My son is 15 months old and under weight.... he isn't out of the normal range yet on the percentile scale, but before he gets too low, where it would be worrisome, my doctor has recommended feeding him high protein foods. Like hummus and yogurt, etc.
My son is already a wonderful eater, so I am trying to figure out how to add more protein to his diet. He doesn't drink much milk, just water, and I am still breastfeeding, so I am going to try mixing yogurt with the milk to sweeten it up. He loves beans, avocados, so those are already a staple, but any other ideas, or creative ways to incorporate the foods he already eats into his meals would be helpful.
THANKS,
K.
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He does eat eggs, a lot. To be totally honest, I am surprised that he is 'underweight'. Though he was my heaviest baby at birth, 8 lbs 13 oz, he has gradually not gained as much weight, and now at his 15 month checkup he weighed the same as when he was 12 months. So no, he isn't loosing weight, but he is a little guy. I am 5' 2", and my husband is 5' 10". So we aren't huge, and that was why the doctor wasn't concerned that his height was low also. She felt like him not weighing more was something to keep an eye on. She did give me some ideas about incorporating more protein like cracking an egg into hot cream of wheat, greek yogurt, sweetening milk with a little vanilla, etc. And no more snacks... or at least snacks with.... you guessed it, Protein.
Lean babies stay leaner later in life-and we all know what that ,leads to-living longer. It sounds like you're giving wonderful food-he's just metabolizing it efficiently-that will stop around age 40.By 50-there is nothing you can eat-ok-ice-that doesn't pack on the pounds unless you are in constant motion at least 14/day. Protein adds muscle mass-but yummy , wonderful, carbs are the way to go to gain weight!
Don't worry about it. Seriously. If he's a good eater, eats a wide variety of foods and is still breastfed, then why are you worried? Is your doctor using the chart for breastfed babies? If your son isn't losing weight, then you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Some doctor's get really caught up in the chart and refuse to look at the actual patient. There are about a million things that can factor in to how a child fits on the charts. Are you or your husband small? What about your family, are they small? Has your son started walking more, or even running? Are you extremely active? All of that plays into the weight.
Both of my daughters are small.My first daughter's former pediatrician hounded me at every single visit about her weight. She was in the 10th percentile for weight and 50th for height. I had to go back every month for weight checks, put her on a special diet, blah, blah blah. It was so much stress. I wound up talking to a few other moms and I decided to switch pediatricians. It took me a few before I found one that I liked. My second daughter isn't even on the chart and actually stopped gaining weight for awhile. She had learned to walk and it was summer so we were incredibly active. Her pediatrician looked at her weight, shrugged and said "Some people are just meant to be tiny." Both of my girls are proprotionate to their weight, so there's no concern.
Rather than make yourself nuts over it, realize that people come in all different shapes and sizes. I'm sure your son is perfectly healthy. Don't get caught up in the number on the scale.
My son was underweight at that age, and we got advice from a nutritionist to add more calories with peanut butter, mayonaise, and by adding powdered milk to his food.
As for protein intake, it needs to be per his age and required amounts.
If anyone, takes in TOO much protein, especially in a young child, it can overload their kidneys, for example.
So, dont' just willy nilly load him up with protein.
as for weight gain, healthy 'fats' are also important.... 'fats' and milk fats.... are an important "nutrient" for brain development and bodily growth.
So are you saying, your child is in the "failure to thrive" percentiles?????? You said "he isn't out of the normal range yet on the percentile scale...".... ?
So, is your Pediatrician concerned, or not, right now????
If not, don't worry.
Or, if the Doc is recommending high protein foods, what did the Doc suggest??? They must give you advice/ideas, too.
As you said, your son is a 'wonderful eater...." So, how is it that he is "underweight"????
Or, some parents give their child "Pediasure" which is a "meal" drink for children... and it has protein in it/vitamins/fiber.
Does he like chicken pieces? I mean real chicken not chicken nuggets though they are probably fattening too. I believe that is a good source of protein. My son also like veggie sausages and bacon which are made of soy and had a lot of protein. Also, my son loved cheese pieces and cheese sticks. I hear they are quite fattening especially the not lo-fat variety. Also, if it makes you feel better my son did gain any weight between 12-18 months and by the time he was 2 only gained 3 more lbs. Also, the "normal" range on the scale has increased. My friends baby weighed 5 lbs more than my son at age 2 1/2 (my son was on the 35th percentile for weight at the time) and her son weighing more was only on the 5th percentile 4 years later. Just because everyone else is heavier doesn't equate with healthier. Is your son just super active? My son was very active and seemed to lose or not gain weight when he was having a growing spurt. He seems to be eating healthy just keep offering the good foods and see what happens.
Peanut butter, cheese, fish, chicken, whole grain breads, oatmeal.
i wouldn't worry too much about it as he sounds healthy and is eating well. one thing i can think of is making him healthy fried rice (lots of veggies, meats and/or egg, brown rice and a good oil like olive or sesame oil). my son loves this dish and its really healthy if you control what goes in it by making it at home (take out fried rice is full of bad fats and almost no veggies!)
My 2 YO likes (he was also a bfeeder til recently and needed to add a bit of weight):
Homemade chicken schnitzel (fried chicken breasts in healthy canola or olive oil).
Salmon baked in lots of olive oil
Hummous
Tehina
Chopped Mediterranean salad in olive oil (yes my son loves it -- chopped cucumbers, tomatos, onions, parsley, salt and olive oil).
full fat yogurt or other milk deserts
cereal with whole milk
HTH. Jilly
Sounds like he has a healthy diet maybe he just needs more of it. I just got into the habit of giving little healthy snacks now and then through out the day, they get busy and dont want to sit in the high chair for long. Hand him a tiny square of cheese as he is playing on the floor, give him a snack cup every time you get in the car (have you seen the snack traps that are spill proof you can fill with cereal or those toddler food puffs) give him a banana right before bed even if he just ate dinner an hour ago. etc. If he likes pasta get the Barilla Plus. There are recipes on the internet for really healthy cookies!
what about eggs (if he isn't allergic), cheese or other dairy products.
string cheese
Smart Pasta
Whole Wheat Bread with Peanut Butter
so this brings up a lot of memories. my oldest daughter (now 16) was under a doctors care for not gaining weight. I kept a food journal and the doctor was amazed at how much food she ate and gained 1 to 2 oz at a time. Finally, we stopped worrying. We made sure she ate healthy foods and snacked on a regular basis. She is now a beautiful, normal sized 16 year old girl. with my middle daughter, she ate only fruit, cereal, chicken and cheese. we fed her half and half milk, added all sorts of stuff to her diet to "fatten" her up and finally, we had tests done and found out that she was physiologically 2.9 years behind. What does that mean? That everything will happen with her (puberty, loosing teeth, growth) at a slower pace. She is a gymnast, so being small, it is great. My point to all of this??? Just make sure that your son is eating on a regular basis and eating healthy foods. Like my kids, your son may have an amazingly fast metabolism. Kudos to him!!! Not all kids will have a fast metabolism!! I am "jealous" of my kids cuz they can eat anything they want and not really gain a lot of weight. Good Luck. I know it is hard, but don't worry too much about it. It sounds like you are really doing a great job with food variety!!
We have to calorie load one of our boys too. We have given him lots of "yogurt drinks." You can get a good full-fat real yogurt, mix with orange juice and tons of fruit. It's yummy, good for him, and very high in calories.
Our boy is an adventurous eater, but doesn't often eat a LOT. He is still terribly underweight, but he does drink these. He also loves a good cheese - he'll try any kind of new cheese - he loves gouda. Nut butters are also good.
Honestly, if your son is in the "normal" range, is healthy, eats well and is consuming varied and nutritious foods, I wouldn't worry it.
But, apart from yogurt and avocados (some of our favorites as well), I'd recommend anything with lentils, nuts (macadamias are high in fat, almonds and peanuts have the most protein), coconut milk, goats milk (goats milk yogurt in borscht is pretty darn tasty), a little cheese and a little tofu and some fresh ground flax seed. Kefir. Oh boy, it's late and I can't think properly. I'll try to add in the morning.
