more, it'll just turn her off. Just put her plate in front of her, when she's done, she's done. She won't let herself starve. If you obsess over her eating more, it will give her a complex about food that will stay with her for the rest of her life. Just chill and be creative. Make her whole milk milkshakes with some pediasure mixed in, put creamy cheese sauce on her veggies, make silly faces and shapes out of her food. Good luck to you!

- Get a second opinion.

- How is her energy level? is she active? does she get to eat and drink whenever she wants? is she dehydrated? If she's active and clearly not dehydrated she may just have a metabolism and body type that are small. The growth charts that some pediatricians use were based on caucasian formula fed boys, and it turns out they were actually overweight. Make sure she's not being compared to them. With all the hooplah about childhood obesity these days, you may find yourself pushing food on your daughter now only to develop habits that will end up having her pediatrician later tell you she's overweight.

My daughter (now 4 1/2) was exactly the same - underweight and went through all kinds of testing to find that she is just that - petite. I was told to butter all her veggies (which she won't eat buttered) and do pediasure (which she hated). But - if you do milkshakes with the pediasure and use full fat vanilla ice cream and add some powdered milk for some extra nutrients, it is tolerable. My daughter had one of these 'special' shakes every night (she only liked the strawberry - so try all the kinds to find what is liked best). she only got 1/3 of the can down per night along with about 1/8 cup of ice cream, but had a nutrient pack with the powdered milk. Even that little bit helps the calorie count and because it's a 'special milkshake' she was willing to do it. I even let her push the buttons on the blender for me, so she felt she was making her own. There is also a cook book called "Feed me! I'm Yours" by Vicki Lansky - has some great children's recipes in there. It's old though - I had to find my copy on ebay. Just remember - if there is nothing clinically wrong - she's just petite and it won't help to worry so much. Just make sure she has nutritious and calorie rich options and make it fun. She will learn that it can be fun! My daughter is still the smallest of her age (she looks almost 2 years younger than she really is), but she is perfectly healthy and happy.

You could try yummy protein shakes with frozen organic fruits and yogurt. Our girls love them! We will add stevia or organic honey to sweeten up the shakes too. A full-fat yogurt in vanilla flavor seems to be their favorite and we add 2 to 4 scoops of the Nutrilite Protein powder, which has up to 50 grams of whey protein to the shake. Sometimes, our whole family enjoys these yummy shakes for dinner too! at www.bbu4u.mychoices.biz you can purchase the Protein shake. Plus we give our kids the Nutrilite Children's multi-vitams so regardless of how little or what they eat at least we know they are getting the nutrients their bodies need. They LOVE the Brainiums too, which is loaded with DHA and Omega 3's for healthy hearts and brains.

Our daughters love the Meal Replacement Bars. Blueberry is the family favorite. We give our tiny little one these bars for snacks. They also love the shakes. There are some fantastic organic nutritional products and supplments on this site your family will love. Rather than chemicals or other products that have not been researched and proven, we feel so much better knowing we're feeding ourselves and our girls the very best. You can research Nutrilite products for your family at www.nutrilite.com and again, purchase through www.bbu4u.mychoices.biz.

Let me know how you like them and which products your daughter loves. The best part is shipping is free on orders $75 or more and all Nutrilite products are 100% 180-day, unconditionally guaranteed. Even if you eat the whole box of bars, finish the vitamins, polish off the shake, they will take them back if you are not 100% satisfied, plus pay for return shipping. We felt we had nothing to loose and love these products so much, we proudly share them with our friends and family.

Feel free to call me too, T.. I'm in the Lafayette area and welcome your call ###-###-####.

Hi,

I would recommend Instant Breakfast over Pediasure. My daughter had a hard time gaining weight, too. When she was 20 months old I think she was only 18 pounds. Now, at 4, she has reached 30 pounds. She started falling off her growth curve at about 13 months, but had caught up by the time she was 24 months. She is still picky and only in the 10th percentile for weight, but the doctors are no longer concerned about her growth.

Supplementing really helped. She liked Instant Breakfast better than Pediasure and it has about the same nutrition and is cheaper. Be careful not to get the sugar free kind though, I did by mistake once. She still has it every once in a while, and we still call it "Big girl milk".

Full-fat yogurt is also good. So is peanut butter...hopefully she doesn't have a peanut allergy. I don't remember now what the recommended age is to start peanuts, but it is a good protein, fat and calorie source. I would try bananas, too, they have more calories than other fruits.

I also had to wean her completely - I had been holding on to that last night feeding. The fat content in breast milk decreases quite a bit after 6 months or so.

Best of luck...hang in there, I know it is very stressful!

J.

My daughter is 4 and weighs 28 lbs! I know what you're going through since we actually have another blood test that she has to get. Every year since she was born, we've had to go the the doctor for weight checks almost every 3 months. She's not on the "curve", so they sent us to a dietician. Along with a nutritionist, they had us use "Duocal", it's powdered extra calories that's tasteless & odorless that you can mix into her food or drink. While My daughter has gained a whopping 2 lbs since last December, it might work for your daughter better. I have a very active pre-schooler, who happens to be a picky eater so it's extra challenging for us, but when we go to our final weight check after the blood test, hopefully, we can get a better resolution. Good luck and hope she gains the weight! :) (it could also be that she's just going to be petite - not every child has to be obese or weigh an x amount to be considered healthy. Asians - like me (my daughter's 1/2) were not born to weigh as much as others. Try not to worry, as long as your daughter is healthy, active and is not showing any symptoms that should concern you, let her be. You know best, remember that!!!)

My 14 month old son had (still has) trouble gaining weight and was referred to an endocrinologist... after ruling out most diseases they told me to give him Pediasure every day (at first he didn't like it, so we mixed it with formula or milk, now he drinks it straight), lots of meat and potatoes, mac & cheese, whole milk cheeses and yogurts, avocados, and anything with good fat in it. He was 18 pounds at 1 year and now is almost 20 pounds 2 months later! He is still at the very bottom (actually off the bottom) of growth charts, but this gain is good. Hope that helps.

My niece is 20 months old and is also 20 pounds. Although my neice is a very active, healthy little girl, I know it a source of stress for my sister-in-law, especially since my 12 month old already outweighs her. Her doctor recommended that they try to sneak in some fats in her favorite foods. They cook her veggies with butter and add cream cheese to her toast. They also offer yogurt smoothies throughout the day. I don't know that it has helped much because she's such a picky eater, but at least they feel like they're doing everything they can.

I wouldn't compare weight with age! Shouldn't your doctor be comparing her weight with her length and overall health and build instead of her age? I know a 17 year old that is barely over 5 foot, and weighs 75 lbs. She's a twig, and naturally so. No eating disorders or malnutrition. Just petite and slender, but she can really hold her own! My daughter is 5 and in the 75th percentile, and has always been tall and stocky for her age, but looking at my growth charts, I was shorter and lighter than she at the same age and considered to be in the 90th percentile. They keep changing the standards. If your child is presented with a healthy well rounded selection of foods and eats a good amount of protein, complex carbs and veggies, and is not showing any symptoms of declining health (pallor, weight loss, vomiting or diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, fatigue or attention span problems) then she is probably getting what she needs. I'd stay away from the weird formulas and stuff and just find a good, age appropriate child's multivitamin to further balance her diet if you haven't done so already. The best that I found was a brand called Natural Factors. Sweetened with a little Fructose and no weird additives. Hope my little rant helps... I get angry when I read stuff like this because we have had SO MANY problems with Dr's trying to treat non-existent "health issues" while ignoring or downplaying issues that turned out to be a really big deal. Good luck!

The pediasure is to keep her electrolytes up. You can add in other fruit juices to make it taste better.
I'd contact Kelly Dorfman at kellydorfman.com She is an excellent nutritionist. If she's not taking new clients, ask her for a recommendation as to whom you could see out here. Our son couldn't gain weight either for a long time. It's a serious problem that you need to be vigilent about addressing. Are you sitting down and eating with her? You have to make mealtime only mealtime...no TV or other distractions.

What are her poops like? Solid, soft? Diarhea is a problem. Is the food she's eating getting digested? Can you see the food, in essence, going in one end and out the other? If so, perhaps your doctor could recommend UCSF childrens gastrointestinology. They have nutritionists and a program to help kids who aren't gaining weight.

Not to worry T., my son was always below the 5 %ile at his well baby check ups, he was 7 lbs exactly at birth. Around 3 he started to even out with his peers, but still in the less than 25 %ile range. He started Kindergarten when he was 5 and there were actually kids smaller than him! He is not even the smallest in his first grade class now. I was scared and would leave dr. appointments near tears, the bottom line is that some kids are just small. My pediatrician finally understood when she had "underweight" children of her own. If you feel your child is healthy than she probably is!

Hi T.,
Your daughter sounds like mine. She's half filipino, one fourth mexican & one fourth caucasan, 32 months old & only weighs 25 pounds. She loves her veggies, fruit & cheese too. My husband & I were both somewhat small children as well. My daugher is also a twin, but her brother outweighs her by at least 10 pounds. Our doctor is not concerned about her weight though - she has 4 young kids herself & says that it's normal for toddlers to sometimes seem like their eating nothing at all in a day, just as long as they have enough fluids & don't appear lothargic or lacking in energy. We give our daughter a multivitamin everyday (1/2 of a Flintstone's chewable & the other 1/2 goes to her brother) & we just try to feed her foods that she likes so that we know she'll eat. Other than fruit, she loves bread, cheese, yogurt & chocolate milk, which can all contribute to weight gain, but kids are so energetic at this age that they probably burn most of everything they eat, so it might help to give her larger portions of her snacks (healthy of course) & larger portions in her meals. If she doesn't like the pediasure, try the yogurt drinks that they make for kids - there's different characters on the containers like Blues Clues, Dora, Diego, etc... My twins love them & would probably drink 5 apiece if we let them. Hope this helps you a little bit.

I know it's easier said then done, but try not to worry about her weight so much. If she's happy and healthy and growing in height? then she's just fine. I'm glad she doesn't like pediasure it's loaded with sugar and not good for her at all it's basically sugar water with vitamins in it. Have you tried to give her a multi vitamin? Also children really slow down on weight gain in the second year of life. If your really concerned about what her doctor says maybe you should get a second opinion to ease your mind. Also, have you tried plain whole milk yogurt, all my kids loved it and it's good for the tummy and has alot of fat in it. Good luck and it sounds like your doing a great job!

ok so I am having a similar issue.... I have twins (they were full term 5lbs 4oz. 5lbs. 14oz at birth) they are now 27 months old and just now weigh 23lbs my doctors have been on me about it this whole time and with no real idea on why....well I was doing some family history and see that half of my husbands family is very tiny my girls are health and active plus have a great appetite...I think sometimes doctore read too much on "standards" everyone is diffrent and I think you would notice if something was wrong medically so I hope this eaises your mind a bit

Hi T., I have two girls who are both teeny for their age. They were born a normal weight - 6-11 and 7-6, but have been in the low weight percentiles for every check-up since about 6 months old. My 22 month old is still only 22 pounds (with her clothes on) and my 3.5 year old is just under 33 pounds. The dr is always worried, but since they are healthy and I know they eat, I don't worry, so since you say she eats fruits and veggies, I wouldn't worry.

What my dr. suggested is: put butter on everything - veggies, bread, etc.; give whole-fat yogurt if she'll eat it; bagels with cream cheese; cheese on veggies; etc.

Again, though, if she seems healthy, and is eating healthy foods, don't worry too much. I firmly believe some babies are meant to be tiny and others are big. They aren't all the same (just like the rest of the world).

Hi T.,
You sound like a wonderful mom, I wouldn't worry too much at all. Your daughter is healthy...that's what's important. Being petite should not be looked upon as something to be concerned about...at least at her age.

I would get a second opinion and DO NOT STRESS! Our daughter is also 20 months and weighs 21 pounds as of last weeks Dr. visit.

You're right on by trying to introduce new foods, she'll eventually like them - just don't stop trying.

Keep up the good work and don't stress. :)
God Bless.

T., please try not to worry. I'm sure there is nothing wrong with your daughter. My daughter (now 7) was the exact same way. She was also 20 lbs. at 20 months and the doctor started freaking out. I had tried explaining to her that on my side of the family the children were just petite and have very high metabolism. My sister is 29 and is still about 100lbs. The doctor didn't take my word for it and sent us to a nutritionist to get her diet evaluated. When the nutritionist heard my daughter's average daily food intake she laughed and sent us home. As I suspected, my daughter just had a very high metabolism and was going to be smaller than her friends. It has actually turned out to be really nice. Whereas most babies grow out of their clothes really quickly, mine got to wear everything for quite a while. She is now 7 and about 45 lbs. and totally within the normal weight range. I love her size. Unlike most of her friends' parents, I can still pick her up when she gets hurt without hurting my back and she's still small enough to comfortably sit on my lap. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to feed her when she's hungry, as often as that may be, and as long as she's healthy, don't stress about it. Enjoy her small size. Just think...you won't have to worry about her being overweight like so many other kids today. :O) Good luck!

Hi T.,
I read your post and thought I'd share some food ideas that I use with my son, who is 20 months today - it goes so fast!! He is 28 pounds, he is lean and tall, but he has a great appetite. Does your daughter like milk? Very high calorie and you can make her Ovaltine, which tastes like chocolate milk, but has lots of vitamins. Have you tried smoothies? You can sneak some great food into them, like yogurt, milk, soy milk, etc. Mix in her favorite fruit and put it in her favorite cup. My son likes to drink out of my glass with a straw! We are not vegetarians, but our son loves veggie products like Boca Nuggets - made from soy protein, but very yummy, Garden Burgers, chicken sausage, ground turkey, pasta with butter and parmesean cheese. He also loves cereal bars, which are fortified with vitamins. I hope this helps. Good luck! - L.

Hi,
I have a 25 month old who is 21 pounds. We have gone through every test possible to make sure she is healthy (which were all negative). She also loves fruit and vegetables, but we have worked really hard to put fat into her diet - avocado, olive oil, yogurts....she eats pretty well, but is very active and petite. My advice is that we have stressed about since she was a newborn and at the end of day if she has a lot of energy and has a healthy iron level (which they can test with a finger prick), just slowly try to offer her the fats she needs, but don't push it and don't show your anxiety. Go with your instincts...not all kids are built the same. Good luck.

Hi T.,

My daughter was the exact same way. She was 6 1/2 pounds at birth, but then she grew very slowly. I just checked her chart, and at her two-year checkup she weighed 21 lbs. She was always off the bottom of the chart. My neighbor would even tell me to feed her junk food to fatten her up. I never listened. I only offered her healthy food. I figured that as long as the little bit that she ate was good food, then I knew she was getting what she needed. What good would filling her up with junk do? Just fatten her up but not give her nutrients.

The doctor had me weigh her every week for the first few months of her life, but then he just said that that was the way she was. She was healthy otherwise, so he didn't worry. He told me that her body knew what it needed and that she didn't need a lot to sustain her small frame.

My daughter is now five. She is still on the petite side, but she is very healthy. She has never eated a lot and still doesn't. She now weighs 35 pounds and her brother, who just turned two, weighs 31 pounds (10 pounds more than she weighed at two). So that goes to show that each child is different, even if they come from the same parents.

So if your daughter is healthy otherwise, I would not worry at all about her weight. As long as she eats healthy foods, just let her eat what she wants. I don't think heavy weight equals healthy child. My daughter turned out just fine. I would offer her food often and not offer her any junk foods at all. If she eats very little, you want to make sure not to fill her up with useless calories. Just make every bite count, and she'll be fine.

it's really nice to know I'm not the only one!! My son was a healthy alert active sweet and very engaging little baby & boy. Even now at 5 1/2 years old, he is barely pushing 30 pounds.

I guess there isn't much I can tell you by way of how to fatten her up except NOT TO WORRY!

Her loving fruits & veggies is great! My son has always eaten very well when it comes to variety of foods, healthy choices, etc but never very much.

He REFUSED to eat bread if I'd so much as put butter on it, aah! So I had to just let him eat what he would eat, just so he would eat! He finally started accepting butter on bread & pancakes etc about 4yo and he is finally starting to accept peanut butter (When we started Kinder this year, since his lunch is the last shift of the day at the elem school (they have snack mid-morning) I'd make him Nutella sandwiches. (Nutella, if you dont know, is basically a chocolate hazelnut spread, mm yummy) Then I went to mixing PB and Nutella together for a long time. Then a few days ago while I was making lunch for him and other kids at a friend's house, he actually asked for straight peanut butter alone without the jam! I didnt make a big deal but inside my mind, I was going wow,really?!

He is eating much more than he used to (on some days) and I notice that the days he eats dinner better (as in a good dinner-sized amount for a tiny tummy) are the days that he ate a snack right after school (3:45ish) instead of 4:30-5ish and then not being hungry for dinner when it is ready. So I try to remember to make him eat right away, then have him *not* eat in the hour before dinner so he will eat a regular sized amount of dinner instead of just picking at it. I dont know if that's good with a >2 year old tho. Just what I'm doing now with a 5yo.

MAIN THING IS: She eats healthy. She is not *losing* weight. Remember too that you are small, and you were probably that little as kids too. (my DH and I were both barely 100 lbs in high school. And my son's car seat holds up to 100 lb!?! Talk about weight inflation!)

Oh and speaking of car seats.... I finally got fed up with waiting for him to hit 20 lbs so he could be turned around to a forward facing car seat. (state law was 1 yr old and 20 lbs before turning around) I finally turned him around at about 15-16months and he was still under 20 lbs. Car rides were much happier after that when he could look ahead and I could see him also.

Hi T.--- I would also seek the consult of other medical providers if you are really concerned. My little one is only 28lbs and she is 4yrs she is also very petite. Do some research about ideal body mass index and the trends from the 60's to now.. some of the data is interesting. Some docs are very concerned with the weight and HT and some are not...ie; the child is growing in ht but not wt or vs. versa. Anyway... Encourage what you can.. follow the docs advice,request a nutritionist consult if need be and relax at the dinner table.

T.,

My son was 6 lbs. 8 oz when he was born and he was like your daughter as he was always thin. He also weighed 20lbs. at 20 months. I would not be overly concerned about it as my son was thin like that until he was into his teens. As long as she is getting all her daily nutrition. Some kids are just thin for awhile. Does she like brown rice with her vegetables mixed in. Yogurt with her fruit. I never fed my son baby food so he did not get all the processed sugar in things. Just get a good book on baby nutrition and make sure she is getting her daily nutrition requirements. Do not stress out. Hugs, C. M

Hi, I have a six year old boy who was 18 pounds at 2 years old! He was 8 pounds when he was born, and totally normal. Now he's almost seven and still thin, but not short anymore. I have five kids and every single one of them is very different. My advice; don't worry. Moms know if something is wrong with their child.

If she is very healthy, that's the end of your inquiry. I know a girl, now about 13, who was 22 pounds at 2 years old. She was and is a perfectly healthy girl. If you and your husband were small as children, well then of course your daughter may be small too.

Way to go with the fruits and veggies! Pat yourself on the back, don't worry, and do whatever helps you relieve the stress.

my friend who had this problem with her twins began sauteeing everything in butter - and sneaking calories into food whenever possible. this way, she was able to increase the calorie content w/o beginning unhealthy eating patterns like cookies, cake and ice cream. i think she began baking really fattening bread and muffins (adding butter and oils to her normal recipe).

also, have you tried smoothies? you could add protein powder, soy, or cream/ice cream to pack in some extra calories. once your daughter reaches a healthy weight you can make them with low-fat yogurt.

your doctor should have suggestions beyond pediasure and should reccomend a nutritionist who can give you ideas for developing a healty, high-calorie diet out of your daughter's favorite foods.

good luck!

I too have very petite toddlers (girls) & they always measured in the bottom 5th percentile in their physical & weight measurements. I started looking into nutitional supplements like pediasure, but they had a lot of garbage in them that I didn't like giving my kids anyway. There should be a *healthy* way to gain weight, right? I did some research & found Juice Plus+. There are a lot of distributors on here, including me. But that is how much I believed in it. We got our 1st daughter on the gummies when she was 1yr. old. And then when she was 1 1/2 we decided to become distributors & we started taking the capsules. And I felt so much more healthy! My daughter did NOT "plump up", but she did get to the 20th percentile. Now she's almost 5 & I think at the 50th %.
I love it, my kids love taking them....they actually beg me for them every morning!
You can contact any JP+ distributor on here too, but my website is www.WholeFoodsFamily.com
There is TONS of info on there & sometimes it can be overwhelming, so don't hesitate to contact me with questions.
Hope this helps!
A.

Try not to worry, some children are just small. Rule out any metabolic or medical problems first. Then just offer as many kinds of food as possible (you may need repeated offerings before children "take" to certain foods). Learning to eat a variety of foods will make for a better, more diverse diet as she ages as well. Have you tried peanut buttter on bite size peices of bread? Toddler meal "shells and cheese"? You may also want to try a strict mealtime schedule without snacking. Then children are hungrier at mealtimes. They eat more once they figure out these are the only times they get to eat. Be ready to put up with crankiness during the adjustment to a schedule they are not yet used to - hungry children are cranky. Offer one food at at time until she is full/done with her meal so she doesn't get as distracted playing with multiple foods. My 19 mo. old son is too busy to bother eating much at daycare and when he comes home, he is no longer distracted, realizes he is hungry and quickly becomes grumpy until he eats (of course he eats very soon after coming home). He eats really well! It wasn't planned this way, but I learned being a little hungry has some value. She will probably always be a little small which is fine, she probably only needs to gain a little weight for her doctor to be less concerned. Otherwise, as long as she is healthy and meeting her developmental milestones, try not to worry.

hi T.,

I had a similar situation except that my son ate lots of fatty foods in addition to fruits and veggies, and still didn't gain weight. I also noticed that he had lots of poops, often right after meals. It seemed like he wasn't absorbing the food.

What worked for us was to use probiotics. You can get it at stores like Whole Foods or alternative pharmacies, and it usually has Lactobacillus in it, in addition to other cultures. You could check with the person on duty for more information. What it does is help re-establish the good bacteria in the gut so that food is better absorbed.

I mixed the probiotics into his breakfast oatmeal every morning for several months, and from the first day on, it seemed like his cheeks got rosier and rounder. His digestion seems to have improved in general. I hope this might help your situation too! Good luck to you!

If she likes fruits and veggies try avocado. That will help out. I had a friend that had a very petite little girl as well and that was one of the main suggestions. Make sure she's getting whole milk and more "fatty" versions of yogurt and cheese. Also - if you can get her to eat peanut butter with her apples - that can help. My son doesn't eat much and is quite thin so I try to give him the "fat" yet healthy version of foods to try and keep some calories on him. He doesn't like pediasure either. The frozen yogurt idea is good too. I get "gogurt" type tubes from Trader Joes and stick them in he freezer and Josh thinks they are Ice Cream.

Good luck!

Stress causes all kinds of imbalances. It makes your blood acidic even if you are eating really well. It may be possible that your stress is affecting her. Learning EFT for free has been amazing for me and I don't stress out about anything anymore. It always took me at least 40 minutes to fall asleep and now I can go to sleep within 5 minutes or even shorter. Here is the website for Emotional Freedom Technique http://www.emofree.com
and you can call me if you need help through anything.
###-###-####
Love, L.

Dear T., I am no expert but I am a mother of 4 soon to be 5. I have a 7,5,3,2 year old and my fifth will be born in April. I have had picky eaters as well. In fact my 5year old son is going through an extreme picky eating fase right now. My advice to you is have lots of healthy snacks for your little one left out several times a day. If she is free to do things herself she just might eat. Maybe set up a big girl seat just for her at the table, or give her a little girl table she can use to eat at or play at. Give her little kids untinsils to use like as if she is making her own food. I know my kids for some reason at this age loved hotdogs. Does not sound like the best thing but sometimes if that is what they will eat then so be it. But it is great that she is healthy. Make sure she has enough activity during the day as well that might help to work up her appitite. I hope some of this advice will work. I have a niece who is the same way very skinny she is 21/2 years old and my 2year old weighs more than her. Kids go through so many picky fases it's crazy sometimes but we love them. Good luck, M.

HOLA You can certanly add protien powder to any foods your child eats. Shakes are easier to disguise the texture but play around with what foods it works best in.You can also put the cheese that she does like into other foods. Mixing it in beans or layering it in pasta.Sometimes textures are an issue for kids so notice what type of foods have the texture that she will eat and try to focus on similiar foods. Just some thoughts from a mother of three and a registerd nurse.

I have an 18 month old and the doctor was concerned about his weight as well. He also has some asian in him. We consulted a nutritionist and everything is fine, he is just on the smaller size. We added butter or olive oil to everything he ate-he still prefers to eat his veggies pureed which was helpful in adding butter/olive oil., fortunately he likes yogurt too and that helped as well. Will she drink milk? We had to stir in a little chocolate for him to drink milk. Good luck to you.

Hi T.,
I totally understand where you are coming from. I have three kids and my youngest (15mos) is the smallest baby I've had. As long as he your baby has been tested to rule out any disorders, your Baby is perfect. As americans we have this pressure to have chubby babies (especially me) and the fact is most americans are over weight. Don't feel like your baby is too skinny. As long as is gaining weight and is healthy and eating healthy foods..she is fine. (again, after any other disorders are ruled out) my son just turned 15 mos and I believe he is about 22 lbs?...he looks fine. skinny chicken legs, but he is healthy. he eats good. one thing you didn't mention, are you still breastfeeding? a lot of times when you're still breastfeeding the baby wont take in enough calories and fat from solid foods becuase they are still preferring the breastmilk (my challenge). one important thing as well, is her weight to height comparison. If she is also short..and her percentages are close then she is pefectly fine. Good luck, and most of us moms go through the same thing-you're not alone. good foods my son likes are whole milk yogurts and cottage cheese. avacado...and whole milk of course.

I recommend you get the book Superbaby Food. It has lots of good ideas about what to make for babies/toddlers. It's not specifically for gaining weight (the recipes are actually somewhat healthy things), but it has fun ideas of things you can make that will help overall consumption. That being said, I think doctors worry way too much about our children's weight. If you were both smaller children AND if your daughter seems healthy otherwise, I would try not to worry about it. They all go through periods of wanting to eat more or less, depending on their physical needs. If she weren't eating anything, there might be more reason to worry. My sister's little girl has always been slender but very tall--probably about the same weight as your little girl. My sister just couldn't get her to gain weight either. She is almost 3 now, still very petite, but active, happy and healthy. Good luck to you.

I feel for you. The most important thing to remember is that she is healthy. I had a similar problem with my now 3 1/2 yr old daughter. Everyone was worried that she wasn't gaining enough weight--as an infant mostly. She was not on any growth curve (she created her own). Everyone wanted me to suppliment with formula but she wouldn't take a bottle. It caused me endless anxiety. Now she is only about 35lbs. A skinny happy sprite of a girl. As long as there is no actual health risk, follow your gut and don't feed into other people's worries. If you are worried, try other fatty things...avacado, ice cream, yogart but don't push it. Children have very little control over their lives. Eating is something they can control and she may refuse if she feels pressured. Good Luck.

i have 2 year old twins. one of which is also very tiny! she is 23 pounds and 26 months old. our ped hasn't said anything to us about it. i asked too. she said that because she is growing normally we won't worry about it! so i am surprised that your dr. is so concerned. i add a bit of soy formula to my toddlers soy milk to add a little calories. i hope this helps.

Have you tried mixing cottage cheese into her fruits and vegetables? I have an 18 month old who was eating like a horse and not gaining weight...not a picky eater either, but just not getting bigger. I started mixing cottage cheese in with her stuff and that seemed to help. Start out with small amounts and then increase it later.

You should get a second opinion. And find out really how 'worried' you should be, if at all. My understanding is that the children that the percentile numbers are abased on are midwestern kids of northern european heritage - generally big and tall. So if you and your husband are smaller than that, then your children probably will be as well.

My husband and I are small and guess what? My son was in the 5th percentile last year. Was I worried? Yes, but I tried to talk myself out of it because, really, there isnt anything you can do to control height and weight, except offer a lot of healthy foods and then let nature take its course. When my son was younger (he's 5 now) I was always stressed out and trying to shove one more mouthful into him. And so I stressed him out, so don't let your stress be noticed by your child - they pick up on these things and then you have battles which are counter productive.

I would concentrate on protein and calcium, and put powdered milk into milkshakes, et
c and make lots of yummy snacks and just enjoy your child!

Hi I know that as a parent we want our kids to eat healthy. It seems that you are doing the right thing giving fruit and veggies... so what I did is this I cooked meat or chicken made then a puree with al the veggies specially sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, then give this to them they seem to like it it was very tasty and had the good stuff starches that sometimes they won't eat. The other thing that you can do is smoothies she may not like it due to the texture but tryit just bananas and milk... and this will deffenatly make her ain some weight. on the soup kind you must use the chicken soup or beef soup wich you can make it just the same as chicken soup, then put all the veggies and meat on the food processer and the paste you can even do sandwich with, my kids love this I have 2 boys now older but this is something that I did on a reagular basis and even when I did not have your problem of hte weight I notice that they ate this and gain weight also. I hope this helps.

Good luck and just remember you are doing a good job by teaching her to eat right!

Patty

My daughter is 9 1/2 years old and weighs 45 pounds, wears a size 7 slim and a 13 shoes ... by far the smallest in her 4th grade class. The average 9 1/2 year old girl weighs 65 punds or more. For another comparison, her 5 1/2 year old brother weighs 40 pounds, wears a size 5/6 and a 1 shoe. She was one ounce shy of 8 pounds at birth. She has always been very healthy and active. After worrying about her weight and height when she was younger, we realized that people come in all shapes and sizes and she is the perfect size for her, just like our son is the perfect size for him. At 6 years old, her pediatrician ordered a bone scan to check her growth rate. We, of course, freaked out. What came back was she was fine just small. We knew that already, before we stressed for a week over what the results would be! The fun little equations to figure out her adult height put her maxing out at about 5'1". I am 5'7" and my husband is 5'9" ... she obviously picked up the small gene. My point is, if your child is healthy and maintaining a growth curve (her own is fine, as long as there is a curve, it doesn't have to be on the "average" curve), don't worry about where she is compared to everyone else. She is just fine the way SHE is, she aren't everybody else. Forcing a child to eat when they don't want o can lead to other problems later in life. Trust yourself and your child.

Hi,

We have a 17 month old son who was born almost 7 pounds and is also struggling to gain weight. We're hoping he's finally tipping the scale at 20 lbs now. My husband and I are both Chinese American and on the more "petite" side. We have Kaiser and they have been dragging us in for tests and appts with the nutritionists. It's a pain, I know. Here's what we've been told to do:

Put both nonfat milk and Carnation Instant breakfast in his before bed milk
Add butter to EVERYTHING possible (especially the veggies your daughter loves)
Try to pump the grains and carbs (our son is picky, but he loves mini raviolis from Trader Joes, pesto and quinoa)
Put cream cheese on crackers
Add gravy to his meat
Add extra eggs and mayo to foods
Avocadoes
Puddings, smoothies, french fries

It was news to me that toddlers need to eat things (like butter) that are not necessarily considered healthy for grown-ups b/c they are constantly on the move and burn through food. I was also feeding our son, lots of fruits and veggies. The best advice I have for you is to try not to worry. I know that's the hardest thing to do, but it's helped me tremendously. As long as your little one is still growing and developing, your worry will only make the problem worse. All you can do is your best. Maybe you should ask to see a nutritionist who can give you even more tips.

HI ,T.
My youngest of three girls, was tiny too .her doctor told me to let her eat what she wanted, she stayed tiny .she was in the 20% in her weight,and people acted like i starved her. And now she is 19, 5'8 and wears size 3.as long as she is still growing and looks healthy don't worry. She will be fine. Don't stress over it they pick that up.just let her be happy.don't ever force them to eat, it makes it worse. Let her eat what she likes.
Hope it helped alittle.
Vivlea

If she's not lethargic, is developing on schedule, and is acting like a normal energetic 20-month old I wouldn't worry. I have twin grandchildren (boy and girl); they were identical weights at birth (6 lbs each). They are now the same height and he outweighs her by at least 5 lbs. At her 15-month checkup she was just 18 lbs. She has always been on the low side of the weight chart, but actually eats the same amount of food he does. Her mom was always a tiny little thing. Their doctor doesn't seem SUPER concerned, but always asks a lot of questions about what she's eating, how much, etc. Since she is developing on schedule (and early in some areas), has lots of energy, etc. we aren't going to worry. Unless your daughter is vomiting, has diarrhea, is listless, etc. she is just a lightweight kid. It doesn't sound like your doctor can pin her low weight on anything --- if he/she thought it was physical he/she would order tests.

Regarding the Pediasure --- we tried Pedialight for the twins when they were sick --- they hated it and would not drink out of the cups it was offered in for WEEKS. They kept thinking we were trying to slip that Pedialight to them again!! You might try milkshakes or ice cream if you just want to put weight on her.

I have the same problem my son who is going to be 3 in may only weighs 24 lbs. he is very tiny too. my doc told me to just give him full fat everything cream cheese, yogurt milk, avocados, peanut butter, I try to sneak things in his food like eggs in his chili or cream cheese his is quesadillas. my doc didn't recommend pediasure only because she doesn't' want him to have sweet tooth. i know how frustrating it is. my toddler is very busy and hardly ever sits down for a full dinner. they just say he is a slow grower and as long as he is growing no matter how slow everything should be ok
hope this helps and don't worry to long as long as they are eating healthy foods they should be fine.:)

Hi, I really would not be to worried. You do not want to give her a complex about her weight. I have a niece that is almost 7 years old she just hit the 40 lb mark. she is very teeny, but her blood work always comes back healthy. Her sister is 3 and weighs the same. All kids are different. I would say maybe add a snack like ice cream during the day because she is being a good girl. Most of America is overweight and babies are being born 9 and 10 lbs, this has an effect on the percentile chart.I think as long as blood work comes back good, don't stress out about it.

Hi T.. I went through the same thing with my daughter when she was 1. She's 3.5 now and absolutely "normal". This really makes me angry. You never hear of doctors making parents feel bad that they're babies are too fat, and I see lots of grotesque butterball babies all day long. No wonder so many people are overweight in our society. You can't measure a child's health on a weight chart based on formula-fed causasian babies. All kids are different and they all grow at different rates. Doctors should look at the big picture and rule out other health factors like allergies or genetics, before pressuring you to fatten up your kid. (My daughter happened to be allergic to milk, flour, and tomatoes, so no wonder she didn't want to eat anything. That's pretty much most of the ingredients in everything.) Like I said, this really pisses me off. The best of luck to you. Just be the best mom you can be.

how about avocados?

Hi T.,
I have also a 20 months old toddler (boy) and he is also not more than 20 pounds. What I did was to make sure first of all that there were no diseases that stopped him from growing. So I did all the blood tests, went to a pediatric gastroentrologist (I can give you the name if you want), and even did an Xray while he was digesting things, to see if he had problems in that area.
When all was well, we just started him on a high calorie diet. That means literally, everything you've learned not to do, start doing it: butter it up (put butter into every meal she as), give some ice cream every day, use lots of nut spreads (peanut butter, nutella, etc). Also, 1 egg a day is very good, as well as yogurt, and pasta.
In addition, we recieved a medicine that made him hungry, so he would eat more. Just to see if he would grow normal then again (which he has, at least in lenght, he is still skinny).

And finally, if your daughter is going through the normal developmental steps she is supposed to, and is energetic, then you probably have nothing to worry about.

Feel free to respond, and I'll try to answer as good as I can.
E.

Hi,
I have many friends with kids who are mostly asian, or half asian. Most of them are petite, and their doctors are concerned, but at the same time just like your child, other than their weight and size they are healthy and very happy. Just keep on loving her and feeding her healthy food. Baby cereal is good and fullfilling, and so is cream of wheat and oatmeal. My grandfather used to make it for me when I was young with sugur and butter and a little milk on top. I used to mix all up and eat it. Japanese rice is also good to fattening you up in my opinion. But like I said, it isn't unusual for half asian kids to be so petite.

Hi T.,

My son has always been quite thin (he will be 5 years in May, weighs 34 lbs, and is 41.5 inches tall). His doc says he is fine and not to worry, which, clearly, is different from what your doc is saying. Usually the docs start to worry when kids fall off their own growth curves (meaning, forgetting about percentiles, etc., is the shape of your child's personal weight growth curve the shape docs like to see for healthy weight gain progression). If that has not happened with your daughter, I would get a second opinion from another pediatrician re: whether you should be concerned. Our son did fall off his own growth curve a few years back and we took him to a pediatric gastroenterologist, which I highly recommend. Our son was having stomach problems that were part of the problem. He also had some oral motor issues with eating (though not w/ talking, and no other developmental issues). Our doc referred us to an eating clinic, which I also recommend even though it drove me a bit nutty (was hard to see how it was helping while we were there, but it did!). My son loved Pediasure, though. What temperature is it when you give it to your daughter? Our son only wanted it warm, but I'm sure each child has his/her own preference. Have you tried all the flavors? Also, please keep in mind that kids often refuse new tastes at first. I remember reading that sometimes it can take over a dozen times of introducing a new food before a child will ultimately accept it. New foods can be scary for little ones! Our docs also had us add something calorie-rich to everything our son would eat. Will your daughter eat veggies dipped in ranch dressing or other dip? Covered in melted cheese? Cooked with melted butter? Will she eat fruit with whipped cream (you can make it yourself to limit the amount of sugar in it)? How about fruit with yogurt? Pasta with butter and cheese? Just butter but lots of it? Now, I know this is going to sound rediculous, but it is really important that your daughter not know how worried you are about this! She could start to develop an emotionally unhealthy relationship with food (using it as control and making matters worse, for example). Also, try to avoid negotiating with her about eating, giving food "treats" (give fun foods, by all means, but just don't treat them as special). My father was extremely thin as a child. My grandmother was an excellent cook and an excellent worrier. I think my father started to equate food with love, etc. (not sure as was not born yet!). He is now 5'10" and 350 lbs. Yipes!!! If you do not already own "Child of Mine" by Ellen Satter, please pick it up! Our ped GI highly recommended it to us, saying she thought it should be required reading for all med students planning to become pediatricians. I cannot tell you how much we relied on that book! I truly believe it prevented me from making some big feeding mistakes with my son (because I was so worried about his weight) that would have led to an unhealthy relationship with food down the road and some epic food struggles in the meantime. Again, if your daughter has not fallen off her own growth curve, get a second opinion. If she has, see if you can see a ped GI, or, if your pediatrician thinks there is no chance she is having digestive issues, see if you can get referred to an eating clinic (which include Occupational Therapists -- the best, behaviorists, and nutritionists). If not, perhaps he can have your daughter evaluated by an OT to see if she is having texture issues, not moving

I wouldn't worry too much about weight gain as long as the child is healthy. Provide healthy snacks to graze on, as that is how kids this age naturally eat. If it would make you feel better, you can try I little trick I used with my finicky granddaughter. I would make her "chocolate milk" with Carnation instant breakfast. This gives all the nutrition of something like ensure with a lot less expense, and then even if they don't eat well they get their needs met.
My oldest child was very thin for much of his toddler years, and didn't really gain much weight at all. Now, he is 34 and a VERY large and muscular man. It will all work out. Just relax and enjoy these years.

It seems like she has good eating habits. Since your Dr. is so worry maybe you shoul take her to a nutricionist, they can tell you if she is eating enouh of what she's suppose to. Or you can make an appointment with a GE dr. Don't try to feed her only to gain weight because you don't want her overweight, that's gonna be worst. Have you try giving her at least 12 onces of chocolate milk a day.

Hi T.
Don't over stress yourself. I had the same problem with my dtr at 12 mos. Since I am also very petite, I knew I didn't do much for the gene pool as far as her size. But my pediatrician really pressured me to get my dtr to put on some weight. My dtr would not touch pediasure. I had better luck with Carnation Instant Breakfast drinks. My doc also recommended extra butter on her toast and ice cream every night...just an extra high fat diet. We followed and she ate everything. After all that we may have gained a mere pound even though I had expected more. My dtr is now 3 1/2. She is now in the 40% on weight and height which is just fine. Just try to keep things in perspective and don't let your doc stress you out. My dtr was small but very healthy, active, and definitely NOT malnurished. Everyone has a different genetic make up. In the end everything turned out OK.
Good luck!

Hi T.!
I've struggled with my daughter's eating/weight for her entire life. She will be three in April and at her last Dr. visit she wieghed 24lbs. My doctor continues to tell me not to stress on her weight. The advice that my doctor gave me was.. If she is eating well, seems happy, energetic, and otherwise healthy....she's fine. My doctor did suggest that I add ovaltine (which has vitamins) to her milk in the a.m., put butter on everything, and don't make eating a big issue. I know the books say not to but, we color while she's eating and sometimes watch t.v...it works! I've finally relaxed about the eating situation and I feel much less stressed! Good luck!

You might try foods with higher fat contents. Avocados, bananas, nut butters (try to avoid peanut butter) e.g. almond butter, cashew butter. Tahini (ground sesame seeds) is a good source of fat and calcium. My son started at 9 lbs 5 oz and by 2 years was not gaining weight. He was at the 20 percentile by 3. He didn't eat much but he was healthy and very active. Don't stress too much about weight. If your child is healthy and active you don't want to overfeed him. Doctors are getting used to overweight children as there is so much obesity now. When a child is not gaining at the same rate there is often concern but it at times is unwarranted.

T.
My daughter is petite too. My advise to you is not to worry about it. Especially if you and your husband were small and she is healthy. Some kids are just small. It sounds to me that she has a healthy diet. Maybe you need a new pediatrician. I would not give my kids pediasure. It is not a natural organic product. If you would like to add healthy fats to her diet try putting a tablespoon of flax oil in her food. It has a great flavor and contains healthy calories. Good luck, J.

Hi T.,
Take a deep breath and relax. These silly doctors are always trying to stress us out with some nonsense that we don't need to worry about - they tried it with me and my son. He's 4 now and he is, by comparison to other kids, a skinny kid. But consider this, 60% of American children are obese and with skyrocketing rates of heart disease and diabetes due to being overweight - I would say underweight is just about perfect. I was a skinny kid and so was my husband - sticks until we were 30 - and we're just fine.
The really important things are:
Is your daughter happy and alert?
Is your daughter active and energetic?
Is she able to concentrate and focus?
If the answer is yes to all these, then everything is fine. Just make sure she's getting enough protein - plenty of meat, as too much diary can be very harmful. And a good amount of fat, because many vitamins are only fat soluble and also, the brain is made of fat so fat is essential for proper brain development.
A word of warning about a profit based medical system - they'll say anything to keep you coming back and a worried parent is a guaranteed cash cow! Trust your instincts - if your daughter seems healthy and happy, then she probably is.
Good luck and try the nut butters - lots of protein and good fats.
G.

Hi T.,

I have 3 children that I have struggled to "fatten up". My favorite fattening foods for little ones are: eggs, avocado, cheese, peanut butter, and whole yogurt. My kids are 5 (twins) and 3 and I still have them on this diet with lots of whole milk. I also cut out any juice as it seemed to lessen their appetite.

Hope this helps!

You can try different flavors of Pediasure (my son finally took to the vanilla one) and mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with whole milk.

Also try avocados, and sprinkle olive oil on all of her veggies.

You can also try to get a powdered supplement called Duocal. It's fats + carbs, flavorless, and each tablespoon is quite a few calories. That, plus the Pediasure, really helped my son to re-gain some of the weight he lost after a long-term bout with a bad stomach virus.

Best of luck to you!

PS: We went to Dr. Abi-Hanna in Los Gatos. He's a GI specialist, and he's wonderful.

Hi T., I have a 23 month old girl who is only 22 pounds. Like your daughter, she started out normal (8 pounds, 3 oz at birth) but started slimming down when it was time for solids. She's just not that into eating a lot, but will when she's hungry. The thing with us is our pediatrician isn't worried at all. She said it's fairly common to see the kids get slimmer as they learn about food and how to eat it over this year or two, while most of their food ends up on the floor. She said not to worry at all, and she bets my daughter will gradually gain more weight in another year or so. I hate to hear you stress out over it. Maybe you'd want to get another pediatrician's opinion?

I went through the same thing with my first child! It is very frustrating. My son mostly liked fruits and veggies as well. He ended falling off the charts for weight. He finally reached 20lbs at 2yrs. We tried to feed him all kinds of things, the doctors did lots of tests. My advice is not to worry about it too much. Each child just grows differently. When my son finally started gaining weight, his appetite increased. He is now an average sized first grader. The only thing I would have done differently is stick with offering a variety of foods. We fell into the trap of only offering what he would eat, which was very limited, and he still will only eat a very limited variety of foods (but still lots of fruit and veggies!). We are also good friends with a very small girl. She is in Kindergarten and only 29lbs. She is very healthy. Children just grow at different rates! If your child is healthy, she just might be one of the petite kids, and she will be fine!

Hi, I also have a tiny little girl. She was born at 8 pounds but now at 18 months only weights 19 pounds. She is still wearing size 12 month clothes. If she is eatting a healthy diet I would not worry too much. To get more good fat in my daughters diet I make everything I can for her with whole milk (french toast and oatmeal are her favorite). I also give her almond butter since she can't have peanutbutter yet. You can get that at Trader Joe's.

Hi T.,
Seems like you have gotten lots of good advice from other moms with similar experience. I'm just writing to let you know that you are not alone. My 19-mo old weighs only 18 lbs though weighed 7lbs 11 oz at birth. Her pediatrician is not too worried because both my husband and I are not big (we are Asian) and she has been very healthy since birth. He offered to do a blood test if we wanted to, but we didn't do it because she's been healthy and I didn't want to subject her to unnecessary poking of needle. I'm going to try some of the stuff that have been suggested (thanks to your post) and see if anything helps with her weight gain. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry too much, unless her health starts getting affected. But I know we as moms worry, so try your best to relax and just continue to give her healthy and nutritious food. Best of luck to you.

Hi T.,
My daughter is the exact same way. Her growth chart started to dive at around 18 months, and the MD was concerned even though my daughter was healthy, just petite. So, we decided to see a pediatric dietitian who was very helpful is giving us ideas. First we made sure snacks were eaten while sitting down, not playing and that snacks were not too close to meal time. She also only really liked to eat fruits and dairy. So we switched to half and half in addition to Pediasure which she liked. They also have something called Nutripal shakes and cereal bars which are similar to Pediasure. I also started adding butter to her pasta, toast, etc. and giving higher calorie snacks like avocado, yogurt, peanut butter, etc. We also saved milk for after meals so that she didn't fill up on milk at mealtime. Hope some of this helps. My daughter is now going to be 3 in March and is only 25 pounds. She eventually gained weight slowly at her checkups so the doctor was no longer concerned. Good luck, I know it's hard not to worry. Most likely your daughter is just genetically petite.

Hi T.. My oldest son is also very petite, and was just under 20 pounds at his 18 month well-check appointment. He is now almost 3 (next week), and maybe weighs 25 pounds. Like your daughter, he is a very good eater and loves fruits and veggies. He is a good height for his age, very active, and all his teachers comment that he eats so much, but he must just burn it all off. Our pediatrician has never been concerned about his weight - he's just a petite guy (my husband and I are both petite), and that's his genetic makeup (my mom says I was the exact same when I was his age). He is healthy, and that is what the pediatrician looks at. Our second son is almost 16 months and is a little chunk! Both the boys weigh about the same, but my oldest is head and shoulders taller than his little brother. The pediatrician says this is also normal.
The most important thing is that your daughter is healthy. If your pediatrician is causing you excess worry, maybe it's time to find another one. Good luck! Hope that helps!

i also have a 'weight issue' baby. She was born at 9.53 and gained birth weight back quickly. She gained steadily and looks like a beautifully proportioned little girl, but she is barely at the 50th percentile (at most) during check-ups. we had lab work done and she is fine. i have chalked up my doctor's slight concern as he was doing his job. my skinny little girl eats what she wants when she wants. when she is full she has a big round tummy. she has no excess fat. i wouldn't worry unless lab tests come back and there is a medical reason she is thin or not gaining. i think there must be a lot of overweight babies out there (just as there are a lot of overweight adults) who make us question why our little ones don't have rolls and dimples.
as for helping her gain weight - offer her a variety of things and don't worry about calorie count of fat. give her whole milk. let her eat cheese. she will let you know what her body likes and needs.
good luck.
S.

Hi T. - my daughter too, is 21 months old and weighs 22.2 lbs and our doctor is not concerned because she is following her growth chart. Both my husband and I are somewhat slender & tall 5'10" and 6'2". I was a very tiny baby and was skinny growing up and didn't fill out until I received my first desk job.:) Our daughter is very active so she is constantly running around. She eats a lot of pastas with meats & veggies .....pasta & bread are good sources of carbs for them. Hope that helps!

You say she's very healthy and it sounds like petiteness runs in the family. I wouldn't worry unless there's more that points to a problem than her being at the bottom of the growth charts. Somebody has to be on the small side, otherwise there wouldn't be an average. Trust yourself if you're already doing a good job feeding her healthy foods. Plus, you said that she does eat plenty of fruits and veggies. Does she get enough protein in her diet? I hope you get the answers you need.
J.

Hi T.,
My sister and I were both vey petite children. I weighed 20 pounds at 20 months and my sister weighed 21 pounds at 20 months. We were never unhealthy or malnurished despite the doctors concerns and to this day we are both healthy, active, petite adults. Sometimes I think doctors forget some kids just don't fall in the normal range and they are still healthy. Unless you feel like she is having health issues I really wouldn't suggest trying to pack on the pounds just because she isn't "normal weight." Having said that, maybe try giving her more carbs like pasta, oatmeal and healthy cereal. Other than that, I would try not to worry. You would probably know if she was truly unhealthy.

This is exactly what i'm going through. My daughter is 20 months today and is 21 pounds. Her father and i are both small. She loves fruit and veggies and cheese. Candy too but thats a big no. She is at the table right now and won't eat. The dr said its ok,she'll eat if she's hungry and better than to be over weight. But im still worried. Try rice and pinto beans. Im mexican and my husband is asian. She likes the ethnic foods.lol...well good luck and if you have any good food ideas later, let me know please

Hi T.,
Are you giving her whole milk, whole yogurt, and whole cheese when she has them (in normal portions, of course)? That's one thing I can think of (and have used with my son when he was a little guy --and also very low percentile for weight -for his height). If your daughter likes yogurt at all, I'd also freeze yogurt to make whole yogurt popsicles for her, just watch the sugar (yogurt can be loaded with it). A dietician could give you a tailored list of foods high in calories, but healthy -to target weight gain or weight stabilization. Your pediatrician's office should have easy access to one, or refer you. Why not ask? Also, my husband is a weight lifter (power lifter, not body builder) and he has a lot of protein in his diet to help him 'bulk up'. If you get the lion's share of your dietary protein through meats, I'd stick with lean meats, though, even though you want to put some weight on your daughter. Fish is good for this, too, I think (healthy fats). Mac & cheese (made w/ whole cheese and whole milk) should have ample calories --I'd cook anything similar that way, too. Do you cook with olive oil? I think olive oil is a lot healthier than butter, but still has calories to it like butter does (not that you'd want a LOT of olive oil or butter, but every way to put some healthy calories in the cooking and eating can help). What about a healthy, but caloric sauce to dip her veggies in or adding some yogurt w/ her fruit? (Soy milk, yogurt, cheese work fine, too, if she has any dairy issues). Another idea is making a point of having a lot of fun play (play structures, dancing, anything, just running around as much as she wants) to both work up her appetite for those healthy calorie meals and build or keep muscle strength, which is also weight (the good kind).
Good luck!

I am surprised that the doctor is concerned. I have a 22 month old who only weighs 22 pounds. My doctor told me that there was nothing to worry about and that she would probably always be petite. She barely broke the 20 pound mark in the past couple of months. With so many overweight children these days I would imagine doctors would be thrilled that your daughter enjoys healthy foods. Good luck.

One of my suggestions is that Costco has a protein powder for smoothies. I blend apples and oranges and some banana in a blender with this powder and it seems to put weight on and tastes great.

Hello T.,

Try Nutella, it is like peanut butter but better. But it has lots of good calories. A friend told me about it when her daughter got sick and needed to gain weight back. I hope it works for you my kids love it.

L.

Hello T. -

My friend had the same issue with her son, the doctor recommended avocado with olive oil. It high in fat, but it is good fat. Best of luck with your little girl.

Hi T.,
My daughter is 30 months and not even 30 pounds...I can understand if your pediatrician is concerned, but if she is healthy, don't stress yourself out! My daughter was born under 7 pounds, but very long. She was always in the 20% or lower range for her weight, but 90% or better for height. Her pediatrician was of course concerned, so we started supplementing my nursing with formula. It still didn't help much - all it did was give me a slight break because I seemed she was always attached to me and eating! Her pediatrician finally realized that she had a really high metabolism and the calories were going toward her height.
Does she have a healthy appetite? Is she getting all the nutrients she needs? If so, she just may have a very high metabolism that doesn't allow her to actually gain a lot of weight. Have you sought out a second opinion from another pediatrician?

Two suggestions, first try whole milk it has more fat and calories, next get the book by jessica sienfeld. It's full of great recipes like cookies and brownies and more that are made with fruits and vege's. it's crazy but they taste good.

Is she still following the same weight curve since she was born or has it dropped? Also keep in mind that when they start doing measurements standing versus laying down there can be a difference. If her growth chart has been fairly consistant and she looks and acts fine, don't worry, you have already said both you and your husband are small. If you are worried try yogart, avacados or sweet potatos, my kids loved these options. Also you might want to ask her doctor why he is concerned. Is she not developing they way she should or does her weight seem to be decreasing? Also keep in mind growth spurts. I have had my kids go to their checkups barely gaining anything since the last annual appoinment and then to go through a growth spurt right after the appoinment and gain 2-3lbs in 2-3 weeks.

T., both my kids were preemies, my son @ 4 lbs and 3 years later, daughter @ 5 lbs. and their weight gain was my priority. My advise is to taste your daughters food and make it delicious. Add butter and a little salt to homemade EVERYTHING like mashed potatoes with cooked carrots or wilted spinach. I gave my kids free access to bottles of apple juice, goldfish crackers, etc. Best advise, if it doesn't taste good to you, chances are it won't taste good to your daughter. My son is now 19, 6' 2" 180 lbs of muscle and daughter 16, 5' 8" 145 lbs! Great tasting food is the key! And just remember, there are not a lot of underweight teenagers!

Hmmm...my Dr said the same thing about my youngest for the longest time. The thing is he out eats me! Again really likes fruit and veggies. I am a 'retired' diet technician-ha ha-so has she fallen off the weight charts drastically? She was born at 7# but what about her height and when did her weight start going south? Not knowing her background I always told parents as long as they are offering good food there isn't much you can do to make a child eat. Unless they are sickly and it is starting to impair their growth I wouldn't stress about it. My son is finally back on the weight charts and his height is off the chart! However, at about 6 months he started that pattern of not much weight gain but tons of growth. Some people are just skinny. he is now 20 months and about 25# but is 34.5".
H.
www.plantitnursery.com

I have a little one too, he was just 18 pounds at 1 year and fell off his growth curve. If your daughter is still on her growth curve, there is little to worry about, but otherwise, I would speak with a nutritionist. We saw both a GI and a nutritionist and since then, they have helped us increase his caloric intake as well as rule out any health conditions that might prevent him from gaining weight. They also recommended Pediasure, but he would not drink that at all. Some ways to increase calories are: add cream to milk (I do 3 parts milk to 1 part cream), cook everything in healthy fats, if she likes veggies and fruits (which is a great thing!), try hiding meat into it - sautee things with ground meats, etc. My son also gets a teaspoon of flax or cod liver oil in his yogurts and oatmeals and sometimes I will toss veggies with flax after cooking. Infant cereals are also a great way to add calories in foods she eats without adding too much bulk or disrupting flavor. We also do a lot of grilled cheese with avocado and sliced meatballs around here. A pinch here, a pinch there, you can get an extra 200 calories in her per day. I have even stuffed his cheerios....good luck!