1 Year Old Losing Weight

My son isn't losing weight but he hasn't gained any either. My pediatrician said to add butter to his vegatables, etc.. I am on a diet but she said to give him the good stuff!

Hope this helps!

It seems as though when all 3 of my children were around one that they all lost a little weight. I was always told that it was due to the fact that with them walking and moving around more they start to lose some of that "baby fat". As long as she is still healthy and not sick often or seems sluggish, she is fine.

Have you asked her doctor about it yet? And what kind of foods is she eating? Both of mine were "fluffy" when they were little so I don't exactly know of any other advice than contacting her Dr. and asking him about it. Sorry

My girls lost weight at that age as they started crawling, walking and running. The extra activity burns away the sweet baby fat. They also tend to nibble and snack throughout the day, rather than eat big meals. I wouldn't worry about her, just provide lots of healthy snacks like cheese, fruit, tiny pieces of ham, etc. She'll eat what she needs and probably still continue to slim down for the next few years! Good luck! A.

my daughter was losing weight at 2 years and we thought she ate well. Come to find out her tonsils were big so she would eat as much to get by. I don't think she was ever full. After she got her tonsils out she gained 5 lbs in the first month. It is a possibility that you might want to ask your peditrician if her tonsils are too big.

Julia,
My one year old has also lost some weight recently so I asked the doctor about it and she assured me that with their new ability to get around and even walk that they are burning more calories than before. My son eats about every two hours even if it is just a snack. At meals he will eat more than my two year old. He is active and energetic which the doctor says is the most important thing.

Hi Julia. I would definately call your pediatrician and make an appointment. It is probably nothing to worry about but there are conditions that surface around 1 or 2 years that does cause hunger and weight loss, Type 1 diabetes being the big one. Don't panic, most of the time it's just because she is more active now she is just shedding "baby fat". But it never hurts to see the doc just to be sure. :)

Hi Julia, I have a ? Is she walking yet? Usually, when babies start walking, crawling & moving alot, they tend to lose some baby fat. I wouldn't be too concerned unless the weight is dramatic, then ask your doctor.

Hi my name is J. I have worked in healthcare all my life it might help if you have the doctors check out your childs tyroid if they havent already done that.

I have a 3 year old little girl & I had a problem just like this. I realized that she was going through growing spurts. She eats like crazy & then all of the sudden she stops eating. Then I look at her & she has grown about 3 inches. If the weight loss is minimal I wouldn't freak out but if she is losing alot of weight I would go to the doctor. My daughter is tall for her age & she is my first & only child. I was going crazy for the longest time because she just stops eating. I know how you feel, just use your gut feeling. I hope for the best. A.

In my experience it was pretty typical for them to lose a little weight right after getting really mobile. They are burning off so much more energy. I would continue to monitor it and if the trend keeps up have her checked out. Make sure the calories she is getting are ones full of nutrients (not filling up on junk). Good luck. C.

It is probably one of those growth spurts! I think it is very common for a baby to loose a little weight as they move into the active toddler stage. Especially if she just learned to walk. I wouldn't worry as long as she is eating.
D.

Hi Julia

I have to say I have heard of little ones losing weight, but never seen it happen. In other words I can't say I have ever put a child on a scale one week and they where 23lbs and 2 weeks later 20lbs. But it is bossble. I would make sure you check her weight the same time every day, like when she wakes up. I would put her on the scale w/ nothing on, and before she eats. She should be on full fat vit.D milk until (I think the fda says 3 now) 2 or 3 yrs. And as far as how much she should eat depends a lot on her. It is good to teach them good eating habits this early, but it can be hard at one because they are learning to feed themselves and learning to eat new foods and textures. Kids know when they are hungry and will eat. If she just started walking that could be a good reason for the loss of lbs, she is burning more calories. If she just started a day care or mommy and me, or mothers day out, that too would keep her more active and burn calories. If it becomes to much weight to fast I would take her to the dr., and w/ her new found activity level she may be to busey to stop and eat when she is hungry all the time. You could offer her those ensure drinks for kids.

So good luck and keep us posted. I wish I could lose weight like that!

T.

First off, are you breastfeeding her in addition to solids?? Or is she taking formula or anything? Another thing to keep in mind is that at 1 year of age she is probably just getting really mobile so is burning a lot of calories. Make sure the calories you are giving her are useful, not just juice, etc. If you have any other questions, feel free to ask! :)

C. Tai
Jockey Person to Person
Independent Comfort Specialist
www.comfortparty.com

I had the same problem with my daughter when she was a little over a year old. Don't worry it might just be because of the heat. My doctor told me to let her snack on cereal and fruits and not make her eat total meals...Kids snack better than they will eat a regular meal like you and I. My daughter now four weighs almost 50lbs. Don't worry unless she starts having trouble keeping food down or becomes to weak...Also have you tried Pediasure milkshakes?

All children this age begin to lose weight as they are becoming so much more active. Also, as children age, they need less calories than they did the first year. You will begin to see the "baby fat" lessen and your daughter look more like a little girl. (Neat and sad all at once...) Just make sure you're offering healthy meals and snacks if necessary and keep up with whole milk until she's 2 (no sodas, juice "drinks, etc.) Good luck!

J.

My daughter is 13 1/2 months old & her eating habbits can vary so much day to day. Some days she'll take 3 bottles of milk, a whole packet of oatmeal, a couple slices of lunch meat & about 3/4 cup of soup. Others she'll eat about 1/2 of that. She's very energetic & only naps an hour or so in the afternoon. I recall reading somewhere that as babies start to get more mobile & talkative they can slack off on the eating. They get so involved with learning & doing new things they kinda forget to eat and in the process lose a little & slim down. I wouldn't worry. I think this is normal.

L.

Hi Julia,
I have a very active 2 year old and She loses weight too and I was concerned too.Her doctor told me that is cause she stays very active and Also that if she is not eating she will eat when she is ready.Mine eats lots some days and some days not much,So unless you Doctor expresses concern for it I wouldn't worry too much.I am a first time parent and I panicked when mine did that but Her Doctor said it was fine.I hope this helps you some on being worried.

This is normal. My pediatrician told me that it's more common for toddlers between 9-18 mos to lose weight rather than gain. Unless it's a huge weight loss, they are fine. Usually it's because they are now so active, their metabolism kicks into overdrive. Sometimes it seems like they aren't eating much either. Toddlers bodies have a way of letting them know that they aren't hungry. Usually if they don't want to eat, it's probably because their body already has the nutrients it needs. I would say follow it and check with your Dr if you get too worried.

A little bit of weight is not gonna hurt her. If she is walking, that weight will come off because she can run and play.

We had this same problem with our son after he started walking. He was chunky before walking and slimmed down and lost a bit of the baby fat after he started walking. Our pediatrician told us it was normal. He also told us the dramatic weight gains and growth we had seen in our son the first year would slow quite a bit as he headed toward 2 years old.

Some days our son eats a ton then the next he won't eat a lot. Our pediatrician stated this was also very normal, that kids eat when they are hungry and don't eat when they are not.

Also, I am not sure my son would "know" what being full meant, or how to verbalize that even at 22 months. Our son expresses he is full by feeding his remaining food to the cat, or seeing how it looks splattered on the kitchen floor. That is the usual cue he is done. :)

Julie-
Is your one year old walking yet? Or an entergetic crawler? My little girl lost weight during that time due to walking. But return back to her weight shortly after. Try bulking up on fatty foods for awhile. Also, is she drinking whole milk? That would help as well. Good luck!
C.

Is your child walking yet. I know as soon as mine started walking. Which happened to be a week before he turned one. He started to slim down. Babies are more active and burn more. Unless its a drastic weight loss i wouldn't worry about it too much.

You will want to watch for a pattern. First how do you know she has lost weight? Is it based on looking at her (she looks thinner) or is it based on an actual weigh in? If it was a weigh in, was it done on the same scale that she was weighed on previously? Kids go through a tremendous slow down in growth between 1 and 3yrs. I can visably see with my kids a pattern where they look like they expand a bit width wise and then they shoot up height wise and become thin looking. My kids also stopped gaining more weight for a long time but continued to grow height wise. So long as she doesn't continue to lose actual weight she should be fine.

If she stops growing or starts losing weight continually, you may start to notice a bit of darkness under her eyes (sort of like dark circles that are most prominant in certain lighting) then you should look into food sensitivities...if there are food sensitivities and she continues to eat the foods she has trouble digesting it can lead to her not being able to absorb nutrients efficiently. This shows up as dark circles, constant sinus and ear congetion and or infection, if it starts to get worse you will also notice bowel changes in the form of loose stools or constipation accompanied by cramping and pain and even behaviour changes. I know a lot about this becuase 2 of my 3 kids have food sensitivities.

First things first, don't fret yet. It is good that you are paying attention and it truly could be just normal growth for an infant turning into a toddler. She can especially lose a little of weight if she has been sick recently, or if she has become more mobile. That was something I especially noticed with my daughter. She weighed 20 lbs at her 1st b-day, but got a cold and was teething in addition to starting to move around more. Let me tell you this is a VERY active little girl. She jumps a lot, runs a lot and tries hard to keep up with her brothers. She lost 2 lbs which concerned me but she did grow height wise. I just made sure we gave her enough fluids (breastmilk) and I fed her some extra fats like avocado and when I had to bring her back for a weigh in appt to make sure she was okay, she had gained back 1.5 lbs. She has always grown much slower than my boys did as far as weight goes. She is just tall and skinny. She has always been in the 30th percentile for weight but 90 something for height.

Good luck and if you need to talk or anything feel free to contact me anytime. I also live in the collinsville area.

B. :)
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I totally agree with Carla's Response. I would also like to add that at your daughter's well-child visits you should mention this to your doc. My daughter's doc told me some weight loss is expected due to extra mobility.

M.

I am not sure of all your daughters specifics, but it is usually totally normal for kids to drop weight around that age. Both of my kids did as well. They are really mobile by that point and just burn it of more than when they just sat there or crawled around a little!

If it is massive you might consult your ped.

M. H.

My daughter is 13 mths old and she has lost weight since she is on the go now.. I have heard it is normal when they get walking and running.. If you have major concerns on it then you should get it checked.. Nothing wrong with a moms worries...

Julia My daughter and son are going through that as we speak My daughter is 5yrs old and my son will be 2 in Dec. My kids doctor told me not to worry about it unless it is a lot of weight that the child is loosing and if the doctor is concerned about it you might ask the doctor about it and ask him/her what to do about it they might have you give your daughter some ensure between meals to compinsate for what she looses.

Maybe this will help you. (www.kidseatwell.org) This will have information on how much your child should be eating she should not be eating to feel full. I hope this website will help you