Underweight little girl

[Kileighs_Mommy_2008]

I have a 16 months little girl she is only in the 1.76 percentile. Her doctor is concerned and talking about getting gastro tests done on her if she doesnt gain weight. She is hitting all of her milestone and is very happy/hyper girl. Does anyone have any ideas on how to put weight on her? Opionions would be appreciated Im very worried. Thank you!

[DenverGrl]

My daughter is 15 months and going through the same thing. She has always been below the curve but following it. This last checkup she dropped some and we were told to step up our efforts to increase her weight. We were told to keep her on formula, we do a high calorie mix as recommended by our pediatrician. We also add butter and olive oil to everything including yogurt. Right now I add heavy cream to her applesauce and her purees. She doesn't get much pureed food but I still give it to her every now and then because it's easy to add cream or olive oil to it. I give her butter or a thin layer of creamy peanut butter to her pancakes. Avocado cut into small pieces or mashed and added to her meals are good. There is also a good website that offers some suggestions http://chunkymonkeymenus.blogspot.com/.

Good luck.

[moonemaiden]

It may be a good idea to get some tests done, just to ensure that there are no malabsorption issues going on. If those are all in good order you may also want to get her thyroid checked. Children with thyroid disorders have different symptoms than adults do, but extremely low or excessively high (depending on the type of problem) weight gain can be identified in those children that do.

In the meantime, continue to feed her high calorie but nutritious foods. Good luck with this, it can be very scary.

[leeann_fincham]

Our little guy is 15 months and is under weight and I don't know what to do to help him. We have done blood work and I give him everything. I mean he wakes up and eats a fruit and toddler cereal and then I make my breakfast and he east from that he then takes a nap wakes up east some baby foods a fruit and a veggie and then from my lunch and then dinner is the same. But he has gained nothing. We have been moving for the last two months and have not been able to monitor him as well as I would like. But we have set up a home now and I would love to see him a little nice and chunky (healthy of course) but some meat on his bones would be nice. He is very active, smart, funny, happy, and he has started to sign to us so he seems healthy. I just wish his weight would reflect the same. I hate that someone else is going through this too but I have been searching for answers and help so its nice to know we are not alone. If anyone has any tips it would be greatly appreciated and we will pass on anything we find that works. Thank you and good luck.

[NaomiK]

Would someone explain to me what is so bad about being underweight if your child is eating like crazy and happy/healthy? Does underweight just mean they are not getting the right nutrients? I mean, ever kid is going to be different. I can see a child who is severely underweight having to have medical help, but what about the child who is in the 2nd percentile and happy/healthy?

PS. I am not trying to be condescending here, I am honestly just uninformed about this. My daughter has always been in the 90th percentile and they dont seem concerned at all. So a baby who is bigger gets no concern and a baby who is smaller gets much concern. Why?

[jcravenrn]

The problem with being underweight is that kids are either not absorbing all of the calories they take in or are using all of their calories on something other than growing. Although sometimes a kid is just going to be that way, more often there is an under-lying issue. Since I work in a pediatric ICU, the first thing that comes to my mind is a heart defect, although that's not neccessarily the most common. However, many heart defects are found by the only symptom- not growing like they should. There are also a number of metabolic disorders, although if your child seems healthy in every other way, this isn't a likely answer. Of course there is the issue of malabsorbtion as well. I'm not writing this to scare you, as much as to answer the NaomiK's question. Give her as many healthy calories as you can. When we need kids to gain weight in the hospital, we use canola oil (about 1-2 tsp 4-5 times/day) and beneprotein (although you may need a Rx for that). Make sure if your MD works her up, that a thorough cardiac exam is part of it, as well as labwork. Your doctor is right to want to do some tests. You may find that there is no problem at all, but if there is something that can be treated, you will be thankful you pursued it. Good luck!

[kare.bear]

Don't underestimate the power of cheese It's a great way to add healthy fat and protein. Most toddlers love it and it makes a great finger food! Just make sure you select cheeses that have been pastureized.