Weight Issues for 13 Month Old

My daughter was 18 lbs at her 18 month check-up, and my doctor diagnosed her as being PETITE! I have 2 daughters, 3 1/2 & 2 (as of 9-7) and they are almost exactly the same size - seriously both wearing a 3T. Sometimes my younger daughter fits into the clothes that are too big for her older sister! Other than being petite, my 3 year old is right on track.... actually I think she is super smart, but I may be a little biased! :)

Children all grow differently, so if the doctor is doing all this testing because she is petite (with no other problems) I would really get a second opinion. Don't worry mom - your baby girl is probably just going to have to buy petite clothes & hem her pants for the rest of her life like the rest of us shorties have to. Call another doctor just to be sure, but don't worry until you have to!

I would NOT be worried. My dd is 26 months and just weighs 21 lbs. She gained 1 lb in the last year. She has always been below normal. We did the blood work too and I regret that. She shouldn't have had to go through that just b/c she is not considered "normal". Good luck!

I wouldn't worry at all. I have a four year old son. I am 5'2: and his dad's family (the boys) range from 6' to 6'7". At his last ped. apointment I was told he was way overweight for his age. I sat there looking at him and then at her reading his chart. I was in shock that my son who is very skinny would be called overweight! Then she looked at his height and noticed he is much too tall for his age as well. (He is the average height for a six year old!) I think sometimes doctors forget that charts don't mean everything and they need to look at the children as well! She had never ever looked at my son the whole time we were in there. She assumed the charts told it all.
Your daughter is probably going to be petite like you said. As long as she is healthy and happy then you have no reason to worry.

My nephew was over 18 mos. before he broke 20 lbs. I send my 4 yr old's outgrown clothes to him and he will be 6 next month. He is the happiest, most energetic spitfire bundle of joy I have ever seen and is perfectly healthy. My 10 mo. old is in the 75th percentile for height and 10th for weight. Our ped says he's just long and lean. On the flip side, my 4yr old is 90th for weight and length with a head that's off the chart. All babies are made different. Statistics and charts are not what makes a baby healthy. They are just there to help detect bigger problems and 2 lbs below normal doesn't sound like a big problem, especially since she's over a year old. I'd get a second opinion before you put your baby through too much testing.
Enjoy your baby!

Hi J., sometimes if they are below the 5th percentile in weight pediatricians will recommend a dietician that can just give you ideas on how to beef up the calories she is consuming. That might be a non-invasive way of helping out the weight issue. But, like someone said too, the overall picture is the important part. Is she healthy and happy? She may just be petite too.

My Daughter was 6lbs 2oz. when she was born and was in the "less than 3%" weight range til she was 2. She just turned three and weighs 26lbs. The doctor told me as long as she is progressing developmentally (the most important thing), growing some and is happy and healthy, we shouldn't be worried. It may be the same thing for your daughter. We both just have petite children. So unless there some symptoms the doctor notices and is not mentioning, I think you are fine. I would question the doctor as to why she really sees a need for all the testing and if she doesn't give you a satisfactory enough answer I would get a second opinion.

I think they worry at anything under the 5th percentile, maybe even under the 10th. Also, if her weight is disproportionate to her height.
I'm 5'2", my daughter was 6 lbs 11oz at birth and was 16.2 lbs at her one year check up as well. My husband is 6'1"

Our doc never quesitoned her size. She did always ask if she eats well, etc. but always ended these well visits with "I guess she's just going to be petite"

The main thing was that she maintained her growth curve. Sure she was always in the 10th percentile, but she was in that range for both height and weight, and she has consistently stayed in that range (it's not like she started at 50th and dropped drastically or something).

CF is largely I digestive problem (not just a lung thing), so children who have it often fail to gain weight adequately. However, I would make sure that if you're going to the trouble of testing that they're testing for several things, not just CF. There's celiac disease and probably some other fairly common nutritional or digestive malabsorption issues that would cause a kid to gain weight too slowly.

Of course, given your size, chances are good that she's perfectly fine. It's too bad they can't just be small without someone thinking there's something wrong!
My daughter is forever the smallest one in the group at preschool, dance class, etc. Every new group we enter into is met with the astonished "Wow! Is she really 4?" as if to say, "How can someone so small even exist in this world? Amazing!" Of course on the flip-side, because of her small stature, people often think I have an incredibly brilliant 2 or 3 yr old. Often times, I just let them think that. :-)

my dr.s have always said you should only be concerned if they jump on the charts, like if they were in the 40 percentile & then they suddenly go to the 10 percentile if they are staying consistent then you shouldnt have much worry...my ? is where has she been measuring on the charts & why the sudden concern?

I would be more concerned her overall condition than just her weight/size. Is she showing signs of a illness or just kind of on the "little" side? If not, then I would consider getting another doctors opinion if your doctor is the one pursuing a diagnoses for her size. Some babies are just smaller and others chunky and still others somewhere in between. :)
C.