Down the the 2Nd Percentile in Weight

I am tired of doctors thinking everything has to be "average". I gain 60 lbs or more every pregnancy and would get so much flack from every doctor until my last one. That’s just me and I have healthy strong babies and with diet and exercise get back every time.
People are different, babies are different. I have a friend with a 3 yr old the size of most 5 yr olds. Should she stop feeding him?
As long as your boy is healthy and willing to eat why should we make him fat. He will have many growth spurts and other times when you wonder if anything will change. Humans are amazing creatures and I think you are a wonderful Mom for giving him the right foods. Keep it healthy and keep it as much as he wants, not what the doctor says unless there is a real health concern. Size is not a health concern unless he’s obese, or anorexic. If he eats he’s fine. Be thankful he’s not like my 3 boys who as toddlers are already eating me out of house and home.  Forget collage fund, I’ll need that much for the groceries when they’re teenagers. LOL
Maybe he’ll grow out of this and maybe he’ll always be small. Don’t stress and love your boy.

1 mom found this helpful

Hi T.! Both my boys were tiny...they were both good sized babies at birth...right where they should be. But both were at 5% and under by 1. My youngest son actually dropped off of the chart completely by about 2. I had a pediatrician for my oldest son that was SO obsessed with his weight that she had me stressed out. She told me to let him eat ice cream for every meal if he wanted as long as he was eating fatty foods. I didn't follow her instructions because although its important for them to eat fattier foods...nutrition is also important. My kids love pasta and veggies...both low in fat. I would put butter on the veggies but both boys just simply did not gain tons of weight. I finally switched to an awesome pediatrician for a second opinion and he told me both my boys are perfectly fine and he would much rather have then lean than chubby because chub is harder to deal with and get off once they get older. I didn't mean to babble on, but I wanted to reassure you...as long as your kiddo is developing normally in other ways and is a healthy active kiddo....I wouldn't worry to much about the weight! He has a great metabolism and that's a good thing!! :) Good luck!!

1 mom found this helpful

I dont know if you tried, but put his formula in his cereals, mashed sweet potatoes, avocado mash and or in anything that you can think of. I found this very helpful www.wholesomebabyfood.com If you need anything else please feel free to contact me.

Hi T.!

I went through the same thing with my son who is now 2 years old. I took him to the doctor when he was about 9-10 months because I was worried he hadn't been gaining weight. (He was 7 lb 11 oz at birth and gained quickly at first.) Our ped recommended the same thing- more calories and fat. I made a lot of the veggies for him and started adding a little butter to them right before I served it. I also added whole-milk yogurt (Yo Baby was perfect) and cheese to his diet. I was still nursing at the time and he never would take a bottle so adding to that wasn't an option. It helped a little but mostly it just made me feel like I could do something about it. He is still small (3rd%) but my husband and I were very small and still aren't big/tall people. I agree with Sheri C in that small babies are usually fine as long as they are moving along developmentally. Try not to worry too much- just keep an eye on him.

Good luck!
C.

Hi T.. The same exact thing happened with my daughter when she was 9 months old and she is now 2.5. She has always been petite and drank about the same ounces of formula as your son at that age. She started dropping on her curve when she started finger foods and really dropped when she like finger foods more than baby food. She eventually fell completely off the curve. My pediatrician was fine with this but said we need to watch it. The doc said if she stayed along her "imaginary" curve she is fine. We added butter and olive oil to a lot of her foods. We also gave her 1 to 2 bottles or sippy cups of vanilla flavored Pediasure for almost a year. This gave her more calories and nutrients than milk. She did stay along this curve for a long time but started bouncing up and down on the curve between ages 1 and 2 because of illness after illness. Eventually we did a round of testing to see if something was going on (blood tests for ciliac disease, allergy testing, upper endoscopy for reflux and ciliac). All the tests came back normal. That is when I relaxed about her weight and just realized she is a petite girl. After she hit 2, she got back up on the growth curve charts and is doing fine maintaining her curve.

The testing helped ease my mind because it ruled out any underlining issues. However, it sounds like right now you should just talk to the doctor about whether it is okay for him to remain at 2% as long as he follows this curve as he gets older. I wouldn't jump into testing unless he keeps dropping, bounces around on his chart, or shows other developmental issues.

Easier said than done because he is your pride and joy, but I wouldn't worry too much. Small babies/toddlers can be normal.

Hi T.! It sure sounds like your little one is developing appropriately and it is just the doctor's chart that is making everyone anxious. When my now 27 year old son was about that age, the doctor was on my case about weight gain too. He was 9 lbs at birth, breastfed and eating solids. Somehow his hefty birthweight made the expectation that he would remain on the high side of the weight chart but that was not the case. When the doctor said he wanted me coming in for weekly weight checks because he was in the 10th percentile, I asked him what was the difference in the 10th and an 'acceptable' percentile. Looking it up, it turned out to be only about 4 ounces! When I heard that I decided not to worry about it any more and just continued to feed and watch him. He is now a very healthy adult with no weight issues. Good luck to you both!

Not knowing what percentile he was in before, it's hard to know how much weight he needs to gain in two months, and therefore what needs to be done to make that happen. First, if he's developing appropriately and seems otherwise healthy - that is WONDERFUL.

If he likes eating "real" foods, give him what you and your husband are eating, and add some calories if you can (adding cheese-which will give him calcium-is a good calorie adder). Also, if he's not into formula, can you switch him to whole milk a little early? If he likes that more, he'll drink more and that should help with the weight gain. I think you can boost his weight without going too far outside of what you are already feeding him. I recommend doing some research about healthy high calorie diets for kids online and find things that you are comfortable with. I am sure there are things that can be added to his diet to give him some more calories here and there without changing everything completely. My son also had weight issues and started boycotting baby food when he was about 10 months old. Just moving him to regular food did wonders for him. Good luck!

Hi T.!

I was thinking that maybe adding some pediasure instead of formula would be a good way to increase the calories without increasing the amount he is taking in. Check to see if it has more calories than regular formula, I am pretty sure it does. We had a really skinny baby, too, but she is almost four and nicely plump, so I wouldn't worry about it if it is not affecting his development.

-Jen

My daughter, who is now two and half, went through same thing. SHe lost weight between appointments so we did a month of high calorie food. I added olive oil or butter to pretty much everything. Oatmeal with full fat butter or a little olive oil to noodles. I also gave her the full fat yogurt (like the greek kind or the baby stuff) I made fattening pumpkin bread. After a month of that she gained 10 ounces . SHe was also still breastfeeding but not getting very much and refused formula. Avocados are also great. Hope this helps! My girl is now 25 lbs and back to eating normal!

I wouldn't change what you are doing. You are doing the right thing feeding your baby homemade, healthy food. My husband and I are both small and our daughter at her one year appointment wasn't even on the chart. I was also feeding her homemade, healthy baby food and she was doing all the things physically and mentally she should be doing at the time. If you do want to honor the doctors wishes you can add avocados and hardboiled egg yolks to your baby's diet. You could also change to goat's milk if he isn't that thrilled about the formula. Goat's milk is the closest thing to breast milk. You can get it at any healthfood store.

Kudos to you for taking the time to feed your baby a healthy diet! I have 4 boys and fed the 2nd and 3rd a diet from the book "Super Baby Food" by Ruth Yaron. #4 will be getting the same diet starting next month when he hits 6 months old. I would recommend getting as much "good" fat into his diet as possible. Flaxseed oil can me mixed into anything like yogurt and cereal and it is incredibly good for you. (I buy the kind that has to be refrigerated from Hi Health) Just make sure you get lots of good fat into his diet-- butter, egg yolks, high fat cheese, avacados, flaxseed oil, whole cottage cheese, whole milk/cream yogurt (trader joes has a great brand of yogurt that's made with cream) -- it's a lot easier than you would imagine...the baby food cook book gives you some good recipes and tips for doing this. I think it's great you are concerned, but don't stress too much...especially since he is "normal" otherwise! :-) There are big and small babies in the world and there's nothing wrong with being small...unless of course he's not thriving...which is not the case. Good luck and happy mothering!

Hi T.,
Of course, you have to do your own research and make informed choices for your family! Everytime my grandchildren visit the pediatrician they are on the low side of the percentile. AND we don't care! If the percentiles are based on what normal is today -- the majority of children are obese! Children are often being fed a diet of MacDonalds as soon as they can eat table food and sugar isn't a once in awhile treat, it's everyday! Fruit juices, yogurt, candy, ice cream -- or rather a chemical concoction that doesn't have any real cream in it!
Dr. Pam Popper calls it the "Birthday party Diet" Pizza, coke and cake is now nearly daily instead of a once in awhile treat!

A really good source is Dr. William Sears, he has written several books, recommends whole food nutrition, has the DVD, Nine Simple Steps, and you can visit his website at AskDrSears.com. Also, Dr. David Katz has a video called Nutrition Detectives, we use these tools in our business to educate parents! But I have a feeling I'm preaching to the choir here! Congratulations for feeding your child healthy food -- just remember in a society of growing obesity -- you don't want your child to fit in the 'normal' percentile!

My daughter and I are health educators and would be glad to invite you to the next event!
S.

Hello T.,
Have you tried putting his formula into the homemade food your making for him? Also possibly substituting any water or milk that you need for his food with formula. for example if your making him homemade mashed potatoes, macoroni & cheese, spahgetti, you could mix up even just a scoop into any of these foods & I doubt he would even know the difference. Also try feeding him higher protien foods. Peanut Butter, Eggs, Chicken, Sweet Potatos. I am a mother of twins & after I had our daughters I dropped to 112 pounds within 6 months. When I found out I was pregnant I weighed 144lbs. It was an awful lot of weight but my lifestayle took a total turn into a VERY active lifestyle. I couldnt keep weight on. My Dr. had me keep a food diary so we could see what was wrong. I was eating enough but my metabolimsim was just fast & I was eating healthy. I still have to make sure to eat more protien in my diet so I keep weight on as well as it is helping me to build muscle. I hope that this was some help to you. Just some suggestions. Wish you luck!

My daughter dropped down to the 3rd percentile around six months. her doctor made a big deal abotu it and tried to get us to feed her high fat foods as well. we tried to, but a lot of the foods she hated (like avocados). we gave her almost always whole milk and very little juice as well as mixing carnation instant breakfast drinks into her nilk like her doctor suggested. after all the fuss, she hit her first birthday at abotu 18 poubds and her doctor said "well, i guess she's just always goign to be small." she's almost three and she weighs 21.5 pounds. she will always be small. If your son is happy and active and moving right along with milestone, he will most likely just be a small kid. definitly follow the docs advice, but don't stress out about it. you know your child beter than anyone else. my daughter is smart, happy, and very active despite being so small. good luck.

Hi T.! I have an 11 month old daughter that is in the 3 percentile. I have been feeding her a lot of avocados, bananas, cheese, basically anything healthy and that is not processed with a bunch of junk. She really loves avocados and they are soooo good for her! She will only nurse, so I have to get extra calories in other places. Good Luck!

Try not to let the Dr. send you into a panic. I have 4 boys who we above average in weight at birth, but at 9 mo. they began to drop on the curve, not gaining anything until after 12 mo. We had 4 different Drs. for each of them at those times. Many of them we in a tizzy about it, but by the 3rd one I calmly told them it was just our style. They were otherwise healthy and maturing. If your son is otherwise healthy, feed him avocados and flax oil or whatever you choose and watch him grow perfectly healthy at his own rate. The curve is a only guideline.

SOunds likr you already have tons of advice.

I honestly wouldn't even worry about it. My son and daughter were in the bottom 5-15 percentile between the both of them. My husband and I were both small babies so it makes sense. My kids are both lean, but can everything and more for thier ages 4 and 20 months. My daughter starting walking at 8 months and my son at 9. I did add some butter and olive oil to there diets and anything fatty I guess. They burn it off so fast though running around all day inside and out. I figure someone has to be at the bottom of the charts in order to make the chart in the first place, that doesn't mean he's unhealthy. Keep up the good work mom and continue with the homemade food. :-)

Ignore the doc. Feed him healthy, dont just feed him to fatten him up. My son was (and I think still is) not even on the growth charts. But he is a bright active 1st grader now. Just be sure he is getting adequate fats/proteins he needs to grow but dont stress!

Our pediatrician said to put butter on his food! We switched him to our family doc in our own town when he was abt 1 and that doc was not concerned - he even specialized in kids who had weight/growth problems (too much/too little.)
Putting butter on his food actually would backfire as when I put butter on his pancake or bread, he would simply not eat it. So, 2 bites of buttered bread or a whole slice of non-buttered bread - what do you think was better for him? It also took a long long time to get him to tolerate peanut butter and milk (no allergy issues, just didnt like it - I dont push it tho as I do not want to develop allergy or severe dislikes for certain foods.) He did/does eat a great variety of foods, just not a lot of it!

Remember- feed his brain, not his body. Healthy and little is better than junk food and big. You only need to be concerned if he loses weight (instead of gaining or holding steady) for unexplained reasons (ie, hasn't been sick, no cause to lose weight.. why?)

After moving here, I have been referred to an endocrinologist(sp?) who said he was fine but just to rule out anything, he referred him for a test where he would be put to sleep and have scopes put into him from both ends to make sure his tract was fine. He would have had to fast and then drink this solution and it seemed pretty traumatizing to me. When they did not follow up on scheduling him for that test, I was all too happy to let it go and not follow up with them on that! Like you, we were small ourselves so why on earth should we expect him to be big?

From PERSONAL experience with little babies....
Is the baby prgressing developmentally... that means with in normal activity levels/ abilities for his age? Is he active, bright, happy, ohterwise 'normal" child? SIZE DOESN'T MATTER. Take into consideration whether the child was premature.

DR.s were always freaked that my boys were BELOW the charts for years. HOWEVER. They were normal, happy, healthy, etc. I basically stopped taking them to the Dr.They were FINE. Small is not bad (dynomite comes in small packages!).
My "under the graph" boys are now 6 foot tall, hard working, happy, intelligent business men (own their own biz) at the age of 22.

If the kid is healthy? DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. He's just small. For years, everyone thought my mother malnourished me. Just because I was a beanpole doesn't mean I didn't eat like a horse (if I ate today the way I ate then I would weigh 300 pounds in a heartbeat).
Keep feeding the child healthy stuff and ignore the doctors. Just my personal VERY experienced (I have 8) opinion.
Smile :)and love your baby and keep doing that you are doing.

I wouldnt worry too much about his weight. They would constantly told me that about my 1st son. He ate but just had a high metabolism. He is long and lanky and was always in the low percentile or sometimes not even on the charts. I just tried feeding him more often in between his meals, but to be honest with you, he didnt gain. He is now a 6 yr old who is 90% in height and still low in weight but now got up to 30%. They say he is just always going to be like that. Sometimes Drs get so caught up in how everyone else is and what the norm is that they dont look at the individual child. The weight curve is way up because of so many large babies and overweight children.. Try not to worry. As long as he is eating and developing, Im sure he will be just fine.