What Would You Do? - Dubuque,IA

I wouldn't worry if I were you every child is different. One of my sons is very healthy, and really active, but only weighs 24 lbs. and he'll be 3 this month. We feed him when we eat, when he's hungry, when his brother is hungry, and usually leave healthy snacks on the coffee table so he always has something to eat available.

J., I have a daughter that is low on the weight side. She was 8Lbs 11oz at birth. At 15 months she was 19Lbs. My docter has expressed mild concern about her weight. She is also tall, so the doc just says she is probably going to be the tall, skinny type. He has never suggested I go back to formula. I just feed her when she is hungry. The hard part for me is if she don't eat what I make I have to try something else for her to eat. I wouldn't do that if she wasn't so skinny. My son was the oppisite so if he didn't eat well from time to time it wasn't a big deal to me. I wouldn't worry to much about it as long as he is still gaining even if it is just a little at a time.
Hope this helps
P.

My Daughter was in a similar situation. She was 7lbs at birth but a very slow gainer, she wasn't on the growth charts % until after she reached 2. The Ped went as far as doing a bunch of blood work to rule out problems. We never found anything wrong, she was just little and gained weight slowly. Now that she is 3 she has caught right up, weighs about 29 Lbs.

If there is nothing wrong medically and he eats the variety of foods yoiu said I would just wait and see, stick with milk.

HTH

I wouldn't worry to much about it. He might just be a little small for his age. My niece is going to be 8 and she only weighs about 40 lbs. My soon to be 5 year old son only weighs 35 lbs, and he's healthy as a horse. Some kids are just tiny, then they shoot up. I would do what the doctor recomends and see what happens. As long as he's eating, and eating what's good for him, I wouldn't be to concerned. Good luck.

Hi J....My 2nd daughter also was very petite. In fact, zero percentile for weight until 2 years old when she jumped to 5th percentile. My doctor was never really worried because she followed her own growth curve and was gaining at a predictable pace. She was also reaching all her milestones. She has a small frame as do my husband and I and she has always been extremely active. We always joke that she burns whatever she eats as she's eating it. I breastfed on demand and started her on whole milk at a year and she continued on whole milk past 2 years. She has always been a grazer and we work around that making snacks more like mini meals through out the day. By the way, my daughter is 5 now and doing great. Still petite but perfect for her frame.
You know your son better than anyone and it sounds like you're doing a great job. Some kids are just small. I would probably continue on whole milk and (ouch!) eliminate the juice since it will only fill him up and take away the opportunity for higher fat choices.
Good Luck!

My daughter was about the same size as your son....now at 22 months, she still is just over 20 pounds, some days she gets up to 21, LOL. If he is eating well and drinking well, I wouldn't worry too much, you are doing all the right things....I would maybe make the formula and mix it half and half with whole milk, since it was free, it won't hurt, just gettin him a few more calories. They are just growing so fast, still, and some kids just have a faster metabolism, and with him not slowing down at all all day for a nap, he is using even more calories than the average kid.

So I would say just keep doing what you are doing, and add in the whole milk/formula. Seems the Dr.s and clothing companies all think all babies and toddlers are supposed to be chunky these days...my girl can still fit 12 m and some 6-9 m pants at the waist ( all are way too short though) and most 18 or 24 months will fall off of her hips without me altering them! She eats great just like you son, and eats all day....but she also moves all day and rarely sits still.

If only us moms could have the same metabolisms as our kids!

Jessie

I agree with getting him checked to see what might be causing this- thyroid-diabetes. Try the formula the doctor gave you, continue with the whole milk and keep up the great work. What he is eating good, see if he'll eat more peanut butter etc.

DOn't worry. It sounds like you are doing all you can. My daughter is also low-weight. (18 lbs at 15 mos.) All of my kids were on the skinny side too. Your ped has to worry it is their job to do that. But you know your child best. It sounds like he is where he should be. If you want to give him thr formula, so so. but there are other ways to increase calorie count that don't require costly formulas. My pediatrician just had me feed my kids (all went through this) calorie dense foods. Eggs, avocados, items cooked in butter or with non fat dry milk added. Peanut butter is good when they are older.

But the bottom line is that even that has its limits. Use your common sense. If your child is active, happy and developmentally on target-- there really is nothing that you can do to make them gain weight. (I went through this with all my kids and struggled to make sure i added calories where I could... They are NOT any heavier now because of it. They eat well, enjoy fruits, and are extremely active, well adjusted, brilliant, and happy preschoolers.

A weight chart is just a distribution of weights for a sample of children in recent years. With children getting heavier (due in part to a variety of reasons), that distribution will shift a bit and make today's 'average' weight look a lot like a 'heavy' child 20 or 30 years ago. Your child is fine. Do what you think makes sense-- within reason. You know best.

Good luck,

Trust your gut, not the doctor's advice. If he doesn't like the formula, he doesn't like it. Don't give it to him. Let him drink plenty of whole milk instead. The doctor is getting kickbacks for giving out the samples.

Doctors can scare the heck out of parents. Don't let it happen to you. If your boy is otherwise healthy, don't worry about it. You sound like you are feeding him healthy foods. He's thin--end of story.

My 18 month old is 33 inches tall and 22 pounds. Tall and thin. When she was 15 months she was 20 pounds. She is incredibly active all day long and eats a TON! Don't worry! Unfortunately, today's society has the misconception that toddlers should be fat and jolly - which equals unhealthy. When we were kids, we weighed and looked just like your child and mine. I tried the toddler formula for a while and found no difference at all so I stopped. I would definitely keep him on whole milk for a couple of years though. They need the fat in it. My doctor told me to stop the formula since I didn't notice any diffrence and that my daughter is fine the way she is. I also know that you shouldn't give a child soy formula unless there is a medical reason for it. Honestly, just give him the whole milk. At least 18-20 ounces a day even if it means keeping him on the bottle to get that much milk every day. It works for me and my daughter!

My daughter had a similar situation. She has a Milk/Soy Protein Intolerance, so she couldn't have any dairy or soy when she was very little. She also was very slow to grow. Eventually, she started to "grow" out of the protein intolerance and we added dairy and soy back into her diet. Anyway, when she turned 1, we could have given her whole milk to drink, but she still couldn't handle it. Our pediatrician recommended that we give her soy formula until she was 2, because she needed the fats of whole milk or the equivalent and the soy milk in the store has the same fat content of 2% milk. So, long story short, rather than milk, she drank Prosobee NextStep, juice, and water until she turned 2 and then we switched her over to soy milk from the store. She is doing great on that.

So, if it were me, I would do whatever the pediatrician recommends. After all, they are the "experts" and we go to them for a reason. Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

My children also run way small for the charts. My son was born at 25 weeks 6 days weighing 2 lbs 1 oz. He weighed 11 lbs 12 oz at 1 year old. He is now 4 and fine, I chose not to supplement with formula. We added healthy calories where ever we could. He ate lots of avocados, whole milk yogurt and cheese, added small amounts of butter to his oatmeal and just feed him whenever he wanted to eat. He is still on the small side but is perfectly healthy. My daughter who is 17 months, who was born on her due date, was just over 18 lbs at 1 year old. I have never supplemented her either and she is doing great. Again I have just chosen high calorie healthy foods. Both of my children are developmentally on track with no concerns due to low weight.

There is a homemade baby food website that I love as a resource in regards to nutrition. It is http://www.wholesomebabyfood.com/ . There is plenty of good information on a wide variety of foods. I would encourage you to try it without the formula, unless he has a special medical condition that would require it.

Feel free to email me if you have any questions. M.

My next question is if he is following his growth curve? My little peanut is small too but he's been following the same 5% growth curve since he's been born.
You said he is sleeping and eating well, very active. Excellent! Sounds like he is doing well. Good temperment too?? :D
If there was a problem then there would be additional signs other than him being on the smaller side. Most of society says you need a certain size baby/toddler... make sure you completely confortable with whatever plan you choose. Your his mom, you know him the best.
Maybe he's just at a rest period in his growth. If there was a problem then there would be additional signs other than him being on the smaller side.
God Bless.

J.,

My daughter was 9lbs 2.5 oz at birth. She was a very chubby baby. But as time went by that changed. When she was 18 months old she only weighed 18 lbs. She was gaining but not as fast as most kids. My doctor said that just means that she is one of those that does not fall into the majority category (or the category where most kids are). She was doing great in all other areas and she would eat but she just did not comsume alot of food when she ate and she was very active. Also she loved fresh fruit. I would put him back on whole milk and go from there. If there is no health problems and everything else is where it should be then I would leave well enough alone. If things change and he starts having helath issue that are related that is when I would get concerned. My daughter is now 15 years old and is average height and weight. She was always very skinny (ie I had to buy jeans that were slim on the waist) but once she hit puberty things started to develop and she is no different then anyone else. Do not stress over a problem that is not there.

S. K

SAHM of Two girls and one boy.

The real question is whether the doctor is advising formula just to add calories or does he think your son is small because he is not getting proper nutrition. If your son's nutritional profile is fine (he's not anemic, he doesn't bruise easily, his face isn't gaunt looking, he has expected muscle mass for his frame, etc.) and he's meeting or exceeding expected developmental milestones then what you are feeding him is probably just fine. If there are specific trouble signs - like anemia or low energy or not meeting developmental milestones for his age, then do seriously consider adding at least some formula back to his diet to make sure he's getting all the nutrients he needs.

My sister and my daughter both had pediatricians advise them to try to push extra calories at their kids because the kids were small weight wise. I think weight/height charts are interesting, and can be helpful in pointing out areas where a doc might need to do additional tests or give specific advice, but I don't think they take into account the genetics. My sister's husband is 5' 6", she's only 5'4, grannies and aunties on both sides aren't quite 5' - the kids probably ARE going to be on the small side. My niece and nephews are adults now and all are normal - average height and healthy weight for their heights. My daughter is a size 4/6 and 5' 6" tall; my granddaughter at age 4 is perfectly healthy and could still wear 24 month clothes if they were just long enough - so her height is about 50% and her weight in 10-20% on the charts - in other words -NORMAL.

I could have written this myself a few years ago. Both my kids are 50ish % for height and either not on the chart or the very bottom of the chart for weight. We all come in different shapes and sizes. I worried with my son and brought him to the nutritionist(like the dr suggested). He was eating healthy stuff. They wanted me to add a bunch of fattening garbage to his food to fatten him up. Why would I do that? He was heathly and ate when he was hungry. He is now 8 and still a healthy thin kid. My husband comes from a fairly petite family. My family isnt exactly a bunch of giants. I say keep your son on the milk, keep feeding him the way you are and he will grow up to be a healthy strong child with great eating habits.

I'd try the formula as the doc suggested. I'd probably also give him something a bit less "healthy" and let him have something with a bit more caloric count, some sugars and complex carbs to give him more energy if he's very active. For whatever reason he's burning through everything you give him, which would seem to indicate that in order to gain weight he needs more calories. If he can't eat more of what you currently give him, you may have to consider "unhealthy" foods, though I hate using that term because they aren't unhealthy - all food has value to the body and learning to manage the "fun" with the "healthy" is important to establishing good habits later in life. That's the basis for all diet programs today. Everything in moderation.

That said, he may have a thyroid issue, as suggested, or some other metabolic-based condition that requires treatment or a different diet. I would have him checked for such things, so you know how to manage the situation.

I had this kind of situation with my son, too. They called him failure to thrive because he had lost some growth curves, but wasn't actually not thriving.
Whole milk is going to give him more fat than soy formula. I don't know if it is possible for you, but I switched to raw whole milk right from the farm. He didn't do well with store bought milk, but he does great with raw!
Soy has some scariness to it. There are enough hormones in it to keep a woman in menopause feeling better, who is that affecting men? I dont' want to find out on my boys. The soybeans that we get today here in the US are genetically modified and can't be compared to other countries.

You can also buy fattier meats for your son to give him fats. That is healthier than trying to fatten him up with sugar and corn syrup foods.

But, if your son is healthy, happy and growing, I would NOT get worked up about all this. Some kids are just small or delayed growers.

in all honesty, i wouldnt use the formula. maybe donate it to some new mom who needs it.

however, i would increase some of the healthy fats! have you tried feeding him avocado? not only is it a good fat, but its GREAT for brain development. my son wasnt a huge fan of it by itself, but you can use it in recepies as a replacement for butter: one average sized avocado for every stick of butter needed. and you know what? for any cookie recipie, i would use at LEAST one avocado. remember when buying that they should be sorta softened.

kids come in all different shapes and sizes. the thing that im most worried about is the face that statistics keep telling us that most children are OVERweight, and those percentage charts are using the average numbers for weights and heights of kids a similar age, not the weight or height they should be.. so what im saying is, if he is underweight compared to other kids his age, this is a GOOD thing!

as long as he is otherwise healthy and isnt suffering from any vitamin deficiencies, he should be perfectly fine, and he shouldnt even need the whole milk. science is starting to show how bad animal proteins are for us, so if you can decrease the use of dairy and meats, and increase the use of beans, lentils, veggies fruits, and whole grains, this would benefit everyone. although, just being aware of it is better than not at all... so dont feel forced into stopping animal products all together; i havent... im just much more aware of the dangers and i try to cut back. we only drink skim milk in my house, and we get plenty of healthy fats from other foods. :D

i wouldnt worry. if your doctor expresses more concerns about this, get a second opinion. if both doctors are concerned, see if you can get .. i dont know, some kind of test done that would determine if your son is lacking any nutrients or vitamins. if so, make appropriate changes. but if he is perfectly healthy with no nutrient/vitamin deficiencies.. i would just keep doing what you are doing!! good job mom for raising a healthy son! :D

Hi J..

Good luck with all the advice. My son is just shy of 8 (December) and is finally 43 lbs!!! Ha!

We've been in your shoes. Our pediatrician told us once to "butter his butter." She also advised us to use supplements in his milk. We used a lot of Carnation Instant Breakfast drink stuff (vanilla, choc., strawberry). Not only did my son love it, it gave him extra calories. If possible, I would shy away from reverting to the formula - try a few others advise first.

In addition to his being small, he has a heart condition and underwent open heart surgery at a week old. So our (his) cardiologist told us that he will probably be on the small side until puberty and to not worry. My nephew who has the same condition, etc. was the same way, he is now 14 and just fine. Our cardiologist also said that so long as he is growing in height, there is no real reason to worry.

Is your pediatrician fairly new in his/her practice? Maybe they are still erroring on the learning/caution side so it's still something new for them.

Good luck with everything. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions or comments, I would be happy to help!

A.
____@____.com

Hi J.! I just wanted to say that my daughter is small like your son. I would ask your Dr. if the formula is medically necessary and if not- don't bother with it.
I have trouble with recommending soy formula to anyone. Go to www.mercola.com for info on soy.
My daughter is 23 pounds now and bright and healthy. She is 22 months old and her Dr. has never been concerned about her weight. She eats avocados every day and whole milk goat's milk. WIC tried to tell us that she had failure to thrive when she was 9 months- as she was walking around the room chatting delightedly with whomever she could see.
Personally, I think that you have to do what you can live with. Research if you want and call another pediatrician in your clinic for another opinion but ultimately you have to do what you feel is best for your son.
Good luck!

I would do exactly as the doctor says so he gets all his nutrition and after the formula I would go on whole milk. My daughter is two and I have never thought of taking her off whole milk at such a young age also dont forget to give him water.

My daughter got down to the 5th percentile at one point. She was at the 50th until she started getting solid foods and went down from there. She was breast fed until a year, LOVED fruits and vegetables, and was milk protein sensitive which meant she and I were off all forms of dairy until she was done breastfeeding (for me) and until she was about 15 months old. We had a fam practicioner who was worried and about to start a bunch of tests. My belief (call it my mother's gut) was that the 5th is no different from the 95th, and none of us have any problem if our kids are in the 95th (which says a lot about our overweight society!). But when they are on the low end they get labeled "failure to thrive". My daughter was incredibly active, slept well, and ate pretty well. I switched to a pediatrician who watched her for about 2 minutes and said "I know why she is so thin - she doesn't stop moving! She burns everything she consumes!" At 3 she is thin, active, eats like a normal toddler (still loves fruits and veggies!)and is perfectly healthy.

But to add as much fat to her diet as possible we did lots of avocado (she ate about one per day), beans (baked beans, refried, other). Stop watering down his juice, he needs the calories. Whole milk. Make sure the yogurt (and cheese) is whole milk yogurt (not the fat free or low fat adult stuff). Peanut butter (I followed the 1 year rule because she needed the fat) or if you don't want to give him that until he is two, you could do other kinds of nut butters. Icecream or custard. Bacon or sausage for breakfast. Hot dogs and bologna. Also, if he eats lots of fruits and veggies and is getting good nutrition, the don't be afraid to add in some things like McDonald's fries, Chef Boyardee, etc. My doctor actually said for a while, just get her some fat. However, if he doesn't eat fruits and veggies or isn't getting good nutrition to begin with, you might want to meet with a nutritionist to find out more things that are higher in fat but have the nutritional value.

Commit to a high fat but nutritiounally sound diet for a few weeks and see what happens. Get a kids scale to keep an eye on it (weekly, no more!) at home. And just make sure that he is eating full meals. YOu said he eats all day but his snacking could actually reduce what he eats at meals and could be hurting his eating rather than helping. A nutritionist told me they need time to get hungry in between eating (2-3 hours) and then get full at meals. Lots of milk in between or at the beginning of a meal can make him feel full before he is. Whole milk is good but it isn't as good as the food.

Good luck!

if the doctor is a pediatrician then i would recommend putting him back on the formula. me personally i wouldn't want to use formula after the age of one. my son hasn't been on formula since he was nine months but he also weighs over 26pounds at nine months also. i wouldn't use it if he's healthy and active. he must just play the weight off. did he say anything about his thyroid? or his metabolism?

I have a girlfriend who's daughter has always been on the small side, including the day she was born. She fed her daughter whole milk, and formula till about a week ago. She's 19.5 months old. I would follow the doctor's recommendation, go back to the whole milk, they need that extra fat at this age anyway, and then I would mix in the soy formula. It doesn't sound like your doctor is telling you for your boy to go back on a bottle if he's already off of one, just mix it into his cup. I also would suggest giving him set meal times, and snack times. I've noticed that my DD does better with set meal times then just grazing all day. She's 11yrs old and on the smaller side too. He may always be on the smaller side, but I think you are doing an awesome job.

Hi J.. I have a 5 yo dd and we used to be in your shoes. My dd started out as a big baby, though, and you say your ds has always been small. My dd was a good sized baby (80%), but as she got older, she stopped gaining weight and even lost weight. Her % dropped below the charts. We did every test in the book to see if there was a medical reason and found nothing wrong. We saw all kinds of docs, nutritionists, etc, to see if we could come up with a reason why she would drop % and came up with nothing. Our ped was happy with "she was just meant to be small". He says someone has to be at the top of the charts and someone has to be at the bottom. She just happens to be at the bottom. She was 17 lbs at your ds' age and is 31 lbs now at 5 1/2 yrs. Around 3 yo, she finally got back on the charts, around the 3rd %, but on the charts. :) She has stayed around the 3-5% since then.

We still use whole milk for her and she often drinks chocolate milk (our ped is fine with that, gives her more calories). We use full fat everything for her (yogurt, cheese, sour cream, etc) and put butter on her food. We were never encouraged to put her on formula, as I was breastfeeding her until almost 2 yrs. The ped and nutritionist encouraged me to wean her, thinking all the extra liquids she waas getting was filling her up, but that was not the case. I weaned her and her weight did not change. As far as using formula with your ds, if they gave it to me for free and recommended it, I would try it. He may not like it, though, since he is used to milk now. But, I would try it. I would also cut out the juice and give him the formula or whole milk instead - milk has a lot more benefits than juice. I am curious as to why they would give specifially soy formula. I am also curious as to why the doc is suddenly concerned about this if your ds has always been small.

Another thing we were told to do was stop the grazing. Because dd was so small, we let her eat all the time. The ped and nutritionist said to serve her 3 meals and 3 snacks, at set times, every day. They tend to eat better that way and gain more weight. Think of when you are trying to lose weight - it is suggested to graze all day, small meals through out the day, to raise your metabolism. With low weight kids, you want to do the opposite, slow their metabolism.

A few comments about what other people posted - I would not give peanut butter to a 15 mo, nor string cheese. Pnb is too high risk for allergies, plus is so stickey and tough to eat when you are new to table foods. It can be a choking hazard. Same with string cheese, it is easy to choke on, plus is a lower fat cheese. I would offer a lot of cheese, but full fat cheese chunks. I also would not be worried about being reported for your child being failure to thrive. You are obviously dealing with this issue with your doctor and that would be the first place any authorities would go - to see if there is any medical info they need and the doc would let them know what is going on. You are a good mom and obviously concerned and trying to do what is best for your child. As long as he is happy, healthy, and developing on target, he is probably just meant to be small. :)

Good luck.
S.
mom of 3 and daycare provider

If you feel he is eating enough, maybe he's just a small kid- everyone is different. If you want to try to get him to gain weight, add some more good, high calorie foods to his diet; avacado, whole milk cottage cheese, whole milk cheese, hummus, IF you are ok with starting nuts you could add in peanut butter, add a little olive oil and seasoning to veggies, beans- even mashed like you'd find in a burrito. Good luck!

My daughter weighed over 8 pounds at birth. By the time she was a 1-1/2 she finally doubled her birth weight. Our pediatian was great. He said not to worry that she did not show up on the national growth chart. That was just a guide, not gospil. She was the right weight for her size. She is now 31 years old. The mother of 2 great kids and expecting a third in 3 wks. These are the only times she has ever been over a size 2 in her adult life. I wish I were so lucky and did not have to work at keeping in shape. What I want you to know is that as long as your son is healthy and is eating great, not to worry to much. Listen to your own mommy-sense. It will guide you as he grows into the man that he is destined to be.

My daughter weighed 14 pounds on her first birthday. The doctor was very concerned. I knew that she was just skinny. She eats very healthy and now at five-years-old, she is 33 pounds. Both of my kids are very skinny but healthy. I would just make sure he stays on the whole milk and he gains some before you go to his next check up.

It sounds like your son has a high metabolism. I would talk to your pediatrician and see what he thinks is the cause. If you don't get answers there try another pediatrician for a second opinion. Your son will likely need to have some blood tests done to figure out why his metabolism is so high.
On paper this does look like failure to thrive (inability to gain weight) but it does not sound like it is your fault. Your son will not be taken from you because of a medical condition that you did not know about. If the cause of failure to thrive is that you are unable or unwilling to give your child nutritional foods he needs then the county has something to worry about. I am a nurse at Children's Hosp and have taken care of many FTT children. In some cases it is the caregivers fault. In others it is an undiagnosed medical condition that causes the child not to gain weight. It sounds like he has a great appetite and a great balance of nutritional foods, so I'd get him tested.
In the meantime you can increase his caloric intake as the doctor recommended. I'd give him the toddler formula (is it Pedisure?) instead of the watered down juice during the day. Keep the whole milk with meals and snacks.
Good luck.
C.

It sounds like your son is doing great developmentally and that's great!

So... the doctor didn't say to quit feeding him solids, only to feed him formula instead of milk/juice? I would be concerned to all of a sudden just give him only formula!

What I would do though, is add the formula to his milk. I do that with my 21 month old. He's got the formula for toddlers but instead of mixing it with water we mix it with his whole milk. He gets that at least twice a day. Other than that he gets watered down juice and water.

My other question is... how come the doctor didn't say anything before? 17 pounds sounds small to me for a 12 month old. Why the sudden concern about his weight now?

Some kids are just small, and as long as they are gaining, most doctors are happy. Like your doctor, they will have them stay on whole milk longer and sometimes formula. I have to laugh because I had a friend who had a similar situation around the same age. They gave him Pediasure rather than formula. Now he is big and she's worried about that!

You could always get a second opinion from another Pediatrition before you decide. I don't think I'd use the soy formula anyway if he tolerates milk OK. Good luck!

Hi J.,
What does the curve look like? Has he always been in the light side, but the curve for weight is staying in the same curve?

Both of my kids are light weights. My 5 year old only weighs 32 pounds (50th on height and my almost 4 year old is 32 pounds (75 to 90th % on height). Sometimes it is just genetics. I agree with checking the thyroid. Otherwise, try to have more calorie dense types of food. Enfamil has a Next Step formula that is for toddlers. You might also try pediasure as that has a lot of calories. You also have to remember that at this age, they tend to start "thinning" out as they are much more active.

As long as he is doing well, staying healthy, and developmentally on track, I wouldn't worry too much. If you make a big issue out of it for him, he'll pick up on it.

Just keep up on it and see what happens.

K.

It sounds like he doing ok with his eating, drinking and development. Personally I don't see a reason to switch him back to formula. All kids are different. My son is a big 'un =) and at 4 yrs old we pass his clothes down to his 6 yr old friend.

I just recently read the book (it's old) How To Raise A Healthy Child In Spite Of Your Doctor by Dr. Mendelsohn. He says that those charts are totally bogus and you should pay no attention to them. I would tend to agree. Basically, if your kid is healthy, I wouldn't pay much attention to your doctor when he says he's "a little concerned" about your child's weight. I bet your library has the book, so you could see what he says about it yourself. Sounds like he's a perfectly healthy boy!

My son hasn't been on the weight chart since he was 2 months old and now he's 2 1/2 yrs! They even had us do tests for cystic fibrosis, etc...everything came out just fine. He has never ate huge meals but snacked allll day long. I have friends that tell me that I shouldn't let him snack so much and maybe he'd eat his meals better, but that's just not the case. He wants to eat frequently but in small increments. (just like me, as I am also small and was as a child) The doctor told me to let him snack as much as possible, but try to make them healthy filling, like peanut butter crackers. He has always liked yogurt, oatmeal, fruit, etc... He drinks whole milk. The doctor did not suggest toddler formula, but to keep him on whole milk and don't change him to 2% at age 2 but to keep him on whole.

I guess my point is, try not to put too much thought and worry into this. All kids grow at different rates and it sounds like your son is just fine. I worried about my son's size like crazy, and now realize that it wasn't worth it and he's just fine!

If your doctor suggested the formula, I guess I would go with it since he is the expert right?

Good luck!

Hi J.. Well, my son has Cystic Fibrosis so obviously we have had weight concerns for all of his whole 21/2 years of his little life. As for us what we did when he needs to chunck up is to do the whole milk with a supplement called scandishake to pack on the pounds. The scandishake comes in chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla. He just loved them and they will do the trick. When we first started we gave him two a day and then one a day and now he doesn't even need them anymore. If I remember right I believe that when combined with whole milk it was like 600 calories per package used. So that is my suggestion - you can contact your pharmacy and aske them to order some for you - I think it was like 7.50 for a package of 6 if I remember right.

J.,

Your son needs the nutrients found in the soy formula. Your doctor is not asking you to give your son a bottle but just mix in the soy formula, for the protein that his body needs to grow. You can even mix the formula in with his yogurt and milk. FYI - The development of your child depends on the nutrients that he is getting now. Your doctor has studied for many years and knows what he/she is talking about.

My child was born at 7# 4 ounces and did not gain weight well after 9 months old. After seeing 2 pediatricians and a pediatric ednocrinologist, we supplemented whole milk with formula until he was 2 yrs old. He is now 3 and finally putting weight on. The concern is that if your child was showing a positive growth on the charts and now is falling behind there could be a health problem.

I suggest following the doctors advise and supplement with the formula, it definately will not hurt.

Hey J.~
I wouldn't freak out just yet. Keep him on the Whole Milk and Toddler Formula. Try it for awhile. My kids faced the same issue and it turns out they are just thin kids. Keep his diet good and I'm sure he'll turn out to be a smashing young man!!

One on my thoughts is does your family run small? Do people just tend to be health, lean and active. I'm a smaller person myself at 4'9" now as an adult. I weighted 32 pounds when I was 5 years old, don't remember how tall I was. Just a thought...
Blessings,
S.
Homeschool mom and reliable home business owner for 12 years

I would ask to have his thyroid checked. I know it is unusal for a 15 month old to have this problem but anything is possible. My 8 year old daughter has a problem her thyroid and I aslo have an overative thyroid. When you have an overactive thyroid one of the symptoms is a big appetitie and weight loss. Might be worth a try. Good luck.

F. E.

J. it sounds like your doing a great job of being a Mom and I would say that no I would not do the soy and just keep doing what your doing. My husband was always very under-weight as a child and even now as he is in his mid-40's can't gain an ounce in fact he will lose weight if he works outside all day he is just a skinny guy and he eats all day long trust me he cost us $600.00 a month just to feed and as far as smart his IQ is way above average. So in short if your fine with how your son looks and acts and everything seems normal keep on doing what your doing follow your Mommy instincts. Good Luck!!!

I am wondering if your doctor did any blood work. You son sounds very active and could have a hyperactive metabolism or thyroid gland which could cause him to not gain weight and want to eat a lot. I would go with the formula for a little while at least and see if it helps, if your son will drink it. If he doesn't like it or you are uncomfotble with it, you son will probably be fine with the whole milk.

You need to do what is best for your child. They had me add carnation instant breakfast to my daughters whole milk. Also to add cheese on everything. You can add chocolate to his mild. Make sure their is butter added to stuff just to give him extra calories. Is this weigt a big change for your child? Mine has been tiny from the start. Long and skinny. Only in the 1-2% weight.

At long as he's eating and staying on a regular growth curve, and he's happy, content, and getting a healthy diet, dont' worry about it. tHe formula won't do him any good, and I doubt he'd drink it either due to the taste not being so great.

I have a friend with a daughter that is almost 3.... she is 34'' tall and 21pounds. Another friend has a girl who is just 2, and is 32'' tall and 18lbs.

I think what is most important here is remembering to keep him rear facingi n his carseat. He's not 22lbs, yet, and there is not a carseat on teh market that allows forward facing before then, and its just not safe. He's under the weight, keep him safe by rear facing him in his convertible carseat.

But I think he's fine. Its not like he's starving himself and not getting good nutrition.

hI J. I am not sure what I would do about milk/formula situation but just wanted to let you know my son was is small for his age and was low on the scale also. He is a very picky eater so at least your son will eat lol! Jaxon is now 2 and he only weighs 22lbs. He is very active and healthy so I am not worried he also is not much of a sleeper.I guess what I am trying to say I wouldn't worry to much unless he was unhealthy looking or acting and good luck to you! J. M.

I would meet with an endocynologist (pediatric) if possible. He may have a thyroid problem or something affecting his metabolism . I would also meet with a nutritionist and try and get him to eat a LOT of peanut butter and other foods rich in protein and fat.

Being thin is ok as long as its lean. You may want to look into websites that offer play equipment designed for children with special needs to help build muscle- since muscle weighs more than fat, he would probably gain. There are Physical therapy ideas available online as well online (pulling yourself across the room using your arms on a skateboard etc) get him involved in toddler tumbling through community ed/ local gym as well.

Cheese, string cheese, cottage cheese is also good source of fat and calcium kids tend to like.

You might also consider mixing his whole milk with nutritional breakfast shakes (I don't recall the name but its similar to ovaltine.) My pediatrician used them to make sure my daughter was getting her meds down and they offer additional calories and vitamins along with the milk.

Unless he was a premee or had other contributing factors that would justify a low weight, I'm afraid at the 2% if it doesn't get any better you might be charged with failure to thrive and social services would eventually get involved. I don't want scare you but I know someone it happened to so you are doing the right thing in being proactive and seeking out advice and make sure you document the specialists you see and steps you have taken.

Good luck. He will be fine.

First of all does he come from a small sized family? If you are small framed and he is healthy..I wouldn't worry. That is just me though. I am not saying don't listen to the doctor. Also keep in mind that it might just be the way he is. Add some things to his food..(not a great habit but it will help add fat) Like butter, and things. If he is eating fruit then I would skip the juice. Juice fills up the tummy so they wont eat more. My daughter has health issues and we had to cut out all juice. I would trust your mommy instinct.

hey J., sounds like you are doing well, and your child is doing well, seems like he is eating well, and growing well, we all cant be average, some of sleep more, some less, some of us eat well some of us dont, some of us are skinny , some of us are fatter, i would do what you feel he needs after all you know his needs better than any one, if you are not concerned about his weight, its ok, if hes too skinny you can have issues, until then dont fret over it, there are things i have done that my dr said to do that i did not do, we all do that, if the advice is not for your child, then keep in your mind, and if you need it, you can fall back on it later too, so just have fun and enjoy life, D. s

If he gave you some, why not try it? Maybe try it for a week or 2 and reweigh him. What have you got to lose? Some kids just need a little boost. It sounds like he is a very active little boy and burns a lot of calories. He eats very well (a lot better than my 5 year old!) and very healthy food, he just may need a few extra calories.

I don't think there is anything wrong with going to toddler formula. It is a good way to ensure your child is getting all the proper nutrients. In fact, most of the rest of the world keeps their children on formula of some type until the age of 5! Goodluck!

My kids have always been on the smaller side as soon as they started to move a lot, in the 5-10th percentile for weight and 50% for height. I was concerned about it but 2 separate pediatricians have told us not to worry about it because developmentally they are fine and they are strong. They said that they just have good metabolisms and are active so they keep working off what they eat. One doctor said she would be concerned about a gluten sensitivity if there was a drastic drop in weight gain, but since there isn't...I wouldn't worry about it too much.

J.,

What is your family like? Are you smaller people? Genetically is there a reason for him to be on the small side? That said, babies should really be on whole milk until their second birthday for brain development. They need the high fat content to help the nerve connections in their brain. So, for that reason, he should have the whole milk (not just calories). Another good source of fat for babies is avocado, if he'll eat it.

My son was on the small side weight wise as well... he was in the 7th percentile at his last appointment (18 months). I'm curious to see where he is on his 2nd birthday, but his pediatrician has (repeatedly) assured me that he is fine. I think he weighed in at 21 lb's at his 18 month... I know we had to wait till he was 15 months to turn him to face front because he wasn't 20 lbs yet at his 1 year.

If you feel he eats enough, gets enough fat, and his thriving, I'd check with a different doctor.

My nephew went through something similar where he fell off the charts after being a really big baby (like 25 lbs at 9 months) to a more "normal" size during his second year. His doctor totally freaked out my brother and his wife and made them start feeding him formula (he had always been breastfed until a year). It was pretty silly in my opinion, since he was super healthy otherwise, he just lost some of his baby chunk when he started walking.

The growth charts can be a good tool, but they are just charts. My sister in law works for the CDC in mother/baby health and says always question the chart if you are told you child is growing the way they are "supposed" too.

Good luck to you,
jessica

J. -

Do what you feel is right. My sons (yes both of them)were always on the small side - at 2 they were barely pushing 20 lbs. They are both very active and good eaters, so I didn't change anything (but my pediatrician didn't suggest anything either).

As long as he's eating a good portion of good fats, proteins and carbs I wouldn't see any reason to put him on formula which is high in calories just to increase his weight.

Just my two cents.

Good luck!

J., you know I would probably start by getting a second opinion doctor-wise. Is your son's doctor aware of the estrogenic effects of soy in boys? It is worth looking into. As well, I'd be inclined to give him a fizzy vitamin drink called Emergen-C for Kids. My girls love it and they call it 'vitamin juice'. I'd also feed him more high-fiber foods and loads of beans. The other thing I'd do is examine his eating throughout the day problem...do you think he might not have enough iron in his blood? When my iron is low (mine is naturally on the low end), I experience major hunger and cravings. He might need his blood looked at by the doctor. You just need to go with your instincts. The little guy is probably on the small side naturally. I am sure it isn't anything you did wrong, and I think you just need to see another doctor about him so you can get a fresh viewpoint. Good luck!

you can mix it half and half, that may help him like it better... if nothing else put a little sugar free quick in with it and it will mask the taste... or regular quick since you really don't need to worry about the extra sugar. The sugar free is a stronger chocolate taste and not needing as much though.

The reason your doctor wants to add in the formula is because of the vitamins in it that Milk doesn't have. It is making sure he is getting all that he needs.

My oldest son was always on the smaller size also. He is almost 27 and only weighs 135 at 5'10". He was a senior in high school before he even broke the 100 pound mark. We never really worried about it since he was active, ate his meals and he loved vegetables more then sweets. He is also very intellegent (about most things).

As long as he is healthy then I wouldn't worry to much about it, give him the formula and milk mixture with Quick and keep offering healthy food to him.

Sounds like he has a high metabolism. My friend's daughter is like that. She eats a ton but is super petite, and super active. Since the dr. suggested it, I would use the formula, but maybe once a day, and the rest whole milk. You don't want him to be so full of formula that he doesn't eat. My son is a terrible eater and very small (height as well as weight), so he has a pediasure (parents' choice brand) after dinner every night, just to suppliment. Hope this was helpful.

Hi, If formula concerns you I would suggest going to the health food store and finding some children protien powder. I have been feeding my children smoothies for breakfast. I feel good that they are getting the extra protien. My children are older though, 3 and 7 so I am not sure about a one year old. Me personally would trust whole milk more than formula but I guess it all depends on if the formula is organic and full of good ingrdients or stuff that is artificial. Good luck and know you are doing a great job as a mom.
P. S. I also want to add that I think it is a good idea to take doctors recomendations into account and it is just as important to do your own research and find the best thing that works for you