# Anyone dealt with toddler weight loss?



## crazy_eights (Nov 22, 2001)

My son who is 16 mos old saw a ped. yesterday for flu/sore throat/ear infection combo. I was quite shocked when they put him on the scale - he weighed 18 lbs fully clothed, down from a high (at around a year) of 23 lbs!!!!

Yes, obviously he has been sick and this has affected his appetite. But I have noticed that he was "slimming down" for some time. For one, since he was about 9 mos old, he will not nurse during the day - too many distractions and he wants to get down and go (in fact, the ped. called him my "go-go guy" since all he wants to do is GO!). He doesn't eat a whole lot and he is very into feeding jags. One day it is the "all the bananas you can eat fest", the next day bananas are tossed on the floor.

The ped. said it is very normal at this age but to try and feed him 5 -6 times a day. Right now his diet is pretty limited to breast milk, yo-baby yogurt (the only thing he eats consistantly) and bites of this and that. Any ideas?


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## The Lucky One (Oct 31, 2002)

A five lb weight loss in four months? And the ped wasn't concerned?

How is your ds otherwise? Healthy seeming?

Lots of health problems can cause drastic weight loss in children. Not to scare you, but IMO, your ds certainly bears watching.

I'd try to make every bite he eats as high fat as possible. At the Dr Sears website there is a great list of the most calorically dense foods. I remember turkey and avocado of two of them.

If his appetite improves and he continues to lose weight (or not regain what he has lost), I would have him medically worked up, just to make sure there isn't a medical problem.

Good luck.

lisa


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## danaalex (Mar 19, 2003)

chava- kids lose weight fast when they are sick. i mean in a week it can be 2 lbs or more, and it doesn't have to be vomitting/ diarrhea type illness either. i would see how things go after he is all better. weight loss is not normal, but if he starts to gain again after getting better, then he is probably good to go. if not, then you might want to have him looked at more closely.

sorry that this is going on right now. i hope noam starts feeling better soon. will he eat cheese and ice cream? and what about carbs? pasta? pizza? bread? just some things that come to mind


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## Shanghaimum (Jan 4, 2002)

My 27 month old had the dreaded flu last week (for about 10 days) and lost 5 lbs!!!! Toddlers can lose weight very quickly...

Just my .02...

My son is usually about 35 lbs, and he only really started to like solids around 15-17 months. I think cheese is a good high calorie food for them. My son also really liked avocado and chickpeas at that age. He only started to eat a lot of solids when I gave up on baby foods and started to just let him eat bits of what we were eating - currys, soups, etc.

I hope your little one feels better soon.
Emma


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## maize (Jan 4, 2003)

What did your doctor say about the weight loss? It sounds like a follow up appointment would be a good thing.

A few suggestions though...my son is 19 months and also started slimming down at around 9 months. He went from nursing all the time to nursing infrequently, and even when he did nurse it was often for just a minute or two (sometimes I didn't even have a let-down). Also, he never really liked solids, and still doesn't eat much. He only nursed well side-lying. I found that I had to set aside time to nurse in a quiet, distraction-free environment throughout the day (is that possible for you with six kids?!). I talked to a lactation consultant after his 18-month check because the doctor was concerned about his slow weight gain, and she recommended feeding him solids before nursing -- that seemed to help somewhat because he is eating more now, and he has put on some weight. I did a search in this forum for "picky eater" and got some good ideas. I've been adding half-and-half, butter, and cheese to scrambled eggs and he really likes that; also, sometimes he likes smoothies -- you can make them with any combination of yogurt, whole milk, ice cream, half-and-half, fruit, juice and add other things like wheat germ, flax, etc. Has he always been a pretty limited eater, or did that just start with his recent illness? Do you think he could be iron deficient?

HTH. I hope your son is feeling better soon!


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## nomadmom (Mar 30, 2003)

Despite what your ped. said, it is *not* normal for a healthy child to lose weight! When people talk about toddlers "slimming down", it means that they look thinner because they're getting taller and their weight gain is slowing down in comparison. It's true that sick kids can lose weight quickly, but 5 lbs. is an awful lot. I'd notice a 5 lb. loss on myself and I'm a normal sized adult!
Could the doctor's scale have been off? I'd definitely monitor your child's weight over the next couple of months. Anything lost because of illness should be quickly re-gained. Best Wishes!


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## crazy_eights (Nov 22, 2001)

Quote:

_Originally posted by Emma_
*My 27 month old had the dreaded flu last week (for about 10 days) and lost 5 lbs!!!! Toddlers can lose weight very quickly...
*
Sorry - I should have been clearer. He has lost some weight with the flu (we aren't sure how much) , but the weight loss has been over 4 mos.!

And no, the ped. wasn't worried b/c a) he looks robust and active, despite the flu b)he still has subcutaneous fat stores and c) she says it's fairly common at this age in some toddlers that become "too busy to eat" (which fits him to a T!)

I'm going to wait until he's feeling/eating better after the flu to have him reweighed and see where we are holding then.


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## ctdoula (Dec 26, 2002)

Honestly, if it were me, I'd be very concerned. At 9mo my dd fell from the 25% to under the curve (she had gained, but not a lot), and we were sent for bloodwork to test her thyroid, etc. Everything came back normal & she's still under the curve, but following it. I KNOW if she lost that kind of weight my pedi would be very concerned, testing her, etc. Slow weight gain is pretty common, but I would think that weight loss would be more serious. Sorry if I'm offending you, as your pedi didn't seem concerned. I was a little nervous my dd had only gained 1lb in 3 months (between 15 & 18mo), but she's thriving.

As for eating, cheese, whole milk yogurt, cream, avacado, egg yolk, etc are all very calorie dense.

Good luck!
Amy


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## crazy_eights (Nov 22, 2001)

Just an update. I had him back at the ped today and he was up to 22 lbs! I thought maybe it was a scale error, but one ped. nurse pointed out to me that little guys can lose weight fast. Well, whatever it was, we're back on the right track!


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