new post »
see more posts »
My dd (who is almost 2 1/2) weighs 24 pounds, which isn't bad but puts her in the 10% tile for weight. However, she recently got over the flu and wasn't eating well so she lost a few pounds. The flu is gone but she hasn't gotten her appetite back yet. She has NEVER been a good eater but it seems so much worse, especially with the drop in weight all the sudden. Everyone tells me not to worry but she is so thin that sometimes I get concerned. She is really active and plays all day but doesn't need much to sustain herself. I worry because at 2 I think she should be in the 25% tile in the least. Everybody makes rude comments about how I don't feed her and people saying inappropriate things.
72 replies [ Reply | Watch | Options ]Are you and dh thin? Also, when you say you have this expectation that dd should be "at least 25%tile for weight, why is that? The whole point of %tiles is that they represent the normal range for weight. So, 25% of normal kids weigh less than the 25%tile. People suck -- don't let their dumb comments screw with your head or happiness.
[ Reply | Options ]-
See, you are doing it too. I have to listen to people saying things like this allllll dayyyyyyyy. I teach my older kids to never comment on some else's body. It can hurt feelings.
[ Reply | Options ]I hear you. My 7 month old is a tad under 15 lbs. Have to hear constantly 'oh so little. How old ???!!' My bf had a larger baby and she always heard 'so big ... wow !' It's just amazing how people think they can comment on your kids' bodies, to thier moms, in a way that they would never do to an adult
[ Reply | Options ]Yeah, I was aware I was doing it. I would be concerned if I were you but then again I work in the area of EDs and we see girls as young as 8 with issues, whose mothers said there were early indicators as children. They are realizing so much is biologically based these days. I agree with the pediasure recs but I'm not sure what you can do if she won't drink it. Good luck to you.
[ Reply | Options ]Of course we are concerned, but what can we do? I am seriously considering squirting syringes of double cream into dc's mouth, but then that would definitely give them an ED..no one can make a 2yo eat if they decide they are not hungry.
[ Reply | Options ]hmmm...tell us her favorite foods and maybe we help you think of how to lace them with more calories.
[ Reply | Options ]Thanks..... Fish. Cheese sticks, but only mozzarella, and she only likes the skim ones. Chickpeas. Grapes. Vitamins.
[ Reply | Options ]Hmm...short list. Does she know they are skim by taste or because she sees that they are. Ie, if she thought it was skim but it wasn't, would she reject it? Can you put sauce/olive oil or will she not eat that?
[ Reply | Options ]She wants the ones in the organic cow packet. I tried buying another full fat brand and slipped them into the other packet, but she said they tasted yucky. I smother everything in butter.
[ Reply | Options ]Have you consulted with anyone about her eating habits? It might be worth it since she seems to have such a limited diet and isn't taking in much fat. If those are the only foods she eats, that really is a short list. If I were you, I'd much rather involve someone now when her habits are more easily influenceable. Good luck.
[ Reply | Options ]
some kids are just picky eaters - my son never ate anything but white food (rice, bread, etc) and while it annoys me he is perfectly healthy and never gets sick. Two of my others just don't like chocolate, candy or cookies while their siblings do and there is hardly a pound difference between them.
[ Reply | Options ]
If you work in the area of ED's, then why would you deliberately say something like this? A little weird.
[ Reply | Options ]Because this seems like a dangerously low weight, which OP said makes her concerned. I agree with her concern and in an effort to support her motivation to address the issue, want to reinforce for her that this is a serious issue, which she obviously already knows. Since I already know she'll have the posters who say "it's no big deal, somebody's gotta be in the 10th percentile"...it might very well be a big deal.
[ Reply | Options ]If you want to reinforce our paranoia, then why do it in such an aggressive and bating way? Why not just show some understanding and concern, instead of Yikes! then pointing out what a perfect weight your dc is. I am glad you are not treating my dc, since you have very unusual and bitchy methods of reinforcement.
[ Reply | Options ]So far I seem to be the only one actually offering any concrete advice and asking follow up questions in order to provide advice. But thanks for the feedback.
[ Reply | Options ]-
No because I actually know what I'm talking about, unlike a poster who is saying she eats healthy.
[ Reply | Options ]Look, sorry to labor this point, but why on earth would you say Yikes, my 9mo db is 22lbs, as a way to answer a post which is saying how hurtful those sorts of comments are. Maybe you do know what you are talking about, but my point is that you have a pretty awkward, thoughtless and obnoxious bedside manner. I hope you are not this way at your ED day job.
[ Reply | Options ]
-
Please, people naturally comment on anything unusual. People are always telling me that i'm so skinny or that my 6'5 brother is so tall. Obviously it's not meant in a mean-spirited way so you shouldn't take it as such. When i was younger, my mom would never get offended about people saying i was so skinny, she used to just laugh it off saying "i don't know where the food goes" or "it's from my husband's side." If she had acted upset, I would've internalized that there was something wrong with me. As long as your daughter is healthy, it doesn't matter if she is small or that people comment on it.
[ Reply | Options ]Are you serious? Commenting on a baby's weight is a body image issue concern for you?
[ Reply | Options ]ITA. It goes the other way too--my 11 yr old dd is very tall (as am I) and she gets comments all the time about how tall she is--from parents more than kids. Even things like 'wow, you are really tall--I saw you in the Christmas concert and you were towering over the girl next to you!) Not much sensitivity. So I sympathize with you... if your dr is not concerned, then I wouldn't worry... is she a picky eater or just eats small amounts?
[ Reply | Options ]
-
-
Are you by any chance asian? My 1/2 Chinese dd was never above the 5% tile but my ped said not to worry bec the charts are based on American caucasians. She is a teenager now and completely fit and tho trim not overly thin.
[ Reply | Options ]Funny. I had always heard that the charts were skewed the other way - that they took a good cross-section of American into consideration and so Caucasian children might typically seem really big on the growth charts. However, I also have read that they are based on formula-fed babies who tend to gain weight more rapidly in the first six months of life or so and that also can be misleading about what is "average".
[ Reply | Options ]
OP here: Sorry I was putting dd to bed, didn't realize how fast I would get responses. I try not to worry as my family is very thin, my mom didn't weight over 100 pounds until she hit 40 and my 6'5" brother only weighs around 150 pounds. My dd is in the 90% tile for height at 3 feet tall also, which makes her look even thinner. All she ate today was 1 egg, a nutri-grain bar, half a pb&j sandwich, a few chicken nuggets and that's it. I try to give her fattening snacks that are not to filling but she is so busy playing, she never eats much. I also worry b/c there is an obesity factor on my dh's side so I don't necessarily want to get her addicted to fattening foods, it's like walking a tightrope. She sleeps fine, 12 hours a night, and had more energy than most boys so I try to tell myself she's just thin.
[ Reply | Options ]Actually, for a 2.5 yo, that sounds like a pretty good day of food (I think most are pretty darn light eaters - mine was anyway). Just missing the milk. Does she drink her milk?
[ Reply | Options ]-
Don't worry about dd, OP. Sounds like what my 2.7 year old eats on any given day. DD also looks very skinny/loses weight when sick--pedi said this is normal & just more noticeable with kids who don't have a lot of extra padding. She weighs 28 lbs now, but 5 of those pounds came on in the last 7 months! She's always been a VERY picky eater (she never had that chubby infant stage where they eat everything!) and if you can believe it, she only weighs 8 lbs more than her 7-mo-old sister... just goes to show, all kids are different. Some pointers for fattening up the food: 1) add a bit of heavy cream to scrambled eggs 2)peanut/almond/sunflower butter 3) if she eats yogurt, only do the greek, full-fat yogurt--add whatever needed to make it palatable (honey, pureed fruit, etc) trader joes makes a good one. 4) pizza! i don' care what the sanctimommies say, this kept dd going for a long time. if she eats it 1x or 2x per week, i don't care, it's food! 5) dd loves rice and beans; i melt in lots of cheese (which also acts as a "glue" to make it easier for toddlers to eat) 6) pasta -- dd finally took to this (still doesn't even eat mac&cheese) b/c i buy fun shapes (flowers by Barilla, etc) and serve it with evoo, a little bit of ketchup, and parm cheese 7) dd wouldn't drink milk AT ALL until at 18 months i finally started making smoothies (milk, fruit, some sugar), now the "smoothies" are either a) strawberry kefir, whole milk, sugar or b) 1/3 mango juice, 2/3 whole milk -- the biggest boost you can give to smoothies is protein powder (i use whole foods brand whey protein powder-- it was responsible for a lot of weight gain and i think even gave her an appetite boost, so i hardly have to use it at all now. it has 16g protein per serving) 8) Honestly, the best thing you can do is to present the food in a no-pressure way (easier said than done, i know) but i found that once i backed off a bit, she got more relaxed 9) family meals -- if we all eat together, sometimes dd does the unthinkable and tries stuff off my plate (like salad, sauteed spinach, etc) GOOD LUCK!
[ Reply | Options ]
Sounds like she eats a normal amount as long as she is also getting her milk / cheese / yogurt. Also, veggies. My picky eater loves his veggies when I keep them simple with a little browned butter on them. Steamed broccoli or green beans... sometimes asparagus or artichokes. I also saute zucchini in olive oil and he gobbles them up.
[ Reply | Options ]My Ds didn't hit 30 lbs until he was 3.6. He was always too busy playing and exploring the world to stop to eat. Despite being in the 10-15th percentile for weight, he's high energy and smart. That is to say that his physical and mental development was not hindered and really that's all that matters. It's hard not to worry, but they will eat when they are hungry.
[ Reply | Options ]My dd is 26 pounds at 3. I've never worried because I'm really small-boned and naturally low-weight too, though I eat a lot, so I figure she just got my genes. I think it's great that she gets to wear her clothes for a long time (still in some 24 month clothes), and hopefully she won't have to struggle with weight issues when she's older too. She was a fat baby, and I'm sad to say good-bye to those cute chubby thighs, though!
[ Reply | Options ]I agree with the poster who said to listen to your doctor. My little daughter wasn't 20 pounds until she was 2 and a half (we waited FOREVER to turn the car seat around). Likely your dd is just little and recovering from a bad flu. signed, mom whose dd would eat a handful of cheerios and that is it for a meal when she was little!
[ Reply | Options ]
Nice to see there are so many other parents out there with my problem. DS is 2yrs and I've been stressing non-stop about his weight @ 22lbs. He is half asain (filipino) and have wondered if that has anything to do with it. He's a terrible eater and can do days eating only strawberries. Tonight I was happy he was actually eating - then he got sick everywhere!
[ Reply | Options ]my ds was the same at 2 yrs. i tried avocado, hummus, smoothies, pediasure and served everything with butter & cream... but he had no patience for sitting down and eating and would only last about 5 minutes. i had to get up and run after him with the food as he wandered around and did other htings. i worried about giving him bad habits, but the important thing was that he put on weight. he's 4 now and sits and the table w/o any prob.
[ Reply | Options ]dd is 24 lbs now at 17 months and i feel like she never eats, was worried she is small. less that 25th percentile.
[ Reply | Options ]np: there is nothing wrong with 25th percentile. my ds weighed a little over 24 lbs at 18months and is perfectly healthy. meanwhile, i recently stopped stressing about his eating and he is eating so much more and it seems like he is gaining weight before my eyes. unless she has been dropping in percentile a lot, don't worry.
[ Reply | Options ]
I know what you mean about the comments. My son was born in the 50th percentile and dropped dramatically thereafter. I'm overweight and a friend is underweight, and our children were the reverse. People made comments constantly about how tiny my DS was, "considering...." insinuating that b/c I was fat it was odd he was so small. In the same breath, they'd comment about my tiny friend having a DD who was, "a real porker," or a, "chub-a-wub." It was mortifying! Now DS has evened out to where he's in the 35th percentile or so for height and weight, but people are still shocked by his age b/c he looks as though he's about 16 months and he turned 2 last week. It is what it is...but the old adage is true: if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all!
[ Reply | Options ]
UrbanBaby Asks...
Are you expecting something special from your dh for Valentine's Day?
- Yes, and he's in big trouble if he forgets.
- Yes, but it's not something I care about.
- No, thank goodness.
- No, and I'm already fuming. He's so unromantic!
- Don't know...
Already voted? View Results
Flashback
UB Like it's 1776!
Posted September 13, 2007(191 replies)
More reminiscing about laughs on UrbanBaby »
The Kid's Menu
Video: Cooking With Grandma Gigi
Granddaughter Olivia helps make plantation casserole...
Also:Lunchbox Recipes
School Lunch Obsessive (video)
Make your Own Baby Food
Baby Food Taste-Off
Is it wrong to ask minors to mix martinis?
Can you tell a pregnant boozer to stop?
