How Much Is Too Much???? - Rio Rancho,NM

My son was like that and he is fine.
My son was not on the low side for weight gain though... but he was a "grazer." Meaning he did not eat large quantities per each meal... instead (like my Husband), he eats a little throughout the day. And he only eats until full. Which is the ideal manner in which a child or anyone, should eat. So that they know their body's cues... for hunger/fullness.

My son was also a picky eater. He is 5 now, and is less picky. He eats more variety. Naturally.

Then, there is also this article which you may read for added information:
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/extremely-picky-eaters-st...

http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/
http://www.wholesometoddlerfood.com/
These are a couple wonderful pages about feeding little ones. They have a lot of great information.
The thing about those size charts, there are going to be children all over it, from the bottom to the top percentiles. If there weren't it wouldn't exist. Everyone grows at a different rate and everyone is going to be a different size. Not everyone is "average", there are some below and some above. It does not sound like he isn't getting any nutrition. If he's meeting milestones, growing at all-even if it's slowly, has energy for activities, is not sickly etc then he's getting nutrition.
You should be cutting back on the amount of milk he gets. It should not replace a meal. Let him graze on healthy choices during the day. He may not be able to sit down and eat a big full meal at one sitting. Look at his fist. This is about the size of his stomach. It's not going to fit much at a time. Fill it up with a bottle full of milk, there is no room for anything.
I would stop trying to feed those Gerber meals. I've tasted them before and many of them are just nasty. It is so extremely over processed. Feed them what you're eating, just cut up into bites his size. There is no reason to leave them unseasoned and bland. Season them just like you do yours, within reason of course such as if you like really spicy or something. My kids have been in love with mild curry since they were old enough to have solids. I would give them some of the rice with the sauce on it, then later the chicken and veggies. There is no reason to limit seasoning etc. You may find he enjoys it more. Give him something to dip his food in like ketchup, ranch dressing or yogurt. My niece will eat practically anything is she gets to dip it!

Some of this may be body type. Both of my sons are very slim. My oldest was always on the 95% for height and the 20% for weight (sometimes lower). My eldest is now 13, is taller than me (5'5") an weighs 95 pounds when soaking wet. He is not scrawny...he is all muscle and swims competitively and just finished his first adult duathlon. This is just how we are built. I know it is very difficult. I have had people tell me (when he was a toddler) that I needed to feed him more, but the truth of the matter was that he did not like to eat high-calorie foods, although he did eat fairly well otherwise. He STILL eats like that...as in hummus and rice cakes and such. I am telling you all this so that you see that some high active kids are naturally very slim and can be very, very healthy.

As a parent to a very particular eater with his own issues(autism, sensory integration disorder) I applaud you for attempting to find ways to introduce new foods to your son. You will need to introduce things constantly, also always give him something he enjoys eating along with one thing he does not care for, or has never had, on his plate. Children grow at different rates and as long as he is following his own growth curve you needn't be too concerned about where he is in reference to other children.

My son often refuses food and yes he will let himself go hungry so in our case what we have had to do is introduce protein shakes and pediasure. I am not recommending you do the same without first talking to your pediatrician. All I can say is keep trying and never give up. Do not make meal time a battle, and always offer nutritious foods that your family already eats.

Start feeding him what you are eating when your family eats. And stop giving him milk all the time. Milk with snacks and meals is fine, but not just to have and carry around. Milk is filling...and is likely keeping him from choosing to eat actual foods.

He is training you. He turns the food away because he knows he will get a treat of crackers. Stop giving him the crackers and make sure he is getting lots of nutritious foods in between. If he refuses the meal, he isn't hungry... so put the plate away and bring it out again a little while alter. Don't give him snacks in between. Also, he could be filling up on milk before mealtimes. Offer milk after he eats.

It has also been said that children need to be exposed to a food they 'don't like' approx 12 times before they will begin to eat it, so keep offering those foods. Also, try to prepare fresh foods instead of the Gerber meals, they are high in salt and gross anyways.

Okay, you don't wean an 11 month old to milk you start milk after they turn a year old. And it should be whole milk at this point, no more than 2 cups a day is recommended.

Here is some expert advice on how to feed, what to feed, and how much to feed:

http://www.babycenter.com/0_age-by-age-guide-to-feeding-y...

http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/breastfeed...#

http://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddle...

Make sure he takes a gummy vitamin and try Pediasure if you have not tried that yet. My son was underweight at that same age and the Pediasure helped him with weight gain. Have you tasted those gerber toddler meals? Ugh, they are awful which is why I never gave them to my kids. I just make dinner every night except weekends and use a food processor to get everything real mushy. Now, my son is past his 50 percentile in weight and he always eats !!!!!!!

My son's the same age. Same thing. :)

Ped said 24 oz of milk is optimum, but 20's ok.

Eating also slows down about this time - not growing at as fast a rate.

This is a test of willpower, in our house. When he's served by me and my wife, he eats what he gets. The nanny goes through 15 different offerings and complains that he's naturally a "picky eater".

Oh, and you can click on picky eater (or search for it if that doesn't automatically link through.

He sounds okay. My son actually fell off the weight charts for awhile when he was around 1 year or 18 months or so, and my daugther is about 20 months now has always been around the 5th percentile or something on weight. What are you and your husband like? Are you on the smaller side? That can play into it too. I asked our ped around 15 months how much milk to drink a day and he said something like around between 10-24oz. You dont want to go too much over though he said because it could change some of levels in their blood or something.
Dont worry about the pickiness. My daughter just went through this (around 15 months to 18 months) and I think it is pretty normal she is starting to eat more foods now and more of a variety. I asked about it on here too, and mostly people told me it was my fault or I was letting it happen. But I just continued to do what I do and she began to try more foods on her own and eat more too. Good Luck!

He sounds completely normal except for him being in the 2% for weight. I would say he is drinking the correct amount of milk. If you check the food guidelines for how much a toddler should be drinking it is 24-30 ounces per day. He needs the milk to gain bone mass and density.

I would say offer him as much of a variety of food as you can afford to get him to graze during the day. He may like things one day and not the next so don't buy bunches of something if he seems to like it.

It will get better someday! I would also ask about high calorie/fat foods to help him gain weight too. Not for him to get fatter but to help him build muscle and bone mass.

Okay, firstly do not allow him to drink WHILE eating - it messes with the digestion of food. Second, I did not give milk until AFTER the meal/snack was tried/consumed. The milk could be what is stopping him from trying other foods. Kind of like how you nurse/bottle feed THEN "top off" with baby food(s) do the opposite with the milk.

Ignore the fanatics. 1 year of age is not magic, it's a nice approximate time to introduce whole milk. If your son was going to have problems digesting whole milk at 11 months (almost one year of age), you would have seen the symptoms.

So. Onto the question. Like others suggested, feed him solids first and then top him off with whole milk.

And try to find high fat and protein foods he'll eat:

Any whole wheat breads with butter or cream cheese (or melted cheese)
Avocados or guacamole
Beans of any type/variety
Try some sort of whole grain/whole wheat crackers smeared with peanut butter (or alternative nut butter if allergic to peanuts)

You sound like my daughter but keep trying! Continue to offer him food, even food he has turn down before. Textures, smells his mood as well as taste play a part in what he wants to eat.

He will not starve himself. What he likes today me may not like tomorrow but keep trying. He has spent all his life on the same liquids over and over. Give him a chance to acquire a taste for solid foods. He will get the hang of it. I know it can be frustrating but hang in there, M. P!

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but have you ever thought about why he likes crackers? It's because they are easy to feed to himself. Somewhere between 10-12 months, babies decide they don't want to be fed anymore (by you) and that they want to do it themselves. Try offering him as many finger foods as you can think of. If he can do it himself, he will like it more.

Another trick, when he opens his mouth for a bite of the cracker, put in a spoonful of food. That way he eats both. :) He's also distracted with the cracker while you feed him the REAL dinner.

What does he actually weigh? I can't remember how much my youngest weighed at a year, but I know that he didn't crack the 20-lb mark until he was more than 18 months old. I don't think that a year old he was even on the growth chart, but he was fine and my pediatrician had no concerns. I think you have some great answers below on how to increase calories. Avoid the processed toddler meals, they're totally gross. Offer him real table food in small pieces - whatever you're having for dinner should be fine for him at this age as long as it's the right size and texture to eat safely. It's probably just a phase.

i agree with witholding milk (and crackers) until he eats some dinner/lunch/breakfast. he's at 2%, not starving. it really is okay to let him get a little bit hungry. unless your dr. starts to tell you he is starving and HAS TO EAT, don't cater to it, and don't give him the pediasure shakes. that's not eating, which is what he needs to learn how to do. this is all new to him so teach him how. teach him that waiting around for crackers and milk isn't going to cut it. hang in there mama!

Hi there, I just wanted to say both our kids were very active little toddlers. Both of them did not want to sit and eat...sitting still is just no fun! My daughter was slow to gain weight...but was always tall for her age. She is almost 2 and a half now. She is still tall and thin. She has slowly gotten better at staying seated during meals and actually eating instead of wanting to get down and run around. When she was about one I started feeding her a 2nd meal after meal time. She just could not sit very long and did not want to eat a lot of the time. Then after the meal was over and I was done eating, I'd sit her down for her 2nd meal...I would put on a cartoon on my laptop and while she watched that I could get her to eat a LOT more. She now does not need me to do this for her anymore...finally she is eating at meal times. I guess she just had to get a bit older to be able to sit. Since she has been one I have fed her whatever we are eating...but chopped or mashed up. Those Gerber baby foods taste awful. I tried them and could not believe how bland they are. I put butter on her veggies and I make homemade cheese sauce for her macaroni. She gets avocados often. She loves quesadillas made with beans, cheese, avocado and sour cream. I try to make her meal a little extra fattening. She has one or two cups of milk a day, but she is not a big milk drinker. My son on the other had (who is now 7) LOVED milk at age 1-3 and would happily drink as many glasses of milk a day as we would let him. He would be happy to just drink milk and not eat food bc he would fill up.

My kids (I have a big boy and a tiny girl) that would live off of milk if I let them. They don't get milk unless they eat food first and sometimes they will go a little hungry as in they're hungry but want crackers instead of fruit and cheese or whatever then they can just be hungry until they are ready to eat something healthy. Kids don't even need milk, we drink it cause we like it, but it's not some miracle liquid, kids need a balanced diet to be healthy. My kids get two servings a day sometimes less if they don't want it. I would cut back on the milk and not give crackers as a substitute. Give it a few days, everything is more appetizing if your hungry. I did this with my second who was so picky and now she eats a lot of things, some of the foods that are her favorite are things I would have never thought she would even touch.

I agree maybe no milk WITH food. Milk does fill them up & ruins appetite.

You got a lot of good advice, I just wanted to add, I would continue with 'real' food...not baby food (of course nothing that he could choke on) he may eat better. My 4th kid did not eat baby food at all, and went straight to table food at about 7 months old (again, not bad foods, but normal easy to eat foods).

I do not think 24 oz of milk is much at all. That is only 3 - 8oz bottles a day.