9 1/2 Month Old in 5Th Percentile Weight Category, Need Advice

I wish I had some advice, but I only have words of encouragement...follow your intuition and keep breast feeding for as long as you can.

Good luck!
J.

Hello M.!
I believe those percentile charts are based on formula fed babies, which consume too many calories because of the formula! The WHO has a breastfed growth chart at: http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/chart_catalogue/.... I would see how the percentiles match up to where your doctor says your little one should measure up to. Good luck!

Hi M. S,

My two were just the opposite on breast milk only. Let him nurse and nurse. You'll look great and he'll be one happy camper. Don't worry about this "solids obsession" people have. Your lactation consultant is right. Plus, he will start asking for food bites when he sits at the table and smells something yummy. Make sure there's something you can mash and give bites of and he'll learn that food is fun, not a battle with you. Oh, and formula is not the best "supplement". A supplement just takes the place of you whom he needs to bond with but it doesn't give him natural food like you produce like Human Growth Hormones. Slow down and watch t.v. This is YOUR time to be Mama and once he's done nursing, he'll tell you time is up. Enjoy and I am sending you a hug.

T.

Hi M. S-
I don't think you should judge your child by his weight percentile. Honestly, people come in all shapes and sizes, and if he is healthy and active then don't worry. If it calms you, have a blood panel done to make sure none of his vitamins etc., are low. More of a reassurance, but babies were meant to drink their mother's milk for at least a year when at all possible. If your son will eat the baby oatmeal or rice cereal, feed him that in the morning and then nurse. Grains are good for the baby and while it's a little less smooth than your milk, is still pretty runny, and as a complex carb will give him energy, healthy solid food, etc. If that doesn't work, try a little juice.
My only thought- and this is nothing against doctors- is that sometimes they get too wrapped up in getting kids weight up and forget that at 2 years old, kids are getting diabetes, chunkiness is leading to overweight issues, etc. Babies are meant to be a fatty at points, soft and pliable =) but some are tall and lean and just as healthy.
Lastly, since he is 9 months, he may just be getting to the point where solids won't make him gag. My sister's son didn't even want to bother with them until he was 8-9 months, and he had never had them before. I don't think solids were supposed to be introduced so early? Unless the baby can't get enough milk- but start with the cereal- for a week or 2. You can add baby veggies or fruits into the cereal and it is still smooth. Sweet potatoes were a favorite for my nephews (4 of them!).
I hope this helps. And try not to worry too much. =)
-E.

Hi- I didn't read the other responses but it never ceases to amaze me how many doctors do not get the breastfeeding thing. The lactation consultant gave excellent advice, listen to your intuition. My older daughter was always long and lean (still is) and at about that age when she started to move around more she got even lighter and taller. In fact was 5th percent weight and 95th height for quite a while. The growth charts are based on all babies, I feel that comparing bottle and breastfed is wrong as breastfed babies are just skinnier in general. If he is happy, healthy, and active what's the problem. I would seriously think about finding a doctor that understands breastfeeding better. Either he/she thinks it doesn't matter if your son starts weaning (that's exactly what will happen if you start supplementing w/formula) or he/she doesn't understand that by adding formula your milk supply will start to decrease and your son will wean himself. Either way it's clear your Doctor doesn't get it and isn't aware of the huge benefit of breastfeeding. Look for a Doctor that reflects and supports your style of parenting, it will benefit your family so much as your boy grows up!

Just a quick note..."they" say it takes a baby 10 or more times of trying a new food to decide if he/she likes it or not...so keep trying with the solids! It gets frustrating having to constantly throw GOOD food away, but its only small amounts so try not to worry about it. You may try adding just a touch of sugar to some things to try to entice your little one to eat it. Your breastmilk is sweet and if you can get them to eat the food, after a short time you can just cut the sugar out and they will keep liking the food. Hang in there...sounds normal...good luck!

I didn't read the other responses either. Mine is more of a support response!! Many pediatricians do NOT understand breastfeeding! I'm not going to say all because I'm one of the fortunate who has a pediatrician who is educated. A little known fact that MANY mamas don't know (and doctors for that matter) is that those growth charts that peds rely so heavily on are actually for FORMULA-fed babies, NOT breastfed babies!!!!! This skews the percentiles for most if not all breastfed babies, so he may be in the 5th percentile for formula-fed babies, but as long as he's happy, healthy, and having at least 6 wet diapers each day, then HE'S FINE!

If you're concerned (and you don't really sound like you are), you can try sneaking in a couple more nursing sessions each day. Or offer an additional breast at each feeding. ie: if he nurses on both sides at one feeding, offer the first again, OR if he only nurses on one side, offer the other breast before ending the feeding. You sound more like you just want some support in that you're doing the right thing by listening to your instincts. With so much conflicting information from so many different sources, your instincts sometimes are the only things you CAN trust!! It sounds like you're doing a GREAT job!!

If you have breastfeeding questions in the future, please feel free to use Nursing Mothers Counsel as a resource! We are a non-profit organization of peer counselors who provide FREE, non-judgemental information and support to breastfeeding mamas at ALL stages in their breastfeeding career, prenatal through weaning and toddlers. Our phone number is (650) 327-MILK, and our website is http://www.nursingmothers.org. Thanks!

If your baby is healthy, developing normally and has color in his cheeks, then I wouldn't worry about supplementing with formula. Just because he isn't "average" doesn't mean he isn't perfectly healthy. The whole definition of average means that some people are below and some people are above, and there is nothing wrong with that! Since he's looking a lot like Dad, I think this pattern of development is probably pretty normal for him.

With the solids, some babies are more interested in solids than others. It's actually very normal for babies to gag a lot and spit the food out, especially when you try a new type of food. Just keep trying. He may even be a little bit young for the chunkier foods. Maybe stick with the purees for a bit longer and try again with the finger foods in a month or two. Nobody ever went to kindergarten still not eating solids! =)

He might just be adapting to his natural shape as you suggest. I also read something last year saying that the growth curves are based on formula fed babies and that breast fed babies tend to weigh in a bit lighter. I believe that the WHO is going to reissue the growth charts for breast fed babies. If he appears healthy and active it sounds like you don't have anything to worry about, as the consultant said.

E.

Hi M. S.

If you want to add some extra calories, you can make his solids, which may ALSO help with his gagging. Some children do not like jarred baby food, so if you get a food mill and make his own food, then you can decide what you put into it. My suggestion is add things that are higher in fat/calorie content...butter, whole milk, avocado, etc. You can make different meals for him and add seasonings if you'd like...

Just curious, how much is he weighing right now at 9 1/2 months?

All I can say is trust your instincts! You can't force a child to eat, and formula is not as nutritious as breastmilk. If you start supplementing with formula, he will not take as much milk from you and you'll be no better off than you were before. My son was 90% for height and 10% for weight at one point, and he was born 8 lb 6 oz! His dr. was very concerned and pressured me into supplementing with formula and it was a terrible experience. Fortunately I was able to push through that tough time and I'm just now weaning him at 2 1/2. He was always super happy and energetic, and I just knew he was ok, no matter what the chart said. He is now a very smart, happy toddler who loves to eat, and his height & weight have evened out - 25% for both. I think if tall & thin runs in your family, you have all the more reason to go with your gut on this one. He will start eating more solids when he's ready. Keep offering but don't force anything. Good luck!

My daughter gained less than a pound between her 4 and 6 month appointments. I wasn't too concerned since she began crawling during that time but the doctor encouraged me to increase her solids. We were inconsistently feeding her purees 1-2x a day but we bumped it up to 3x a day. Around 7 months she started losing interest in the purees (she didn't like to be fed) so I switched to homemade finger foods. I started with steamed green beans and peas. Now she enjoys steamed carrots, zucchini, baked sweet potato fries, pumpkin and apples. It may take a few days for your child to get used to picking the food up and putting it in his mouth but don't get discouraged. My daughter spent the first few days squeezing everything through her fingers and rubbing it all over her hair but she finally got the concept and loves to eat now.

Check out wholesomebabyfood.com for simple finger food recipes.

Good luck!!!

My son was a preemie to start with - so he would get tired and pass out nursing and then want to feed again in 90 minutes. He DID love solids - was very curious about food but stayed very thin. At one point he was 3rd percentile for weight and 25% for height. I learned to ignore the stupid percentiles and baby books since he was doing some "milestones" ahead of the books and many about 6 weeks behind.
Anyway - make sure your son is getting the really fatty hind milk - let him nurse one side at a time. Only feed him solids he likes - or just take a break from them until he shows a little interrest. I can't tell you how many people - even strangers in Safeway exclaimed "Oh my god, what a skinny baby!" if my son was in shorts.
Once he was done teething he really started chowing and caught up on his height and weight. he is still really thin but has rocketed up to the 85% for height and sometimes eats more than his dad. Stop worrying - at least in front of the kiddo!
Luckily we had a great Pedi who encouraged nursing and encouraged me to stop worrying unless he started LOSING weight.

I actually posted something similar for my 9 months old skinny minny! Most moms disagreed with "trying to add the calories." But, I'm still trying. I just worry, she's hungry. Today my daughter had noodles for dinner. I thought that might be a good suggestion for you... since your son does not like texture. And... as far as calories go, I've tried adding a dessert by Gerber (It's called... something something custard)... occasionally... It gives me a little more peace of mind. Ha. Anyway, I'm sure you're doing the right thing... Ha, we both worry! He's just a long and lean type of guy. :)

I wouldn't worry to much. As long as he is having BM and wet diapers he is probably fine. My daughter only gained 6oz from 6 months to 1 years. She dropped from the 90% to the 40%. I was really worried. All she would eat was avacado and nurse. She hated baby food and refused to eat any of it including the cereals. She was very active(crawling at 4 month, walking at 8 months)and hated to take the time to stop to eat. She nursed every 2 hrs until her first birthday but only because she could only bothered to nurse for ~10min. She didn't want to stop for anything. Now she is 11 years old and eats everything. She is tall and thin and still as active as always. She is built like her father , very tall and thin. Every kids is different so go with yours.

Hi M. S,

It's such a hard situation you are in! You want to make sure you are providing nutrition for your little love, and he seems fine, but the doctor is telling you he needs more. I would guess that he's getting the nutrition he needs and is just a tall, skinny guy! There has to be someone at either end of the size curve, and yours just happens to be at one end. Can you ask your doctor if there is any other sign to look out for besides weight, like if he is happy and active then is he nourished enough? Of course, I am not a doctor, but I'd agree with what your lactation consultant suggested. And it sounds like that's what your instincts agree with. You're right, if you stress about food it will become a control thing and won't work, anyway.

Our daughter only breast fed until 6 months. After about 2 months of eating pureed foods (made by me) she refused them and went back to exclusively breastfeeding until she was about 10.5 months. I was SOOO worried. She was a huge baby, 97 percentile, and then went down to about 50 percentile during those two months. She is now 2 years old and is just fine. It was really stressful and disappointing to prepare and offer her food 3 times a day and have her refuse it every time! But I was doing my job and it was her job to eat if she was hungry. Someone suggested to me that we have to trust nature, if a creature is hungry, and food is offered, it will eat!

One thing that might have contributed to our little one not eating was that she seemed to have a dairy allergy, from the dairy she was exposed to through my breast milk. She had blood in her stools so I went off of dairy for 6 months (after trying in shorter intervals and then reintroducing, with blood appearing). Not sure if you have seen any other symptoms that might suggest he has a food allergy? If not, then he's probably just fine!

The thing that got our daughter to start eating again was offering her things she could eat herself, like you are doing. I think she never liked being spoon-fed pureed foods, and really wanted to be independent.

Our pediatrician suggested this site, but our daughter was a bit old by the time we discovered it. Might be helpful to you: www.baby-led.com

Good luck!

A few things you can do to make sure he's getting enough milk from you is: how many wet (really wet diapers) and BM's is he having. you should be getting 1 -2 bm's a day and 5- 6 wet diapers. Also try pumping, how much are you getting from your breast ( 6oz hopefully at the least). If he's been only breast fed the chances of him taking a bottle are slim - so try a sippy cup if he's not getting enough. My fist wasn't interested in finger foods only baby food thickened with wheat cereal. He would gag on table food. My 2nd (girl) is the opposite will only eat what he's eating.
I had a lack of milk issue with my 2nd and she wouldn't take the bottle - we almost had to put a feeding tube down her. We would feed her with a syringe. It was no fun and over the top stressful for me. She finally took the bottle in the nick of time. And yes kids will starve them selves, not to death but they can get unhealthy. It happened to me with my 2nd. She's now 1 and catching up, but thankfully taking a bottle and eating table foods!
Bottom line go with your gut and be observant. Try different things, your job is to make sure they eat, sleep and have fun.
Good luck!

Hi,

This forum is great because you get to hear so many different perspectives...so take this one is stride too!

My son was tiny so I was always stressed out at doctor visits! The only difference is that his percentile did not change and it remained constant. Children grow and track differently and doctor’s are aware of that, but if a doctor sees a swing in either direction, they jump on it quickly. For example, if the head circumference was 75% one month, 55% the next and 45% the next it would raise some red flags to the doctor. The brain isn't shrinking, but it may not be growing...and there job is to find out why and rule out possible scenarios….that’s their job.

My thoughts are that your doctor wants to see how he does with formula to make sure he is able to thrive. If she see’s progress, she can rule out a number of things and then really focus on his sensitivity to texture. This could be a physiological issue that she too can correct. If you don’t already have a great relationship with your pediatrician, begin to develop one, this is a perfect opportunity to do so. She obviously has your son’s best interests, so take her suggestions seriously. Discuss with her what this pattern can reflect so she can give you a more balanced outlook as she knows your son better and can weigh in other factors. Both of you can work as a team to get your boy eating solids and leveling out his percentile in weight.

S.

Mix the formula in his solids or use a cup, NO BOTTLE!! when you make his solids be ceative and add some powdered formula and water to get to the correct consistency. Infants grow iff they get enough protein and calories. Solids are very limited in their caloric mass. Try for a couple of weeks and go back for a weight check, if he has grown, it's working, if not plan B....

I have a 8 year old who was always tiny for her age, she is currently in the less than 3 percentile for weight and just moved up to the 10th percentile for height (she grew 3 inches in the last year). We had her seen by an endocrinologist when she was 5 and he could not find anything wrong with her, she has also had blood tests and chromosome tests and again every test comes out perfect/not a thing wrong with her. She is very active, smart and is not sickly at all. I think she will just be a tiny girl and that is OK as long as she is healthy. I was very thin as a child and young adult and I turned out just fine.... I think that she takes after me. My husband is very tall and when we met with the endocrinologist he said that with my husbands and my height, it would be expected that our children would be above the 50th percentile for height and weight. Our 2nd daughter is off the charts the other way and is above 50% for height and weight. I don't think there is anything to worry about as long as your child continues to grow (even slowly) and is active and healthy. Our daughter is often asked if she is a twin to her sister and they are 3 years apart - and you should see her reaction. She is starting to get upset that people think she is so cute because she is small for her age; but I keep telling her that even if she is small she is very feisty and strong. She can do anything that anyone else can do. As far as eating, she has her ups and downs. Sometimes she eats a ton and other times she hardly eats at a meal. I try to give her lots of opportunities to eat. Hope this helps!

My 2nd child was similar to your baby. She just wasn't that interested in eating until she was 1 so I just decided I was trust her and so I just continued to breastfeed her. She has always been thin but my Dr. wasn't too worried about her weight because she was alert and very healthy and developmentally on track. Now at age 3 she eats almost constantly throughout the day but is very sensitive to texture and will just touch something new with her tongue before tasting. I've met other people with older kids who are very sensitive to texture or taste so maybe that is part of what is going on. My daughter was also only interested in self feeding even at an early age and refused to let me feed her food.

I don't want to comment on his weight, since your doctor is the best judge of tracking him.But there might be some help for his gaging reflex.

Iron deficent anemia will cause difficulty swallowing solids. So will a magnesium deficiency.

You should get his blood iron levels tested at his pedi.

You can give him a bath with epsom salts in it- that will absorb through the skin and deliver magnesium.

The most common deficiencies are magnesium, iron, iodine, and vit D.

Well..my initial thought is, if his percentiles are lowering, breast feeding may not be enough..You comment"
"but I'm not really interested in adding formula. I know 2 relatives who did that with their children and they weaned quickly thereafter". Seems to pose another question...why is the weaning a concern?
Each child is different, and while breatfeeding is great, if he isn't growing like he should, his percentiles are decreasing, and you are stressed, why keep trying to stick to breastfeeding only!? That is a great choice when they are newborns and need the anitbodies, but at his age, if formula has more substance for him, and it's what he needs (as he is nor making his own anti-bodies and doenst need/get from your breastmilk anymore), I don't see the objection. Don't feel guilty about it. My kids were breastfed for 4 and 6 months and they are both excellent athletes, honor students and doing extremely well. I would lidten to your doctor over a lactation specialist, as he is more qualified and has an overall view of your sons health.

go with your instincts! Breastmilk is the most nutritionally concentrated baby food around and gives your baby THE most calories ounce for ounce, so adding solids and formula could easily *decrease* your baby's caloric intake.

And I highly recommend nutritionist Ellyn Satter's book "Child of Mine, Feeding With Love and Good Sense" http://www.amazon.com/Child-Mine-Feeding-Love-Sense/dp/09... - she has a lot of helpful info about how kids eat and grow at different rates based on their genetics and how the common tendency to worry about percentiles and alter a child's feeding habits in an attempt to get the child's growth to fit some statistical view of "normal" can actually cause more problems than it solves. Reading this book helped me relax more/obsess less over my kids' eating when they were infants/toddlers.

Pfft. Sounds like he is healthy but little! My oldest daughter has been tiny since day one! I had a doctor want to do blood, spinal AND bone tests on her when she was 1 year old because "she is in only at 5 percent for her age"! I refused because in all ways she was healthy, just small. Now she is 24 years old, weighs about 105 pounds and is 5 foot 2 inches. SHE IS TINY! SO? Look at you, your husband, your family..is anyone little? If so and your child is active and learning then don't worry about it so much!

Hey M.!
My first baby, my daughter, weighed just over 5 pounds, full term. That was a bit of a blessing for me, because I was so small framed, the doctor didn't know if I'd be able to have her by myself naturally. But I did. I breast fed her and although she gained some weight, it wasn't much, so I tried to supplement with formula. She loved the formula and was done with nursing. I wasn't ready to quit, but as long as she was happy and eating, I got over it. She only weighed 12 pounds at a year old, so she was really tiny. The difference with my baby though, is that she ate everything. She loved food! She was eating everything we ate AND she was walking at 7 months. She was very bright and alert so there was no "failure to thrive" issue, by any means.
She's going to be 23 years old on October 30 so I couldn't possibly remember her percentiles off the top of my head, but she is still tiny. She is built just like my M.. She MAY be 5'2", but I think that depends on how spikey she has her hair on a given day. (My M. is barely 5 feet). I'm 5'8" and small framed, (my ring finger is size 4), her dad is 6'2" and very slim, but Angel is a little pixie just like my mother and very active and healthy.
I remember being so nervous about those percentiles, but luckily I had a great pediatrician who tested her to make sure she didn't have any maladies, which she didn't. The percentiles didn't apply to her. She was on her own little growth curve. But, like I said, he also wasn't concerned because she ate everything. There was nothing she didn't like. By 10 months old, she was eating mashed potatoes and gravy, baked chicken and fish, pasta, yams, green beams, brocolli, scrambled eggs. She hated baby food and wouldn't eat it and I realized it was just too bland for her. She wanted flavor so I started out by giving her some things from my plate and she loved it.
Keep introducing foods, get him his own little silverware if you haven't already and just give him some time to experiment with getting things on the spoon or picking it up and tasting it. Don't worry if he doesn't just eat it right away...let him get used to how it feels in his hands and on his tongue. He should get the hang of it. Kids will pick up dirt clods and stick them in their mouths, sooner or later a green bean will find it's way past his lips and he may well spit it out but not necessarily because he doesn't like it. It just feels strange compared to what he's used to. Just keep trying. Don't get stressed.
You said he started solids at 5 months, but it doesn't sound like he's eating them. And I know you don't want to give him formula, but he's going to be a year old in a couple of months so if he's not eating solids and he's not gaining weight by then, you're going to need to re-think that. I didn't like giving my baby formula either, but she liked it and I could easily keep track of exactly how much she was getting every day. It's what worked for her.

I wish you well, and hope you get some great advice.

As stated in an earlier suggestion you should look at the genetics of your family makeup. I was very petite when I was growing up so two of my kids started out in the 5th percentile. With my 1st they used to make me take him in every other month for a weight, height check. The doctor said as long as he grew either way we would be fine. And he continually grew. He is 11 years old now and he is still small and in the 5th percentile. When my daughter came along they weren't as concerned because they saw how healthy my son was and realized it truly is genetic makeup. Then my 3rd one came along and he started out at 80th percentile and then he gradually dropped into that 5th percentile. All three of my kids eat healthy, but they are active and have a fast metabolism. Maybe for now look at yours and your husbands genetic makeup and keep an eye on him. Hopefully this helps you out. Good luck in whatever decision you make.

Hi, I think you're right to trust your instincts and as long as your baby is healthy, you need not worry about his weight that much. My son breastfed for 2 years and we didn't have a weight issue, however we also had a hard time giving him solid food. One thing that he liked was these mesh feeding baby bags in which we put slices of fruit, especially peaches and nectarines. He could suck on it, without choking which was great and he would get the fruit juice all over himself, but he loved it and it was easy for him to grasp, there is a practical handle. So that's how we managed to give him fruit, we also gave him cucumber and tomatoes in those bags. I have seen people put meat in those bags too. we didn't do that. I have noticed that good smelling things make babies want to try things such as cucumber, oranges, nectarines, etc. and texture is another factor. My son would not east tomatoes with their skin, so I gave in and peeled it for him, because he would eat tons of it without skin. Unfortunately he is 3 years old now and I am still peeling tomatoes, but hey, he still eats tons of fresh tomatoes. Also I kept creating new recipes just to find things he likes. It was a tough battle, but slowly we discovered things. He ended up loving yogurt, because we eat a lot of it at home, plain yogurt. But he also liked (and still does) the Activia vanilla yogurt. It's not too sweet yet it's very soft and creamy less rich than Yo-baby. But if your baby likes yobaby, they are very nutritious. Does he eat cereal? My son liked the oatmeal, barley and rice cereal and I mixed them with breastmilk and he would eat them like that.
And finally as they get older, you can try fun stuff to get them more interested. We were adding Alphabet noodles into any soup and my son would eat it because he loved the alphabet. Or other shape pastas and colorful organic veggie pastas.
there are also some books I have heard about like The sneaky chef, but I haven't tried them. hope this helps.

My nephew had the same problem, except he was in the UK and nobody fusses about percentiles over there like they do here :-) If you ask me, pediatricians are over focusing on graphs and charts and not looking at the clinical picture. I think they are afraid of being sued so they are constantly scaring the daylights out of everyone.

My nephew was really skinny, I'm not sure he was even making the charts. He was eating well, had no obvious GI problems and was just an active baby. He is now almost 2, still skinny and healthy as an ox. It's just his genes. Doctors seem to forget that the charts don't take into account what nature has given us.

Don't worry, pay less attention and follow your gut. You are doing a fine job and your baby is heaalthy and happy. Enjoy your baby and don't let any pediatrician destroy it for you.

Good health.