Toddler's Diet

My kids eat a very healthy diet too, no processed junk, dyes, etc. When my daughter was having trouble getting enough calories, I made her shakes with coconut milk, avocado, and vanilla. The canned coconut milk is usually higher in calories than the stuff in the refrigerated section. There are several options of coconut milk without additives too. And, if you refrigerate the milk first, it will be a lot thicker. We have also added blueberries to the mix as well, for a different flavor.

Does he like avacados? They are packed with all kinds of good stuff and I would not consider them a low calorie food. My son tends to eat the same way (loves spinach, asparagus, blueberries, etc) so I try and give him fruit and veggies packed with protin, good fat, etc.

I scanned the other answers and didn't really see this suggestion - Danimals to drink. My kids love them, they are great nutrition, but provide some of those extra calories.

-L.

How much milk does he drink? That is good for him and has some calories to it........how about fruit........again, good for him, with calories.......Carbs? Bread, muffins?

Does he like grilled cheese sandwiches?

Get on the internet and look up healthy calories and see what it says.

If your child's weight is healthy and Hes growing well, I'd say your doing great.

Nuts of every kind are healthy and high calorie. We keep several selections in our pantry for snacking.

My boy at that age usually ate just a few bites and then playing was so much more interesting than eating. He wasn't full, but wasn't starving any more. He would let us feed him more even though he didn't feed himself.

Realize that we didn't go to any extent to have him eat, just held it up and when he refused, we stopped. It wasn't like we were trying to teach him to go past his satifaction point and ignore his hunger cues. In fact, it was more the opposite, he was teaching himself to ignore his cues.

We also gave a night time snack, and had snacks with us at all times.

Peanut Butter! My husband was told to eat peanut butter sandwhiches and drink milk when he was trying to add weight for wrestling matches. I craved peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches when I was pregnant - so I know they pack on the pounds!!!

Hi,
Just want to reiterate what several posters said. Being skinny is not bad. Being unhealthy is.
If he is just skinny, but all other indicators of health are there, then I wouldn't worry. Some easy things a mom can look for are:
no problems sleeping
regular bowel movements
frequent urination
good skin color without blotchiness
normal activity levels.

If all these are good, then just keep doing what you're doing! You are doing a great job starting his life with healthy eating habits.

Protein, fiber, and healthy omega 3 fat packed foods are the best way to go. Try stuffing chicken or fish with whole wheat bread crumbs, cheese and spinach so that no matter how much he eats it is packed full of stuff.

Smoothies are good as well and you can add protein powder to the fruit as well as soy milk or milk, peanut butter, cocoa, yogurt, you name it.

Add dips to his food that are heavy in olive oil, or beans (hummus), or veggies (advocado & sour cream) to encourage fun eating and a change of pace that will encourage him to eat more. Even a hamburger (85% lean on a whole wheat bun with mayo, cheese, lettuce) is not horrible and it would add calories to the small volume he eats.

Hope this helps! My daughter goes through lean periods (she is now 4) where she hardly eats anything and drops 5 lbs. and when she does this I do the things I have listed above.

I give my son snickers protien bars as a morning snack on the weekends and afternoon snack during the week. We also give him skim milk twice a day. (it has no fat, but it does have calories)

Gook luck.

Feed him avocados. Make smoothies with fruit, whole milk yogurt, whole milk, a bit of 100% juice, and a generous helping of flax oil or coconut oil. We have the same problem of a healthful diet and skinny kids!

Have you tried granola or granola bars? Most are fairly healthy (especially if you make your own) and will give him some extra calories.

why give your kid full packed with fat ?
i highly recommend you give herbalife protein shake as snack for your kid
is a helathy shake and provide vitamins that your kid need.

emailme at ____@____.com or call me at ###-###-####

I actually supplement my daughter's diet with Boost Essentials protein drink for kids. It helps me to know she is getting all her vitamins and calories for the day. :)

Hi, S.!
You certainly have gotten many good suggestions here. If possible, I just wanted to ease your concerns a bit. Have you consulted your son's pediatrician? The reason I ask is that my daughter fell off of the growth chart. However, she is happy, healthy, active and eats a well-balanced nutritious diet. The doctor asked about all of these things at my daughter's well-check and said that we shouldn't be alarmed because after examining her he believes she is doing very well. She is just the right size for her. Let your son be your guide. Hope this helps. Best wishes:)

I haven't looked at your other answers but I just came across a website... www.weelicious.com that is fabulous. She's got some GREAT ideas for healthy, filling snacks for kiddos.
D.

That's great that your little one favors fruits and veggies! If you're concerned about his weight, make sure that he's getting enough healthy fats and carbs. Processed sugar, simple carbs, and caffiene may only ramp up his metabolism more and may cause him to loose more weight. Stick with whole grains, dairy, and healthy fats, such as olives, olive and flax seed oils, coconut products, nuts, seeds, nut butters, avacados, ground flax seed, fish (particularly salmon). Try and limit the amount of GMO, hormone treated, and non organic products as much as your able; the hormonal effects that those substances may have on an individual may effect the way their body stores and/or burns fat. Of course budget and availability alway apply. Also, adding a daily multi supplement to his diet may help as well. Changing his diet in this way may help his body to achive and maintian it's healthy weight. I'd be more than happy to share the diet and supplement info I practice with my own family with you via email. May God bless you~Chell

I was a skinny kid and my mother slathered butter on all my veggies, but you can use olive oil, too. Also, I often ate oatmeal with vanilla ice cream for breakfast. Coconut oil is great with certain recipes, and I hear it's fantastic with granola. We use coconut milk a lot when we make curries. Does he eat cheese? He can snack on cheese and whole grain crackers. Put butter on his popcorn, and make it on the stove with oil, not air-popped or in the microwave. Also, whole milk and full fat yoghurt, you can buy the plain kind and add your own flavorings and fruit.

full fat milk, yogurt, cheese. avocados are great. olive oil. brown rice (more calories and healthier than white!)

We do the "opposite" of most people in the grocery store... we buy full-fat yogurt, whole milk, etc. I read labels to make sure that there are no chemicals (we avoid high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, etc), but I never even look at the calorie count. My son is also incredibly skinny, and he's tall for his age! Thank goodness for adjustable waistband pants, and also that he's not yet fully potty trained. (I think the diaper holds his pants up!)

It does take a little bit of searching, but look for the "whole" or "natural" foods. They usually have more calories, but they are the right kind of calories for your little one.

Packing your son's diet with EMPTY calories is not the answer, but adding in good fats is key. Avocados, nuts, whole milk (www.luckylayla.com) and cheese are good choices. Protein shakes are good, but you have to be careful of the protein you choose. Many (if not most) have dangerous artificial sweeteners that are neurotoxic and cause many side-effects (i.e. aspartame, sucralose, Ace-K) Off the shelf, Jay Robb has a great tasting protein powder and online Dr. Mercola (www.mercola.com) has one called Pro-Optimal Whey that's incredible! I would only recommend whey protein as it is the most bio-available for humans, soy is NOT a health food, but a cheap protein that has estrogenic effects that can destroy the endocrine system (http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/index.htm) Put it in a blender with whole milk or yogurt and his favorite fruit, YUM! He'll think he's eating icecream everyday, but with healthy calories and fruit.

I always heard bananas were good if you want to gain weight what about fruit smoothies with banana and froz yogurt and whatever fruit you have on hand? works with frozen fruit in the winter. Research which fruits are high calorie. I sometimes make cookies or muffins with half whole wheat flour and half white flour and substitute honey or molasses for the sugar so I feel its healthy and dont mind him eating cookies. My pediatrician recommended olive oil on his pasta when he was skinny.

Just wanted to agree with all the posters who said use full-fat dairy supplies. We tend to think of fat as bad, but its not, especially for a healthy-weight child. Fats are very important for the body, especially for brain development. Avocados, fish, and eggs would be other good, healthy but fatty foods.

If you are already offering some of this foods, then don't worry about it. Some toddlers are just skinny. He'll fill out a bit later.

I haven't read the responses, so sorry if I repeat. My daughter went through this. She is very skinny, and she is drawn to low calorie foods. Her lunch at school everyday is either strawberries cut up into plain yogurt or cheese and crackers with a side of yogurt. We started giving her a bowl of ice cream every night-- yes, it is a treat, but it is also packed with calcium! It gives her the extra calories she needs. Good luck.

I was a very skinny kid- I gained weight by eating bread- and lots of it. Sandwiches, toast, etc. Good luck!

In addition to some of the advice you've already received, I'd also recommend foods like full-fat yogurt (vs. light). Make things like smoothies with frozen yogurt/ice cream - even though the cream component isn't healthy, the fruit is and will pack a ton of calories.

Keep him on whole milk instead of 2%, 1% or skim.

You'll want to watch sodium, cholesterol in particular for cardiovascular health. Cook with real butter - it's currently believed to be healthier than margarine anyhow.

Good luck - also check into your insurance to see if it covers the cost of a dietician to help you put some more weight on him in the most healthy way possible.

We went through the same thing with our little one, and I refused to give her junk ( at least not regularly)

Ideas:

- Wild caught salmon, I have tons of recipes that my kids eat up - message me for more info if you'd like
- avocados added to a sandwich or just plain with salt, or make guacamole
- lots of any kind of nuts - see if he will eat them alone. If not, find bars at your local heath food store with nuts in them.
- Enriched breakfast cereals and some 2% or whole milk, (we are a fan of kashi cereals, but we also eat frosted mini wheats and total raisin bran)
- healthy pastas (we use whole wheat and make a thick, yummy sauce with tons of ingredients (italian sausage, green pepper, fresh tomatoes, etc. to up the caloric value),
- peanut butter - this is sooo useful, add to sandwiches, toast, crackers,
celery, etc.
- healthy breads
- cook with olive or coconut oil - these are very good fats
- If he will eat salad, find high fat salad dressings to add to a healthy green or spinach salad with tomatoes and cheese.
- quite a few yogurts have a high caloric content
- juice can add some healthy calories to his daily intake - just make sure it is 100% juice and not filled with sugar
- And of course, allow him a treat (ie twinkie) every now and again!

you gotta a lot of good ideas here! What about avocados? You could also try sneaking in some healthy oils, trail mix is also good. I would do whole milk and full "fat" yogurts as well. Good luck!