Just 17Lbs and He Is Going to Be a Year Old!

My son was the same way and they couldn't find anything wrong with him. He is 23 months and weighs about 25 lbs. He is healthy and has an amazing appetite to be a small as he is. Don't worry about it as long as the doctor says that he is healthy and fine.

Don't worry as long has he is eating and is healthy. My 5 year old was 18 1/2 at a year and my 3 year old was 17 1/2 at a year. Yes they are both girls but still. Only a mother knows best! Baby grow at different rates. My girls are both going to most likely short because i'm only and 5 ft 2 and my husband 5 ft 8. As the doctor said he doesn't think they'll be basketball players. Lol. Do what you believe is best!

Bobbie

hi my first child was born five years ago and the dr always told me he needs more weight at butter to his foods and have him eat carnation. ( honestly i gave him some carnation and put butter on some things but in my gut thought that part of my child was fine.) as long as he was eating and steadily gained wait he was fine.he has always been in the 0-10th percentile. Still. he only weighs 36 now. me and my mom were very skinny kids also. and i always told the dr that. but he would say to give butter and carnation. well then my second child was born and i guess he got the gene to and my dr finally said hmmm, they must just have high metabalisms because he is the same and the weidl things is my second one has little rolls but he is two and five months now and weighs 26 pds. my first eats very good food. and my second we have the fight with junk on daily basis. but let me tell you they don't stop. they are running in circles all day ..highly active kids... so my advice. as long as they eat healthy and are on track and are gaining weight steadily they are fine. don't compare to other kids . even though it is hard.

My oldest daughter was not 20lbs. until she was about 14-15 months old. If your doctor isn't concerned, you shouldn't be. Especially if he's just started walking, he's probably very active and energetic. He's just working off what goes in. My daughter was a pretty picky eater when she was that age and we were actually told to put butter on her veggies, etc. At that age, they need the extra fat. It might help him gain some weight if you're worried. When he turns a year old, you should switch from formula to whole milk and that might make him start adding some weight too.

Hi A.! I wouldn't worry about it at all. He sounds perfectly healthy to me. My daughter is almost 11 months and weighs only 17-1/2 pounds. They are walking all over and expending a lot of energy and calories, so they aren't bound to be chubby babies at this point. As long as you are offering him healthy foods, he will be just fine! You're doing all the right things, so just enjoy him before he's so big you can't carry him around anymore!!! God Bless!

My girls were 22 pounds at age 2. I think that unless your son's pediatrician has concerns and if your son is happy & healthy, there is nothing to worry about.

Hi there,

My son has also had a tough time gaining weight.
He is very healthy though.
The Dr was a bit concerned and we had first step evaluate him and they said he was fine.
Now he's 13 months, almost 14 and he's 21 lbs.

Some kids don't seem to gain weight as easily. My daughter was always 80th percentile in weight :)
He's 20th percentile!

If your Dr doesn't seem conerned then he should be fine, maybe he will never be one to weigh much, my husband has such a fast metabolism that he doesn't gain weight either.

I would check with your pediatrician. Once kids approach one year, their weight gain slows down. My son has only gained 2-3 lbs since his birthday, and he is 19 months old. That is entirely normal. Likely it's not a problem. Yogurt is always good, just make sure it's the whole milk kind. Dont worry!

Don't worry. First off kids tend to slow down on weight when they become active in crawling and walking and also when they go off formula to table food. If it makes you feel better I have a 2 and a half year old who weighs 21lbs and the doctors are not at all concerned.

Now that he is close enough to being a year old, time to cut the formula and put him on whole milk. The whole milk has more fat in it so hopefully that will put some pounds on him. As long as the doctor isn't concerned about his weight then you shouldn't worry so much. Give him some types of pasta as well,such as ravioli's for example. The carbs should also help to put some weight on.
D.

I am 31 and have been married for almost 12 yrs. My husband and I have 3 boys ages 10,7, and 4.

Unless your son is ill I would not worry about his weight.A lot of parents think all babies should be puggy but actually it is bad for thier health to gain weight they don't need.Just make sure he gets all the good stuff and not junk food, I'm sure he will catch up to other children his age.Kids grow according to thier genetics and thier habitat of feeding.Sounds to me like you are keeping him healthy and active. Yes fat babies are cute but it sometimes leads to illness later in life if they don't loose it.If he is healthy and active just relax.

www.danielchapterone.com has a dairy free product called ENDO 24 (use code 122 so our foundation can get 10% to pay for our scholarships)! It is safe enough to use a baby formula and if you tell your son it is milk, you can get a lot down him. It is better for him than food and you can A&B biotropins to it to help his digestion, which will also help his weight.
Good Luck!

My oldest and youngest sons are the same way. My oldest is now 4 years old, 42 inches tall and only 35 lbs. My youngest is over 30 inches and is barely 20 lbs at 15 months old. Long and lean babies! They, too are developmentally on track, and they have a tall, average weight middle brother. We actually had to put our youngest on a weight-gain plan between 9 and 12 months because he was barely on the weight curve on the "percentile" chart at the dr.

Like we did, I would suggest you talk to your doctor about your concerns, and see what s/he has to say. Some kids just have a very fast metabolism!

Hi A.,

I don't really have any other health advice to add to what you've already received. Children are very unique. I especially learned that w/ my boy/girl twins. My boy had a bigger appetite from day one, and my girl wanted to sleep more...so much for keeping them on the same schedule like the "books" suggested! I'm glad I let them develop according to how God designed them, and not wake my daughter up to fit her brother's eating schedule, or try to force him to sleep according to hers. By 10mos it all worked out...whew!!

Their older sis has been heavy for her age, genetics not on her side (dad and grandparents, plus they don't always model healthy lifestyle...) so it broke my heart as a preschooler when she noticed her legs were bigger than the other girls. Almost 10, and her confidence and self-worth seem to be soaring so I keep praying...

Anyways, children are precious, big small in-between. My little ones love this "Thomas the Train" book called "Little Engines can do Big Things" and it is so appropriate on so many levels. If your guy ever shows signs of being bothered by his size, books like this are great. But nothing compares to the support from Mom.

Peace,
K.

Ask the pediatrician! Our son was on the small side, too. Though I don't remember his exact weight at one, I know he wasn't 20 lbs because we wanted to put him in a bigger car seat and we were having to wait. At his annual checkups, the doctor checks to make sure he's following his curve (height to weight)and has reassured us he would rather him be on that side then on the heavier side. As long as he's eating and being active and doctor says everything's okay I would try not to worry. (I know, easy to say, hard to do ;-) Good luck!

Is the doctor concerned about his weight gain? If he is getting taller and more active (with walking all over now) then he will not gain as fast. My son was above average in height and weight at this stage, but hasn't really gained much in the past few years. My neice and my sons half brother are both at 20-25lbs at 18 months and 2 years.

He's not losing weight is he? If he's growing in length, but not gaining weight, I would say that would be nothing to worry about. When I switched my 1yo to whole milk, I noticed a little weight gain in her since the milk is so fattening. My neice is like this. Very skinny and not gaining weight. You can see her sternum bones, which really worried me, but she's a great eater, so I know she's healthy. The doc wasn't worried about her, just in her genes I guess.

A.,
I won't worry about his weight if I were you. I went throught that after my daughter was born. She weighed 4lbs 13oz, 18 1/2" long She had to stay about 19 days in the hospital, one was because she didn't weigh 5lb, and she had
another problem also, but I won't go into that right now.
Her dr from the hospital thought she wasn' gaining weight like
he thought she should, her ped dr said she was doing fine. And since her dad and I are not big people, she didn't have much of a chance to be big,as he put it ( she just was not going to set the world on fire with her weight). She was on a growth scale, but it was her own. She didn't get on the scale until she was 10 yrs old. She is still a small person. She is now 26 yrs old, will turn 27 in Dec. If I remember correctly she weighed 13 lbs when she turned one.
So some children are just detined to be small. And there's
nothing wrong with that. At first we may not like being small
and think that we sure would like to be taller, but in time we
all adjust. You can also email me at ____@____.com or you can call me at ###-###-####
If you call or email I can tell you the rest of why else she was in the hospital too. I said all that to say that no matter the size we can do great things.
I hope I helped you out some.
K.

If he is healthy and developing well I would not worry. My 3 kids were all small - I don't think any of them were 20lbs at a year old. My mom even said I was small as a toddler, too. At one time I was even told at one point to change eating habits to include more fat just so she would gain weight. I am so glad I did not follow that advice. When she went to 1st grade she caught up. She will be 20 this month and fights being overweight. I can't imagine having adding extra weight to her when she was a toddler. I would just make sure to give your son a balanced diet, and make sure health & development are fine.

Hi A.,
What has his dr. said? Is he concerned? My daughter went for her 18 mo. check-up today (she was 18 mo. 8/14 but this was the earliest we could get an appt). She is 20# 3 oz & is in the 3rd percentile! Her dr. is not concerned, he said she's gonna be petite. She is very active too & eats like CRAZY! I'd see what your sons dr. says before I'd get nervous. Good luck!
H.

My son weighed 18 lbs. 15 oz. at his one year appointment. He has been 0.5 percentile in weight for SEVERAL months now, which is not even on the growth curve. His doctor tells us to put butter on EVERYTHING. Also, for his bedtime snack, I give him ice-cream. Anything high in calories, he gets. He is on whole milk (ever since 10 months), and to add calories his doctor told us to add Carnation Instant Breakfast to the milk. Good luck! Try not to worry. I know exactly how you are feeling, and many people tell me the same thing all the time ("try not to worry"). You know, as long as he is at least gaining and not losing, thing should be good.

He sounds just like my 2nd child. If he's healthy and active and eating a good variety of foods try not to worry. My daughter weighed 15 lbs at 6 months and at her 1 year checkup she had gained all of 2 lbs (so 17 lbs!). She was just too darn active. She ate alot of healthy foods. The doctor wasn't worried and said she'd catch up soon. He was right. She had a major growth spurt and put on weight before the 18 month checkup and was up to 22lbs at 18 lbs. By 2 she was 28 lbs. She turned 3 a few months ago and is 35lbs -- quite normal and average.

I know that you are worried that he may be underweight and that he is not growing, however, all babies peak at nine months and it seems that they do not grow. This is because they are more mobile and they are starting to work off some of the calories they eat on a daily basis. I am a mother of three sons, and my youngest is three months old, I felt the same way you did when my youngest was the same age. We asked our pediatrician and she informed us not to worry that no baby is going to starve itself. I wouldn't worry about putting more fatty foods in his diet to make him "plump" up, this could cause an early onset for childhood obesity, you're doing everything right, your son just hit a plateau and will have another growth spurt soon enough and you may worry that he is eating too much. Thanks, C.

It is easy to stress about your child's weight and height but please don't. If he is eating and active and engaged, all signs pointing to healthy, that's what matters - not the number on the scale.

My 4 year old son is only 27 lbs but very healthy. My almost two year old is barely 23 lbs, and again healthy. It took me a long time to stop obsessing over their weight and height but more often than not I am able to look at what they are - smart, verbal, have great motor abilities, active.

Talk with your doctor about this too. Mine has always done a superb job at calming me down.

Wow, that is small. Has he been checked by his dr/pediatrician? My daughter is 20lbs and is only 6 months old and my husband and I are smaller people. How we got a chunko daughter is beyond me!

Make sure that he is eating and keeping foods and liquids down. Did he just start walking? I know kids drop weight when they start to walk. What percentile is he in on weight? I would ask his dr about it and see if they are at all concerned. They will know more than anybody.

Good luck & let us know how things go!!!

Hi A.,

I just wanted to assure you that you're a great mom. If you're son is developmentally on track and looks and acts healthy, I would not worry.

My daughter is almost 2 and STILL weighs 20 lbs and 10 oz. She's 33" tall. When you look at her, she is skinny, but not malnourished looking. She's a ball of energy and runs everywhere so she's burning it off. But it is a constant struggle to get her to eat. I give her 3 meals a day and try to push snacks, but it's so hard because it takes her 1.5 hours every meal to eat... and that's with me feeding her. I was never very interested in food and neither is she. I'm petite and so is her dad, but we were never this thin. She looks almost as big as other 2 year olds height-wise and is developmentally closer to a 2.5 to 3 year old.

I've been constantly worried about her. But the doctor says not to worry because she's consistently growing on HER scale. So compare your son's scale with his own growth rate... not with others. My daughter has Asian blood in her and I wish we could get an Asian growth chart. It's hard to get a good feel with these percentiles in America when kids are so big these days. My daughter has been in the 0%ile for weight for the past 6 months.

Feel free to e-mail me with how your son is doing. I know what it's like to have people look at you and you feel like you're questioning your mothering abilities when in reality, you are the one who would love to see your child gain weight more than anyone else.

____@____.com

Hi A.,

I hear yah on every note. my daughter has been going up & down on the weight scale, she's 10mo. old now & when she got weighed yesterday at Riley's she was a whopping 15 lbs 2oz. it takes her over a month to gain a pound and she can lose over half of it in a week. the doc she saw at riley's said to give her the microwave dinners "michelina's"(i run it through a food processor first), since they are packed in calories and to give her fruit between meals that are over 180 cal. plus pedia sure & her formula. i toldher we've been doing that already. have they done any testing on your son for thyroid or anything like that? there's alot more about my daughter, it's just too much to type. you can email me if you want & i'll give you my number. it always helps to have someone to vent to & give support. good luck & God bless.

My son was 15 lbs at 1 year. He didn't turn 20 pounds until he was about 17-18 months old. He is now 3 years old, and 30 pounds. I used to freak out about weight too, but not anymore. They come in all shapes and sizes! :-) Enjoy not having to carry a 20+pounder :-)

I would ask to see his growth chart at the pediatrician's the next time you visit. As long as the growth curve is steadily going up you really don't need to worry. An energetic early walker is going to burn off the calories at a faster rate than a more quiet child. Good luck!

My now 14 year old 107 lb son and 6 year old 38 lb daughter were the same way! My son was right about where your son is, he was over a year old and still facing the rear of the car. I don't think he hit 20 lbs until he was about 15 months, maybe even a little later than that. Their drs. have never been concerned about their weight, they both were growing steadily even if slowly. My daughter was 28 lbs at her 3 year check up, she is now 6 1/2 and has only gained 10 lbs in those 3 1/2 years. She is a tiny little thing but again she is fine. Both of them have always been highly active kids and are only still during sleep. I know it's easier said than done but don't worry, I bet your son is fine. He may be on the smaller side his whole life. You didn't mention your size or his daddys. Maybe he is following the same course one or both of you did.

Weight can be a weird thing. My daughter was around 18lbs. at one year. She is almost 3 and still in the bottom of the charts for weight. She weighs 29lbs. My 9 month old boy weighs 22lbs. Every child is different. They are both healthy and strong. My daughter eats like a horse and is constantly on the move. Our pediatrician wanted to put my daughter on Pediasure to help her gain weight. You could try adding that to his diet. My friend's daughter was also underweight and her doctor said to add healthy fat to her diet. So they put butter on everything they gave her. It helped a little bit. I would address your concerns with your doctor at his one year check up. If he seems healthy-good skin color, healthy hair, ect, then it might not be too much to worry about. Talk to your doctor and see if they have any tips to help beef him up. I would think that when you add whole milk at one year it should help him gain weight too. Good Luck.

as long as your doctor is not saying anything about his weight stop worrying. I had one child who stopped growing and fell off the charts thatis a worry the docotr told me if you kiddo is on the charts we are happy. each kid is different and you fabulous guy may have a fantastic metabolism that will serve him well the rest of his life.

I remember my little sister (13 yrs younger than me) was always a little peanut, and it seemed however many months her age was, that's how many pounds she weighed. So at 12 months, she only weighed 12 pounds. She's 19 now and weighs about 100# if she's lucky... she's just always been small, but always healthy! =)

A.,
I had a couple of children that were very small and I questioned my doctor about it. He said as long as they are healthy do not worry about it. Every body is not made the same and as long as there are no problems then just continue to feed him as usual and trust God is taking good care of him too.

A.,

My son was in a rear facing car seat until he was 17 months old, when he FINALLY hit 20 lbs and I could turn him around! He got out of his car seat and into a booster at the age of 8. (He's still in his booster now at 9!) His height is right at the 50th percentile, but his weight is still in the less than 5th percentile. His doctor has given up trying to get weight on him (he had me feeding him all those extra calories some moms mentioned). He's healthy and active, and is just a skinny kid.

As long as your son is healthy, and not losing weight, accept that he may just be a skinny kid!

Blessings, J.

I agree with the others and Cari - each of my 3 kids only gained a couple of pounds from their 6 or 9 month check up to their 12 mo visit. My dr also said it was due to their activity level, etc. Like you, I was surprised they didn't gain much from 6-12 mo....but all was ok :-) Since it seems like ds is fine in other areas - try not to stress and enjoy!

I don't think you have much to worry about, but I do think he should be drinking a bit more formula (or milk if you are transitioning him). Guidelines say 24-32 ounces for a 10-12 month old, and he's only getting about half of that. Try increasing it a little - it might help!

Good luck,

A.

I wouldn't worry about it. I have 7 children, and only one of them could be charted in the 25%tile for weight. The rest were too underweight to get on the charts. 17lbs as a year approaches sounds so familiar to me. As long as he is on track with development, I would let the weight take care of itself. Make sure that all food choices are wise and carry good benefits, and be happy that, in this day and age, your child doesn't seem to have weight issues. My youngest turned 2 last month and weighs 20lbs. She is on track in developement, so I'm not going to try to bulk her up if it's not in her genetic make-up. I wish I was soooo lucky with my weight! I think those charts change over the years to accomodate our lifestyles of eating processed and convience foods. I would bet that 75-100 yrs ago when people ate foods in their original/natural form, a yr old child weighing 17 lbs was very average... Just my opinion :)

Please do not freak out about this! So many people are concerned with the averages that it freaks those above or below out. My son weighed 23 lbs at a year and my daughter was barely 19 lbs at her 1 year check -up (which actually occurred at 13 months). If he's healthy and your pediatrician isn't concerned, don't be.

By all means sneak in the extra calories, but make sure they're good ones - full fat yogurts and milk, once he's a year, and protein and healthy fats, but some kids are just small - my daughter is 3 1/2 now and still only weighs 29 lbs. she's below average, but at least we're getting more use out of her clothes! And my son, the one who was 23 lbs at 1 year is now 6 and only weighs 43 lbs. As they get more active their weight gain will slow down, as long as he's eating a variety of healthy foods, unless your doctor is concerned about other things don't stress yourself out about it.

Does he have frequent diarrhea? Are there any signs of malnourishment? There are some metabolic disorders that make people unable to digest and absorb nutrients - like Celiac disease, but those have plenty of other symptoms other than below average weight.

If you're really worried bring it up at your 1 year check-up, but low weight on it's own isn't something that should have you all stressed out!

Try addding Carnation Instant Breakfast to some of his bottles of whole milk. Good Luck!

A.,

Neither of my children were 20 lbs at their 1-yr checkups. I am more petite, so my doctor was not worried about it. My kids were always in the lower percentiles though too. My son (4) is now in the average to above average range in size, so I guess the doctor was right not to worry. Talk to your doctor. There may be an issue, but your son may just be waiting to get a growth spurt or may just be on the smaller side.

Hope this helps!
A.

Hi A.,

I dealt with the exact same problem when my now 5 year old was 1 year. He didn't want to eat and he literally fell off the growth charts. It was very frightening as a parent, even though he never faltered developmentally. Our Pediatrician was fairly young too, and didn't have much to offer in the way of suggestions to get him to eat better. Most parents are dealing with overweight kids, so it is hard to find advice on how to get your child to GAIN weight. Here are some suggestions I have for you:

*my son seemed to eat better in the car. I don't know if there were less distractions, or he knew he couldn't get out of his car seat or what, but I offered him food anytime we got into the car to go somewhere.

*offer a bedtime snack and present it as a reward. (eg: "if you are good in the bath tub, we'll have a treat before bed!" Even if the "treat" is carrots or an apple.)

*Offer cheese with every meal. Most kids love cheese and it is high in fat and calories. If you can add this to the dish you are making or just serve it to him on the side, that will help.

*If you're not opposed to the extra sugar he'll get in chocolate milk, add chocolate to his milk, it will pump up the calories.

*Feed him manually. If you are not still doing this, you may have to go back to shoveling the food in for him for a while. I know it's great when they learn to feed themselves and gives you such freedom, but I don't know if this is a hard transition for some kids or what. My husband and I had to go back to feeding our son ourselves for a while, just to get some food in him.

*When he is full, encourage him to take one or two "last bites." Those couple extra bites will add up at the end of the day/week. (I still do this.)

*Limit or eliminate snacks between meals. If he is hungry, he will eat better at mealtime. You may have to feed him a little earlier than the rest of the family eats because he'll get hungry earlier, but if he eats a full meal rather than a snack and a little meal, it will be better for him.

As I said, my son is now 5 and he eats like a champ! He is still VERY skinny, but he is in the 50th percentile. So he's not huge, but I am glad that he is back on track! I don't remember how long we had to do the above things, but you'll know when your son is ready to move on.

Good luck! My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!
V.

Anywhere you can add extra calories, do so. Cottage cheese, any type of cheeses, yogurt, any type of protein (healthy ones only), will help. Or at least it should. If his dr. is concerned, they may suggest Pediasure. My little guy was born 8 weeks early and has had weight issues all along. At a year old, he only weighed 17 lbs., too. Now, at 29 months, he only weighs 22 lbs. We've got him seeing a specialist at Akron Children's Hospital, who is testing him for everything from Cystic Fibrosis to Celiac Disease. From our reading, and the different symptoms, it seems to us, his parents, that Celiac Disease is the most probable culprit. I'm not wanting to scare you, but those types of things can be to blame too. They've officially diagnosed with him FTT (Failure to Thrive) and it's just devestating to us. You look at him and he looks normal and healthy and happy. Just smaller than what he should be. He wears 12 months clothing...some 18 months now, finally, just recently. He can wear 2T clothing IF the pants are adjustable waist bands and you tighten them up as much as possible. 2T/24 month shirts/onesies are pretty big on him, yet. So take your concerns to your pediatrician. Ask them if there could be anything going on that he should be tested for. The earlier detection, the better. It could be something as simple as him being anemic, too. Take into account your & your husband's sizes, and that of your families. Are you guys from smaller people, or are you all pretty average height and/or taller stature? Just take it one day at a time, no matter what the doctors tell ya. You do your part to feed him healthy foods that have extra calories.

Hello- I hope this helps you. My children- I have four of them- They have all been the same way.My children grow very slowly. They are never on the weight charts at the doctor's office. Our doctor always tells us- as long as they are developmentally ok- they're weight is not an issue. My 2 year old daughter is- now just 25 pounds at 25 months. Our almost 4 month old- is just a little over 11 pounds. i would not be overly concerned. I hope this helps you. I am a stay at home mom of 4 children- ages 8,6 1/2, 2 a nd almost 4 months old.

A., you don't say if your doctor is concerned about your son's weight. If he's not, ask why he's not concerned. My son was failure to thrive at 13 months, and we were sent to a development specialist for tons of tests, etc.. Our family doctor said the concern was because there was a very drastic decline from the pattern he was showing on the growth chart. While your son is slowing down, is the chart showing that great decline? In our case, they found nothing wrong and decided it was just stress (I was going thru an ugly divorce at the time). I was told to stop nursing, give him Pediasure, and we worked with a dietician to evaluate his diet and figure out ways to sneak in more calories. In the end the specialist said if they're going to off the charts, better to be on the low side for weight...most kids they see nowadays are off the charts on the overweight side. FYI, my son is now 9 and still hasn't broken 50 lbs. But he's healthy and strong, and very, very active. So unless your doctor(s) think there is a cause for concern, relax!!!

How big are you and your husband? I have known many children to not make the 20lb by 1 year. My little guy just made it by about 1oz. Does he seem hungry after he eats, or is he satisfied?

As long as they are developmentally fine, DON'T Worry!!!!
I have a now almost 7 yr. old and she is still only about 45#. When she was between 1--2yrs. old her doctor said have her eat more, well you CAN'T force feed them and she was fine otherwise.
My second daughter recently turned 2, and she is still only 23 pounds and she eats well etc... and her doctor says DON'T worry as long as she is healthy otherwise.

My daughter is 21 months and 21#! Have you talked to you doctor? If your doctor is concerned then do some testing to find out if everything is ok. Test the pancreas to make sure it is using the food he eats. There's a simple stool test for that. Good Luck!

My daughter has an appointment with an endocrinologist in the next week or so. She is just at the 20 pound mark and she'll be 22 months in a few days. Extremely energetic child also. But her doctor wants to make sure all is well so she's being checked. What has his doctor said? Maybe when you go in for his first year checkup you can ask. To me, his weight sounds like he's fine. He's probably burning off lots of calories enjoying his new venture of walking. I think energetic children burn more calories. No evidence of that, just my thoughts. My daughter is pretty much non-stop active. And she started walking a few days after she turned 10 months. Now she's into climbing and swinging on stuff.

Sounds to me like you're doing a great job with him. I would just wait until his next checkup to ask his doctor.

Best to you and your family!
K.

I can totally understand your concern. My dd was just barely 20 lbs at 1 year and barely 21 at 18 mos. Is your little guy on a growth curve? My daughter has always been tiny (just 5 lbs 7 ozs when born), but has continued to gain weight on a curve. Her doctor wanted us to put her on a special high calorie diet. 3 8oz glasses of whole milk a day, whole milk yogurt, cheese, lots of proteins and complex carbs. It was a really hard change for us. I actually posted a request on here about it. We started giving her higher calorie snacks and more milk and she started gaining weight almost immediately. As long as he's eating regular meals and snacks throughout the day, I'm sure he's fine. Be prepared though, your doctor may very well ask you to change your sons diet to help him bulk up a little bit.

I don't want to give any medical advice, I don't know what a doc would say. But, if you want some good ideas for food, stick to high-calorie, good-fat stuff like sweet potatoes, avacados, whole milk yogurt and cheeses, beans, etc. Stay away from high-sugar, high-water fruits like watermelon which is a great source of fiber and other things, but not great for putting on weight.
See what your doc says at the 12-month apt.

Whatever you do, DO NOT turn the car seat around until he's at least 20 pounds (it's better to wait until he reaches the height requirement instead of just the weight).