I have a daughter, 2 yrs. 4 months old and she has always been in the 30th percentile for weight and 90th percentile for height. She was 7 lb. 4 oz, 21 inches long when she was born. She's tall and thin. It has always been a struggle to make her eat. She eats like a bird and now that she's 2, it's even harder. The last time I weighed her, she was 26.4 pounds. Is this too thin? Are there any children's supplemental drinks I can give her? (Something like Ensure for adults?) She eats fruits, veggies, grains and protein so I'm not so concerned that she's not getting nutritional vitamins and such, I just feel like she needs some more "meat on her bones". Her doctor has not expressed any concerns, but of course my mother thinks she's too skinny! She's my first child so everything is new to me.
My tot's 2 years old and weighs only 20 pounds. My doc is not concerned b/c she is healthy, active and happy. My hubby and I are very short so she's leaning that way too. She eats frequent small meals, not large meals. We worry about her weight too, and wish she was fatter, but as long as she is deemed healthy by her doc, we're fine with it.
My son just had his 2 year appointment and weighed 26 lbs. as well, and he is a boy. For percentages they look at consistency. Was she also near 30% for height as well? If she was like 95% for height and 30% for weight there would be a concern but if the two percentages are near each other doctors don't worry. Toddlers slow down their growth and as a result slow down their feedings. It sounds like you have a perfectly healthy daughter!! I wouldn't supplement unless your doctor suggests it.
I was too...my daughter is now 2 years 6 months and only weighs 23 pounds. she is still in size 3 diapers. Doc says not to worry...kids will eat when they are hungry as long as you don't let them graze all day so that at meal time they won't eat a nutrious meal I had nothing to be concerned with. Now my biggest concern is HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO WAIT FOR HER TO HIT 30 POUNDS SO I CAN SWITCH THE CARSEAT?!?!? :)lol
T., as long as she is gaining and steadily is at 30%, dont sweat it. Keep offering plenty of foods, lots of variety, proteins like cheeses, etc..and she should be fine. My daughter is 11 and she is just now 58 lbs. She was always dinky, but my husband isnt big and neither is his sis. She is healthier than the boys. Yes, there is ensure for kids, it's not packaged for kids, but yes, they make it. But, there again, if she isnt an eater she might not drink it. And, it shouldnt replace a meal. Try not to let it bother you. As long as she is steadily gaining as she grows taller, and is healthy in every other way, she should be fine.
C.
Peds RN
Hi T.~
My daughter (now 1) was in the 100 percentile for weight at birth--she was over 9lbs!! Now, at her 1 year check up, she is down in the 25-30 percentile, only weighing about 19 pounds. My pediatrician is not too happy about that, but I look at it like this: She is eating healthy, maybe not a lot and not big portions, but she is getting all the vitamins, nutrients, etc that she needs. If you feel that she is eating right and getting what she needs, then there is really no need for concern. That is just the way her body is developing and growing!!
Good luck & just do what you feel is right.
~J.~
If you are really concerned, talk it over with your doctor. Your daughter sounds fine to me though. There is a drink and other nutritional supplements for kids called PediaSure. They also make granola bar type things as well. My son was always consistently 80% for weight, then when he turned 1 he was suddenly 10%. My pediatrician and I weren't concerned because we know he is just active. Plus, he is developing normally so he is fine. He is now 5 years old and is in the 50% for weight. The percentiles aren't really meant to scare you, they are just meant to watch for any large fluctuations that may signal something. But it needs to be looked at with the child's overall development. You can't force a kid to eat I have learned. My son is 5 and still eats like a bird. He is the pickiest eater I know, and I know many picky eaters. Just try to encourage her to try new things and to eat. If you force her, she will want to eat less because it is a control thing. Try letting her dip stuff in sauces. My son loves putting parmesean cheese on everything. He also likes dipping anyting in ranch. I give him it and he can do what he wants, even if it looks like it would taste terrible to me. Good luck!
I wouldn't worry about it too much. It sounds like she's eating well, nutritionally speaking. I assume she is active and that you make food and snacks available to her throughout the day. My daughter is 6 and weighs 37 lbs. This is around 10th percentile and she has been on that 10th percentile curve since she was about 10 months old. She was 8 lbs 11 oz at birth - no small baby. She's always been very active and she's such a slow eater. The amount of food she's eaten since about 15 months has always concerned me a little. I've worried about her weight off and on over time, but once she was active (walking, running, etc) she stayed consistently on the same growth curve. Now it's still frustrating to get her to eat, but it's also a pain to buy her clothes! She can wear a 6x in pants for length, but the waist is gaping big on her. The adjustable waists are taken in to the 6th button hole on each side and the material is bunched up. Or I've had to sew tucks in them or use giant diaper safety pins. She can fit in the same size shorts and skirts as her 22 month old sister....18-24 months!! In general she has a healthy appetite. I have asked her doctor countless times about whether or not I should give her supplemental drinks, and he's always said no - because she needs to get her calories and nutrition from good food and not liquid substitutes. He believes that starting a habit like that would turn her off from eating good, whole foods - especially because they're made to taste like shakes and contain a high amount of sugar. Your daughter, like mine, will probably end up being a thin girl forever who never thinks twice about weight. Consider her metabolically blessed :) This may be good genes, good habits, or just luck, but the situation could be the opposite. You could have one of the countless overweight and obese children out there who will have health problems most of their lives. It's sad, but true. I offer my daughter a lot of higher calorie snacks like yogurt, cheese, granola, etc. Now she's in kindergarten full days and it's hard to know what she's having for morning & afternoon snacks, and they only get 15 minutes for lunch so I know she can't eat much in that time. When she was around 2 1/2, my pediatrician said I should offer her snacks or meals at least every 1 1/2 to 2 hours because at that age, they often can't explain their feelings of hunger (or thirst) but sometimes it comes through as behavior issues or lack of energy due to drops in blood sugar levels. Honestly, though, I wouldn't worry about it as long as she generally acts healthy, has plenty of energy, and sleeps pretty well. It sounds like you're feeding her very well, and your concern just shows you're paying attention to the details because you love her, of course!
Don't get so caught up in the numbers. As long as her growth is a nice upward line on her chart, all is well. Both of my son's are small. My 5 1/2 year old is 38.5lbs and my 7 1/2 month old is 15lbs 2 oz. There is Pediasure drink that you can give her, also Nutrapals has a line of snacks and foods. My baby's doctor also has us adding a tablespoon of smart Balance butter to his solid foods for extra calories. My oldest son never got out of size 3 diapers, and my baby is still in size 1. It's hard to buy clothing with a small waist. Luckily JCPenney sells Levi Superslim with adjustable waist. This society is so engulfed with wieght, obesity, blah blah, Just be thankful your daughter is healthy. Good luck!
my daughter was in for her 2 year appointment and was 27 lbs and that was 50th percentile, i think your daughter is totally fine...what is her height?
From what you are saying she eats healthy foods and that is what is important. I have 2 daughters and my first daughter was always below the charts for weight and height. My second daughter was always above the charts for weight and height. Our doctors told us just to make sure when they eat that it was healthy foods and they were not filling up on junk. They are now 2 well proportioned teenage girls.
She seems completely fine to me. Are you and your husband tall and thin too? Is she tracking a single growth-curve on the growth chart, or is her weight dropping from 25th to 10th to 5th percentile? As long as she's tracking a curve I wouldn't worry at *all*. Your doc will let you konw if there's anything to be concerned about. In the mean time, give her a vitamin if you're worried about the vitamins. And put a little butter on her veggies :) My son is a stringbean too (we have to pin the waist of all his pants because they fall off him). Usually by around age 3 they even out somewhat.
