Advice for Height and Weight and Flu

Please, do not worry so much about the actual numbers of her height and weight. Those numbers mean very little in the larger scheme of things. I went through the same thing with my son...only worse. He ate like a hog but only really gained weight once I started him on solid foods. Long story short, he was about 12 lbs at 10 mos...Inasmuch as the Drs. were throwing a fit (and yes, some yahoo decided they had to call CPS), Tristen was gaining and doubled his weight exactly when I thought he was going to; he was just slower to start. If your daughter is generally happy-go-lucky and hitting other developmental milestones, do not worry so much. Children and adults always lose a little weight when they're sick and eating habits change and as long as it does not go on for a few months in a row, she is fine.

Do try to feed her as much formula as you can before she starts to gag. That will give her the extra nutrition that the other foods that she cannot get down are not giving her. If she can only take one oz. before she starts to get sick, that's fine start giving her pedialyte (your lucky, mine won't drink the stuff!). As another woman said, start her on the blandest BRAT foods bananas, rice, apples, toast....do not put anything on the rice or toast i.e. butter - nothing! Cheerios are OK too because they are soo plain, they act like the toast.

Take care, you are doing perfect by your daughter!
M. M.

1 mom found this helpful

I am 4'9" and we'll just keep my weight a little secret, (pre-pregancy I was 100 lbs). My boyfriend is 5'10" and again(pre-pregnancy about 180lbs). Our son is short and not real chubby. We both agree not to have "high" hopes for our sons size. If he's average, cool, if not...he's healthy. That's all we care about is his health. People at the park tell me he's big :0 I smile and nod. I know he's not big for his age. People are clueless. Our parents havn't raised kids in over 20 years. They forget how smalll we were. Ask your mom if she kept a baby book for you. She'll see you were always small. Chances are you didn't wake up in 7th grade 6 inches shorter. We're all different. I'm sure you would know if your child was unhealthy and I'm sure your doc would say something as well. My whole family is small and the docs tried pumping my 3 year old nephew with hormones because he's little. Some people just don't get it. You do. Your the mom. Don't take it personal. Just smile and nod.

1 mom found this helpful

J.,
It is my understanding that You should be feeding formula first and pedialyte second if she get sick.

Also as Far as size and weight, there is nothing wrong with having a small baby. My best friends baby is 2 1/2 and she is still wearing 18 month clothes, (and they fit perfect) and she is totally healthy, My daughter on the other hand is the same age and wears a 4t... Kids come in different sizes just like they have different personalities. So long as you pediatrician says she hitting her mile stones, I'd tell my mother to stuff it...

I'm sure she is healthy and beautiful. Be glad you have a petite baby my two year old is so big I can barely snuggle her on my lap anymore...

H.

My daughter is small for her age and always has been right now she is 3yrs old and 26lb and 34". She still fits in her 2yr and some 18mo clothing. Her dr says her growth curve is right for her and she is healthy. So as long as the dr says she's doing fine she is ok.

I think the formula would be the most important to get into her. It has the nutients that she needs. The pedilyte is to replace lost fliud and electrolytes so it should be given in addition to her formula and not in place of. I would be worried that if I gave her the pedilyte first she would fill up on it and not want her formula. My daughter would never drink pedilyte so I tasted it and Yuck, no wonder! It was one of the flavored ones and tasted like cough medicine.

R.

I can only comment about the size part of your question because my son has never had a cold or virus --the ultimate breastfeeding blessing! Hear goes... Your babies size is absolutly fine!!!!! My son is a lean little man just like his daddy (6'1" 150lb - can you say bean pole) Cameron will be 10 months on sun and is 30" and 18lbs 6 ozs. His growth has been consistant from birth. Hight above the percentile wieght below. If your mom is really worried and you want to put an end to her worries, and let's admit it, the nagging ask her to come along to your next well baby visit. That's how I put an end to my mother-in-laws constant "You breast-feed that baby too much. You need to give him a bottle of formula and rice cereal or you guys will never sleep." It can't hurt. Sometimes, to hear that things are okay from a doctor helps them feel better. In her defense, she probably does it out of love and real concern.

Back to our little ones... I think it is because my son is so lean but strong and a healthy eater, I am a little startled by bigger babies. I am only 5'1", and right now 18 1/2 lbs is quite enough on my hip thank you. I know some people are really into that baby pudge, but I have fallen under the spell of my son.

Oh, do all of those allergies run in your family? We do avoid nuts because my husband is allergic to peanuts, but my doctor gave the go ahead at 9 months for any other foods even whole eggs -- Most dry pasta is egg free. Just wondered. My son has a big appetite and I make all of his food in additon to nursing so being able to add foods last month helped us a lot. No more "is my grandson get enough to eat" questions. Sorry if I babble. It's nap time so I'm a bit giddy.

I do not know the answer to the first question as my little one has not really been sick. As for your mother and step father.... I would take a look at growth charts and show then that your daughter is right on track. My 9 month old is not quite 19lbs and still just 25 inches. I get comments all the time about how large she is.

If your mom and step dad still wont layoff, then I would have a serious sit down with them letting them know that you are doing what is best for your daughter. They can either support and trust you, or keep their mouths shut. (Easier said than done)
Good Luck!
N. and Avery (9 months this week)

My roommate before I was married is a doctor and she would recommend liquids only until the virus is gone and then begin on very bland foods (I know, redundant since babyfood doesn't have too many spices).

With regard to diet; my son also had a host of allergies : wheat, soy, egg, dairy, and peanuts. Both my side and my husband's sides of the family are fairly large individual...my husband is 6'6" and I am the shrimp in our family coming in at 5'7". Michael has always been tall and lean and the doctors, everyone of them, have said he is a VERY healthy and ideal size for his age...he has ranged in the 90th percentile for height and 30th for weight. But he looks good and is very strong. My daughter, who was adopted is very tiny, 25% height 11% weight...but she again is very healthy...yes we do feed our kids :) Michael has been given a clean bill of health with regard to his allergies this last year and is now free to eat anything...with that in mind he has filled out a little bit BUT is still a slim healthy kid. Unless your doctor is concerned, I would not worry about it.

By the way, you should try brown rice pasta...even my husband likes it - even though Michael is free to eat anything he still really enjoys the brown rice pasta. It holds up better that the other pastas, in my opinion. The other ones just turned to mush. But you do need to rinse it since there is a lot of starch.

kind regards,
M.

All three of mine had the same thing two months ago... talk about a pain! Do not feed her anything solid. Just give her some broth. Use a syringe if the spoon is too hard for her to take. A little milk is fine if she is tollerating it but you should give her pedialite. It will help boost her energy. As for her size, some babies are just small. That is fine. Just make sure that the doctor thinks her size is healthy. And as for the weight loss... it is normal with a stomache bug. She will gain what she lost as soon as she gets healthy again. As for your parents..... Some are just tooooo "helpful" if you know what I mean. Mine are like that too. The doctor or nurse would tell you if her weight was unhealthy. Just listen to what your parents say,thank them for caring and then gently change the subject. You are not doing anything wrong! Worring about your child, listning to and taking your baby to the doctor, and smiling while you listen to a bunch of "helpfulness" from your parents makes you a great mom in my book! Hang in there... she will be just fine.

You are doing nothing wrong and there is nothing wrong with your daughters height/weight. My 9 month old was just checked last week, and he is 18 pounds and 28 inches. The doc said he was going through a height growth spurt, which is why he seems so skinny... right weight for the age, just looks too skinny! Also, he has the same allergies, it sounds like they are on the same diet! Suggestion for not keeping anything down... I give my son soy yogurt (O'Soy) as a special treat when he's not feeling good... even if he won't take anything else that day, he will eat an entire thing of the yogurt! Good luck, and remember that every baby grows at a different rate, as long as they are healthy they are fine!

Dear J.,

You are doing fine with her diet. One of the problems is your reaction to the parents worries about the baby's weight and size. You can't stop the parents, but you can stop your reaction to it. Just say umhuh, and we talked to the doctor about that and he or she said .....but do not get caught up in the tension about the baby's food and intake.

Your tension will be transferred to the baby. O.K?
Now, realize that you have a huge challenge to keep the baby from all of the foods that she is allergic to, and you need to concentrate on that. I had a very allergic baby too, and it came first before anyone else ate - after a while, it became just natural for me to feed him first and to do it with care. Did they tell you to be careful about washing the dishes that have contained the things that she is allergice to? Maybe just use special dishes for her so that cross contamination will not occur.

....and finally, when a person is ill, especially with a stomach virus, then they lose weight and it is more noticeable on a baby. When she feels like eating again, she will eat, that is a for sure. The most important thing for you to do is to relax. You are doing a splendid job. Enjoy she will be good after that Virus leaves her body.
C. N.

For the first part, I would recommend avoiding all foods execpt rice cereal until she can keep that down with out gagging. You could buy flavored Pedialyte to mix with it. You can also make her formula and/or juice using plain Pedialyte. After she's been able to keep down the rice with out gagging for at least 12 hours, 24 is better, then start her on the rest of the B.R.A.T. diet. (Bananas, Rice, Apples, and Toast. These are considered the easiest for unhappy tummies to digest.) After she's been able to eat BRAT without problems for 2-3 days, you can slowly reintroduce the rest of her foods. Remember to start slow, as that her tummy will not be "back to normal" for 1-3 weeks.

As for part two, Yes her percentages are a little out of balance if you gave the correct numbers. At 9 months with a height/weight of 29/18, her percents are 86%/29%. If her height was actually 27 inces but still 18 lbs, it would be 23%/29%. My ped says the numbers by themself don't mean anything. He says that he watches for them to be close to the same % (within 20 points) but if the numbers are off, there are a lot of other things to take into consideration. The %'s will often be out of wack during and just after a growth spurt. It's also normal for some people to just be very thin or (as myself) very thick.

If you want more info on %s, check out this site.
http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/growthcharts2/a/percentile...

As far as the stomach flu thing goes, it is very common for children to develop a temporary lactose intolerance after a stomach virus. I would go with your husband on this and lay off the milk for a little while instead of just waiting to see if she vomits. You don't necessarily need to give her pedialite if she is not still vomiting/diarrhea - plain water will do just fine and gradually re-introduce dairy. As far as her size, 29 inches and 18 lbs puts her roughly in the 80th percentile for her height and 25th for her weight. Your husband and you are both pretty slender so that is probably just fine - my son was the same way.

As for her size she is fine. my daughter is 10 months also and is 18 lbs 28 inches. I am 4'10" and my husband is 6'1". My baby had the tummy flu at about 8 months. Our pediatrician had her completeley off of milk until she was no longer sick. Pedialyte and very bland foods only. Rice cereal, small pieces of bread were ok. No formula or veggies because they could cause gas. You are doing nothing wrong. She is the perfect size because there is no right or wrong size or shape for a ten month old. Good luck :) sandy

Not sure if anyone has responded yet and your daughter may have already gotten rid of the virus.

When my son was sick with the stomach flu, our pediatrician told us to put him on the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, apples and toast [gerber foods I would think--if I can remember correctly) and give only pedialyte. And it works.

Giving too much milk, especially with a stomach virus may only make things worse and she could throw up more.

Consult with your Dr.about her diet, maybe he can provide a menu. As far as your mom go's is she a Dr? if not, maybe ask her nicely to stop making refrence to your daughters size let her know how it makes you feel. I wish you the very best, I hope your daughter feels better soon.
A. m.
mommy of 3

WOW! 18 lbs and 29 inches is *excellent* for a 10 month old baby! How on earth are they telling you that she's too small? Especially if you're only 4'11! My daughter was 10lbs 10 oz and 23 inches long at BIRTH. Right now at 18 months old, she's only 30 inches tall, and not much over 20 lbs. Not every baby grows at the same rate, not every baby follows a chart. It really bugs me when people think that kids need to grow on a schedule. Yes, they need to grow, as it's a sign of health...but as long as they ARE growing and developing, they're perfectly fine.

I have to agree though, you *do* need to be giving her the pedialyte. She needs the electrolites that she's lost since being sick. Dairy can actually KEEP the sickness around longer because it's so heavy on their little stomachs.

HTH!
Christy

J. A,
pedalyte replaces fluids (electrolites) that are lost because of vomiting. It's better to give pedialite 1st and then give milk. It's not harsh like milk can be on little tummys. . Hope this helps... M. P
2nd question. actually she is on target. My kids were 20 pounds before 10 months old but just because there dad is tall. They were actually normal height and weight. Don't worry she is fine. Any questions.. please e-mail me at ____@____.com

From one mom to another... You are doing a great job... babies get sick and the stomach flu is the worst. Mine had it at around 9 months and we ended up in emergency room becasue i knew she had lost a lot of weight and she was not eating. she was Not holding things down. As for the pedilyte it is for dehydration... so if she isnt dehydrated you are doing the right thing... as for your better half compromise honey, if he wants to try pedialyte let him hold her and try that. that way if she does get sick it will be on him and that is the kinda way to say told you so...with out actually saying it. he is just tryin to help... As for the parents.... babies come in all shapes and sizes.... as long as the doctors watch her progression which is her height and weight and they see it from a medical stand point you should be fine. as long as the doctors agree where she should be at. I know weight is something that changes all the time... my lil one is now two and she is very thin but she eats like a horse. everything and just about anything... stick to your guns around the parents but kinda put them to the side for your better half... no reason to argue over something that small wait till the boys come around then pull them out and stick to what is best for your daughter. hope this helps... By the way.. I am R. and my daughter is Zoe... Take care and do what feels right you'll know...trust those motherly instincts... you have them... just find them... they are there...