# Just noticed how shockingly skinny my 5-year-old is...



## becoming (Apr 11, 2003)

My 5yo DS usually sleeps with me, but he asked to sleep on the couch last night for some reason. Anyway, I woke up at 5:00 a.m. after having a very bad dream about him, and I went and laid down with him on the couch. I was cuddling him and noticed how THIN he really is. Of course I hug him and such every day, but he is at the age now where the cuddling isn't "cool" anymore, so this morning was the first chance I had to really notice how skinny he is. It shocked me. His ribs and backbones literally JUT out from his body. When you pinch his tummy, all you get is a tiny bit of skin -- no fat whatsoever. Even his cheekbones have started to stick out. What's even more scary is that he was one of the chubbiest babies/toddlers I've ever known, and this has all happened over the last year. I know he eats well at supper time and on weekends, but he eats breakfast and lunch at school, so I don't know what he's eating for those meals. He is not a very active kid at all, and I haven't noticed him growing much taller lately. Last time I weighed him, he weighed 40 pounds (probably 3 weeks ago, but he may have lost since then), and I'm not sure how tall he is but usually shorter than other kids his age.

Do you think I should take him to see a doctor? What else I can do to help him gain some weight?


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## jazzharmony (Nov 10, 2006)

40lbs sounds fine to me. My son is almost 6 and very lanky which is the body type that runs in my side of the family.

Since starting Kindergarten my son has probably lost a bit because he has been eating less in the morning rush and during their 15min lunch break







:

I try to give him a drinkable yogurt in the morning. Stoneyfield makes a full fat organic drinkable yogurt. It is pricey but healthy and lots of fat in it. I also buy full fat vanilla flavored organic yogurt and organic fruit from Trader Joe's frozen section and make high fat shakes.


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## mata (Apr 20, 2006)

my dd was the same way at age five-and I had the same sort of realization-one day she just looked very, very thin to me. And when I weighed her she was 38 pounds (she is tall for her age, too.) Kindergarten was part of the problem-it screwed up her eating habits, so I started paying more attention to that. I felt it was necessary for her to consume more calories, so smoothies, yogurt, pancakes, banana breads, ice cream, etc. became staples in her diet. A year later she's filled out, still thin-but to the point where I feel comfortable. Maybe check into the school meals and how he's doing? I have "spies" in our lunchroom-other moms I'm friendly with who will gently remind dd to eat when she's wrapped up in socializing.


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## Village Mama (Jul 22, 2004)

My 5 year old weighs 40 pounds as well... but his dad is very very slim as well. You know best though.... if you feel somthing is wrong it wouldnt hurt to see a doc.
In our case we know for sure that he is getting good quality and ample amount of food. The Ped has told us that both of our kids are too tiny , but everything has been ruled out in terms of somthing other than genetics being the main contributing role in them being skinny. I cannot force feed them! We try to give them a high quality natural vegan protein smoothie daily with extra essential fatty acids and a scoop of good quality cold pressed coconut oil. We also take advantage of the avocados being in season for some extra fat. In our case the boys are always on the move... I may be more concerned if they werent so active. All of our burners seem to work at different speeds!


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## TiredX2 (Jan 7, 2002)

Unless he is showing some other signs of illness (thin hair/brittle/hair loss, lack of nail growth, poor skin coloration, etc...) I would just assume he had a recent growth spurt. Both of my kids (5 & 7) have gone through times where their bones were quite prominent.


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## angelpie545 (Feb 23, 2005)

My six-year-old just now weighs 40 lbs. She's very active, and has never eaten much, but it still concerns me. She is nearly six inches shorter than everyone in her class at school, and is very, very skinny. She's not showing any signs of malnutrition though, no brittle hair, lack of energy, ext. She's always bright and active, so I assume it's just genetics, as I was a small, skinny kid as well, and her bio-dad is very athleticly built and is small for a guy. Still, it does kind of scare you though. I am acitively trying to her her to eat more though, b/c I think she sometimes gets so excited that she feels full when she's really not. For the OP I think that as long as your son isn't showing signs of malnutrition and is playing normally, I wouldn't worry too much.


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## jkpmomtoboys (Jun 1, 2004)

I have a 6 1/2 yo ds and he weighs just 45 pounds. He wears a 6 slim pants and I have to literally cinch them or they'll fall off...

I also try not to make food an issue. I'll provide healthy options and it's his choice to eat or not. At any meal. He will go days eating just a little bit and then all of a sudden eat and eat... But it's not an issue and I don't make him self-conscious about it...

If your ds is eating generally a good diet (doesn't have to be perfect) and sleeping well, has energy to run around, I say don't worry...


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## OakBerry (May 24, 2005)

My ds is 4 years, 3 months.
He looks like you described your ds to be.
He is 32 pounds but very healthy and bright.


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## peacepiece (Mar 21, 2005)

I would give him some protein shakes, especially with winter coming. You can use a whey base and add lots of yummy fruits and even some almond/peanut butter or some type of healthy fat...Avocado is the best. My son just turned 6 and is a solid 50 pounds of lean muscle. I guess I'm fortunate that he loves to eat...wholesome, organic foods.


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## jkpmomtoboys (Jun 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *becoming* 
I know he eats well at supper time and on weekends, but he eats breakfast and lunch at school, so I don't know what he's eating for those meals.

You know, I just reread your post and this jumped out at me.

I think, given your concerns, that it's really important to stay on top of what he's eating. Especially given the generally non-nutritious meals they have at school.

Is there a way to limit how much he's eating at school? Or, barring that, at least ask him what he's eaten at any given meal? My ds asked for 6 school lunches a month--we agreed to that, as long as he makes some healthy choices at each lunch. I check in with him, in a casual way periodically, to see how he's doing with that.

Just some ideas...I agree I would be worried if my ds started really losing weight and I didn't know what he was eating for 2 our of 3 meals...


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## Mirzam (Sep 9, 2002)

Adding to the chorus of mothers with skinny kids! My DS is 6 3/4 and weighs about 46 lbs. He is also very boney, and while not a great eater, is very healthy and strong so I don't worry too much.


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## Satori (Jan 30, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *becoming* 
I know he eats well at supper time and on weekends, but he eats breakfast and lunch at school, so I don't know what he's eating for those meals.

Have you considered feeding him breakfast at home then sending him a lunch and making him bring home leftovers so you can see what he ate? (don't tell him that's why you want him to bring it home, they tend to throw away food to make you think they ate more) Some kids like my dd can not eat in social situations because there just way to busy socializing to eat. Also, fwiw my dd turned 6 in Aug and hasn't grown in height or weight in a year, this past month was the first time she's grown in that time and she grew 1.5inches and gained 1/2lb (she's weighed monthly at the hospital as her meds are weight dependant) and she also is rail thin with her bones showing.


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## BurgundyElephant (Feb 17, 2006)

Absolutely pack a lunch for him. You should be able to see the nutritional information on your districts site.

Aside from that, make sure he has a snack the minute he gets home (Saltines with nut butters are what we do here, as they have no artificial flavorings, coloring, etc. but have lots of protein.) Also an apple immediately after any physical activity such as swimming lessons.


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## BurgundyElephant (Feb 17, 2006)

Want to add too... my DD will be six Saturday and she weighs 42 pounds. Thin and tall!


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## PumpkinSeeds (Dec 19, 2001)

Just wanted to add my son is 5.5 and weighs 35 lbs.

I can't force him to eat. He does eat regularly (just not much) and has recently added some milk to his diet (he was very allergic before but seems to be outgrowing it).


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## Jster (Apr 22, 2003)

I have a small child as well, but I wouldn't say she's as thin as you describe your ds. At 5y 4mo, she's about 41 inches and about 35 pounds...but has some cute baby fat around her wrists and a couple of other spots, so slim but not skinny.

She also started kindergarten this year, and at first was eating lunches at school, but then came home ravishingly hungry every day. I found out that her lunch was at 10:45, and they didn't have a snack, she didn't get home until three, so that really was hard on her. I convinced the teacher to start giving snacks, and send healthy ones regularly. She also wanted to eat breakfast at school and she does, but I make breakfast at home first, so she double dips







. Maybe you can check on his eating schedule, and see what other times/places you could add some eating to his diet? How does he feel about food...has he complained of being hungry? If you just noticed it, do you think it's a recent change? I'd definitely trust your instincts, but rule out environmental changes before involving doctors (just my preference, I find they try to fix things and wouldn't have access to school records or his actual eating, just the child and prescription pad).


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

My dd is almost 6 and she has never been chubby. But she has just gone through a growth spurt that made her look even thinner. She has gained a couple of inches. She also started school a couple of mos ago and she won't eat finish her lunch anymore. She wants to play with the other kids and won't take time to eat it. I have started giving her a big spoonful of peanut butter with her breakfast, and once more after school along with her snack. She doesn't eat enough these days. I have to calorie count for my tube-fed toddler so I know for a fact she's not getting enough calories becaus of the skipping lunch.


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## Bartock (Feb 2, 2006)

This thread got me thinking. Do you think the reason all our kids (but mine, He's 4ft 65lbs) skinny is because we all BF them (I did with him till he was 9mo, then I gave him formucrap







)


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## USAmma (Nov 29, 2001)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ilovemy2ds* 
This thread got me thinking. Do you think the reason all our kids (but mine, He's 4ft 65lbs) skinny is because we all BF them (I did with him till he was 9mo, then I gave him formucrap







)

No. All kids are different shapes and sizes according to their genes. They have different metabolisms and different levels of energy, different appetites.

My dd1 (the skinny one) was fed breastmilk via exclusive pumping for 6 mos and then mixed with formula for about 9 mos. She was ff after that, beyond one year of age. I know of plenty of bf kids who were bf for a long time who were heavy set or average and not thin. I also know several ff babies who grew up to be on the thin side.


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## angelpie545 (Feb 23, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *USAmma* 
No. All kids are different shapes and sizes according to their genes. They have different metabolisms and different levels of energy, different appetites.

My dd1 (the skinny one) was fed breastmilk via exclusive pumping for 6 mos and then mixed with formula for about 9 mos. She was ff after that, beyond one year of age. I know of plenty of bf kids who were bf for a long time who were heavy set or average and not thin. I also know several ff babies who grew up to be on the thin side.

She's right. I breastfed both my kids, and my older was is super skinny but my younger one has always been on the chubbier side. She was born weighing 7lbs 6oz, but she gained TWO POUNDS in two weeks just on breastmilk!







She has always been a hearty eater, and was born with these little rolls. Both kids are healty though, and I do believe that genetics has tons more to do with things than we realize.


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## PumpkinSeeds (Dec 19, 2001)

I breastfed my second longer than my first and my second son is a moose. He's very stocky and thick compared to my first.


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## mommyoftwo (Apr 6, 2004)

Another super skinny dd here too. She is very tall and lanky-impossible to find pants that fit her. They either fall down or they are way too short. As far as dr. percentiles, last time she was 90% for height and about 15% for weight. Our doctor was smart enough to take one look at her daddy and told us not to worry at all. She weighs about 38 lbs at 5 1/2.

The only time I worry about them is when they get sick. Neither one of them tend to eat when they are sick so they loose weight. She can't afford to drop even a pound. Sometimes when she gets out of the bath, I am astonished at how boney she is but I was the same way as a kid.

Both my kids have days where they are eating nonstop and then some days they don't eat a lot at all. I just provide snacks often (my dd tends to have blood sugar crashes) and they can choose to eat or not.

I also make it a point of not commenting on how her body looks. We have eating disorders in our family so I want to make sure that she doesn't get a complex about how she looks.


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## jazzharmony (Nov 10, 2006)

So what to do about pants for the lanky? We have trouble finding a good fit for height and waist size.
Probably made harder by the fact that my boy won't wear anything with ties, buttons or snaps!

Also my lanky kid nursed for 4.5yrs, no solids until past 1yr and always was at the top of the charts for height and weight. Not sure where he is now on the chart for weight but he has stretched out and has a super thin waist and long legs. He looks very healthy but is lean. Genetics.


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## Mirzam (Sep 9, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *jazzharmony* 
So what to do about pants for the lanky? We have trouble finding a good fit for height and waist size.
Probably made harder by the fact that my boy won't wear anything with ties, buttons or snaps!


I have a long, lanky guy too, he is 6.5 and need size 8 pants for length. Thankfully he doesn't have any issues with ties, buttons or snaps (that kind of limits you







), what works for him best are Mini Boden and some Hanna Andersson styles. All I can say is thank heavens for adjustable waists.


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