Underweight Baby

My daughter is in the 95th % for height and under 40% for weight. I was concerned about this for some time. Her pediatrician said he would rather see her like she is than to be overweight. He told me that it bothers him to see so many overweight children come into his office on a daily basis. My husband and I are both rather tall and thin so this is completely perfect for her. I'm just glad to know I'm not the only one to worry about this.

As long as she's making plenty of wet diapers and seems happy, there's nothing wrong! Some babies just stay petite :) Keep doing what you're doing!

I totally understand what you're going through. My 18 month old weighs 19 pounds, finally, but people always try to give me tips on helping him to gain weight. He eats well and I am always aware of adding extra calories in any form possible. He's eating table food now, so it does get easier to give them more calorie rich foods. My advice is to not stress out as long as you know she's getting enough, and the pediatrician doesn't have major concerns, then you probably just have a small baby. It is hard when everyone constantly seems to bring it up, but it gets easier as they get older. :) Does she eat any cereals, I always mixed some fruit baby food with it and that's a great way to add calories.

I'm surprised your Dr was not concerned at her 6mth check up. He didn't want you to supplement or try pumping out the first 5mins of breast milk before nursing. It could be that she's not getting as much nutrition from the breast milk that she needs. That could be one of two reasons also, #1, you just might not have fatty milk, #2, she might just be getting the fore milk that doesn't have all of the nutrients in it and getting full off of just that. She should be nursing at least 30mins every 4-6hrs by 6mths (2 jars of food should be fine, but milk is still the most important thing right now). If she's eating that much, try pumping for 10mins and see if you have mostly clearish milk or thicker yellow/white milk. If it's pretty weak looking, try pumping for the first 5-10 mins before every feeding, THEN feed her. I know it's a pain, but that's what I had to do, and it really worked. It's either that or going to formula. 11 lbs is really small for a 6mth old baby, but the most important thing to look at is, has she dropped on the scale, or is she pretty much still on the curve? Was she in the 50th percentile and now in the 10th or has she always been in the 5-10th percentile (for example)? If she's still staying with her curve, she should be fine, it's when they drop off of their curve from where they were that you have to start really start worrying.

M.,

I would say that unless your child is under the 5th percentile for weight, then your child is developing fine. It seems that she probably has a high metabolism. I would guard against feeding the child extra b/c that could have worse implications in the long run as far as childhood and adulthood obesity is concerned. I was a skinny peanut my whole life and at 8 months pregnant, everybody says I don't look it. So, unless you find that she is needing to feed more often than normal, I say continue the portions that you are giving her.

Everyone else is right in saying that if the doctor says its healthy and you are doing everything right then keep it up I have a skinny child too. The best thing is you don't have to but as many clothes because they can still fit in the old ones lol anyways :) my son is just really active has been ever since i was pregnant with him lol i get the same remarks about him being small and needing to eat more but as long as they are eating when THEY are hungry they'll be fine. whatever you do don't force or let other people force food to your child and don't let them keep on saying it around her when she gets older else she could develop eating disorders because of it
you should definatly nip anyone in the butt now when they start commenting on her weight.

Tell those people to mind their own business/children. Just because she is small doesn't mean anything. Sounds like she eats well enough and maybe she just has a faster metabolism.

Sandy
Mom of a 2yr old boy who has always fallen in the lowest percentiles for weight. Yet is extremely healthy just like yours.

I had the same problem with people telling me that my child needed to eat more. She is now a year old and weighs 17 lbs and is 29 inches long. I exclusively breastfed her till about 5 months and I am still breastfeeding her. If your doctor isn't worried that she has dropped on her curve then I wouldn't worry too much. My family was always on me about her weight I finally had heard enough and told them that her Board Certified pediatrician said that she is perfectly healthy and to keep doing what I am doing. After I told them that a few times they finally got off my back about it. I hope this helps

Hi M.,

I have a skinny little peanut - in fact, that was her nickname as an infant (and now sometimes). She has always been little, except for like three weeks when she was an older infant. She was and is picky about eating and stopped eating from a spoon when she was 5 1/2 months. I could tell when she was hungry if she was fussy in a certain way, but other than that she was always very happy and still is. The doctor said she was underweight at one time, but tat was okay if monitored and if she was happy and very cognizant of her surroundings. She is little when compared to others especially!

Babies are much more rolly polly than ever before, I do believe. Your daughter stands out - as does mine. So, I think your baby and my baby girl are not the norm. My husband and I are tall and thin too - so, it is also related to you and her dad. You know your daughter, don't let others comments doubt that trust your gut too. You are her only advocate when it comes down to it.

S.

M.,

Don't worry about your baby's size. As long as she is thriving and doing things age appropriate for a 7 month old. My daughter was 5 weeks early (2.5 at birth). She's doing wonderful! She will be 2 years old in June, and she just now began to weigh 19 pounds! Talk about small for her age, but I don't worry because she is definitely a typical pre-two year old and thriving! You're just going to have a little bean to love even more.

Take care

Lol Yes I Too have a tiny baby girl!! I was always looked at with a concerned eye at the doctors office because my daughter didnt weight as much as the other kids her age she is now 21 months old and only weights 20 1/2 pounds!!! she is about 30 inches tall! so she is quite a small child as well! But dont fear my daughtes docotr now tells me that as long as shes eating well and shes happy and growing at a good rate for her and shes hitting most mile stones at the age she should that shes just fine! I had one very rude woman at a mall in virginia once ask me if I EVER fed my daughter!!! I jsut looked at her ams smiled and said she eats like a horse shes jsut a petite little girl!!! So you will get that from people but dont let it get you down children these days are a lot bigger than they were jsut 10 years ago so all the docotrs charts and clothing has had to adjust to it the bigge child!!! As long as your child is healthy and happy DONT WORRY ABOUT A THING!

M.,

I know exactly what you are going through. I have a 17 month old daughter who is now finally in the 10th percentile in weight. EVERYONE who saw her when we would be out in public would tell me how little she is. Well, they still say that, because now she can walk, and people think she is a 9 month old walking around, and they about die when I tell them she is 17 months! It gets really old I know. I would not worry about it at all. My doctor ran every test on my daughter to make sure everything was okay, and they all came back fine, she is just real petite. She can still wear some 9 month old clothes! As long as your daughter is happy and seems to be developing normally I would not worry about it. She will catch up eventually.

Hope this helps,
M.

I have a daughter who weighs 16 lbs 12oz and just turned a year old. So I hear the same things my daughter is happy and she eats, she is just tiny for her age. So I wouldn't worry about what other say or think. Her dr don't seem to be worried about either. I nursed her every 2-3 hours for the first 8 months. I hope that helps.

Don't worry about it. If the doctor didn't seem to be alarmed about it then there's probably no problem.

My son who is now 5 1/2 has always been below the 5th percentile when we go to the doctor. When he was 6 months old he weighed 14 lbs. and was 26 in. long. He now at 5 1/2 is still small. He only weighs 34 lb. and is 41 in. tall. My daughter on the other hand just turned 2 and weighs 28 lbs. and is 37 in. tall. I thinks she is going to pass her brother! Hope this helps!

All babies are different. If you child is healthy and not losing weight she should be fine. From personal experience my nephew was a very little baby. He was always active, never lost weight. Everyone was always poking food down him. It even got so bad they put him on Ensure. He started eating around two and by 5 he couldn't bend over his belly to tie his shoes.

My neice right the opposite. Doctor's and people alike kept saying she was too fat, cut her eating down. This is before she was 2 years old. Even before she walked. She started walking, lost the baby fat, was never put on a diet and is now skinny as a rail. You know what is best for your baby. You know if they are Flourshing or not. Use your best judgement. I sometimes think people wish they were skinny, so instead of themselves losing weight they want everyone else to gain.

I also have a 3 year old skinny as a rail. She can still wear some 3-9 months clothing. It is not a bit too small. She is all legs. Just remember that your daughter will let you know when she is hungry and when she is not. Good Luck.

The important thing is that she is getting the nutrition she needs. All of my children were big babies and were put on cereal right away as were me & my brothers when we were little. My son weighed 9 lb. 12 oz. at birth and now he is 6' 5 1/2" and weighs about 135 lbs. To say the least he isn't fat.

Your daughters teeth should be starting to come in. That is a sure sign that she is ready for food. I think you should feed her baby food and see how she tolerates it. Sounds like she is going to be a small child but you never know. Just make sure what you do feed her is good for her.

Hi M.!People are always telling me how small my little girl is.I feed her three tims a day and she takes about four bottles.At her four month check up the doctor said she was under weight.But she was still happy and content as ever.She is eight months old now and people still comment on how small she is.But I think if she is happy and the doctor says she ok then I would just keep doing what youre doing.You cant force a baby to eat more than she wants.As for all the other people just tell them shes growing at her own pace.

don't worry about it she is just fine, my 2nd son was really small too and still is skin and bones he can eat anything he wants to and still don't get any fat on him. when he was a baby the wic people told me to give him milkshakes and hotdogs to make him gain weight but it didn't work. so as long as your little one is eating normaly then don't stress about it!!!!

Your little on is extremely underweight for the "norm" but like everyone else has said, if your Pediatrician's o.k. with it, then I wouldn't worry about it. Sounds like she's eating like she should and my oldest was the same way and so was I. I wasn't on the growth chart until jr. high/high school. My family is very petite and xtra small boned. Girls on both sides of my family are around 5 ft tall. I had to have both my girls c-section due to my size. My girlfriend also had a little one like that and do not know what she did, if anything, for her little girl, which is now 16 yrs old and tall and skinny like a rail. She has a VERY HIGH metabolism and her parents are both about 6'7. I would venture to say that your little one is just fine. If your doctor ends up being concerned and wants to run some tests, it wouldn't hurt just to be on the safe side, but if your Pediatrician isn't concerned just hang in there.

M. all children have their own growth curve. I have 3 beautiful daughters. My first two were OFF the chart height and weight wise, still are. My youngest beats to her own drum in every respect. She is 5 years old. She was 44' tall and weighed 37 lbs. She has to wear a 5 for the length in pants, but that size falls off of her. She has a pair of blue jeans that are 18 mths, that have turned into capri's because of the length. she can still wear these and even has a little room. I just bought made her give up some 6-9 mths shorts that were too little, just too short. Everything, that is the size she should be wearing, it way too big. I am glad it is summer, because length doesn't matter much in shorts. The problem is long pants. Up until her 5 year check-up she was in the 5-10% for her weight. At her 4 year check-up she finally went from 25th to 50% for her height. She is small. She eats like a horse, but runs it off. I exclusively breastfed all of my girls. I NEVER supplemented and was never asked too. They all started eating solids around 6 months. I continued to breastfed, too long according to some people, but long enough for me and my children. :) If your doctor isn't concerned, you shouldn't be. My older girls call my youngest 'bones' because they can see her ribs when she stretches or hasn't got a shirt on. Don't let others worry you. As long as your child is growing, gaining,alert, and interacting she is doing it according to her schedule. All children are different, and do things according to their internal clock, not according to books or how their siblings did things. My older two walked at 11-12 months. Oldest did not crawl, middle one did somewhat, youngest one didn't walk until she was 15 months old, but was an EXPERT crawler. My oldest could carry on conversations, using full sentences at 14-15 months, my middle one a little later, my youngest did not start talking any kind of sentences until she was almost 2 years old. She didn't have too....her older sisters talked for her. They will all learn at different rates as well. Don't let the wonderful people in your life worry you. They are concerned, but YOU KNOW your children, and you know they are fine. Just remember, each child grows and learns according to their internal clock. Have a great day!

R., mother to 3 daughters, 10,8, and 5 years old.

I have a little guy that was 4 back in Nov. He weighs in at a full 27 pounds. Both my children are small and people say things all the time. My son eats us out of house and home. We don't keep junk in the house so he snacks on fruits and veggies, yogurt, and suger free jello. If your daughter is getting what she needs, and is happy I would find away to tell them that she is healthy and happy.

As long as she is growing- it is a good sign. I also have a thin child- tall. He is just 3 and still wears 2t pants- and I am going to start buying 4t shirts- he wears 3t- but it is about timing. I tried him in a new pair of 3t pants the other day and they were way too loose, and just a tiny bit long.

If you are going to pump, try keeping the milk you do pump- put it in the fridge and let the fat rise to the top.. then skim it off and feed it to her before the baby food... it is like mamaicecream. I did this for my son as he would not open wide enough to latch for the first 6 months and barely ate anything from a bottle. We were happy when he ate 4 ml.
There is nothing wrong with your milk- it is feeding your baby just the way it needs to. Your baby's lips on your areola is actually telling the breast what it needs and vice versa, the breast hormonally knowing what the baby needs.
(I finally got him to get the hang of nursing when he was 6 months and weaned myself off the pump... he completely gave up a bottle and then did not know what to do with it. He kept nursing until around his 3rd birthday and just gave up on his own. fortunately I am pregnant so I don't have to deal with the emotions of not making supermilk anymore- Making breastmilk is awesome.)

Hi M.,

My 11 mth old daughter weighed 16.5 lbs 2 wks ago at her last pediatrician's visit. I exclusively breast feed and she does now eat solid food with a big appetite. My MD says that she's just petite!

M.

Hi,

I went through the same thing with my first. At 15 months old he was only 17 pounds. All his growth charts showed consistensy 50% on height and 5 to 10% on weight. I had people ask me if he had a disease. Now, my husband and I were both thin children and adults, so I would just look at my self and then say, um....No. Just look at me. He is four now and I have to buy clothes that have the waists that can be cinched. For future reference, Old Navy has great clothes for skinny kids. By the way, my first weighs 35 pounds now and my second (they are two years apart) also weighs 35 pounds. People think they are twins and they do like like they are.

Just to let you know there are other children out there like that.

Just to add, both my sons have very healthy appetites and my oldest eats ALL THE TIME but never stops running and is very, very active. People who know me and my children comment on how well they eat and how much they eat!

K.

Hi M.!
Yes, I had 2 skinny little peanuts. My ped recommended increasing nursing frequency and making sure my babes were nursing at least 6 times per day. Even if this meant I had to go to a dark and quiet room to eliminate all distractions.
This did help their weight gain... but overall they were just petite. Looking back at family records (baby books) I learned that I was also a liitle peanut as was their father...
My 12 yo is now as tall as I am and wears my shoes.... My 9 year old is taller and heavier than I was at 12 yo, but still quite thin and smaller than most of her classmates.
If your baby is happy, alert, gaining and growing consistently (for her) and meeting developmental milestones, I wouldn't worry too much about where on the growth chart she falls.
L. G

Hi M.-

I think the best gauge I've heard is that you expect a baby to double their birth weight by 6 months and triple it by 1 year. This keeps the baby's starting point in mind.

I wasn't able to nurse and we didn't realize (in our post c-section and 34 hour labor haze) that I wasn't producing enough milk. Long story short, when my daughter was re-hospitalized at one week old, the doctor said that in general, children are wonderful regulators of their intake. If a baby is happy, pooping/peeing regularly, alert and interactive (appropriately for their age), they are most likely getting enough to eat.

As another poster noted, if your daughter is staying on her curve (they begin to fall slightly when they start to crawl and walk), then I wouldn't worry. Take your cues from your doctor. Also keep in mind that your stature and your husband's are the biggest predictor of your baby's.

Take care,
J.

i have two children. the first one was like yours and i worried constantly about her weight. She never really picked up any weight and now she is 4 1/2 and weighs about 34 pounds I tried everything and nothing worked. The doctor always told me that she would be fine. He would rather a child be healthy and happy and a little small than over weight and worry about obesity in the future. I have another child who is 12months and he was born 7 weeks premature weighing in at a wopping 4 lbs 6 ozs. When he was a couple months old he started eating really well and now he weighs 25 lbs. My only advice is to follow your instincts. She is your child and you now how to take care of her. If shes a little small its ok as long as the doctor is happy and she isn't sick. God Bless

My 3 year old son has ALWAYS been tiny. People always comment on it. My doctor assures me that it is just the way God made him. I am pretty thin and my husband is and thin. She said that make your kids "little" or thin. I guess it is just genetics really. If your doctor doesn't seem worried then I wouldn't worry too much. Maybe she's just got some "tiny" genes from you or your hubby or some other family members. I think as long as she seems happy and active no worries.
God Bless
K.

Hi, M..

My daughter is very petite and small for her age too. She will be 2 in June, and weighs 19 pounds. Her doctor has run tests and there is nothing wrong with her. For awhile, we were giving her pediasure to "fatten" her up, but after she started walking, she slimmed down again. I'm short, her dad is tall, and appartently I didn't weigh 20 pounds until after I was 2 also. So her doctor isn't worried, as long as she is eating, peeing, pooping, and happy. I hope this helps some!

If she is growing on the same trend according to the pediatrician, I would not worry about it. Also, if she is on a normal eating schedule and eats well (nursing as well as her baby food) then she should be fine. Breastfed babies will beging to gain less weight after 6 months often times. However, if you see any reactions to the food she is eating or think she is nursing less, definitely take notes and tell her pediatrician.

I had an issue with my son not eating. He was finally diagnosed with failure to thrive at 11 months because he began losing weight. The thing was, he had food allergies and we were not aware of it. This in turn caused him to eat less and less. I was nursing him and had to remove all offending foods from my diet as well as his. He also went to feeding therapy for a year.

So, all you really need to do is pay attention to your intuition. If she is on the same growth trend, eating normally and your pediatrician is not concerned, just ignore everyone else. If there is anything you have noticed that seems out of the ordinary, make a journal and take notes in to the doctor for consideration.

M.,

My son was that way at first. I fed him whenecer he was hungry and let him eat his fill. At his 6 month check up he finally had doubled his birth weight. Everyone was always saying how small he was and asking if he was a premie. When I brought up the concern to his doctor she just said to keep doing what I was doing. (feeding him what he wanted as often as he wanted) and that he would grow. She was right, now at 18 months, he's 25 lbs, almost as big as hhis 3 yr old cousin.

Don't worry. My oldest daughter was the same way. She is going on 12 and barely weighs 50lbs, she didn't reach 15 lbs until she was almost 4, now my youngest is going on 4 and she already weighs 35 lbs. It depends on the child. I would rather have a skinny baby than one that is to big. It's esier to put weight on them than it is to make them lose it. Don't worry, she's fine.

i think that she is ok. my son who is 3 is small he was 3 pound and 10 ounces when he was born. and he is still small. for a long time he weighed 29 pounds now he finally weighs 32 pounds but the doctor always said he was healthy. so you keep doing what your doing and she'll gain when its time. take care

My son, Allen, has been below average size wise growing up. He is now 15 months old. Size isn't everything. I ask his doctor all the time about it and she assures me if they are healthy and and meeting all their milestones at the proper age then don't worry. The only thing my son was behing was size. He even walked early. So don't let her size fool you.

M.,

I wouldn't worry about it right now. As long as the doctor is not worried at this point and see's nothing wrong wait a while. She just may be small boned. I have three very small grandchildren. All are very small boned. The youngest one at 2 1/2 is only 20 lbs, believe me she eats like a pig sometimes but the doctor is not concerned because she is so very small boned. That could be the case with your daughter. If she seems fine in every other way, developmentally I mean, then just wait and see. You could try adding some formula to see if that may help her to gain a little but don't push it to much. All healthy children develop at their own pace.

Good luck.

E.

I have the same problem with my son he is 17mths old and only weighs 21 lbs but he is also 35 inch long so he is tall dont worry bout what people tell u if u know u are feeding the baby all she is able to eat then she is just fine.

I know EXACTLY what you are going through!!! My daughter was so small and I got so much grief from my doctor and many people giving us strange looks. She was also 11 lbs 3 oz at 6 months. She only wieghed 17 lbs at one year. She was as happy as could be just not that interested in eating!! I feel for you though. She was in the 10 percentile and even dropped to 5th at one point. I had to have her weighed every week to make sure she was gaining cause they thought maybe it was a milk issue. Once she hit 2 she was in the 50th percentile. My doctor said well Makella you are something, you just did it on your own time huh? Now with my second child he was 6 11 at birth and at his 2 month check up he hadn't gained what the norm was (I can't remember what he weighed) but anyway my doctor said I'm not worried, you just have small babies, Makella was fine so I'm not worried about him. What a relief!!!

Hang in there and trust your instincts. If she is happy and alert, you have nothing to worry about!!