help me get some weight back on dd

[Lilah'sMommy]

So Lilah is 18 months now, and when we went for her checkup two weeks ago, her height curve was holding constant, but her weight curve was dipping down.  She only gained .65 lbs in three months!  She eats very little as a general rule (she'll take two bites and say, "all done!"), and I have to let her walk around with a sippy of milk all day for her to drink any milk (she otherwise will only take a few sips, if I only offer it at mealtimes or in the high chair).  Then she got the stomach flu last week, and though she's better now, she still is eating even less than before, and she is looking very thin-- I can see her ribs!  I'm getting worried, and offering cheese, mac and cheese, smoothies, anything high calorie that it still nutritious, but she just won't eat much.  Today was a little better, but I need some suggestions for high-calorie, high-nutrient, high-toddler-interest-factor to make for her for the time being to get some weight back on my girl, and maybe some tips on getting her to take in a little more food.  Any suggestions?

[ryan's mum]

ice cream  , they tend to give kids lots of icecream in hospital as it's very fattening . i was very ill once and i was advised to eat plenty to gain my weight back

[Lilah'sMommy]

Good idea!  I'm sure she'll like it, too!

[rooby-rooby-roo]

Hey Sabrina,

Just wanted to point out that although she hasn't gained weight and appears to be 'skinnier', that this is fairly typical for this age. Ruby eats very little too and hasn't gained much at all in the last 6 months, she has shot up in height and has lost all of her baby chubbyness. Gone is the big 'Pooh-bear' pot belly that is so typical of toddlers and now i can see her ribs and her (superb!) stomach muscles!!

As for suitable foods: the key for us is little and often. Although i like the idea of sitting eating together it just doesn't suit Ruby at this time and so i am now more inclined to let her graze, and that way she takes more in and is more open the the good stuff i offer. DIY stuff is great - get Lilah involved. Give her a bowl and put on the table some pots with yoghurt, different fruits and grains, muesli and maybe some plain choc chips and get her to put together her own snack. Maybe a recipe for some homemade cereal bars. Dippers with humous and guacamole, pasta and creme fraiche (sour cream). Will she eat eggs, Ruby loves to dip toast in soft boiled eggs, omelette with cheese.

Root vegetable chips (fries to you!): i just put wedges of potato, sweet potato, squash, carrot etc into a roasting dish with some olive oil and then serve with a sour cream and pesto dip. How about adding a little flovouring to the milk? I know they have a little sugar in the them, but Ruby will not touch milk unless it has strawberry flavour in it.

Hope some of this helps x x

[tylersmommy]

I agree with Clair...Tyler really started to thin out and eat less these past few months, and it's totally normal. If you look at a growth chart for weight, you'll see where toddlers' weight gain really starts to slow down. I can see Tyler's ribs too. His legs are little boy legs...gone are the chunky thighs and that little fat roll at his knees. His only chubby parts are his wrists and hands now.

Novelty can help sometimes with food too. Tyler always ate from either a spoon or with his hands, so introducing a fork (that I had to operate of course ) was cool for awhile. Dipping is fun too, even with some things that you and I think are disgusting (ie, bananas and ketchup). I also love to find ways to sneak extra calories into him. Peanut butter, mashed avocado, and cream cheese make great high fat sandwich or toast spreads. I stir wheat germ into his applesauce, oatmeal, or full fat yogurt. He eats lots of whole grains, too, which add healthy fat. And cheese, cheese, cheese. Full fat cottage cheese or any kind of cheese for a snack is great. I like to melt cheese over a small plate of crackers or toast bites, kind of like nachos without the chips.

I love Clair's ideas...I'm going to have to try some of those on Tyler!

[Lilah'sMommy]

Thanks, Clair and Melissa.  I have used the dipping strategy and sometimes it works, but more often than not she just sucks the dip off the "dipper"!  I definitely need to try some wheat germ; it's so nutritious, and it does add some good fat into the diet.  I also bought some powdered milk, so I can add it to smoothies and cheese sauces.  Lilah will only on occasion eat sandwiches-- she takes them apart and may or may not eat the filling, and usually leaves the bread.  I do let her graze throughout the day, which does help some.  She does like eggs, and I often add veggies and cheese to up the nutrition.  The problem isn't so much picky eating, just that she was taking in very little of anything.  I do add a little flavoring to the milk sometimes, but it's hit or miss with whether it works-- sometimes I add it and she wants plain milk!

Today she decided to start eating again, which is a huge relief.  I wasn't worried so much about the dip in her weight curve (though her pediatrician was somewhat concerned), but the fact that she probably lost a pound or two in one week and wasn't showing any signs of her appetite picking up.   A friend we hadn't seen for just a week remarked that she had lost a lot of weight.  But it looks like maybe things are picking up-- phew!

Keep those ideas coming!

[mommyOfX]

We were referred to a pediatrician specifically because of Xavier's weight.  She said use lots of butter, oils, frying instead of baking, high fat cheeses and yogurts (the yogurt he eats is 10% milk fat), and whipping cream.  When I make soup that requires milk, I put whipping cream in for Xavier.  Same with mac and cheese - whipping cream instead of milk.  Sometimes for snack, he has cereal with a bit of whipping cream in it (I'm talking about the 35% milk fat liquid stuff, not Cool whip ). 

She also told us not to encourage to drink all the time, even water, as that can dampen his appetite.  Naturally, let him drink when he's thirsty, but we kept pushing the milk on him so he ended up not hungry at mealtimes.

Hope that helps.   Good luck!

[jubee]

Just wanted to let you know that our ds just lost 1.5 pounds during a bout of strep throat.  He has since gained a pound back, its been about 1.5 weeks now that he has had an appetite again.  But for him an  "appetite" is not near what I see alot of other toddlers shoveling in. He just isn't a BIG eater. He doesn't love food like mommy But I have started to relax some about this and he is gradually getting better.   I think that my expectations were just too much.  He also has had little dips in his growth curve, but nothing dramatic. I do give him pediasure to drink before bedtime, becuase it has alot of calories/protein/fat/vitamins/minerals.  However if you are successful getting dd to eat all of the ideas mentioned above, especially the icecream she'll probably gain back the weight fairly quick.  It is hard to not worry, especially when its something you have very little control over.  And of course as Moms we feel completely responsible.

[jennc123]

my dd is a thing baby as well and a little eater, always has been, sice she was in the womb ....she just had her checkup and at 12 months she is only around 19 pounds, long and thing.  the doc is good with it though and she is healthy, just very energetic.  Avocado has lots of good fat, butter, cheese, ice cream, i tend to use all of these, especially since she really won't drink milk, and bread.  Whole milk yogurts, etc...stuff you already know about.  Hang in there, my dad mentioned something to me the other day, if she is happy and eating and energetic than don't woryy about it , as kids and adults worry about their weight the rest of their life, so i just cut down on my worrying and try to go with it.  Its tough though, if i come across any more ideas i will post! good luck:D

[Lilah'sMommy]

She has started eating again!

Clair, I have really been letting her graze throughout the day, and not only does she not eat less at mealtime, which was my worry, she often eats more!  I think she's in regaining mode right now, so I'm sure things will calm down, but today she ate:

--some of my whole-wheat toast with cashew butter and jam and a few spoons of meusli (she loved it yesterday, not so much today)
--a wheat mini bagel and a piece of string cheese
--about 1/4 cup of chickpeas, a few chunks of swiss cheese, and almost an entire orange (I figured we would split it, but she had different plans!)
--a carrot-oat-almond cookie (which is mostly carrot and ground almonds) and a few bites of banana
--a bunch of her friend's "Pirates Booty" (a cheese-flavored, corn-based puff) while we were on the playground, and some more chickpeas once we got home and she saw them in the fridge while I was cooking dinner
--a few pieces of spinach frittata and a little bit of bagel
--a small graham cookie
--and about 12 oz of milk!  That's probably a record for her

Oh, and she still nurses 2x a day.

Anyway this is at least 4x the amount she normally eats.  But I think I will let her keep grazing, as it doesn't seem to hurt, and then if she rejects a meal, I don't need to worry she's starving.

Another reason I was really worried that I forgot to mention is that her skin has suddenly become very dry... I think because she didn't drink much while sick, and the doctor told us not to give her dairy products until she was over the stomach flu, because they often become lactose intolerant during bouts of this, so dairy makes it much worse... but as vegetarians, dairy is a main source of fat for her, so I think not having it really wreaked havoc on her skin.