# Should I use Pediasure?



## irishprincess71 (Mar 22, 2003)

To make a long story short, I became pregnant when he was 6 months and did not realize for 2 months that he was not getting enough to eat. He went from the 10% to the <3% (he was never a very big baby







). He also weaned himself completely off of breastmilk at 11 mo.

So DH and I have been trying everything to get extra calories into him. We have encouraged his nighttime bottles as much as possible as a way to get in extra calories without taking away from daytime solid foods. Formula and whole milk have approximately the same amount of calories, 160 and 150 for 8 oz respectively. However, pediasure has 237 calories per 8 oz so we were wondering if we should go this route instead?

Any drawbacks or dangers to giving pediasure instead of formula or whole milk?


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## Greaseball (Feb 1, 2002)

I don't know much about Pediasure, but don't they make high-calorie formulas? I think Enfamil makes a human milk fortifier that's supposed to boost the calorie content of breastmilk. Or what about that 3000 calorie Ensure, is that safe for babies?

Or what if you made formula and mixed it with whole milk instead of water?


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## SueZVudu (Jul 6, 2002)

I've been to see a nutritionist about DD's weight, and she did recommend Pediasure, but DD won't drink it. She gave me a few recipes for high-calorie, high-fat foods that will help her gain weight; fortified milk would be a good sub for Pediasure if you don't want to pay like $2 a can for the stuff:

Fortified Milk: Add 2-4 Tbsp of powdered skim milk to 1 cup of whole milk

Super Shake: 1 cup ice cream, 1 cup fortified milk, 1 package Carnation Instant Breakfast

Super Pudding: 1 cup fortified milk, 1 cup heavy cream, 1 package instant pudding; make into 1/2 cup servings

Super Grilled Cheese: Dip cheese sandwich into egg and fortified milk mixture before grilling with lots of butter.

I also have a long list of high-calorie finger foods for toddlers; let me know if you're interested and I can give you that info too. Good luck and don't worry too much about this; if you're seriously concerned or need some good advice, go see a nutritionist. Insurance will usually pay for it.


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## irishprincess71 (Mar 22, 2003)

Sue -

Thank you for the recipes. I will try them. And if you have anymore recipes I would love to try them also. His ped. suggested any and all high calorie foods but he is sick of the ones I have been giving him and I have run out of ideas.

I talked to a nutritionist once through our insurance when he was 10 months old and I first noticed the problem. She was worse than useless. He was starting to threaten weaning off of breastfeeding but also refused all formula. Her advice was white pasta and to let him wean rather than give me ways to encourage him to keep BF or even formula. Also she said that a 1 lb weight gain in 4 months was normal. Needless to say his pediatrician was not thrilled when she saw him at 12 months and he had dropped off the weight scale.


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## phathui5 (Jan 8, 2002)

You could try:

avacado
tofu pudding
egg yolks
cheese (or soy cheese at our house)
fruit with the skin peeled off to reduce fiber (apples, peaches)


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## irishprincess71 (Mar 22, 2003)

Unfortunately, avocado is one of the foods he is sick of. I use to be able to get him to eat half of one during a meal and even sometimes mix it with sour cream. Not any more. Haven't tried tofu pudding yet, but that sounds like a good idea. I tried full fat yogurts but he doesn't like them too much either. He will eat a lot of cheese though and eggs. Are fruits high enough in calories because he does LOVE fruit.


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## SueZVudu (Jul 6, 2002)

On the list of high-calorie finger foods for toddlers my nutritionist gave me:

Fruits - Avacado slices, bananas, papaya, mango, pitted prunes

Protein - Cheese, lunch meat, small meatballs, chicken nuggets, fish sticks, eggs, well-cooked spare ribs

Vegetables - French fried zucchini or mushrooms; onion rings; cooked pumpkin or squash; zucchini, pumpkin, or squash bread; cucumbers w/ sour cream dip; peas, carrots, broccoli, etc. with cheese sauce

Starches - French fries, tater tots, muffins, rolls, croissants, pasta w/ extra butter or oil, graham crackers w/ cheese, banana bread, waffles, pancakes, French toast, doughnuts, crackers w/ cream cheese or butter

Obviously, these are high-calorie, not necessarily high-quality (doughnuts? yeah, once in a blue moon, maybe.) I hope this helps some; we're still struggling to get DD to eat a couple of bites at each meal, and she's almost 17 months old.


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## corrie43 (Mar 9, 2003)

my son had the same problem at 16 months and the doc reccomended pediasure, but I read the ingredients and decided to make something myself that was more natural, so we made smoothies with whole milk, frozen strawberries and either avacado or flax seed oil in it, I would sometimes add a banana or something else as well. You can not taste the avacado or flax oil and it is so good for them, my son drank one every day.


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## irishprincess71 (Mar 22, 2003)

SueZvudu and Corrie43 -

How low was your baby's weight and at what age did you see the nutritionist? DS is 13 months and weighs 17.11 lbs.

Sue, I tried a grilled cheese with mayo on the inside and butter on the outside (talk about your high fat content); he loved it. Thank you for reminding me about grilled cheese. I can't wait try with egg batter.

Corrie - can I make the smoothie ahead of time? He will eat solid food during the day (most days) so I am trying to find something he can drink in his nighttime bottle (1 am & 6 am). I just don't want to have to run a blender at 1 or 6 am.


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## SueZVudu (Jul 6, 2002)

I can't remember exactly how much DD weighed at what times; she pretty much stayed in the 10th percentile until she was 15 months old. Now she's in the 25th %ile. We went to see a nutritionist at 9 months. Originally, she was diagnosed with acid reflux, so we were seeing a gastrointerologist (sp?), and he suggested that I go see the nutritionist who works in their practice. I'm never one to pass up free (or nearly free -- we have insurance) advice, so I went. I know DD wasn't ever REALLY small, but my pediatrician takes no chances.

On another note: I actually got DD to eat a whole piece of French toast with butter and maple syrup this morning! Small victories keep me going.


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## corrie43 (Mar 9, 2003)

I honestly can't remember the weight but he was 16 months and dropped from the 75% to the 25% fairly quickly so the pediatrician was concerned, then he didn't gain for awhile.

You can make up the smoothie ahead of time, but the fruit gets a little brown and it separates, just give it a good shake and you should be all set.


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## meg (Jan 6, 2003)

My 2 yr old ds weighs 20 lbs and is very picky and texture-averse. The pediatric dietician we consulted recommended Pediasure and that's what we have been giving him.
I hate it. It's very high in sugar and makes ds a bit wiggy. Plus, when I gave him the 2-3 cans she recommended I saw a noticeable drop in his appetite (as in, skipping one whole meal a day). I reduced the amount to 1 can a day which seems to be a happy medium.
I would not recommend the Pediasure if you can avoid it. I only give it to ds because he has been categorized as Failure to Thrive and I want to help rule out absorption issues as the cause. We have to get 1200 calories in him a day.
Some foods he likes that are high in calories are: organic whole milk yogurt, french toast, nut butter sandwiches. Since you are looking for something for him to drink you could look into Spirutein which my ds loves. It's high in calories, protein and nutrients.


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## irishprincess71 (Mar 22, 2003)

Thank you ladies for all of your help. I am going to try as many of the suggested foods as possible as a means of getting some weight on this child. He eats okay some days and then other days he doesn't so that isn't the problem. It is just mainly trying to make up for that fact that we (I) practically starved him for 2 1/2 months.









Although, one last question I do have is protein. What are some fast easy protein ideas? I had been giving him pinto beans, which is a biggy in our house, but now he doesn't like those either.


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