# No weight gain in 18 month old



## joeysmom1729 (Sep 12, 2006)

I just took my ds for his 18 month well visit today and he hasn't gained any weight since 15 months. He is still 23 pounds, he did grown an inch though. He's still nursing day and night, but is a very picky eater with solids still. I do not give him any other milk either, I'm not a fan of cow's milk. Anyway, I have to bring him back in three months for a weight check. The doc said if he is still not gaining she will check him for celiac and if that's negative assume it's reflux and start him on prevacid. Should I try to push more solids? Anyone else dealt with this? Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## sea_joy (Aug 5, 2006)

Do you think he's healthy? I would go with your gut.

Crystal


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## joeysmom1729 (Sep 12, 2006)

Yes, but I just worry because I was on prednisone my entire pregnancy and on and off it while nursing due to have ulcerative colitis flares. I just wonder if that could have affected him in any way. I also stopped vaxing at 9 months because he started shaking his head side to side the morning after that vaccine. I also am quite a worrier in general!


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## DarkHorseMama (Mar 8, 2003)

FWIW, my DD gained scarcely two pounds over nearly two years, but she grew about six inches! She started out REALLY chubby (she was 22 lbs by four months) and stalled out around 32 pounds around a year old. Our pedi had said that this would likely happen and that if she was growing up and meeting milestones then it wasn't something she would worry about. DD didn't top 35 pounds until she was well past three years old. By comparison, DS has gained weight very slowly but relatively steadily.

I wouldn't necessarily presume that he needs some sort of intervention as he may be on his own growth curve. Checking for celiac disease might not necessarily be a bad idea, just to rule it out, but to then presume if it's negative then he has reflux seems a bit of a jump, personally.

You know your baby best.







Just because he doesn't follow "the rules" of the growth chart doesn't mean he's wrong.


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## mystifiedbutterfly (Apr 7, 2007)

We have been dealing with weight issues for a while now. My DS caught a horrible stomach bug when he was 11 months old and since then has only gained about 2 pounds in the last YEAR!! He looks and acts perfectly healthy and is growing normally, he's just not gaining weight. His pediatrician (which I would love to change), has been diagnosing him with "stable failure to thrive" for an entire year!! And he is absolutely not failing to thrive, he is tall, strong, and very bright for a 22 month old (he is bilingual, he speaks in grammatically correct sentences, he can count to 10 in both English and Spanish, he knows his colors, the alphabet, etc.) But the ped says that not gaining weight is a failure to thrive







: !Anyway, if you don't think there is anything wrong with him, then get a second opinion and trust your instinct.


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## newbie_mary (Nov 29, 2005)

My DS just went for his 18 mo. as well, and hadn't gained any weight since his last one (12 mo.), but grew 4 inches. The Dr. didn't seem concerned, since he's obviously growing.

He's been a slow one on the solids as well -- still nursing 5+ times a day.


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## joeysmom1729 (Sep 12, 2006)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *newbie_mary* 
My DS just went for his 18 mo. as well, and hadn't gained any weight since his last one (12 mo.), but grew 4 inches. The Dr. didn't seem concerned, since he's obviously growing.

He's been a slow one on the solids as well -- still nursing 5+ times a day.

How tall is your son and what does he weigh? Mine is 32" They are only a week apart. Thanks for your reply and thank you to the other mamas who have replied so far.


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## newbie_mary (Nov 29, 2005)

He's 32 in. tall and weighs 22 lbs.


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## Maggieinnh (Apr 3, 2007)

I would not worry about the weight gain too much at this age, if he were any younger than definitely yes!
Try to push the solid food intake more in my opinion, definitively do anything you can to avoid any type of medication!!!
Doctors are just waaay to quick on pushing the drugs!!!
Be careful they can do a whole lot of damage!

If there seems to be really something wrong with your child in the end, I would try the homeopathic way via a Naturopath first.


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## Cyndi33 (May 27, 2005)

My DD is 3 and only wieghs 27 pounds, but shes healthy just small. It took her forever to even reach 20lbs she was over a year old. Shes a great eater and nursed until she was too. I wouldnt worry too much every child is different!


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## nathansmom (Nov 28, 2003)

My first child didn't gain any weight or gain any height from age 15 months to 33 months. They labeled him failure to thrive, although he was meeting most developmental skills. His speech and eating skills weren't good and he is still in therapy for those skills. We still don't know what the cause of his failure to thrive was but now at almost five he has gained a few pounds and has gained a few inches but his two year old twin brothers both outweigh him and are both taller than he is. Maybe its genetics but given the fact that both twins are on the upper end of the growth charts and he hasn't seen the growth chart since age 6 months I just don't know.


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## Owachi (Jan 15, 2007)

My ds is also 18 months, 24 lbs, 32 inches, hasn't gained weight since his 12 month checkup is also slow on solids and is still bf.......He eats lots of baby food, is doing well with crackers and cheerios finally......is anyone else getting the stop bfeeding and giving him baby food, when he is hungry enough, he will start eating real table food........I get so mad when people suggest that....if you want to starve your kid that is fine.........our ped. said not to worry about the weight gain, he said when kids start crawling and walking they are so active and burn so many calories that they might only gain 2 pounds the whole year.


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## Electra375 (Oct 2, 2002)

Not gaining in a short period (say 3 mo) while other things are going on is mostly normal. I would say 6 mo is not quite so normal and watching with caution is a wise position. With FTT watch head growth, it goes quickly away. Height still happens surprisingly making it difficult to detect early on. We just went through this w my then 4 mo old baby boy, he's now 8 mo old.

Have you ever been tested for Celiac Disease? I ask only because there are so many misdiagnosed people in the world and you said you have UC. BTW - I don't think steriods in your pregnancy have anything to do w his not gaining weight.

CD tests in small children under age 4, are very inconclusive and that is from really bad accuracy rates in adults - blood test 29%, biopsy 33% (possibly the other way around...)

I would stay clear of Reflux meds. I would not give the meds until we had the Upper GI study and then I gave the Reflux meds, they made our FTT baby not hungry -- um, that is such a contradiction I dont' know where to begin. I had tried all the non-medicine ways to aid in reducing reflux, but they only helped some.

How we cured his reflux was with Lactic Acid Yeast, Enzymes, and Zypan (Standard Process Supplements). The Zypan I took and supposed to help my breast milk be better for him, I also take the other two.

I just has a DUH moment when the chiropractor gave me these supplements. Probiotics and Enzymes -- DUH, I gave these to my 2nd child, he turned out to be Celiac. My baby's test came back inconclusive, but I know he does not tolerate Gluten or Dairy.

Don't panic. I would nurse more, offer more solids, things that he likes. Go for proteins, fats, and less empty calorie things like rice cakes. Post back in 3 mo.

Oh if your mama ringer is just zinging away, then go see a specialist. If it isn't alerting you to a problem, then just hang tight and keep a food log, it might help determine if he is taking in enough calories.


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## Aufilia (Jul 31, 2007)

I think I wouldn't worry much about a lack of weight gain. My understand was that it's pretty normal for weight gain to slow down or stall as your toddler gets more active. DD gained less than a pound between 11 and 16 mo, then jumped 1.5lb between 16 and 18mo. She grew in height more evenly, and by 18mo was making two-word phrases; we weren't worried about her at all.

I would definitely trust your instinct, and get a second opinion if they're pushing meds at the next appointment.


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## Valian (Oct 16, 2005)

We're in a similar position in that Ds is not gaining much weight (only 2-3 lbs between 9 mo and 18mo) but even our ped isn't really worried.

I don't see anything in your post that would make me suspect something is wrong with your Dc. No weight gain in 3 months is nothing to panic about. I have no idea why your Dr. would suggest a reflux diagnosis, that is just weird.

The only thing I would consider doing is to make sure Ds is eating nutrient dense foods and lots of good fats. We don't do cow's milk (Ds is lactose intolerant) so we stick to nursing. I have started offering soy milk on occassion instead of just water. We also bought some coconut milk (lots of good fats) but haven't used any yet. I'm thinking of adding some to his oatmeal.


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## eepster (Sep 20, 2006)

Your pediatrician is way way over reacting if she is talking about meds based only on weight. I'm assuming that there aren't other symptoms of reflux going on.

She is also not being very thourogh if the only test she wants to run is celiac. _If_ you child is having absorbtion issues then celiac is only one of many possible reasons.

I've been through a lot with DS and his slow wieght gain and can say *more solids is not the answer.* The Drs and nutricianists push it, but your BM is much higher in calories, and solids just replace BM.

I'm pretty sure that DS is a small child b/c all of DH's and my relatives are small people, and on my side had a particular tendancy to be very small as children.

Best thing I did was read this book My Child Won't Eat! It can help you a lot.


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

My dd did not gain at all from 9 months to 22 months. I think that pattern is very normal in breastfed toddlers.

-Angela


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## joeysmom1729 (Sep 12, 2006)

Thank you everyone!! I think the hardest part about being a mom is the concern about things that could be wrong.


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## HappiLeigh (Mar 30, 2005)

My DD did not gain from 9 mos to 15 mos. She just gained 2 lbs finally between 15 mos and 18 mos. I am not worried and neither is my ped. (And she never was a chubby baby. She's 22 lbs at 18 mos.)


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## jeliphish (Jul 18, 2007)

They become sooooo active at that age. You would know if he were not thriving.  -from a fellow worry-wart trying to make you feel better ;-)


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