Dr. said son needs to gain weight....suggestions?

[me&thegals]

I have a twiggy little one, too. She is 8 1/2 and probably around 50 lb--although I haven't checked lately.

How about cheese, nuts, dried fruit?

OTOH, maybe you don't need to worry. I don't worry about mine, as she is strong, happy and healthy. Plus, I used to be a twig and so she genetically might just have a faster metabolism. And she's a really, really slow eater.

Is his appetite good? Is he healthy? Strong?

 

[Jen-pi]

Thank you all so much for your suggestions!

He is a VERY slow eater, which isnt a bad thing. However, I do worry about that with the school lunch time. He probably doesnt have enough time to finish his lunch.

I do make my own yogurt and he likes it. He mixes in some peach preserves or some grape jelly.

Last night I made him a shake with vanilla ice cream, half & half, and a raw egg. He sucked it right down! But, then he wasnt too hungry for dinner. Cant blame him though. That was more my fault. I just wanted to see if he would drink the shake.

This morning for breakfast DH made him another shake with ice cream, milk, raw egg and a banana. He scarfed that down too.

Next I will try the same shake with coconut milk and yogurt.

I will start keeping track of his weight and height to see if he gains anything.

He is basically a healthy kid. Its just that he was sick the other day with the stomach flu and I guess I just thought that there wasnt anything for him to survive on if he wasnt eating! He just looked so skinny and helpless to me.

His ribs stick out, the vertebrea (sp?) on the back of his neck stick out, his shoulder blades stick out, i dont know - I hope Im not making a big deal out of this and then have him acquire some eating disorder because of it.

 

[Wifezilla]

As long as you aren't forcing him to eat when he is full you should be fine.

I have a friend who was stick thin forever. Her doctors freaked out and tried to make her gain weight her whole life. She never did...even when pregnant she looked so skinny and her belly looked like a little volleyball.

She is in her 40's and still skinny. It just isn't in her DNA to be fat, so she just eats wholesome food and doesn't worry about it.

 

[me&thegals]

That's how my daughter look, too, only with muscles She has had GI issues this week, too, so is pale and I know just what you mean by these kiddos looking pathetic and undernourished.

I also don't want her to form bad eating habits. I was underweight into my teens and worked so hard to gain weight. I feel I set myself up with some bad eating habits that have been hard to break (eating when not hungry, overeating high-cal foods).

So, my opinion is to let him eat when he is hungry, get him lots of excellent food, make the meals at home really count since you're concerned he's not getting much at school, and get him high-calorie foods when he doesn't have much time to eat.

ie: I often pack nuts in my daughter's lunch, as relatively few will give her a lot of calories in a small amount of time.

I definitely wouldn't stress in front of him if possible, as your instincts seem good about not wanting him to develop eating issues later in life.

Good luck!

 

[Jen-pi]

Well, I thank all of you for your ideas. I will find out which nuts have the highest calories and pack them for his snack.
I will continue to give him his shakes for breakfast and at home snacks.
I will try to give him more protien at breakfast. Nix the breakfast cereal and pancakes and opt for some whole wheat french toast and breakfast burritos.

 

[lorihadams]

give that boy some bacon!

I agree with needing some protein in the morning. The problem with public schools is that kids don't have the opportunity to eat when they get hungry...they are often rushed, and the school food is crap. They also trade with other kids....so you never really know what they eat when they are there.

Cheese is good, apples with peanut butter, a handfull of nuts-we are almond junkies in this house, corn chips and salsa, smoothies, raw veggies, oh, and my kids like kombucha tea too.

I stopped taking my children for "well check-ups"....they are pointless and encourage doubt about your child's well being. That may sound radical to some but I am no longer confident in my pediatrician's ability to think rationally.

I wouldn't worry too much about his weight....I know lots of people that were very active and had a high metabolism and looked skinny until their 30s. I had a friend that delivered 4 babies over 10lbs each and was a size 3 in her mid 30s. She ate everything trying to gain weight and she just isn't wired that way. Sometimes it's just genetics.

 

[Jen-pi]

I wouldn't worry too much about his weight....I know lots of people that were very active and had a high metabolism and looked skinny until their 30s. I had a friend that delivered 4 babies over 10lbs each and was a size 3 in her mid 30s. She ate everything trying to gain weight and she just isn't wired that way. Sometimes it's just genetics.

Ahhhh...one can only wish! :/

 

[FarmerChick]

and too, as he gets older "gaining" weight might not be an issue

as one grows all kinds of "filling" out happens to kids.

you won't give him a eating disorder...sounds like any boy, scarfing good food down lol just don't make a big deal of it ya know. don't discuss his weight to him like "there is anything wrong" with him. there truly isn't.

 

[MsPony]

My friend, a guy, is underweight, stick thin too. He wouldnt worry about it except he does MMA and wants to gain those 10#s for the next weight class. He is adding muscle, because no matter how much he eats, he cant gain weight. He can out eat ME, and still nothing.

Except to add muscle you need to start with a healthy base for (the low carb, lots of healthy fat and good protein.)

 

[hoosier]

OTOH, maybe you don't need to worry. I don't worry about mine, as she is strong, happy and healthy. Plus, I used to be a twig and so she genetically might just have a faster metabolism. And she's a really, really slow eater.

Is his appetite good? Is he healthy? Strong?

I was skinny but healthy as a child. My mom bought milk with extra fat in it, but I still didn't gain weight. I stayed skinny until my mid-forties when the middle age spread set in. I am still quite healthy.
I would not make an issue of the weight. As long as he is healthy, it is okay to be outside 'the norm'.