Failure to Thrive - Chicago,IL

Hi
My son also small he was born early. He was small not 6lbs. He is still thin for his age. But the doctors say his fine. As long as he eats and he does. He will grow in time. I think you are on the right path keep on doing what you are doing. Good Luck

My son is almost 2 1/2 years old weighing only 23 lbs and was also diagnosed with FTT this past year. He was preemie but everything else is caught up to where he should be. We went through all the testing to cross off things this past year and didn't find anything wrong besides him just being petite!! His pediatrician said that as long as he has consistant weight gain there is nothing to worry about! But we use Pediasure 2x daily and it seems to help. I didn't see any increases with anything else besides Pediasure. It is more expensive than other options but is the only thing that works for us!!! We do it for breakfast and right before bedtime and he knows it is kinda his little "treat"!! So no worries!! Some kiddos are just smaller than some and will eventually hit their time to pack on the pounds!!

I know what your dealing with and the worry that comes with it. My daughter is now almost 9 and is about 48 lbs. When I discussed this with her ped. at about the same age (around her 2 year check up) she told me she will eat when she wants to eat and not to force her to eat. Well I took that advice and even as she got older she was difficult to feed. She is insanely picky and will only eat certain foods which I realize was the case as a toddler. As a new mom I felt terrible feeding her macncheese and pbj's for every meal, but if that's all she ate, that's all I gave her. Can you find one or two things she likes to eat at all? How was she eating as an infant? As these kids get older, one issue you have to keep in mind is eating disorders. I see my daughter wanting to skip bfast and will pass on dinner if its not what she wants or she'll say she's not hungry. I think as they get older eating needs to be enforced in some circumstances. Doctors are doing a lot of research in childhood anorexia, and state that schoolage kids can't be allowed to skip meals. My daughter as a toddler was really petit and still is and probably always will be. I'm sure the carnation stuff will be fine temporarily, but I would continue to offer things you think she might eat. Obviously its something you can't give up on. Eventually I think she'll find those few things and thats what you give her. My son, who is now two, lives on fruit, pb&j, noodles, crackers, rice and potatoes. He hates meat, so we sub it with yogurt so that he gets some protein. Keep trying and I hope it gets better!

My niece went through all the tests, just to find out she was just small. My 9yr old daughter is only 50 lbs, and my twins ( almost 6 yr old) weigh about 32 lbs each. They eat and drink
like they should, but they are just petite kids.

As long as she is eating well and she is still on the charts, I would not worry. My kids were always at the bottom on the charts.

As long as she's not losing weight, at this age-- I don't think this is considered FTT. I think this is relatively normal. Some kids are just smaller.

If she's on track developmentally and not showing signs of illness-- I'd stop worrying.

I know years ago-- my SIL was given awful drugs to make her "gain weight" because she was so small-- she's had weight battles all her life now (overweight).

Relax

Many kids are just small. My 3 year old is 32 pounds (and just had a huge growth spurt). My 2 year old is 22 pounds. I am not worried about it because I know both my husband and I were small kids. Here is an info page about FTT http://www.kidshealth.org/parent/nutrition_fit/nutrition/... It outlines the requirements for diagnosis as well as what to expect. I believe FTT is used way too frequently when really a child is just a smaller individual.

I would be careful about just filling her up with fatty goods and unhealthy snacks like some have suggested. You are developing her lifelong eating habits now. Rather than bulking our kids up in unhealthy ways we try to make sure they get a balanced diet with all the nutritional components they need. Kids can suffer from high cholesterol, high blood pressure, problems related to obesity and malnutrition just like adults. Good luck, it's tough to worry about your baby but I do think FTT is an overused dx.

Hi NN,
My son was diagnosed with FTT. We had other issues, as he was a preemie and started out small, but once we were home, he wasn't gaining weight. There were a couple things that were done and today, he is a healthy happy 4 year old. He is also on the thin side, but he's on the taller side of average and he just doesn't have the frame to have a whole lot of weight. I just don't think he will ever be a big kid in terms of weight.

As a social worker I was DEVISTATED to hear that my baby had FTT. I had ONLY heard of it in instances where the parents were not caring for their children. Its NOT a reflection of you. Sometimes their bodies just can't handle the weight gain and need some assistance.

I think nutrition is an excellent way to start. Try high fat foods (good fats). Are you giving her cow's milk? You can switch to whole milk, dip everything in "dip" ranch dressing or some other type of high calorie food. Icecream carnation milk shakes . . .there are all sorts of tips. I can share some other things if you'd like.

You are not alone. Please let me know if you'd like to "chat" or have any other questions.
Hugs,
B.

Yeah I understand you with this. My 11 year old was diagnosed with ADHD because she was so bouncy. One sign she did not show was bad grades which stumped all the doctors but they kept treating her for ADHD. She weighted 36 pounds and the tallest one in the class in the 1 grade. One doctor even reported me to child services for starving her. The kid ate like a horse. When she entered the 2nd grade the school nurse asked if she had ever had her thyroid checked. No. So I had it checked. The childs levels were sky high. She was burning so hard she burned up everything she ate. Man did I get upset with a few doctors. She is now 11 years old stands 5'2" and weights 121 pounds and has a barbie figure. She filled out so fast when they got the thyroid under control. The summer she turned 9 she went from a size 10 to a 16 in a matter of 4 months. I kept hearing mom my pants are to tight. She now wears a 10 junior and she is not done I'm sure. She is not fat she is perfect in every inch. If you have not had that checked I suggest you get it. The funny part about all of this is her BF is 4'6"/75pounds and boy do they make a weird looking couple but they love their differences. Mine is the biggest one in class and her BF is the smallest. So all has turned out pretty well for her. P.S. she is not ADHD it was all thyroid.

That may just be her body type. My dd is 10 1/2 mos old and she only weighs 17 lbs. She's just tall and skinny. She eats like a normal kid, but is just skinny. I wouldn't force calories on your daughter if you haven't been told by a doc that she needs them. Just make sure she's eating her meals and getting all the nutrients she needs. Remember, at this age you're shaping their eating habits for life. Go with your gut, your daughter is fine. Just a little petite. There's nothing wrong with that! :)