Idea's for Baby Weight.

My daughter has been in the lower percent her whole life. she is now going on 4. Don't worry, they will eat when they are hungry. My daughter goes through times when she barely eats anything, then she will eat everything in sight. Don't worry, not everyone is meant to be the same size.

My son who started in the 95% when he was born is now in the 10%. It is hard b/c you feel like you are doing/not doing something wrong or harmful.
As long as she is growing according to what is "normal" for her she should be fine. I also give my son those pediasure drinks...they are like flavored milk and come in lots of flavors...vanilla, chocolate, strawberry (my son’s favorite.), and orange cream, I think there are more. They are in the baby isle. I give him one or two a day to help with any vitamins/minerals that he might not otherwise get.
Good luck!!

Hi L.,
My son is two and a half and only weighs 25 pounds, not even measuring on the growth chart for weight. He eats like crazy and drinks whole milk. I don't limit him to anything except sweets. I give him very few sweets. I get 'heckled' from the doctors too. But you have to remember that every kid is different.

I also tend to think of it this way... the growth chart is based on the national average of kids (in the US). Something like 90% of kids in the US are overweight/obese. Therefore, they are measuring kids against mostly heavy kids. And thus... the 'normal' kids seem even smaller.

I think that they're fine and it will all work itself out in the end. As long as they're eating healthy foods (kids needs high fat like formula, whole milk, etc). As long as they're eating, drinking and functioning normally I wouldn't worry if I were you. We can't force our kids to eat. Plus if we do then we'll probably get chastizied from doctors that our kids are too heavy. Where will it end?

Good luck and hang in there knowing that you're not alone!
J. :-)

Don't worry so much about it. Children are all different, and sometimes this is just a child's make-up! Look at yourself and your husband, are the 2 of you small? As long as your baby is eating and pooping and getting plenty of fluids (all normal signs of HEALTH!) I wouldn't worry too much! As a Doctor of Chiropractic, we see things like this all the time. The charts are not always correct in every case, and you really can't base everything off of the average. The averages (especially in weight) have been increasing over the years due to the increase incidence of obesity. It could just be that your child is healthy! If you wold like to chat more about it, let me know! =) I would love to talk with you about it!

my daughter is also small. she was 5th percentile at 12 months-- then at 15 months her weight was so low that it was below the chart. she is fine - yur daughter is also fine.

people come in different sizes.

you cant make a baby eat more- she will eat what she needs.

dont worry she is fine

Hi L., Key here is that you said she 'eats all of the time'. It sounds like she has a good appetite. But my question is, what is she eating? Are you breast feeding?, or is she on baby food, etc.?? Just really curious about this one. Plus, what did she weigh at birth, and what is her weight now?? J. C.,RN, Lactation Consultant

Hi L.,
Both my kids always ranked below the 15% on the growth chart. My doctor told me that as long as your child is following their own "curve", not to worry. Talk to your doctor about recommending a nutritionist if he/she seems to think there is an issue. If not, rest assured that as long as your daughter is healthy & happy, that you're doing a great job! :)

Hi L. -

I wish I had an answer for you. All I can offer is empathy, because I am going through the exact same thing! My son is 7 months and has dropped in weight from the 50th to the 26th and now the 11th percentile for weight. He hates taking a bottle...does ok on solids but just isn't a big eater. He has never lost weight, but typically I think Dr.'s like to see them stay in their curve. I even make my own food hoping it will taste better and be more enticing...at time s it is, but not alwys!

In my experience with it, I have found that sadly there isn't much you can do. You can offer the food often, but you can't make them eat! I have become so nerotic about it b/c I am worried for his health, but my Dr. doesn't seem too concerned at this point. I has also started supplementing with the Enfamil Poly-Vi-Sol drops b/c I know my son does not eat as much as he should. Not a replacment for food, I know, but at least it provides something extra.

I know it is easier said then done, but try to relax about it. I had found that I try so hard to get him to eat that I think I am being counterproductive and making him resent mealtime. It is a fine line, I know and a terrible thing to have to go through. If you find any tricks, please let me know!

Best of luck.

Please do not worry too much. I have a very happy and healthy 2 1/2 year old that has been below the 10th percentile in weight her entire life. At times she wasn't even on the chart. The doctors would always ask me about her eating habits and would make me feel like I was doing something wrong. But they always asured me that as long as she is taking in healthy foods, not to worry...and you shouldn't either. If she is active and responding to being a child well, she probably just has a very active metabolism. If they really beileve there is something wrong, they will do further testing. Until then I wouldn't be stressed, just enjoy your beautiful daughter.

Hi L.~
I agree with the others in that just b/c baby is smaller than most doesn't necessarily mean she is unhealthy. You know her best; is she energetic and alert, happy and well rested? Is your family on the smaller side, or were you small as a baby? If everything else checks out, and you are not worried about her health, it may just be the way she is at this point in her life. My baby is in the 95th percentile and so was my 3yr old as a baby, but now he is right in the middle of the charts. From a medical standpoint, the charts are just a guideline. If your doc didn't insist that you bulk up her diet, then don't worry so much (easier said than done). If there were an actual problem, doc would not have sent you home with just advice to watch her. It sounds like he/she just wants to be sure there is not an underlying issue that could be missed....and you would see that by now, Im sure. If you want to add some weight to her diet, do a quick search for the fruits/veggies that pack the most calories/nutrition per serving. That way you will know you are adding to her intake w/o giving her junk that you don't want her to have. Good luck and keep us posted!
~L.

Your peanut is just fine. My son is in the 95th percentile for his height and 15th for his weight...at four years old this makes him very hard to dress. Just feel blessed that she is so tiny, you wont have to buy new clothes for her ALL the time. My daughter is nine and is the same size as my six year old son. She was in the same size for three years. Like the others have said before, she is eating and at nine months there is set foods for her age group so you really cant go wrong. Its when they get sick that you have to be extra careful that they don't drop weight. My four year old got the coxsackie A virus and wouldn't eat...he actually dropped off the chart for his weight. there was no percentile for him . I bulked him up with ensure protein drinks and added fats and oils to his dinner. You are ok, you are doing a great job. If you feel the need to be through than start a food diary, for two weeks write down everything she eats and at what time. Then when you go to her 12 month and the doctor says what are you feeding her you can show him.

We have also been through the low birth weight dilemma and all these moms have great advice. I want to add a warning from what we have learned. One time my daughter got sick, and obviously dropped weight. she was already at 5th percentile, so any loss was worrisome to us. So we just gave her whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. I laugh know thinking about sitting on her be at 2Am feeding her fishy crackers, because she was suddenly hungry. We got into some terrible habits.
But the amazing thing about kids is that they will eat when they are hungry. We learned to say no to her eating when ever she wanted, and made her stick to meal times and with light snacks, and cut way back on juice, and you would be amazed at what a good eater she is now, and finally, at 2 1/2 she is almost fitting into her "size"
they do grow into their size eventually, good luck.
S.

Hey L.,

To some degree, I can understand what it's like to agonize over your child's weight. My oldest son is in the 95th percentile for weight. We eat all whole foods, fruits and veggies and I don't allow pop or junk food in my home. He is outside most of the day playing. However, it's just how he's built. Our prior doctor never failed to make me feel awful, though. I left his 2 year checkup in tears (he's 3 now, and I've switched docs). Anyways, don't let doctors or weight charts get to you. You sound like a great mom, and just the fact that your interested in keeping your daughter healthy shows what a good mom you are.

I have a 10 month old who is quite a bit thinner than my oldest. He's in the 48th percentile. He picks at bottles during the day and until recently, he wouldn't actually drink all of his bottle. I think he may have been getting a few teeth in at once and wasn't very hungry. I've actually bumped up his table food now. He gets baby cereal in the AM and again in the PM before bed. He likes small peice of cheese cut up or cottage cheese and fruits or steamed veggies cut up as well. I also give him whole wheat bread to chew on. I think his interest has really waned in baby food and he wants the real deal now. Your daughter may be tired of formula and wanting to try some more adult fare. I try to include my youngest in whatever we're eating for dinner (pasta, veggies, etc).

Other than that, I wouldn't worry too much (easier said than done, I know). As long as she's not hungry and you're offering it to her, she should be just fine. I actually hate the height and weight charts for babies and children. Why worry mothers with one more detail or find another way to label a child? Good luck!