Looking for Ways to Help My 5 y.o. Gain Weight

Hi,
Have you tried a fruit shake w/protein powder or dried milk mixed in?
Choose a fruit she likes and add milk or juice, some protein powder(plain or flavored) and blend well. You could add peanut butter or almond butter if she likes that.
She could drink it through out the day and not have to have too much at one time.
My daughter didn't like to eat breakfast, but she would drink the shake and I packed enough calories into it for a meal. Good luck.

I would make all kinds of smoothies with extra protein from tofu or protein powder in them. I was thinking about weight lifters and sumo wrestlers, lots of rice and chicken breasts. My daughter who is also quite slender eats those little soft, cheese triangles smeared on crackers. I never thought she would eat them but she loves them. I tried them and they do not taste like anything to me. You could try refried beans, I think there is a mix that is easy to make and they don't taste like much.
My one year old routinely eats more than my two and a half year old. They will both eat fruit until the cows come home and love cereal, cheese and any kind of rice dish.

J.,

I think you are doing a good job with your food choices and philosophy. I was one of those malnourished-looking kids myself (as were my brothers), and now I have my own. Even as an adult (over 35 y.o.), I have had trouble in stressful/busy times keeping my weight on.

One thing that has helped is having a snack drawer filled with healthy snacks. As long as it isn't close to meal time, snacks are allowed and encouraged. We even take snacks along on many car rides "just in case."

Try the "super" milk -- whole milk with powdered milk stirred in and peanut butter or cheese on everything. Also, keep offering different foods. Taste buds seem to be changing constantly at that age, and my picky eaters recently found they like chips (we bake flour tortillas) with mild hummus or homemade guacamole.

As far as things being too sweet, we water (or milk) down our drinks almost always. And as far as texture goes, cooking with me made so much difference! My little one learned to love oatmeal in everything and I even add wheat germ in it! But don't use the instant oatmeal, most of it's calories are from sugars.

Carnation Instant Breakfasts have a lot of calories and taste really good. We all enjoy them. If you get the yogurt kid drinks and they are too sweet, try the adult ones. My little one likes them better.

Just spend a lot of time reading labels and make sure that the calories you are getting are from good, healthy sources, not sugars.

My doctor told me to do the opposite that most people are told to do: Instead of eating an apple, have a large glass of apple juice (I'm sure she didn't mean always -- we still need the fiber!) and eat snacks while watching TV!

Be blessed and good luck!
~R.

my son had similar issues, we saw a nutritionist who had us add powdered milk to his regular milk, and in his cereal, kept him on whole milk, said if he liked fruit alot to give him dried fruits(small size high caleries)he loves raisens and dried mangos. we also gave him a nightly ensure, not pedisure, but the adult versions- ensure, boost, or store brand, served very cold. He liked chocolate, but there are all sorts of flavors. Also, we did smoothies, but our daughter always wanted them too, so we had to mix them and then add extras for him, since she did not need a million caleries. and as everyone has said.... don't stress, it will just add to the issues.

We don't have this problem but I know our pediatrician recommends peanut butter (which you are already doing) and pizza as healthy and high in calories. Also, it's very hard to find anymore, but whole fat yogurt might be another idea.

Also, if she doesn't like to eat much at a time maybe snacking would help. If she's in kindergarten they may already have a snack time,and you can send in cheese and such. And I bet the teacher would allow her to have a second snack period (maybe a cereal or fruit bar, so there's just a wrapper to throw away and no other mess) given that it's for her health. (My 9yo was going through a growth spurt recently and his 3rd grade teacher was happy to let him eat a strawberry bar around 10am when he was getting really hungry.) You could also (if timing in the morning allows!) let her have a quick snack when she first gets up, if breakfast is maybe half an hour later, or on the way to school if breakfast is right away. Then right after school and right before brushing teeth (assuming there's a brief break between dinner and bed.

Hi J., You may try giving her the Schiffs brand liquid vitamine(at The Vitamine Shop by Lowes). It has zinc and iron which some children's vitamines are lacking. If they aren't getting enough zinc it can suppress there taste buds and therefore food tastes pretty bland and unapetizing. This may be why she eats the junk food easily due to lots more flavor! My son wasn't eating hardly at all by the time a nutritionist told me about this and within a week or two he was eating normally!!!
Also, you may want to try getting a copy of The Sneaky Chef cook book which has lots of yummy recipes that hide really healthy foods in the favorite kid foods that all kids eat; nuggets, fries, burgers, granola bars, chocolate chip cookies, etc. As long as you know she is eating these helthy foods then you won't need to worry. She is growing and developing and everyone does that at their own pace. Follow you instincts!
Good luck and let us know how things progress.
M.

I have two daughters. The oldest, now 13, was extremly small and had to eat all the time just to gain a few ounces. She was under the red "malnourished" line on the weight chart for many years. I kept a food journal for her and realized that she actually ate more than I thought. She happens to have an extremely high metabolism (thanks to my husband, not me). Around age 6 or so, she began to gain weight and is now a very heathy weight. My second daughter will turn 10 in two days and weighs a whopping 48 pounds and can still wear a size 4 shorts!! She is simply small for her age. But before we realized that she was just small, we fed her everything under the sun. A couple of things. If her only problem is that the doctors feel that she isn't eating enough, be careful. If she is eating a lot of fruit and veggies, there aren't many calories in those foods. That happened to my second daughter. She, too, has been tested for any "abnormalities" and was found to be simply small for her age.

My main piece of advice would be to not worry too much. We live in a weight obsessed society and I personally work hard to keep that away from my girls. Just make sure that she is getting enough healthy food. If you want to contact me and talk about this (it isn't often that I find people with the same problem of small underweight children), please feel free. ____@____.com

My son is also low appetite, and we also use Pediasure. But our doctor said that the Carnation Instant Breakfast is basically the same ingredients and when you mix it with milk, it isn't nearly as sweet. Also if she likes regular chocolate milk, try mixing the Pediasure in a little at a time, until it is half milk and half Pediasure or Carnation. I would avoid any "unhealthy" snacks, as you want everything she eats to be nutritionally sound since it isn't much quantity overall. I would also try replacing cows milk products with soy or other stuff, too, just in case of lactose problems or actual allergy to the protein in cow's milk. I too was very thin when I was a child, Mom said I wouldn't eat much of anything! But now I'm on the slim side, but very healthy, tall, etc. It just took until 8-10 years or so before I had much of an appetite. Trust me, it's nice to be "thin" at 41 after having a baby at 36! Good luck!

My children are all very thin but about average height. My almost 5 year old isn't even on the chart for weight! My Ped.isn't worried at all. My husband and I are rather thin. I'm sure your daughter is just fine. It sounds like you feed her well. We did try Ensure for a bit but she really didn't like the taste so I gave it up. Again, I'm not worried at all. I don't think you should be either.

Pediasure? Maybe try that. Along with the same foods that you have been giving her.

Try making your own fattening shakes/smoothies at home. You can add in fruits/flavors that you like and keep it from being too sweet. Add extra calories with things like whole milk, dry milk(which will also help to thicken it), even ice cream. These will end up being a LOT healthier also because of the lack of preservatives and chemicals/artificial ingredients.

Hi there.

I wish I had some receipes to share but unfortunately I dont. However it sounds like youre doing all you can do. Some children are just not great eaters. It sounds like your daughter is doing just fine. She is bright and active. She just doesnt have an appetite. My youngest brother was like that. Now he's 6ft2 and is 200 pounds!!! So I would say not to worry much. Youre doing great.

Cheers!
J.

Does she like smoothies? You can make smoothies quite high in calories and they're very healthy. You can make them less-sweet for her so it doesn't taste like pediasure.

1. Freeze some ripe bananas ahead of time (peeled, halved, and put in ziplock bags in the freezer)

2. Put a whole frozen banana in a blender along with about half a cup of other frozen fruit (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, mango, pineapple, etc. Trader Joe's has a good selection of frozen fruit). Add either 100% juice or milk (options: organic cow's milk, soy milk, almond milk, rice milk, or hemp milk) until the level of liquid is right underneath the level of the fruit.

3. Add 1/4-1/2 chopped ripe avocado or 2-3 tablespoons of a nut or seed butter (options: organic peanut butter, almond butter, sunflowerseed butter) or 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil. I would try all three options to see which one your daughter likes the best. This is where the extra hidden calories come in.

4. Serve in a fun glass or with a twisty straw.

On another note--there may be something she's eating daily that's upsetting her stomach and making her not as hungry. Dairy is something that pops into my mind since you mentioned cube of cheese, whole milk, and mac and cheese. She may not be lactose intolerant perse, but could have a dairy sensitivity that is making her stomach slightly upset. It may be worth cutting down her dairy and asking her how she feels after reintroducing it.

Good luck!

I was the same way as a child. My mother didn't force feed me or try to make me eat. I grew up just fine. My children(10,9) are the same way. They were always low percentage for weight but they are still healthy. Sounds like you are doing all of the right things by feeding her healthy foods. My 5 year old tries to get a snack sometimes too close to dinner and I have learned with her to cut the 3:00 snack to 2:00 and we have dinner at 6. She eats more that way.

J., my daughter was also very low on the weight chart, at least relative to her height (at one point 25th percentile weight, while her height was over 100th percentile).

Like you, I gave her high calorie foods, but she had very picky phases, and also "got full" quickly. Basically, we built up her meal-time appetite by providing snacks constantly (which is technically a healthier, and more natural way to eat). I'd put out peanut butter with apple slices for dipping, chunks of cheese, little sandwiches (cut into small diagonals so that they wouldn't seem like a "meal", mini-bagels with cream cheese or pizza toppings, etc. I'd also put out whatever we were having for dinner (cut up into small pieces with toothpicks in each piece, then I'd set it on the coffee table for some time before and after the "main" meal).

It was a little weird -- sort of a non-stop cocktail party, but she did end up consuming a lot more food, and eventually moved into the 50th percentile (still very thin for her height, but a much healthier weight). Also found that you can make the quantity of food at dinner appear less intimidating by serving the food in courses, and in smaller portions, rather that putting everything on the plate at once.

I realize that some of this might be tricky as you have other children around and might not wish for them to snack all day. Mine is an only, so luckily didn't face that particular issue. I don't know if this helps at all, but it did work at our house. Rather than "ruining her dinner", these snacks seemed to build up her capacity for food. At ten years old she will now eat about six tacos in one sitting, or an entire steak plus veggies plus potatoes plus desert. And again, she's still super-thin, but healthy-thin. Best luck!!

P.S. My daughter also refused (and still refuses) to drink any "sweet" drinks -- including juice, PediaSure, soda, Gatorade, etc. She will drink milkshakes though -- have you tried putting the PediaSure into a milkshake? I swear sometimes I think I'm living in a parallel universe as I've spent so much time "sneaking" fattening foods into my kid's diet. People seriously look at me askance at the grocery store when I tell my daughter that we can't buy the LowFat ice cream, or the "fake" butter...

Hi J.,
First off, you are not alone. I know several kids who are in the same situation. I think you are right in not forcing her to eat, it causes issues and definance where there shouldn't be any. I also don't agree with the 'clean your plate' mentallity. My grandparents had it, so now I don't. Some things to try: feed her smaller snacks through out the day. keep a bowl of snacks or a drawer that she know she can get anything out of. Try giving her smaller portions of food. If you only give her 2 nuggets vs 5, she may eat both of them, and then you can praise her for finishing her meal.
Some foods to try:
breakfast:french toast. cut up ham and cheese with the scrambled eggs, pancakes. yogurt. mini muffins.
lunch: cubes of cheese (they now have them in travel packs for lunch boxes), lunchables jr.-they are chunks of meat/cheese with smaller crackers, Chex party mix - its cereal chunks, pretzels, cheese-its in one box.
snacks: goldfish, single packs of bite-size cookies, trail mix,peanuts-choc chips-raisins (yum!). peanut butter and celery or apples
dinner: stir-fry with rice, spaghetti, fetticine, try using whole-wheat pastas.
Good luck
M.

Hi,

I'm not sure if this will help with weight gain but I have been giving my son Monavie. It's a nutritional beverage with 19 fruits. I started giving it to him because he doesn't eat any fruits and vegetables at all. He used to as a baby and he's now 4. My daughter is 8 and she is a great eater but could still be eating better. I was concerned that he wouldn't like the taste but it tastes like grape juice. I know now that he is getting the proper nutrition and it seems to balance out his diet. My entire family drinks it now because I am a working Mom and don't always have time to make sure my family is eating all the fruit and vegetables that are recommended per day. We get 13 servings of fruits and vegetables just by drinking this everyday and the recommened consumption is 4 oz a day. I give it to my kids in a dixie cup. So, not sure if this will help your problem but I know when it comes to my kids I'm always up to try anything to make them as healthy as possible. Since we have started drinking I have become a distributor which pays for our own consumption. Not sure what state you live in but if you're interested in getting more info please let me know.

My suggestion is to leave her alone. My daughter is the same way she's small you burns everything as she goes and if she needed more she would eat more. I believe if you don't feed her junk and you offer her enough she will eat. I have actually changed her eating as far as sweets. I offer her things like yogurt and other foods in stead of sweets. I try to make snacks not only taste good but good for her. My mother always told me to offer her potatoes. Like mashed and such. They are good for her and taste good and put on weight. But my daughter won't eat them. But my doctor has told me as long as she's active and happy things are ok and not to worry. There are NO books on foods to fatten up a thin child....lol good luck pass things on to me if you find them... ____@____.com

Hi! Both my kids are a on the skinny side and I give them fruit smoothies with protein powder in them and a lot of cheese and yogurt. Also Z bars are yummy and pack a healthy punch.

Good luck:)

It seems like you are doing all of the right things. I would think the doctor would want to find out why she doesn't want to eat. Did you explain the issue to the Doctor? Is there another Dr you could see to help you figure out why she won't eat? If kids are hungry they eat at some point, maybe something is making her feel like she is not hungry?

I just googled, "child won't eat" and a bunch of stuff came up, this is a great article:

http://parenting.ivillage.com/gs/gsnutrition/0,,3w6t,00.html

Hope it helps!

Have you tried watering the pediasure down? I give my child half pediasure, half milk. Also, they make those pediasure nutrition bars. Good luck

One way I found to get my 5 year old to eat better was to let him help me prepare the food. When he helps me cook he eats better. Sometimes it feels like an inconvenience to let him help but it is well worth it. I even made him a chefs hat and apron and bought him his own oven mitts and cookie sheet for his 5th birthday.

My son was a picky picky eater and hardly ate anything until about a month ago. Aside from letting him cook with me I started letting him pick foods out at the grocery store. Also when we sit down to eat whether he wants to eat or not he stays at the table until we are all finished. We are not formal about it. We don't make our kids say "May I be excused." We have just found this to be a great time to talk and catch up - we have 8 children and really need this time. If they are fast eaters they just hang out and talk with us. Plus he picks a little more at his food if he remains at the table longer than 2 minutes.

Does your daughter seem healthy? Does she have energy or is she always tired? Some people are just naturally small. Does she prefer several small meals or snacks throughout the day as opposed to the 3 meals a day? Unless she is unhealthy I'm not sure I see the problem.

Hi J.,

Call your local Children's Hospital and talk to the nutritionist to see what she suggests.

Do you give your child vitamins and a probiotic supplement for children?

Hope this helps. Good luck. D.

I have a son who is rather thin as well. He is in the 10th percentile weight, and he even eats a lot. Try to consider that the percentiles we use are averages of what kids are in america right now. You would find perhaps fifty years ago that your child may very well fit within the range of normal for that time. A lot of American children are overweight, and when they are compiling a percentage, all children are considered. So, just try to feed your daughter as much as you can and use whole milk, supplement butter/cheese or other fats to add more calories to any meal. I think you are probably doing the best you can. If she is only within the 3rd percentile for height, then if she is a proportional little girl she may not even fit in the weight perameters. So, do the best you can, which you are. If it becomes a serious issue, your doctor will address it.

Sounds like my son who is 4. Our dr. had us for a long time add cream to anything he drank and butter to anything he ate. I've realized that he loves baked goods, he gets that from me. So, we bake together a lot. I find when he is involved with making the meals he usually eats better. He is often really hungry around snack times, and only wants a snack at meal times, so I let him do it - as long as he tries everything.
We make our own treats, including popsicles- basically smoothies frozen. Then I know he's getting tons of fruit and only a little sugar.
Also, he loves the farmers market, so we go often and let him choose some of the foods we eat. With that and pick your own farms he is more interested in eating.