# Is 19 lbs. at 18 months too small? - Updated: Yes, it is!



## CrunchyChristianMama (Dec 5, 2008)

I told myself I would never be one of those moms to worry about my child's weight. But here I am. My DD is soooo tiny. She's right on track for height (around 50th percentile), but is so skinny. She can still wear 9-12 month clothes. Her ribs show. Her little belly protrudes, but everything else is tiny.

This wouldn't worry me if she was a big eater, but she's not. She's a little bird with food most of the time. She's still nursing, but I have hardly any milk left.

We haven't been to a WBV in a year, but I'm debating taking her in this month. Would you be concerned?

*UPDATE: She has celiac disease. We took gluten out of her diet and ever since then she has gained at least a pound a month. She's much more filled out and her ribs don't stick out so much anymore. At 27 months old she weighs about 26 lbs.*


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## just_lily (Feb 29, 2008)

How big was she when she was born? At a year? Has she always been small for her age, or has she been falling behind?

19lbs at 18 months is below the 5th percentile according to this chart here. If she has always been small I wouldn't worry so much, but if she started at a higher percentile and has been falling off I would go and get it looked into.

My DD is on the smaller side, 23lbs at 20 months. But she was only 6lb 8oz at birth and has always been between the 10th and 25th percentile. I don't worry because she continues to grow at a steady rate.


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## sundaya (Jan 26, 2010)

The WHO charts always make me feel better. I have a little peanut also. They're based on only bf babies. It's in kg, so divide the weight in pounds by 2.2.
http://www.who.int/childgrowth/stand...irls_p_6_2.pdf
If you have any doubt, though, it doesn't hurt to get her checked, just to make sure there's nothing going on like celiac or food sensitivities, among other things. The only thing you said that would concern me is the ribs protruding, but some kids get skinny as they grow, so if she just grew a lot in height, she might not have caught up in weight yet, kwim?
Hope that helps.


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## CrunchyChristianMama (Dec 5, 2008)

She was 7 lbs. at birth
12 lbs. at 2 months
14 lbs. at 4 months
15 lbs. 10 ounces at 6 months
18 lbs. at a year
19 lbs. at 18 months


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## just_lily (Feb 29, 2008)

If she has only gained 1lb in six months, yes I would take her to get checked out. Like the PP mentioned, maybe it is just a food sensitivity that could be easily remedied.


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## jpaigeadams (Mar 4, 2007)

My daughter was 7 lbs even at birth, and was on the 50th % curve (US CDC chart) until 12 months. She's now dropped down to 2% (15% on WHO chart) at 15 months - she weighs 18 lbs 9 oz - she'd gained 9 oz in 6 months. She just had her 15 mo check up and my ped wasn't worried. She encouraged me to offer her lots of full-fat dairy, cheese, and olive oil or flaxseed oil on her veggies. Yes, she has fallen down the chart, but my husband and I were both very skinny as kids, her height as stayed at 40-50%, and she's still BF often - around 8x/24 hrs (she just transitioned to 1 nap, but she's now nursing at her old nap times AND her new nap time). She's healthy and happy and very active - gotta keep up with older brother! - and I know she's fine. She also is not the interested in food, which makes it important to feed her often and make every calorie count. Get her checked out, and then just trust your instincts.


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## Katie T (Nov 8, 2008)

I agree that she is probably on her own growth pattern. My DC have all been really small. DS is 3 1/2 and weighs 34lbs and DD2 is 20 months and weighs 21lbs. I think you will feel better if you get her checked out, but it is pretty normal for children to eat almost nothing at times. Mine will go a week or so eating almost nothing (seriously bits for a whole day) and then they get out of it and eat like normal (or sometimes like they have been starved for a week lol)

Good luck


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## Peacemamalove (Jun 7, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *just_lily* 
If she has only gained 1lb in six months, yes I would take her to get checked out. Like the PP mentioned, maybe it is just a food sensitivity that could be easily remedied.

I agree !


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## starlein26 (Apr 28, 2004)

Here's how she plots on a growth chart:

2 months= 75%
4 months= between 50% and 75%
6 months= slightly below 50%
12 months= slightly above 10%
18 months= well below 5%

ETA: Is she active? How's she developing?


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## CrunchyChristianMama (Dec 5, 2008)

Thanks everyone. I went ahead and made an 18 month appt. for her, but can't get in until mid-April. On top of it all she and I got the stomach flu, so the tiny amount she was eating is now down to nothing and she's vomiting.


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## peaceful_mama (May 27, 2005)

I'm not saying don't take her in....I would do it if it does nothing other than make you feel better.

But...this might help you worry a little less, I hope it does. My friend has 3 girls, one currently a nursing over-2, the others nursed beyond toddlerhood. *All 3* were not big into starting solids and *all* of them were considered "underweight" in the 18 months-ish range.

The older 2 are now school-age and are in the range of 'normal sized'. The little one is still little but so were her sisters.

So....it *could* be she's going to be like that. Which is what I would think if she is typical in other areas of development, active, all that kind of stuff.

Not that I wouldn't take her in anyway. But I also wouldn't panic till April.

you're pregnant and nursing.....what have you tried/does she take as a milk subsitute? My 16 mo old *loves* smoothies ("blender juice" in our house) and there are tons of ways to add in calories there. Ours are just berries, banana, milk, and flaxseeds because i have a ton and they're good and probiotic powder. A berry-flavored yogurt would taste better than a plain, I've tried plain, they'll drink it but it's more sour, definently tastes like plain yogurt. I've heard people on here sneak in a *little* avocado or spinach...lots of options. Oh we made one once too that had PB not bad either.


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## kgrace (May 3, 2007)

I've been going to all our well visits since I started out with a big baby (but I"m small and she was a real "post dates baby"), then she didn't gain a lot. she's always been a grazer!I copied her weights into your DD charts for you to compare:

She was 9 lbs. at birth
11 lbs. at 2 months
13 lbs. at 4 months
14 lbs. 12 ounces at 6 months
17 lbs. at a year
20 lbs. at 18 months

My pedi is pretty mainstream and by the book and she has never been concerned! Only asking if DD eats a variety of foods and sleeps ok. She eats fruits, cheese,yogurt, sweet potatoes,carrots,red pepper, whole wheat bread/bagels with butter, almonds, almond or rice milk smoothies. Occasionally she'll eat bites of meat or green veggies.She just has always insisted on her portion sizes and when she's done there is no forcing her.
Hope all goes well for you, and I love her name!!


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## matey (Sep 15, 2006)

My son was born at 36.5 weeks and weighed 5 pounds 12 ounces. He is currently 27 months and weighs, drumroll please, 21.6 pounds.

He doesnt gain very fast, and his ped and I were thrilled when he finally crossed that 20 pound mark. I have had concerns myself, as well as from others. My dh is small, 5'6 and about 140-145.

My dr. has always been easy going about it, but has had us cover bases anyway, which has ended up making me feel better. DS has had some food intolerances/allergies, which we have known all along, and we work with an allergist. We have also been to a nutritionist to evaluate what we ate, she thought we were doing a great job. We also went to a heart dr., to check into my son's heart murmur, and it checked out fine.

When I do get comments, which I do (even from my sisters ex-boyfriend who she still sleeps with but whom I have never met, and he has only seen pictures of my son), I simply inform the person that my pediatrician is not concerned at this time and that we have looked into areas of possible concern to ensure he is healthy.

The benefit is that clothes last a lot longer around here. I am interested to see what my #2 ends of like. I figure if she is tiny too, then my dh and I must make small babies.


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## sbrinton (Jul 17, 2008)

I have two kids who have been on the very small side. Our 3 year old, Micah, weighed barely 20 pounds at 18 months...and that was an accomplishment! From 12 to 18 months, we were trying hard to get him to gain weight. He was a preemie born weighing 5 1/2 pounds at 35 weeks and gained weight well at first, but then he slowed down a lot around a year. Between 18 months and 3 years, however, his weight gain has returned to normal for him, still small but not worrisome.

Our youngest son is 16 months now and is not quite 18 pounds. This puts him well below the 3rd percentile. Our pediatrician has had us get some testing done. We haven't found anything serious, although I still suspect some food intolerances.

With both boys, we've found some things help:

1. Giving them healthy snacks frequently, as in every 1-2 hours, in addition to meals with the family - make sure these snacks have some protein and fat
2. Add healthy fats to everything (olive oil, avocado, nuts, etc)
3. Don't worry about having some saturated fat, for example coconut milk or butter, whole milk, butter, cream, real cheese, eggs, etc.
4. Do whatever you can to increase your milk supply. Our pediatrician's advice was different - she suggested adding formula to everything or supplimenting with something like pediasure - but breastmilk is BETTER. Our little one was down to nursing 2 times a day, but I've been trying to increase my milk supply and have him nurse 4-5 times a day again. I also wake him up once at night before I go to bed to get more calories in.


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## CrunchyChristianMama (Dec 5, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sbrinton* 

3. Don't worry about having some saturated fat, for example coconut milk or butter, whole milk, butter, cream, real cheese, eggs, etc.
4. Do whatever you can to increase your milk supply. Our pediatrician's advice was different - she suggested adding formula to everything or supplimenting with something like pediasure - but breastmilk is BETTER. Our little one was down to nursing 2 times a day, but I've been trying to increase my milk supply and have him nurse 4-5 times a day again. I also wake him up once at night before I go to bed to get more calories in.

Saturated fats don't scare me...we're TF.







She actually likes to eat plain raw butter sometimes.

I think the milk supply is part of the problem because I'm down to almost nothing. I'm hoping the colostrum will come in soon so that can help supplement. I'm trying to get her to drink raw goat milk, but she's just not a big fan of any kind of milk besides mamas. She would much rather drink water or kombucha.


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## Curlyfry7 (Jun 20, 2007)

I'm kind of in the same boat....my DS is just shy of 3 1/2 and weighs 30lbs, but he was formula fed so it was never a concern for the docs because they knew how much he was eating.

DD is just now 18lbs and will be 15 months in 9 days. She was in the 50% until 6 months then started falling. Our ped WAS concerned but DD maintained a % between 10-11 months so we figured she took after my MIL who is tiny. We haven't been back since then due to too much going on. I go back and forth between being concerned and not. I am not hugely concerned, but we DO have some known food intolerances (dairy and soy) so I sometimes worry she has something else we are not aware of. But she seems to be outgrowing the soy at least so ???? She sometimes eats solids well, sometimes not, but still nurses about 10 times/24hours (although according to the ped, my milk doesn't have anough protein







)

I do like the fact we can use clothes for so long though!! She is also still wearing 9-12 month stuff, and can even wear some of the stuff labeled 6-12 months.


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## Just1More (Jun 19, 2008)

Mine grow really fast in the beginning, and then hardly gain at all in their second year. From 10mo to just past 2, dd1 was especially tiny. Around 3, certainly by 4, she was growing at a tremendous rate. She's been off the high end of the charts since around 4. Ds is following the same pattern.

Though if you feel like she should be checked, then have her checked, for sure.

In the meantime, though, I think the AAP recommends that a toddler get 40 calories per inch of body weight per day. So, you could do a little meal planning for her, and plan out a really healthy, fatty list of foods you'd like to see her consume in a day. Then, lay it out on the counter, and make a habit of giving her a bite every so often. You could probably get a lot more in her each day that way, rather than just doing snacks and meals. You could maybe even leave a snack tray out on your coffee table or something?


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## shanniesue2 (Jul 4, 2007)

DS gained really well until he was 5 months old and then pretty much just stopped. Our family doc kepts saying he was fine. He was happy, meeting his milestones, and appeared very healthy. At 17 months, we switched to a different doc. Ds had only gained 4 pound in 12 months (but that's not why we switched). The new ped heard a heart murmur and sent us for an echocardiogram. DS had a very large hole in his heart that was causing it to enlarge and he wasn't gaining weight b/c his heart was using so much energy to do it's job. We got the defect repaired and he is doing great now. At 18 months old, when he had the surgery, he weighed 18 pounds. Now at 2, he weighs about 24 (25 on my chiro's scale) and is back on the charts!


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## Abismommy (Jul 3, 2008)

My 2yo, she'll be 3 in July. Weighs 25 lbs...she is skinny! Her ribs kinda show, skinny legs, arms..just very dainty and petite








She was 7lbs 10oz at birth.
By time she was a year she had not hit 20lbs. She was like 18 or 18.5!
I was and still am tiny. I am 25 and weigh 93.5 or 94lbs! She gains but gains slowly and always has. She eats very very healthy too. She used to pick like a bird though! She loves peanut butter, string cheese, deli cuts, pasta, milk, water, sushi, salmon, chicken, apples, carrots, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, eggs, bread with olive oil and herbs, waffles..lol. So maybe she would like something she could pick out?
I think she has a really well balanced diet. Sometimes her weight does worry me. My husband reassures me that she takes after me and she is healthy. She is very energetic, sleeps well, hair and nails look fine, we weigh her every week.
We actually made her a snack shelf, with all the stuff she loves to eat. It really helped us. We went to whole foods, and target. Got all her favorite stuff and she loves to graze! Dr. Sears has some really good tips for picky eaters!
Oh and we all got the stomach flu here! My 1 yo lost one lb..although she was chunky to begin with...9lbs 4oz at birth and is my heavier kid..takes after her daddy. My 2yo the teeny beanie lost 1.5lbs. It was over a week and a half. They gained it all back in the week they started eating again








We don't do WBV we're without health insurance







I have been job hunting for MONTHS for insurance so when I get really worried..I make dr appts. The stomach flu..well I went to the ER. Nothing was said about her weight!
GL mama!


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## shanniesue2 (Jul 4, 2007)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Abismommy* 
We don't do WBV we're without health insurance







I have been job hunting for MONTHS for insurance so when I get really worried..I make dr appts. The stomach flu..well I went to the ER. Nothing was said about her weight!
GL mama!

Have you looked into gvt funded insurance for you child(ren)? I know my state has a program for 3 and under, and I'm sure there are other programs for older children as well. Speaking from personal experience, I would say that it would be really worth it to at least look into insurance options for your LO(s). If we hadn't had insurance when we found out DS needed open heart surgery, we would probably have lost everything we own and be in bankruptcy right now (all of the insurance claims came to about $100,000--and worth every penny).


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## floiejo2 (Mar 31, 2008)

Like everyone else said, if she seems fine otherwise, I wouldn't worry. Dd1 was 6lbs 6oz at birth, 16lbs at one year old, 18lbs at 2 yrs old. Then she had a growth spurt and was 23lbs by 2.5. Just always been a pretty petite thing. And she's got the ribs sticking out, always has. She's just barely and recently 40lbs now at 5.5yrs. Dd2 was a HUGE baby. 8lbs 4oz at birth but then gained faster then I thought possible. There are pictures of her at 6 mo old and she looks obese. Didn't do anything different with her. She started thinning out as soon as she started moving and now at 2.5 she weighs 28lbs. So kids all grow differently and at different rates at different times. As long as they're otherwise healthy and developing okay, I wouldn't worry at all.


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## peace (Mar 21, 2010)

I don't have any other advice aside from what everyone else has said, I just wanted to add that my DD has almost the same stats. She's only 14 months so I obviously can't speak for the 18 month weight but other than that they're close. I hope you get it sorted out and ease you mind!


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## NJ*Doula (Apr 14, 2006)

Same situation here. My 2-yr-old is the same weight he was as a 1-yr-old. He has gained height, but not even a little weight. He's thriving though, very interactive and curious, and our pedi isn't the least bit concerned. Some kids are just small. His father is a shorty, and I was an extremely tiny child, so he's just taking after us. Are you and her father small people, or were you slow growers as kids?


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## AKA_PI (Oct 16, 2007)

My little one is 19 months and just shy of 22 pounds. He's very active and eats tons of food. He just has a high metabolism or something. He's growing and developing as he should, he's just not a big kid.


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## Caterina (Jul 18, 2008)

Our little one is also tiny - 18 lbs. at almost 18 months, but she looks well-proportioned and solid, is meeting all her milestones, and is happy and active. I don't have any advice other than to trust your instincts! Your mama-sense is valuable, so if you're feeling unsure, an appt. with a doctor you trust is a good thing to do.


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## CrunchyChristianMama (Dec 5, 2008)

Update- We had a food sensitivities test done today and will have news back on that in about 3 weeks. I also have an appt. scheduled with her dr. on the 13th (he's so in demand by natural minded parents in the area that you have to schedule appts. 6-8 weeks ahead of time).

She has started to have some horrible reactions to something, so I think it's digestion related. Her whole bottom wherever poo touches is dark red and covered in blisters. It's keeping her up at night because everytime she pees it's painful.









Hopefully we'll get to the bottom of all of it soon.


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## katmann (Oct 15, 2008)

You might want to try petroleum jelly on her bum as a barrier. I know it's icky petroleum, but as opposed to other creams, it only has one ingredient, and one that's less likely to further irritate her skin. Sometimes plant-based ingredients can cause irritation. Hope you work it out!


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## CrunchyChristianMama (Dec 5, 2008)

Just wanted to update.

My DD weighed 20 lbs. 1 oz. at her check up at 18.5 months. Her ped. was not concerned at all.

We did find out that she has quite a list of food sensitivities and we are seeing her weight go up even more now that we have her off of some bad foods.


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## mckittre (Jan 15, 2009)

Now I feel a little better about my 19lb 13oz 14 month old. He seems to eat OK, nurse lots, and not be sensitive to anything, as well as being happy, active, etc... I know I was skinny as a child too, so it's probably just genetic. A kid won't just starve themselves if offered plenty of food, right?


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## CrunchyChristianMama (Dec 5, 2008)

Updated in OP.


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## samhope (Apr 16, 2008)

I just saw your post and am so glad you figured it out! My son had such a similar experience and while I never got him diagnosed (just took out dairy, then gluten and eventually all grains), after I took out gluten (10mo was getting it through breastmilk and I barley cereal trial which was a disaster) he started gaining weight and went from 4% at 1yr to 25% at 26mo. So relieved for you! Just a side thought, did you get your daughter's iron levels checked at the original appt? My son was anemic and I am convinced it was due to internal bleeding in the gut. Floravital cleared it up in a year. So happy for your family!


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## ~savah~ (Aug 24, 2008)

So glad for you and your DD that you figured it out. It must give you such relief to finally have a solution. If you don't ming my asking, how did you determine it was celiacs? I'd like to get my DD tested and I'm not sure how to go about getting it done.


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## CrunchyChristianMama (Dec 5, 2008)

We did several tests on her. First we did the ALCAT sensitivities test, then a blood allergy test. She has zero true allergies, but gluten and sunflower showed up for sensitivities. We took them out and she started gaining weight like crazy. Then, her reactions to gluten when she would have it started getting stronger and stronger. She would get a blistering rash all over her bottom and backs of her legs. She would be up screaming in the night. She would be extremely irritable during the day. Her belly would bloat. She would have loose stools. These are all common Celiac symptoms, so we did the genetic test with Enterolab. She has both the Celiac gene and the gluten sensitivity gene. They are going to consider her to be a celiac for the time being. If, when she's older, she wants to eat gluten for 6 weeks and then do the invasive gut biopsy, we will let that be her choice. As for now though, we are comfortable with gene + symptoms = diagnosis. Enterolab will also do a stool test to see if you gut is reacting to gluten, but in Evelyn's case, we already knew that gluten was the trigger and that it was doing damage.


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## ~savah~ (Aug 24, 2008)

Your poor daughter. What she went through sounds horrifying.


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## CrunchyChristianMama (Dec 5, 2008)

It was pretty rough. We just had another accidental exposure last night and she almost instantly had a potty accident and started throwing toys and acting strange. It's amazing how many things are linked to food for her. I keep updating because I know there are other kiddos out there who are probably struggling with the same stuff and sometimes the dr. will say it's not food related if a blood allergy test comes back normal. My gut told me something more was wrong, it just took a while to get to the bottom of it.


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## sapphire_chan (May 2, 2005)

I'm sooo glad you found the answer!

And it's relatively quickly, some families struggle for years and years before finding that sort of solution.


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## mkksmom (Mar 24, 2008)

Thanks for the update. It's always nice to read how things turn out. Glad you figured it out.


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