# What do you feed a low-weight toddler?



## ajsgirl (Mar 31, 2004)

My dd had her 18 mo check up yesterday and has almost fallen off the weight chart (from 25%). So, I'm in search of high-calorie, tasty meals for her. So far, the ideas I have (from pediatrition) are: eggs with cheese and veggies, hummus on pita, any beans (she loves edamame), nut butters, yogurt with fruit.

Does anyone else have a toddler in this situation, and if so, what do you feed him/her? She's got a weigh in in one month, so the pressure's on! They're looking for her to gain about a pound. She weighs just over 20 lbs right now.


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## JaneSmith1010 (Apr 22, 2007)

My baby is 9 mo and EBF with no weight problems but if I were trying to beef him up I would try to get in a lot of avocado. Loaded with nutrients, fiber and healthy fats. Tastes really good on toasted bread but also great mixed with eggs, etc.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

First I would make sure she's nursing enough. How often does she nurse?

Does she have any other sucking? (bottles, pacifiers, sippy cups)

Does she cosleep and nurse at night?

good luck!

-Angela


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## Justmee (Jun 6, 2005)

My twins and my toddler were / are all small kids. I don't know how you feel about dairy, but I used to make them smoothies w/ sour cream, fruit, and a bit of BM or milk / formula. They loved it! Another thing my dr. recommended was to add crushed almonds to things like yogurt, etc. I would just sprinkle a tablespoon or so and mix w/ their yogurt.

I let them have more ice cream (as a dessert / snack, not a meal) than I probably would have.

Whole grain pancakes w/ butter & syrup









Cheese pancakes

Baked potatos w/ sour cream & cheese

(can you tell my kids like dairy???)

They also like fried chicken breast in pita with hummos double









I second the avacado. None of my kids would touch it, but most kids love it.

If it makes you feel any better, none of my kids weighed 20 lbs by 18 months, it was closer to two. My twins were born small, but Rivka started out in the 70% and gradually dropped. She's about 24 lbs now at 25 months and maybe 31 inches? I'm pretty sure she's not on the chart, but by now we know that's just the growth patter my kids follow


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## wombat (Nov 3, 2002)

Lots of good ideas above. Ditto the avocado ideas - my dd lived on the stuff. Smoothies - you can add a bit of a plain tasting oil to them also.

My dd who had poor weight gain issues loved custard - gently heat some egg yolks and sweetener in milk/half n half - kinda like a thin pudding or you can drink it.

I wouldn't worry too much about the peds expectations. My dd started out on the 25% at birth but was mostly 5% and below for the first 2 years. She was always a good eater in that she'd eat almost anything but would eat such little amounts. Even with nursing, she'd only nurse a little. After about 2 though she really started to eat more.

She was super active though and part of the problem was keeping her still long enough to eat. The idea of "meals" never worked well with her. Lots of small meals and snacks throughout the day worked better.


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## Rebecca (Dec 4, 2002)

My second child was like yours and I think I produce skim breastmilk... I had very skinny children despite seemingly constant nursings. He'd eat such small amouts that I'd make sure they were energy-packed.

I used to be a dietitian in my pre-child life and was a little insulted when the pediatrician started questioning me about foods. She was just trying to help though... I'm sure I'd do the same if I were her. HEre's what I can remember him liking:

whole milk puddings (like Rice Pudding or tapioca)
whole milk yogurt smoothies with flax seed oil and fruit and sometimes protein powder
Whole milk custards
Oatmeal with butter, coconut milk (or whole milk/half and half)
Carnation Instant Breakfast (as chocolate milk when he was older)- we'd give these to patients in the hospital who needed extra nutrition
Extra olive oil in any dinner dishes
I'd make peanut butter sundaes (melt the pb in the microwave a bit, pour on icecream). they liked PB smoothies as well
PB in general when they were old enough to not choke
Cream cheese on anything

eta:
zucchini bread (I have a really rich recipe that's almost like a cake, there's so much oil and egg in it) with cream cheese
Pot pie (pastry crust is SO fattening!)
French toast with butter and syrup
cheese sauce on broccoli (or anything!)
meatballs/dumplings
real mac and cheese

Wow, it's amazing my kids stayed as skinny as they are!!!

My kids both hate avocado, sadly. It's one of my favorites.


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## ajsgirl (Mar 31, 2004)

Thanks for these suggestions! I especially like the custard/pudding idea. I think she'd go for that. I've also started adding flax oil wherever possible. She's lukewarm about avocados. She'll sometimes devour guacamole, but then she'll shove it away the next week. French toast is a favorite of hers. I also like to make her "carrot cake" pancakes (shredded carrots & cinnamon).

Breastmilk... well, she WAS nursing many many times a day, plus before and after bedtime and naptime, and I think this is part of the problem. She is snacking and just getting an ounce will tide her over so that she's not hungry enough to eat anything else, but the caloric intake wasn't too much. Since the dr's appointment, she has been nursing only before sleep and AFTER meals (like getting dessert instead of filling up on the appetizer







) So when she wakes at 5am, I have to get up and feed her breakfast instead of nursing her back to sleep. So far, it's working... she's eating more already. I'm just glad I have a pediatrition who supports nursing for as long as possible, instead of suggesting I wean her altogether.

No bottles or pacifiers. Only water in a sippy cup.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Cutting back nursing is not a good idea if you want her to gain. Very few foods have more calories by volume than breastmilk. If your dr. suggested this I'd fire him.

-Angela


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## eclipse (Mar 13, 2003)

If there are no health concerns beyond weight, I would consider not doing anything. Continue to offer healthy foods and don't restrict nursing or fat content/calories of solids - but I would go with the "don't obsess" route. I don't think it's helthy to try to pump a kid full of high fat foods just to put on a few ounces.


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## ajsgirl (Mar 31, 2004)

You know, I *wouldn't* worry too much, except that we live in a country where doctors call CPS to take your kids away from you if they're not gaining weight according to their charts... charts full of stats from overweight, formula-fed babies, junk-food/McDonalds filled toddlers. I can't compete with that. My kids are not great eaters. They're small and very active and have high metabolisms like me. Plus, my husband and I are small people. But I guess it's not where she is on the chart. It's that she was at 25% and now she's not even at 5%.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Then don't go to the Dr. or find a better one.

-Angela


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## ajsgirl (Mar 31, 2004)

Thanks for the advice.

Any other food/meal suggestions? On the custard suggestion, I made a yummy baked pumpkin custard last night that she liked. And she tried cottage cheese, which she semi-liked.


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## excitedtobeamom (Jan 26, 2004)

We had so much pressure for my DD to weigh more but she is just a little one. Even with adding fat and Pediasure (against my gut feeling) she stayed on her under 5% growth curve. Her curve is perfect for her. She nursed until 32 months. She is very healthy and always has been. My husband and I are taller people so that is why they said they were worried. She weighed exactly 20lbs at 2 years and now at almost 4 years she weighs maybe 27lbs. We do feed her lots of avocado and always have plus cheese yogurt ect. She does have a large head so I joke that it takes all the calories. My second though is a big boy. It is all genetics unless you feel there is an underlying problem. Good luck!


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## ajsgirl (Mar 31, 2004)

I'm beginning to think that it really is genetic, excitedtobeamom.
I found out yesterday that both my nephew and niece (on dh's side) both were falling off the curve and were put on higher calorie diets and regular weigh-ins by their pediatrition. My ds was slow to gain also.

I am going to stop stressing but will be more mindful of giving her enough healthy fats. It's easy this time of year, especially here with all the great farmers' markets, to go heavy on the fruit, but I need to make sure she's getting plenty of protein and healthy fats too.

Thanks for the support!


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## stlmomof2 (Mar 30, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
Cutting back nursing is not a good idea if you want her to gain. Very few foods have more calories by volume than breastmilk. If your dr. suggested this I'd fire him.

-Angela

I don't know how this could possibly be true. Alex nursed constantly until I lost my milk due to pregnancy (weaned around 20 months). Alex was at the 50th percentile until she was a year old and then she went down to about the 5th or less (well, it must have been more gradual than that). She weighed just over 20 pounds at her 18 month visit and has gained about 2.5 pounds since then and probably most of that is in the last two months. Alex hangs around a bunch of other toddlers who are still nursing and most of them seemed to have really slimmed down after a year. I don't know many toddlers who were FF but the ones I do know seem to be bigger than the nursed ones. I don't know if it's really good for a child to weigh more if she's getting less bm, but in my experience, stopping nursing led to weight gain.


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## ikeessyou (Jan 5, 2005)

Dr. Sears has a growth chart for breastfed babies in one of his books and I believe on his website, too. That should be helpful in determining whether your child is actually a slow gainer.

My first daughter nursed until she was 4 and was always very tiny. She ate like a bird, too. I was fortunate to have a doctor who understand the difference between a breastfed and a bottle fed child. I did a lot of research to find him because I did not want to live in fear of someone else deciding what was best for my child - I mention this because I understand your concern with being reported and agree that you have to be careful these days.

Anyway, my daughter, now 17, is still petite (I'm 5'9" and she's only 5'3") and is a perfect size! Although, she certainly gets a lot of looks because her bra size is 34D! My sister is only 5' tall so it appears that my daughter got the "Gimley" gene.

My second daughter just turned 2 and seems to be right on track with her sister. She is still somewhere between 20-25 pounds.

Hope this helps you feel better and good luck!


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *mandymichel* 
I don't know how this could possibly be true.

And yet it is









Breastmilk has more calories by volume than almost any fruit or veggie (avocado has more off the top of my head) Most non-breastfed toddlers consume a lot of dairy, which is high calorie.

-Angela


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## nathansmom (Nov 28, 2003)

My firstborn was a very small child, dropping from percentiles very quickly until he fell off. He didn't weigh 20 lbs at 2 years. No one was concerned although at age 2.5 they sent him to a nutrition clinic. It wasn't until he was denied further help in EI and we sent him to a private speech therapist that we discovered he had other problems besides not gaining weight. However we were never told he had to gain weight by a certain period of time. He's now 4.5 years old and weighs 28 lbs on a good day.


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## NatureMama3 (Feb 25, 2004)

try adding avocadoes to shakes and smoothies (with stuff to hide the color-carob or berries) and try making pudding with avocado.


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## lisalou (May 20, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ajsgirl* 
I'm beginning to think that it really is genetic, excitedtobeamom.
I found out yesterday that both my nephew and niece (on dh's side) both were falling off the curve and were put on higher calorie diets and regular weigh-ins by their pediatrition. My ds was slow to gain also.

I am going to stop stressing but will be more mindful of giving her enough healthy fats. It's easy this time of year, especially here with all the great farmers' markets, to go heavy on the fruit, but I need to make sure she's getting plenty of protein and healthy fats too.

Thanks for the support!

That's really the best thing to do. We have a dd who just got back on the chart wooo hooo! And we really just made the effort to offer food frequently and not offer anything that's low fat. Our nutrionist basically said you're not going to get a higher amount of food into her so just make every bite count.

Breastmilk is a valid and good food to offer because of fat content. But it's not the highest fat and calorie content there is (and that's not bad) and it's 12 calories/oz. Which is higher than most fruits and veggies but it's not the highest.


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## clavicula (Apr 10, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ajsgirl* 
I'm beginning to think that it really is genetic

This is what i wanted to say.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lisalou* 
But it's not the highest fat and calorie content there is (and that's not bad) and it's 12 calories/oz. Which is higher than most fruits and veggies but it's not the highest.

I thought it was generally said to be 20 calories per oz.

-Angela


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## cmom80 (Oct 18, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
And yet it is









Breastmilk has more calories by volume than almost any fruit or veggie (avocado has more off the top of my head) Most non-breastfed toddlers consume a lot of dairy, which is high calorie.

-Angela

I'm behind this-- my doc actually told me the same thing. He said if I was worried about C not gaining weight, nurse her more. I was very surprised to hear it.

(I have a ped most people here would die for!







)


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## AAK (Aug 12, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ajsgirl* 
But I guess it's not where she is on the chart. It's that she was at 25% and now she's not even at 5%.

All of my children made GREAT drops in percentile on the weight chart between the 12 month check and the 18 month check. We have always said, "once they start moving, the don't stop". My ped never worried about it (thank goodness as the only one in the lower part of the chart was the oldest and I would have freaked at that point!)

Good luck!


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## rebelbets (Jun 6, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *NatureMama3* 
try adding avocadoes to shakes and smoothies (with stuff to hide the color-carob or berries) and try making pudding with avocado.

I do this, and my son sucks it down. One of the most high-calorie smoothies I offer him includes whole milk yogurt, a banana, some peanut butter, 1/4 avocado, splash of whole milk. I sometimes throw in some wheat germ and ground flax seed, too. Oh, and a handful of white beans. Sounds gross, but they don't seem to bother him, and they're a great source of protein.

Even if I'm making him a veggie/fruit smoothie (the only way to get veggies in my kid is through a sippy cup), I almost always throw in 1/4 avocado.


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## Kailey's mom (Apr 19, 2007)

I make DD a avacado shake to make sure she gets enough "good" fats.

1 large avacado, 1 banana, 5tsp extra virgin olive oil, and 12 oz milk (we use rice milk, but any will work)

to be honest, it tastes more like banana's than anything, it's not too bad. I give it to her in a cup with a straw, it works out perfect because she thinks it's mine and of course wants it, because of that


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## lula'smom (Jun 21, 2006)

hey there,
i'm sorry you're struggling with this issue, but so happy to see that i'm not alone! my girly is almost 19 mths and at her 18mth apt. finally hit 20lbs and dropped to 2nd percentile from 12th (born at 25th). dr. having us come in for another weigh-in also, and i've been frantically trying to get her to eat more b/c feeling so pressured. she also has chronic constipation, so i've had to come up with some interesting ideas to couple high fat and high fiber (e.g., a spread i make of beans, pureed kale, avocado, and butter--she usually eats it). even though i know our ped is just being cautious, and that breastfed babies who don't eat sugary/fast-food stuff are likely to be lighter, it is still really scary and stressful to hear that your kid isn't gaining enough!

so, i don't know how we're doing yet, but a few other ideas to throw in: lasagna with full fat ricotta and an egg mixed in, spinach, and whole wheat noodles; bacon; homemade waffles if you have a waffle iron with as much butter as she'll tolerate; beef meatloaf (we mix in beans, pureed kale, and oatmeal to add nutrients and fiber). i haven't wanted to give her real sugar, and she also only nurses or drinks water with flax seed oil. i figured that muffins are also high fat, and found a non-sweet recipe in laure's kitchen (lynn's muffins--can send it if you want it and don't have cookbook). and of course eggs scrambled in butter (with ground flax seeds mixed in in our case).

could i get that super high-fat zucchini bread recipe? she might eat bread, but probably won't go for custard.

best of luck to you with a) the weight-gain and b) not worrying too much about it if she's happy and healthy otherwise!

let me know if you come up with any other good ideas.


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## lactationlady (Feb 16, 2004)

Because Rebekah still eats very little solid foods (relative to her age) we maximize fat/protein/calories as much as possible. Here is what I can remember at the moment of what we do:

- If she is eating mashed/pureed or diced veggies, we add a little olive oil
- If she is eating mashed/pureed or diced fruit we add virgin coconut oil or strawberry flavor fish oil (Nordic Naturals brand for children)
-she eats ALOT of avocado (almost every day). It has lots of good fats
- yogurt (we do goats milk because she is allergic to dairy)
- beans in every variety - we use them as finger food and we also mash them - black beans, pinto beans, black-eye peas, etc. If we mash them we add olive oil. If using canned, look for no salt added varieties or drain and rinse. She also loves mashed black beans with coconut milk.
- mashed banana mixed with cashew butter - bananas don't seem to constipate as bad this way and it is yummy. I give half to her and make a sandwich for me with the rest. 
- boiled or scrambled eggs with butter and ground flax seed
- we add coconut milk to fruit and oatmeal and we make smoothies with it. Her favorite smoothie is 1/4 of a banana and about 1/4 cup coconut milk (we use mainly the cream part the rises to the top), thin with a little juice so that it will go through the straw.
-red lentils with coconut milk. Red lentils are high in both iron and protein. She eats this 2-3 times per week since we don't do iron fortified cereals.
- whole wheat bread chunks dipped in olive oil or flax seed oil

Things we would do if she were not allergic to dairy -
- whole milk yogurt
- cheese
- real butter
- cottage cheese

We try to make sure that the fat she takes in is "good" fat, i.e. no saturated fats or trans-fats. We don't use any highly processed foods. I want her healthy, not just eating fattening stuff for the sake of gaining weight. Besides, bad fats (like transfats - the partially hydrogenated oils in fried foods and most packaged crackers, cookies and baked goods) block the absorption of the good fats that the brain needs for development.

There is probably more, but that is what I can think of at the moment. I hope that some of this is useful.

Oh, another thing that we have done sporadically is skim the fat off of pumped breastmilk and add it to her food or to a bottle on the days I work. I would do this more, but I don't respond well to a pump so I don't get much of the fattier hindmilk.


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## lisalou (May 20, 2005)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *alegna* 
I thought it was generally said to be 20 calories per oz.

-Angela

Not according to my nutritionist. It's actually the same calories as formula. Which is why I'm always amused and upset when ped's tell people to switch their low weight infants from breastmilk to formula. My nutritionist however did not tell us to cut back on nursing when dd was diagnosed with weight gain issues. She told us to continue to nurse on demand and dd was over a year old at that point.


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## Neldavi (Jun 28, 2005)

http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mi...e-milkfat.html

Breastmilk is the same calories per ounce as formula, but it's around 20, not 12.


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## kennedy444 (Aug 2, 2002)

I had same issue with dd2. She would eat any and everything but I guess I just didn't have enough fat in her diet.

I made sure to put butter on everything (something I hadn't been doing) I served her - on veggies, waffles, etc.

I also gave her a half an avacado every day. She gained a pound or so in one month and was right back on the chart.

She was drinking some whole milk too and I would add carnation breakfast to it in the morning.


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## jillc512 (Aug 31, 2005)

I'm in the same boat -- DD just turned 2 and is 21 lbs. I mostly don't worry about it, but occasionally freak out and buy a bunch of avacados







. I could be better about pushing more healthy fats, though -- these are great suggestions!

What made me feel better about DD's small size was the book "Disease-proof Your Child" by Joel Fuhrman (http://www.amazon.com/Disease-Proof-...273066&sr=8-1). In it, he discusses the link between large size (either height or weight) and premature death. The typical American diet that is heavy on dairy, sugar, and fat results in faster-growing children, but also leads to increased rates of cancer, heart disease, and stroke.

Here's a comparison of the calorie content of various milks: http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mi...kcalories.html


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Neldavi* 
http://www.kellymom.com/nutrition/mi...e-milkfat.html

Breastmilk is the same calories per ounce as formula, but it's around 20, not 12.

Thanks for the link. I thought so.

-Angela


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## heatherRN (Oct 18, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *ikeessyou* 
Dr. Sears has a growth chart for breastfed babies in one of his books and I believe on his website, too. That should be helpful in determining whether your child is actually a slow gainer.

My first daughter nursed until she was 4 and was always very tiny. She ate like a bird, too. I was fortunate to have a doctor who understand the difference between a breastfed and a bottle fed child. I did a lot of research to find him because I did not want to live in fear of someone else deciding what was best for my child - I mention this because I understand your concern with being reported and agree that you have to be careful these days.

Anyway, my daughter, now 17, is still petite (I'm 5'9" and she's only 5'3") and is a perfect size! Although, she certainly gets a lot of looks because her bra size is 34D! My sister is only 5' tall so it appears that my daughter got the "Gimley" gene.

My second daughter just turned 2 and seems to be right on track with her sister. She is still somewhere between 20-25 pounds.

Hope this helps you feel better and good luck!

It was nice to see this resource! My pediatrician always reassures me that my ds should not be following the regular growth charts because they are intended for FF babies. I never really questioned it, but I will take a look at the Sears version! FWIW my ds is 90% for height and only 50% for weight.


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## bellamamaof3 (Jan 13, 2007)

I have a low weight toddler as well. I used to work in pediatrics for a major medical center and here is what the nutritionist recommend avocado, carnation instant breakfast and adding as much healthy fats to the meal. For example if you are going to make oatmeal make it with whole milk or cream and add butter and bananas. As it can be tricky to get toddlers to eat more you need to make the most out of what they are already eating. A great book for ideas on feeding kids is Super Baby Foods by Ruth Yarron.
Best wishes


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