Weight Gain - Monroe,NC

I knew a girl that had a daughter that was very small...at age 4 or 5 she was still wearing size 18month clothes. NOTHING was wrong with her and she is still healthy but VERY SMALL!! I would not worry about it...she may just be a small person.

Without teaching her to eat a lot of junk, you could increase her calories with healthy food. Such as whole milk, whole fat yogurt, cottage cheese, cheese and avocado on her salad, protein bars (Cliff Bars, Luna bars, etc.), peanut butter.

Even if she doesn't care for breads and pastas - that's not a good way to gain weight - but, try to mix them with other things. My daughter is 13months and 25lbs. But, everyone is different.

You need to balance all the nutrition - grains, dairy, veggies...etc - carbs aren't going to necessarily gain weight - not the kind you want anyway - carbs build fat, especially if it's not with the right balance of other foods - so, her lack of enjoyment from pasta/breads isn't necessarily a cause for concern. However, try things like chicken casseroles, hamburgers..etc where the carbs are built in - and masked a little so that she's more likely to eat them.

How much protein is she getting? Protein is the healthy way to gain weight and build muscle (along with carbs). Lots of chicken, fish, steaks...etc build. Whole foods and well-rounded meals are the best.

Also - how is she eating? Only at the table? Don't pay attention so much to sitting her down for a meal, but carry snacks with you and let her eat on the go. Kids are so active and don't want to take the time to eat - but, if you lay healthy snacks out, or just offer the foods in a different setting, that may help.

PLEASE LEAVE YOUR CHILD ALONE AND STOP WORRYING! You are causing UNDUE stress for yourself as well as your daughter which could result in an eating discorder. I know that sounds extreme, but if your child is meeting all of her motorskill and mental milestones then she is fine.
Society is SO screwy with dictating what size, weight and height children are supposed to be. I know it is hard to look at your child and notice that she is so different than others, but she is fine.
My daughter is 4 1/2 yrs old, 29 lbs and 39 inches tall. She is lean and very slight in build, but she is rough and tough and can mostly do anything other kids do, unless she isn't tall enough. She has hit EVERY milestone months in advance versus your "standard" child. Her docs are AMAZED with her and quickly accepted that she is just a small person. I did allow them to do a thyroid blood test, 1- because I have thyroid disease and 2- so they could outrule it. Other than that they said because I was a tinie tiny child, she is my mirror image and size at her age as I was and her daddy was small too. I am only 5'1" however her daddy has grown to 5'11" and is not a slightly built man.
Mostly it's gentics and as long as she is meeting every other level then rest assured she is fine. I had a friend who put her kid through every test possible, that little boy's life was MISERABLE and for what?! They tested and tested and found nothing wrong with him, now he is 14 and plays football with the 18 yr olds...
Asf or the weight gain, that will most likely not happen at her age. Once a child becomes active- crawling, walking, running they are burning off every calorie they consummed ta their last meal. As long as she is eating healthy she's fine. By the age of 6-7 she will start gaining weight, but still not over night. Just be happy with her being small and you being able to old her in your lap longer and picking her up longer than most parents get to..I do :)

Give her 1/2 Carnation instant breakfast shake right before bed. This is a tip from a feeding team at my friends hospital when she and her son were working with them. Also give her lots of nut butters if you are sure there arent allergies. Beyond peaunt butter there are almond butter and Sunbutter (at Target) both very healthy, good fat, and each nut provides different nutrients. Make milkshakes with the nut butters. Avacado is a good choice as well.

Sweetheart, every body is different. That's just all there is to it. If the doctor says she is healthy and fine and you haven't felt anything is physically wrong with her then stop and take a deep breath. You are a GOOD mother or you would not be concerned. But from everything you have said here, this little girl is perfectly fine. She is just a wee one. :D

We have had the opposite experience. My 3 year old daughter, who was 6 lbs 11 oz at birth, is 40" tall and weighs 60 lbs! I weighed 45 lbs going into first grade, but my husband is 6'6" so the doctor said to prepare ourselves for a 6' daughter! literally, LOL (I am 5'8".) But she's smart and healthy and LOVES to eat fruit (without sugar) and no meat of any kind! We eat it, but she won't. So, once again, every one of us is different.

Take care and enjoy this time. They are little, and then it is gone so quickly. Take it from me! lol, much love to your family, L.

It sounds like nothing is wrong with her. My daughter was 4 in march she weighs 25lbs and is 35.5 inches tall. She is very small for her age yet she was big when she was born at 7lbs and was 3 weeks early. My and my husband are not big epople either and we were small kids so I think she is just tiny yet our ped was so convinced somethign was wrong with Ellie at 15 months old since she was only 17lbs that she sent us to specialists and put her through testing and sent us 5 hours away to cincinatti chidrens hospital in OH for testing. NOTHING came back abnormal. finally at almost 3 I stopped it all. Now I have a small little boy too. He is bigger then her at 16 months he is 19lbs but still small. They both eat well just like your daughter. They put Ellie on something called polycose which is a powder that adds 80 calories for every teaspoon you add to food and it didnt help at all. Ellie eats the carbs and the pasta and well prety much anything and she's still not gaining weight. My son does eat anything even rocks and dirt LOL j/k and he doesnt gain weight. Every kid is different and there has to be one at the bottom of the chart just like there has to be one at the top otherwise there wouldnt be a chart (although mine arent on the growth chart) Yes our 4year olds will probably be the smallest kids in school but I was and I made it and now I'm 5 foot 3 inches tall and do just fine. Dont stress about her weight and height (you didnt say if that was a problem) unless she is sickly which it doesnt sound like she might not grow till puberty. I got all my height between 13 and 16 (just in time to reach the gas pedal in the car haha)

This type of thing runs in both mine and my husband's family. Our doctor explained that there are some people who grow more slowly than the "average", but they continue to grow longer than average. Especially boys. As for your daughter, she sounds just like me at that age. Don't sweat it, as long as she's healthy. Keep giving her the healthy foods she likes (think how many kids her age won't touch fruits and veggies!) She will be much healthier in the long run, and will probably never have weight issues like so many people. Be careful not to make an issue out of it, that's how problems can start. Keep doing what you're doing and stop worrying, you have a very happy healthy little girl!!! Be thankful!

One important thing when it comes to the growth of a child is to see if he/she is following a consistent growth curve throughout his/her life. Although it is not unusual for a child to have one or two small drops on their own curve as they reach certain points in development, overall, it should be a smooth curve moving upward. In other words, if your child starts out in the 25th percentile, pretty much, if that child is healthy, she will stay in the 25th percentile, although if she were to drop to the 20th and remain in that percentile, it would not be cause for alarm. However, if your child started out in the 25th percentile, and over time dropped to the 20th, then the 15th, 10th, 5th, etc., there is a problem. This is what they call failure to thrive. It isn't the same as losing weight (although sometimes that is an issue); it just means that your child isn't growing at the rate that is expected. We have experienced this with two of our children; both ended up having acid reflux that went undiagnosed for some time because they did not present the "classic" symptoms. My second child, in particular, went a long time without a diagnosis because he ate just enough to do normal things but not enough to get sick. We were told that he just had a high metabolism and was burning off everything he ate too quickly. Reflux probably isn't the issue with your daughter, but I guess what I'm saying is that there are relatively harmless things that can be hard to detect. It is important to listen to your gut as a mother on these things. For all the years of medical experience your doctor has, he is not the expert on your child. If something doesn't seem right, get another opinion.

I don't know what, if any, tests have been run, but there are a few things that should be ruled out. For instance, one thing that strikes me in your post is that your daughter doesn't like bread or pasta. Have they tested her for celiac's disease? That can cause poor weight gain as well and is actually one of the tests they ran on my children when they were not growing. It would be worth looking into. If you don't want to subject her to that, you can also read up on it and try the recommended dietary changes to see if it makes a difference with your daughter.

I hope you can find some answers soon. It can be really scary when a child doesn't seem to be growing, especially if there is no obvious cause. Best of luck to all of you!

I wouldn't worry about it at all. There have been several small children in our family. My brother-in-law has 2 girls and they are both tiny. His oldest was not even on the growth chart until she turned 4 and even at 9, she's near the bottom (and is a huge soccer star!). His youngest is a little bigger than her sister has been, but not by much. My sil has 3 boys that were not very big babies either. Her oldest is average, but the younger 2 are still little. Somehow, we ended up with 2 boys that were huge. My 6 year old slowed down when he turned 2 and has stayed in the 50th percentile, but my 3 year old is still huge and off the charts. I'm anxious to see how our little girl (due in Sept) will turn out. It's totally genetic and you can't make your children bigger than they are intended to be. However, my sister had big babies like I did and her third child was a little skinny so her pedi had her give him a carnation shake every night after dinner. I don't know that it helped much though. He's 5 now and still tall and skinny. As long as your daughter is a good eater and gets plenty of exercise, I'd say she's doing fine.

I totally agree with the pediatrician. If a child is eating, drinking, peeing, pooping, playing, sleeping and learning without other 'symptoms' besides petiteness, they're doing great! I've known several kids who were really small, and their families took it upon themselves to encourage the kids to 'please eat'. ALL of them have had problems with being overweight as adults. It's not good. Just look at all the obese people in America and take my advice -- DON'T SWEAT IT!! In a country where obesity is the major health problem, your best tactic is to just provide a healthy menu and let the kids eat what they want from that menu. We seem to lose the ability to 'stop when we're full' as we grow older, anyway!

I recently went to a nutritionist/metabolic typing alylist, and she has 3 girls. 2 are tall and thin and one is a 'chunk' (like her dad). God just had fun making us all different! Enjoy the diversity and thank God she loves healthy foods!

God bless!

You are not alone out there! My youngest daughter was a full term baby (2 days late) and a solid 7 lbs 8 oz. She was not a big eater. She would only take 1-2 bites each of meat, fruit, veggies and be done. It took her 45 minutes to eat that much. She was so petite in 2nd grade that kindergarteners where taller and weighed more then she did. She was still wearing size 4-5's during that time. She is now 10 and wears size 10 kids clothes. I think she weighs 66 pounds now. Because of her size and weight we did keep her in a booster seat until she was 9.

Also look at the genetics in the family. I am short and overweight. My husband is tall and skinny. My daughter appears to have my shortness and my husbands skinnyness.

please, do not give her anything fake or manmade. Stick with milkshakes, fruit juice drinks, anything with some extra calories, yet still healthy. Nuts, yogurt, many healthy things without going fake. As long as she feels good, and has energy, every child is different. Give her time. God bless!

Don't worry. My son is also at the low end of the scale (barely touching the bottom line). He is 4 and there is only a few inches difference between him and his friends. It doesn't bother him so it doesn't bother me. He is energetic, smart, and a very good eater. My husband was a later bloomer (he grew something like 6 inches when he was 17 or 18), and I have tall men on my side of the family.

Please don't start doing hormone treatments unless it is medically necessary. Enjoy your child, encourage healthy eating (how about cheese, yogurt - don't just give junk and create unhealthy habits). Also, I switched my kids to a liquid multi-vitamin, and that seems to have been a good thing.

Good luck!

A., I also would not worry about it. I brought our son home at 5lbs 11 ozs. He was 1 month premature and breastfed for almost 2 years. He is in the bottom percentile, BUT fairly proportional to himself. He has not grown in the last 9 months for weight or height. He is 33 1/2 in and 23 lbs. He was also 19 lbs from 7-13 months. He too eats few grains. Getting him to eat say a bite of toast is impossible. I have been pushing some food in attempts to give him more rounded meals.

A typical day of food usually is cold cereal, oatmeal, or an egg w/sausage for breakfast. He eats an earlier lunch which is a pick of one of the following 1/4 sandwich, soup, the tomaoes and egg out of my salad, I've been pushing mac and cheese or fruit. A snack, fruit, raisins, I push some crackers, or celery and peenut butter. Then dinner he eats whatever we are having, he is not a picky eater. He just doesn't eat terribly much at one time. He has tons of energy and drinks between 16-24 ozs a day. At the store I met a mom who's daughter was 6 and 29 lbs. She too was not worried. Some kids just don't chunk up. I wouldn't worry unless some I saw red flag delays.

Please stop worrying about how your daughter is doing compared to other children. When my son was a baby his doctor said as long as he is growing in height, don't worry about his weight if he has energy and is healthy. He fell off the bottom of the weight chart several times in his life but continued to be over the fiftieth percentile in height. He was one of the smallest children in his class until middle school. He is now 16, closing in on 6'2" and still may not weigh 150 lbs. He is a successful athlete and has rarely been sick in his life. He is built exactly like one of his grandfathers. Trust yourself and your doctor. Take care.

Have you tried avocados? My son loves them and they are full of good fat.

I don't have any real suggestions. JUst wanted to say she is not alone. My niece is six and weighs maybe 30 pounds. My son who is 6 months younger than her passed her up at about 3 years old and he is small. Her doctor says the same thing. Offer her well rounded meals. Don't allow snacks if she does not eat at meals so that she will eat the meals. My son also is small he loves fruits and vegetables and doesn't care much for sweets or meat. He likes grains though and that may be why he isn't tiny. Anyway the doctors have told us about my niece and my son that they are just small. As longer as they are eating and energetic it will be fine. So I am sure she will be fine. At 18 months old my son was 20 pounds and we had a horrible doctor who freaked out and accused us of not feeding him. HE did not understand breastfeeding and how he was not going to suddenly start gaining weight from drinking milk because he was not drinking milk as he still nursed. Anyway, he put him on pediasure. Our son liked it and it helped make sure he got all his vitamins and stuff at least. Also the doctor of my niece said that until she gains weight back to the normal range she should drink whole milk not the 1% or fat free. Hope it all works out fine. As long as she is gaining something she is fine (advice from my nieces doctor again. The only time he got upset with her weight was when she went a whole year without gaining anything. NOw he just says as long as she gains something between checkups she is fine.

It may just be her normal. I did know a child who had an "ethiopian belly" who was very short and small for her age. They finally figured out that she had celiac disease, and once she went on that diet the belly went away and she started growing. It doesn't sound like your daughter eats much wheat to begin with, but it only takes a speck to mess such a person up, and it might be worth looking into.

Hello, A.. Your daughter is probably just genetically predisposed to being thin, but there was one thing in your request that I noticed - the fact that she doesn't like breads or pastas. Do they in any way make her feel sick? Are there other foods she avoids? I ask because celiac disease could prevent her from gaining weight - it's an allergy to gluten which is in most breads and pastas. If she has any other symptoms like constipation, diarrhea, mouth sores, muscle aches, I would discuss them with your doctor. But don't worry - the odds are that your daughter is just fine and may end up a lucky adult who does not need to battle her weight.

Hi A.,

I have a friend who has gone through this and her little one sounds a lot like yours. Weight is NOT really an issue if she is healthy. Doctors go by charts and the "norm" which is usually kids that are fast food and processed food junkies. These types of foods are laden with chemicals and give the impression of good health because they are bigger/sturdier looking.

If you really want her to gain weight or see if she can gain weight,try fattier dressings on her salads or maybe a Waldorf salad instead of just an apple especially if you want the doctor to see weight gain. Just make sure that they are healthy fats.

Fiber is extremely important in helping with weight gain if she doesn't eat much. It will not only remove any toxins there but will excite the appetite even more. If she's not getting enough from her fruits and veggies I can recommend one for you. Also a multivitamin that absorbs like food is necessary. There is one on the market I recommend as well that has help two of my friends with the kids weight (they were "underweight" as well).

If I were you I really wouldn't worry. I personally think she is fine especially with your and your husband's history.

God bless,

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

Hi A.,

I'm glad your not considering hormones. pedia sure and instant breakfast have lots of vitamin and I think do great when it come to a good weight. Also kids like your daughter really need the fat that comes with whole milk. I try to bake as often as possible for my sons snacks and he's looking pretty healthy to me. Good luck.