not gaining much weight About This Page:

[coffeechef]

No... not me.... if only. Friends of mine,their little guy ( 1 yr old) has not been gaining weight as quickly as his ped. feels he should. He has been thru a battery of tests and though they did find he is allergic to Dairy and soy he still is not gaining much weight.
He looks and acts healthy, He is very alert and curious and is developing right along that I can see. He is eating solid food and has an appetite> They were hoping for better news today on his weigh gain and it was only 2 oz. I keep saying that he is one of those kids who will take time to gain weight and that one day we will all look at this strapping Hulk 16yr old wondering why we ever worried. But in the mean time I know his Mom feels she is the one failing her child and I don't know what to say to help her not feel so sad about this. I think she may also be worried that it might be something more than what they have found so far, with the allergies.

[duck addict]

[Colexis Mom]

My DS is very small for his age (he's 7 and a half and 40 pounds if he's lucky), but he's very active and otherwise healthy! I don't think he's been on the growth chart yet! His pediatrician just says he's following his own line!

[home4us123]

[Eeyoresmom]

Tell your friends that I've been there. This most recent doctor's visit is the first one I've come out of in a long time where I haven't been crying.

Like your friends little guy, my DD has a great appetite and her development has been normal (if not advanced). For the past 6 months, she's been drinking "milkshakes" (aka Pediasure) at night instead of milk. She loves them and asks for them. I'm not sure if they have dairy in them, though. I don't know if they've helped or she just went through a growth spurt.

Just keep reminding your friend that it's just the way her son was meant to be and that she is not failing him. I doubt she'll stop mentally beating herself up over it, but hearing that definitely helps.

We didn't do the tests on my daughter . . . couldn't bare to put her though that - we were giving it some more time. After this past visit, we're glad that we didn't.

that he gets back on that growth curve on his next visit!

[lukeandbrookesmom]

[FanOfMickey]

[Teresa]

I've noticed that Dr.s are pressing parents more about this than they used to.
Dr.s say that a baby should triple their birth weight by their first b-day. My kids NEVER did that. They were 8lb. 3oz, 8lb 4oz, and 7lb 5oz at birth. The most they ever weighed at a year old was 14 pounds.

[Huntermom]

My first son, now a strapping 6 footer was 7.5 lbs at birth, almost 13 lbs at his two month check, 19 lbs. at 6 months and a grand total of 22 lbs at age two. He stopped growing out and grew up for a long time, falling way off the weight curve. He was very healthy and very bright but would bounce all over the charts.

I really think that while they provide guidance, that's really all they do. My 9 lb baby girl was extremely petite after her first year and through a rather late puberty. I don't think any one of my 3 had a good growth curve.

I'm sure her baby will be fine but I know how hard it is not to worry.

Diane

[B.M.]

It's impossible- I've heard of what you mentioned, and I've heard of the opposite where the doc's really want the kids to loose or stop gaining so much- as infants! My four oldes were always huge for their age. My youngest is small. He was born average weight and gained at a normal pace until about 9 months. From 9m to almost 2 yrs, he gained less than two pounds. You can tell by looking at him, he's not "starving", he's just built small. The doc is keeping an eye on it, but does NOT want to start the hassle of testing prematurely. He is starting to gain a little better, but he turned 3 back in April and only weighs about 35 pounds. I think if they are eating well and developing well- no worries! Hope it all turns out ok!

[PamelaK]

My DD was one of those kids that grew at her own pace. She was not on the charts at all until she was almost 6! And then it was just barely on the chart. She is now 13 (14 in a week) and she is a very healthy, active young lady.

[chezp]

[BelmontBelle]

My DNeice is also very petite for her age. The docs are a little concerned, but said that if she's eating OK, don't worry too much about the number.

[lazanya]

[jimmymac]