Failure to Thrive - Denver, CO

I would keep track of how much she eats of what for about a week and take it to the dr. and ask him what to do since she is eating and doing everything else she should be doing.

One of my daughters was labeled that and they made me feel that since I had so many children that she was being overlook in her feeding. I was upset! I was being accused of not feeding my child!

We as Americans think that somehow because a child is small that something is wrong. Every child is different and some kids have a rapid metebolizm rate. Their is nothing wrong with a child that eats and is thriving.

I would check into a gultin free diet and see if she absorbs more of her food.

C. B

She seems old enought to try whole foods like canned pinto beans and canned fruit. Yogert is sometimes easier to take if it is frozen or in the form of a smoothie. My youngest was soooooo picky and i got him to eat just smoothies. I added veggies lie sweet potatoes and pumpkin to it and then i started adding canned friut to make it a little sweeter. He used to suck it through a nuby (rubber spout) cuppie. Now that he is three and a half he still loves yogert and i now get plain to make it healthier and add a smidge of friut or dry cereal. Here is a recipe for you to try for her.
Cream of chichen soup
pasta
diced can potatoes
diced meat(hamburger-turkey-chicken)
can of mixed veggies.
Whole milk
try to make it like a thick gravy rather than a soup. You can change it with anything you like but this is the basic one that i started to feed the picky one and he loved it. I hope all the best for you and your family. God bless

Try mixing 10 oz. whole milk with one serving of Carnation Instant Breakfast. It has 10 calories more per ounce than formula. It's a common formula substitute for babies who need to gain weight. Our son loved the chocolate. Does she have signs of reflux? Meds really helped our son start adding on the pounds. You could also try doing thicker liquids. We did Simply Thick and he loved it. Make sure you get a xantham gum one, not a cornstarch thickener for taste. Hydra Aid is another good one. GL! I know it's frustrating.

I would talk to your Dr about WHY he thinks this is happening, you are her mother not a dr and he should be telling you what it could be. Sounds like she is eating very well, is she lethargic, is she healthy? Does she play and do all she should at her age?
My daughter was 16 lbs on her first birthday and she was VERY healthy. The dr actually told Me to stop worrying. However she moved up the chart, slowly but did not go backwards.
Drinking should be just formula or breast milk, she shouldn't need or get anything else. She doesn't need juice even at her age.
I would have her tested, for a number of things if they are labeling her "failing to thrive" instead of labeling it to help you figure out why the fat isn't sticking to her that she eats. I wouldn't just settle for her being labeld and it sounds to me she is a great eater. A child should never go backwards on their growth chart without further investigation. Good luck.

I like Deb K's opinion. My baby boy is also on the small side and for quite awhile, I've been stressing about how little he eats. Plus at our 6 month dr visit, the doctor said he was in a low percentile and we should work on getting his weight up. We've been putting formula into the breastmilk - along with as many solids we can feed him. He's been gradually gaining, but not as much as other babies. Now, I'm convinced it's just his genetics. Both my husband and I are smaller framed people and neither of us are heavy. I even went up to the hospital and pulled my pediatric records to try and get my growth charts (which weren't in the records I received - arrgh!) But I finally was able to get my baby book out of storage and my baby weighs more than I did at his age. I also was not a great eater. So I think if she is eating well, is happy, and healthy otherwise, than maybe you and your doctor should look into other reasons for her small size instead of trying to shove her full of even more food (besides, you can't force feed a kid, and I don't think it would be healthy to do anyways). Growth percentiles are just guidelines, and not every kid is going to fall into the chart. I don't necessarily think that means that anything is wrong. It's just an indicator for the medical profession to keep an eye on things and make sure the parents are not neglecting the child or anything like that. But I also fear that we may end up with the label, so I understand how you're feeling.
It's funny in a way, because the rest of America is doing what they can to fight childhood obesity, and here I am, trying to fatten my kid up!

Check out this other request posted today with a similar question. You may find the responses there helpful as well:

"Daugher doesn't weigh enough"

http://www.mamasource.com/request/recent/80439/1218565545/10

cow's milk can be very difficult to digest, so you may want to try goat's milk, which they have in cans at the store, or even better, if you can get it raw from a farmer.

I wish I had more advice for you, but your baby sounds like she may just be small. Look at her as a whole, are her muscles developing, does her skin look right, does she have any problems with her organs? Is anyone in your family incredibly tiny?

Are you petite? How about your husband? My almost 2 year old is, and has always been, in the 10th percentile, and I keep hoping he'll "catch up"; however, my husband and I are not big people, and I am starting to realize that my son may just be a small guy. Maybe your daughter has it in her genes to be small. I have heard that the growth charts aren't all that acurate anymore, as they have been recalculated for all the heavier children that America has been producing in recent years (I don't remember where I heard that, so you may want to take it with a grain of salt). Anyway, if your doctor isn't worried, I would just let her eat when she is hungry, let her eat as much as she wants, and leave it at that. Don't "fatten her up" with saturated fats (like butter) because that won't be doing her any favors in the long run. If you are very worried, ask your doctor to run some tests, in case there is some other underlying issue.

My son is 15 months and now weighs about 20 lbs, and that might be a little generous. My husband and I joke that he will be 16 before he will be forward facing in the car seat. Our Doctor tells us big babies are over-rated. As long as they have plenty of energy and are reaching the milestones like you said your daughter is we shouldn't worry. My son goes not stop all day. I envy his motabilisim! If I only! He eats pretty good. I have also done the should I feed this scrawny thing butter and try to fatten him up?! But I believe you should put them on as healthy of diet as they will allow. We don't need to try to fatten them up so they meet the "norm", which might not be good for them anyway. Maybe that's why our country tends to be overweight...
Good luck and enjoy your little one!
P.S I think that sounds like a pretty good amount of milk intake between the bottle and nursing. Just a suggestion but I might possibly rethink your Doctor and his advise?

You might want to get a second opinion. My little guy was the same way. He is now 14 months and just 20 lbs. And at 9 1/2 months weighed about the same as yours. My neighbor has a little one too. Just a year and I think she is onle about 16 lbs.

Our babies too, eat like a horse, putting it all away at times and being picky at others.

How is her energy level, is she meeting her milestones basicly on time? If so I wouldn't worry too much and would see another doctor.

Good luck

I have a 5 yr old DD who was labeled this way when she was about 1. I have told the drs that she eats well and such, they ran blood tests to make sure that there wasn't anything medically wrong (nothing showed up) and now we just go on our way. I know that it is frustrating but like another post said you can't force feed a child. We make sure that she gets what she wants to eat and try and give her extra cheese, peanut butter on things, but she is happy and healthy. She plays hard and eats well, if your baby is doing those things then I think she will be alright. Some of the other posts also hit on it, if you and your husband aren't very tall or big then she might not be either. Just don't worry and know that she is thriving on your love. Good luck.
J.--SAHM of 6