Weight Issues

I totally understand... I have a 15 month old that I am taking to the doctor tomorrow for his 15 month check-up.
At his last check-up he wasn't even on the chart for weight.
I thought I was going to go crazy... I have two other kids that are great eaters and both were in the 75th and 98th percentiles.
You would think that all my children would be somewhat the same... but they are all very different.
That being said... Just keep offering food and drink... and know you are doing all that you can.

Hey B.~ the one thing I have learned is never let your child's doctor let you feel like the culprit when you aren't look for another doctor and do interviews. I had to when my sone was 4 mths and I never regretted it!!! good luck! A.

Don't worry the doctor's did the same thing to me also. What they fail to realize is all children are different. My son, now 3.5 was born weighting 7 pounds also and has never been about the 5%. From 6mth until I had my second child the doctor had me bring him in once a month to check his weight and they could never find anything wrong with him. They think, as did my doctor, that you are starving him. Well, my son has an extremely high metabolism and goes to the bathroom 2-3 times a day and is VERY active.(He was walking at 9mths) My son is now 3.5 and is taller than my daughter and weights less than she does (26.5lbs). Once they looked at my daughter and saw she was always in the 75% for weight they left me alone about my sons weight. What alot of doctor's don't consider is each child is different and their bodies metabolize food differently. It's also what they eat and how active they are. My son was breast feed and I ate healthy. My daughter took formula and they don't tell you that it makes some babies gain more weight. My son is a very picky eater, my daughter will eat just about anything you put in front of her.
Each child is unique and you can't put them on a chart and compare them to other kids. As long as he's meeting the different skill required for his age you should be fine. Did the doctor's ever put us on a growth scale????

If you are really worried why don't you get a second opinion. My daughter was and still is very small for her age. When she was 1 years old they figured out her growth hormone was low. She sees an endocrinologist which he gives her growth hormone. She is now 8 and people think she is 5 or 6. Her weight is great just her height. Besides that she is a happy and silly kid.

My dear, I know as a mother we can’t help but fret so I am not even going to tell you to stop, but remember though that there is really nothing wrong with a baby that is petite. I will be more concern if she is losing weight, if she is not gaining weight and she is an active, healthy and happy baby I won’t worry too much about the percentile issue. We don’t use percentile in my part of the world.

That said, at 9months Vivian should be getting about 19-30 fl oz of either breast milk or formula daily, if you want her to gain more weight I would substitute soft organic cheese for the puff, introduce organic yogurt (if the ped says it is ok).

Lets see what else we can do here, if this will make you feel better, please make a list of all what Vivian eats tomorrow and send it to me (I need her complete menu for the day with quantities), and I will do a nutritional analysis and get back to you,
Remember we are here to help, you have an extraordinary family in Mamasource so please don’t feel alone in this.

Cheers
Please do not hesitate to contact me at www.yummyspoonfuls.com

I love my pediatrician because even though he charts my daughter's growths, he doesn't spout out a % number every visit. As long as your child is eating and playing, I would say that a weight # shouldn't be stressing you out. If you obsess over how much food she is eating it could lead to bad eating habits later. Make sure you are offering a normal variety of foods and don't worry about the scale. Quit comparing your daughter to other kids and anything on a chart because without variety in sizes there would be no charts. Percentage charts are not a measure of how well you are doing as a parent. I know several moms who boast that their child is in the 90th percentile like it is better to have the bigger number....the percentile numbers in no way predicts your childs IQ or developemental abilities, so just as you and your husband aren't the same exact size as other parents then your children will not be either. Not even children of the same family develop the same way. My first daughter was barely 19 lbs at 1 year old even though she was pretty tall and my 5 month old is already 17 lbs and tall. Neither one of my children would have been in the 50th percentile for height or weight but they are eating normally and never once will I think that they are too skinny or too fat because they are perfectly healthy. Eating complexes develop early, especially in girls, so don't cause her to stress about food or make it feel like a punishment. She should never be made to feel abnormal so do not voice your concerns about her size around her...not even at the doctor's office! Take your doctor aside or call in when she is napping if you must but children hear and understand more than you know until it is too late!

B.,

I had the same concerns with my daughter. She is eight months old and only weighs 14lbs, she is still in 0-3 month shirts and pants if they are long enough. But she eats three meals a day, a bowl of cereal for snack in the am, and a jar of fruit in the afternoon. (and has been eating cereal since she was four months old) I mean we go thru atleast 4 #2 jars of baby food a day plus two bowls of cereal(one with breakfast) and atleast 50oz of milk, no juice. I mean can I feed her anything else. But it is frustrating when people say "oh how old is she like four months". But she is walking and crawling and very active so I just chalk her small size up too her being happy and active. But it took me a few months of worrying to get to that stage. I work full time but as soon as I get off I pick her up and we play hard for atleast two hours every evening and the weekends are wide open. Just don't worry!! If she's happy then you should be too.

I wouldn't worry too much. My daughter started to fall weight wise at her 12 month apt. At her 18 month apt. she was in the 7% for weight but 50% for height. She is not doing much physically but her vocabulary is amazing for her age. I just told the doctor her brains are growing! :) I was concerned at first, but she eats a ton of food and I can't give her anymore than what I do already. I just think about how so many kids are obese and she will be fine. She will grow when her body is ready. Every kid is different. My sister didn't walk until 22months!!!!!She was just lazy! Don't fret too much as long as she is eating and your doctor isn't worried.

I wouldn't worry, we all know every child is different and if ur doctor isnt advising you to feed her certain foods to get er to put on weight then she isn't low enough for any concern. I havent had this prob with my child at the ped office b/c both my kids are always high on the height chart due to my husband being 6'0 and my oldest was always on the very lower end on weight b/c he took after his dad who is very tall and like 145 so the doctor knows that our oldest just takes after his dad. But at the health department one of their "nutrionist" tried to question how much I feed him b/c he is so skinny and I had to cuss her out but I don't let it bother me b/c I know I do a good job.

I wouldn't worry about her weight at this time. As long as she is eating, and it sounds like she is, there is probably not a problem. It may be that she is going to be very petite. And she is still in the 50% in height, so her nutrition is going somewhere. If she is very active, she is probably burning all her calories on height and activity. If she is developing normally in the cognitive areas and her other mental development, such as grasping with two fingers, I wouldn't worry. If your pediatrician is not worried at this point, I wouldn't be either. My cousin only weighed 29 pounds when she was in kindergarten, and she was completely normal in her other development. She is just petite. And she has grown up to have three children herself.

Hi B. -

I'm a mom to a 'special needs' child, who was born at 1lb and 6oz. He's now 3, but he eats well, and even though the doc's tend to be worried about him b/c of how he was born, I no long worry. He is inching out of the 3-5% range... and is very tall for his 'weight' but still kinda short for age. In our case that runs in his family even w/ those who are much taller now... like at or over 6ft. Remember as long as she's eating Vivian will be fine. She's likely to surprise you one visit, and suddenly catch up w/ her height. Is she active at all? Neither of my two sit still -- and haven't since they started rolling... so that keeps them lean as well... just something to concider. also, if you are really concerned - ask your ped about nutrin. it's made by nestle and is a meal supplement that is full of vitamins... and will increase calories.

hope that helps.

C.

first take a deep breath.

2nd if the dr isnt worried , and shes playing like a normal 9 month old then shes ok. She may just be a tall and skinny baby.

your doing a great job shes just burning off all her calories being active. When my kids where babies/ toddlers I kept a bowl of snacks ( gerber puffs, fruity booty (get it from health food stores or the internet) etc.) so they could snack when they got hungry.