My Son Needs to Gain Weight

There aren't any special commercial food programs for this. It is a very uncommon situation. It sounds like he may need some kind of behavioral therapy with a diet specialist.

Take him to a regular pediatrician now and explain the situation. They usually know the right people and are sometimes a bit more practical about what's actually going on in the home than the specialist doctor.

My son is almost 7 and he does the same. I have found that some kids do not deal well with change and some just cannot control themselves. What we have done is put a plastic bedliner on his bed as well as buying pull ups. I hope this helps

Your in a difficult situation. I don't have a child in your situation but I personally have a difficult time gaining weight. I'm seeing multiple doctors for this due to being pregnant. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is to see a nutritionist at Vitamin Cottage (it's free). It doesn't sound like you have the funds to do this but there is an amazing doctor in fort collins who practices functional medicine (alternative) but he's an MD and he likes to get to the bottom of the issue. Dr. Roger Bilica www.trilifehealth.com There's a possibility your son has an intolerance to milk or some sort of GI issue going on. Hope all goes well for you and your son.
Blessings
G.

My 15 month old daughter is also on a feeding tube (NG). We are in the process of trying to ween her off of it (have been for about 5 months). If we can't get her to gain weight (she's been maintaining 16 pounds since we put it in) then the docs will want a G-tube placed. So, I guess partly I am writing to say I understand your frustration with the fullness the tube offers.... I guess the main suggestion I have for you is: have you tried only doing tube feeds at night so that he'll feel hungry during the day? Of course, when you're wanting him to gain weight, I know it's frightening to limit his calories in any way, but, like you said, a 6 year old gaining weight from liquids isn't working too well. Maybe after a couple days of this, he'll want to eat by mouth again? Then try offering his favorite foods? Maybe even ice cream just to get his tastebuds excited again? With my daughter, we calorie-pack everything she does take by mouth. Half and half, olive oil, butter, and we try to make everything very tasty, adding salt, cinnamon, etc. I wish you and your son the best of luck.

My friend has a son who did fine with gaining weight until he was weaned. Then he kept losing it. She had him tested for allergies, and he is allergic to wheat. Once she removed wheat products, he was able to gain weight. This may not help you with "promoting eating" but it may give you some ideas of where to go. And, yes, find another doctor who will address your needs!

What a terrible situation- I would start with second opinion.
Milk, even whole milk I don't think is the trick to weight gain. Maybe enriched formula, but not just milk. My son stayed on formula until he turned two because of weight gain problem but formula is enhanced... with extra good stuff, where your son is six I wouldn't recommend this, it is expensive and only might help with one problem. However I would start with a second opinion. Also small meals really frequently. Alternate milk feeding with food feeding and make the food feedings fun and favorite yummy things. If he wants a pump feeding have him eat as many bits of food is as he is old... He will understand that one. My four year old has gotten to the point that he says can I just eat four more bits...

I would look into allergies unless this is a newer developement and then maybe it's just his body saying I've had to much of this... I know with me personally I can handle milk, but to much makes me feel yucky...

I don't know if this is helpful, but I have a friend who had a baby that wasn't gaining weight or eating. She was on all kinds of medications due to her surgeries (only has one functioning liver) and it was affecting her appetite and weight gain. My friend chose to take her off of the medications and saw IMMEDIATE results. The baby got her appetite back and began gaining weight. Maybe this isn't something you can do in your situation. If you want to look i nto it, ask a homeopathic doctor. They would probably be more open to alternatives. Also, you might try goats milk, instead of cows milk. Goats milk is more easily digestible for people than cows milk.

My daughter is the same height and the same weight, she is 5 though. She is just a tall, skinny girl. I wouldn't be as concerned about his weight as the fact that he won't eat by mouth. He needs calories and nutrients from things other than milk. Would it be possible for him to see an occupational therapist? I know many states have programs for early intervention on things like that. I would check into that if I were you.

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OH A.,
How scared you must be, I am so sorry you poor girl, I wish that I could hug you.
I Have a girlfriend who's son I Am happy to say is 27 years old and has lived 10-11 years longer than he was supposed to have, he was born with severe Cerebral Palsey (sp?) ANd he has had a feeding tube since I have known him but he too can eat orally and he is such a doll. anyway his mom feeds him WEndy's Frosty's to help with his weight gain, he gets about two big frosty's per week plus his feedings through feeding tube. I AM afraid that I would be putting anything in that tube that I could (vanilla yogurt, Ice cream, pudding etc.) anything that would help him gain weight.I would also try the yummy stuff orally. also check to see if he has thrush in his mouth or my friends son often gets a horrible fungus in his stomache that makes him scream, grunt and grouch.It is due to the feeding tube itself. I would keep some good probiotics into his body, Acidophilus Lactobacillin.
If you can control the speed in which the food goes in I would also try to regulate that myself if possible, are you able to use a suringe on his pump to feed at your speed, if so mommy will figure out the proper...feed speed.
OH bless you precious heart my heart is aching because I cannot give you the biggest hug.

It sounds to me like you need a new doctor. I don't see how a 7 year old can get adequate nutrition from milk. I have found that nurses seem to know who the best doctors are because they see the results of the doctor's work. My mother used to call the pediatric or other pertinent unit of the hospital, ask to talk to a nurse, and then ask her who a good pediatrician is. If you know of a nurse who works in an area where she sees a lot of patients from a lot of different pediatricians ask her who she would recommend.

A.,
That is so scary that he only weighs 35lbs. I would first switch Doctors but you may need to go to the Emergency Room if he is lethargic. Things happen so quickly, one thing leads to another and he will need IV's. I am sure that you have tried ENSURE and stuff like that but your right...a 6yr old trying to gain weight on "milk" alone. I don't buy it. Get HELP elsewhere...please.

I am so sorry. I have a toddler with a history of surgery and lack of weight gain. I think the big thing is that doctors wanted me to keep feeding him with a tube through his nose at first- but he didnt respond to that- so I stopped anyway. I think you want to get your child used to eating through his mouth. Maybe he has a milk allergy- or is sensitive to sugar or something. Food allergies can cause all kinds of weird stuff. My baby is sensitive to soy! I got him off the soy formula and started feeding him a well balanced, healthy diet-he is finally 20 pounds at 26 months!! But at 1 year he was 11 pounds! Try some healthy shakes you can make at home with yogurt, protein powder, fruit etc. Supplement with vitamins- you want to get his body healthy so that it will start using the food.The less boxed and processed the better. Fresh juice, veggies, etc. If he won't eat them whole right away blend them. Add Olive oil to his oatmeal...sneak in healthy fat where you can. It is stressful, I know...but be patient and deliberate with your plan and get him to participate. Describe to him why he needs to gain weight and how you both need to try together. Best of luck- I hope it works out for you- I know what a worry this must be.

Have you consulted a homeopathic physician? I think that sometimes there are situations where other types of practitioners are necessary, and this may be one of those times. His regular doc is obviously ok with the treatment, but you as mother know best, and you should seek another rout of support.

Best of luck and wishes in finding the support you need!

Hi A.,
I would look for a registered dietitian rather than a doctor. Is there a University near you? One with a medical center/campus or one with a dietetics program? If you can call around and find that out, I am sure you can find a referral to someone who can help. I am sure that it is time to get him feeding. It has been years since the transplant.

Hi A. I'm a single mama of an 18 month old, so I can sympathesize with you in that way. I used to work for Nursing and Therapy Services of Colorado as a CNA and I remember going to an inservice talking about the feeding clinic here in town. It would probably be a good idea to give NTSOC a call and see if they can help or at least refer you to help. Here's there # ###-###-####. Best of luck! If you're ever interested I'm trying to start a single parent support group.

My heart goes out to you. There is no easy solution. If your son is on Pedia Sure or Ensure or something like that then he is getting all the necessary nutrients so don't worry about that part. My son had a feeding year for the first year of his life and also completely stopped eating as well as throwing up. He got to where he had a great aversion to putting food in his mouth. Our only solution was to take out the tube, cold-turkey. The doctors were surprised at our suggestion but decided to support us as long as we agreed to take him in every other day to check for dehydration. After a few days he began eating on his own. We later found out that he had a genetic condition that made him smaller and he was merely eating for his "blueprints" and was not destined to catch up. However, I don't think that is the case with your son because of his height. if he has an NG tube and not the one that is surgically placed in his stomach then trying to go without it for a time is an option. However, don't do anything without your doctors' permission. As far as magic food systems, none of that ever worked for me. I would also suggest trying some other specialists to find out if there is another underlying condition besides his heart that could be causing this, i.e., a milk or other allergy. My heart goes out to you.

I don't have much advice on a feeding program but maybe he is sensative to gluten. I have a 5 year old blind neice who now weighs about 18 lbs. She started gaining weight once they put her on a gluten free diet. I would suggest taking your son to an allergy specialist and have him tested for an allergy. Maybe he is allergic to something they put in the feedings-it's more than just milk-maybe it's a preservative that they put in the feedings.

another suggestion...if your son has diahrrea and his tummy is a bit distended (swollen)-this is a huge sign of celiac disease-hard to explain but you can read about it on the internet. Good luck, let us know how it goes. Also, I just have to say that I think you are super mom!!!

A.,
I agree with Georgia M. He may be having a reaction to the milk. Find an alternative health care provider who can offer something different. Its obvious this is not working. I also have a son who is extremely small for his age. He weighed about the same as yours at 6. It may be in his genetics.
my son is 14 on Sunday and still only weighes 69 pounds. Good Luck!

We have a great feeding therapist I could recommend. She has been most helpful with ideas of things to do at home. Medicaid covered her for us. We also just got accepted today at Children's, but are on the wait for a spot for therapy. We're only going there to consolidate care since we now need to add speech therapy. We hate leaving our other therapist. You don't want your son not eating. That's going to cause problems. I would think someone who could help him eat would be more beneficial than just treating the problem temporarily.

Will your son drink? 10 oz. of whole milk mixed with one serving of Carnation Instant Breakfast is a well accepted formula substitute for babies. Maybe it would work for an older child as well.

Parenting magazine, I think in the Feb. issue had an article on adding calories to a diet. Some of them have worked very well for us, but they were all food ideas.

I think there is cause for concern, though. Maybe it's time for a second opinion. Our specialist says weight is okay if the weight/height ratio is 1 to 1 on the growth chart placement. I know your son would be considered failure to thrive by chart standards, but it sounds like his ratio is okay. Our older son is about the same height and weight.

GL I hope you can find a good answer. It must be hard to see you son struggling after doing so well with his other trials.

A.,
My son is a cancer survivor and he was on TPN (intravenous nutrition) for over a year. It provided everything he needed nutritionally since he could not eat anything by mouth due to the mouth sores he developed during chemotherapy. He was weaned off of it very slowly and at first he didn't eat much at all but has started to eat more. He weighs just 40 pounds and is nearly 7. He's very small for his age. His sister is almost four and she weighs 38 pounds.
I think with these special needs kids we just can't compare them to what's considered "normal" by everyone else's standards. Ask your doctor about weaning him off the tube feedings - it's probably an obstacle for your son because he's used to it - it's all he knows. It will be scary at first - he might even lose more weight. Maybe look into supplementing his "by mouth" menu with some Ensure. We tried that with my son and it seemed to help him pick up a little weight.
Sincerely,
S.