2 yr check up and underweight concerns..need advice.

Last week Jaslyn and RJ had their 2 year Wellness check-up with the pedi. Jaslyn's weight is 29 lbs and she's 34 inches. RJ on the other hand is 24 lbs and 33 inches. He has always been my "string bean" vs his sister. He's tall and lean. The pedi stated that he's too underweight for his age and order blood work to make sure things are okay. My concerns is how to put some weight on him. He's a very picky eater. He LOVES any type of bread, fruit, milk, pasta. He will not eat veggies except potatoes and meats are hit-or-miss. I mix carnation instant breakfast in his milk to give him more nutrients. But I'm at a loss in how to add more weight. For those with picky eaters , I need some advice on how to get him to eat more..any special dishes...techniques...something. I'm trying not to worry too much but I need some ... :help: !!!

 

I'm surprised that your dr thought he was too underweight. My girls were like 22 and 24 pounds at their check up and the dr wasn't concerned at all. It's really a question on what percent they are and if they stay consistent. Having a picky eater is a hard thing. Can you puree some veggies and put them in a pasta sauce? I think you just have to get creative to get the veggies and meat in. Also, if you make something for yourself, is he more apt to want to try it? I know my girls always want whatever we are eating. They are now big fans of indian food and all kinds of other ethnic foods.

 

I ditto Ellen.. My son is a string bean and weighed 25½ lbs at his two year appt. and his sister was 27½ lbs. No concerns here. He just has an excellent metabolism!! He is a picky eater sometimes. I'd say your child is right on target! No concerns!

 

Ali was just over 24 lbs. at her 2 yr. appt. and there NO concerns from our Pedi. She was just about 25 lbs. but went through a growth spurt and back down to 24 lbs with illness a month later or so and they aren't concerned!! I would just keep trying to get some good stuff in him.

Does he like guacamole or avocado? Worth a shot. Also eggs. I try to give them eggs 4 times a week at least (doc says we could do it daily) to get protein in them. I use DHA/ARA eggs and put cheese in them. They usually gobble it up. Try some different stuff in the eggs. I cook them well so they are a good consistency and not slimy at all. (Don't know if that helps or not, but I hate slimy eggs myself!)

I guess their concern would be if they moved DOWN in the % charts, but I think those have to be taken with a grain of salt. There are SO many factors that can affect that! Hang in there and keep doing your best!! :hug99:

 

Gotta agree with everyone else. I'm suprised your doc was worried too. 2year olds are FAMOUS for not eating and being thin at this age. My dd was smaller than everyones on here at 2. She was 21lbs and some change. Doctor never said a word to me. She's just a petite girl. I've never worried about it one wink eventhough all of my singletons weighed that at 6 months old. I make giant babies but she's just meant to be a peanut. Also wanted to add that I don't make a giant effort to try to get any of my kids to eat stuff. Mine are picky too. Rarely a veggie. They like bread and pasta's. I just mostly want to make sure their tummy is full not that they get a certain amount of veggies etc. Don't get me wrong I always offer a balanced meal but I care mainly that they've eaten till they're full, KWIM.

 

smoothies are also good. milk, yogurt, lots of banana, berries, pear etc.. You could put some protein powder in there too. Mine also eat a lot of avocado which is really good fat.One of mine is very slim, always in the low percentile. I try not to worry as I was a tiny baby and kid.

 

Maybe it would help to get a second opinion from another pedi or a nutritionist? I've heard that pedis with less multiple experience can sometimes jump the gun on things like this. (I had one tell me I should not even try to breastfeed twins. We switched practices.) Sounds like he's eating a pretty healthy diet already.

 

I'd be absolutely shocked if mine reach 24 pounds by 24 months. Trevor weighed 22,7 at his owie visit a week ago. Of course, they've been 3rd percentile the past two visits and 5th before that so it's not like it's unusual for them to be slender and the doctor was only mildly concerned when they dropped from 5th - 3rd. Did your boy drop in percentiles?

Mine aren't picky eaters, though. I use a lot of sauces for them since they love to dip things (mayo is good), butter and cheese on their veggies/pasta/grains, dried fruit or a dessert after they've "finished" eating because they'll eat a little even if they're full, an egg nearly every day, breaded meats with gravy, and fatty stuff like sausage and bologna. The doctor told me to give them everything I'd avoid if I were on a diet. They eat frequently (3 meals and at least 2 snacks). I don't know how well it's working but they've held onto the bottom of the curve at least.

 

My DS(singleton) was 29lbs until about 3 1/2 yrs and 38 in. My twins(16months) are also "below average"(32in and 21lbs) Their doc just said my kids are long and lean. I think I would get a second opinion. As pp said, as long as their percentile is steady and not dropping, IMO, I don't see the problem.

 

Mine are about to turn two and my son is also underweight. I've done alot of reading on the subject. I suggest you read "Just Two More Bites". I wish I could remember the auther but I got it from the library. It's really aimed towards parents with underweight children. Lots of great suggestions.

Unlike everyone else, I agree with your doctor, because mine says the same thing and I really trust him. What he has us do is give him one can of Pediasure a day either alone or mixed with his other milk. I would do that in place of the Carnation Breakfast because the Pediasure is obviously geared towards children. My Dr. suggested I put cheese on as much as I could, provide dips (like ranch dressing), and to cut out the juice. The juice fills them up so they don't eat as much at meals.

The biggest thing I did (learned this from the book) was the most surprising to me because it was so obvious. It made a huge difference and my son has gained about 2 pounds easy since I began. All I did was start to eat EVERY meal and snack with them. I used to serve them at their kids table in the kitchen while I cleaned up, put aways dishes, etc. I would talk to them, but I wouldent eat with them. I ate lunch during their naptime so I could relax and read TS at the same tme. At dinnertime we ate at the dining table together as a family but that was the only meal I served in the dining room. The book says it is very important for children to watch YOU eat while they eat. Kids learn from imitation so it seems so obvious to me now. I feel almost stupid about it. I now eat with them and read books while we eat. They LOVE it. We linger around the table and my son eats so much more! They no longer eat at the kid table at all, just the dining room table, even for snacks. No running around during snacktime. Plus it's made my clean up easier.

Good Luck!

 

Thanks for the reassurance, everyone. It's good to hear that my kid is not the only one that weigh under 25 lbs at 2 yrs old. We recently moved to a different state back in Feb...so this is a new pedi. The kids old pedi didn't have a concern about his weight. He was their pedi since birth. He just said that RJ will be a tall and lean little guy. At the previous check-ups, there was always some type of growth with RJ from the last chart. The previous pedi also said not to force the food on the kids..just keep trying different things.

I feel much better after reading your responces......thanks again!!! :wavey:

 

In health issues we have a thread about foods to feed weight gaining toddlers. We just had our 21 month weight check for Jessy(IUGR baby) and she was 22lbs which she has been since 18 months. He said some kids stair step up the growth chart(ex. they have a big growth spurt and then don't grow for a while). As long as he is growing he should be fine. My dr isn't concerned about her weight but it drives me crazy. Her id twin Jazz weighs 27 1/2 lbs (and is 2 inches taller but has always been)

 

OK, you made me curious so I pulled up the growth charts on the CDC website. At 24 months, 24 pounds is 5th percentile for boys. That is not clinically underweight -- especially since his height is 10th percentile. Of course, if he was at the 50th and now he's at the 5th, then there is cause for concern. Also, if his height is dropping percentiles as well as his weight, then I'd get the testing done in a heartbeat.

 

Just wanted to throw in that I had dd in today for an ear infection and I was all excited that she was 50% for height. She's always been between 10th and 25th. Then they weighed her and at almost 27 months she's in the 4th percentile! The doctor said nothing to me as she's always been right there weight wise. I guess I just thought because the girl finally got some legs she'd put some weight on too but NOPE!

 

I am with most of the pp's on this. Your sons weight and height sounds fine to me. My girls are little weighing in at 23lbs 2oz at their 2yr check up. They were also only 32.5 and 33.5inches tall. My ped has been fine with their growrh since they are staying on their own curve.

I do understand there are kids out there that just don't gain weight or are falling off their curves. But I also have never liked the idea of adding extra calories and juck food to fatten up kids that are holding to their own curves. I feel we are setting them up for bad eating habits later in life. Also differnt doctors think different things. Example: When Alexandra was about 6 months old the childrens hospital (she is taken there to monitor her for Cystic Fibrosis, no signs of it at all) thought she needed to be fattened up just so that she met their 50% height and weight marker for the Hospitals own funding issues. Needless to say, I was quite offended and never added the powdered formula to her regular formula. I also didn't do it because the pedi was never worried about her.

 

My boys have always been really small -- my twins are 31-1/2 months and weigh 28 lbs. and 30 lbs. I was a really small kid, under the 5th percentile when I was younger, and they eat fine, so I don't worry. I really don't think there is anything to be worried about, but if you really want to try to get some additional weight on, I would recommend you try Scandishake. You can order samples of it it from Axcan Pharmacies and it has been really helpful to a lot of my patients who struggle to maintain or increase their weight. Just check with your doctor first to make sure he's okay with it.

Here is the link with information to order free samples: http://www.axcan.com/pub/scandishake_us.php?lang=1