Carter is 18 months old. We encountered two issues at his 18 month well baby visit today.
Recently he has begun to lose a significant amount of weight. He was 30lbs at 12 months, and now, at 18 months he is 23lbs 6.5oz. He has been on this downward trend since just after his 1st birthday.
Before his 1st birthday, he was always in the 95th percentile or above for his weight. Now, he is in the 25th percentile. His height has fluctuated back and forth between the 25th and 50th percentile from birth. Currently, he is in the 25th percentile for height.
Until 12 months, he was exclusively breastfed. Until 14.5 months, 95% of his nutrition came from breastmilk. Currently, he is eating a HUGE variety of solids. He also still breastfeeds on demand, and is quite frequent.
He has a hypersensitivity to cows’ milk, and we’re not sure if he also does to soy and coconut. The cows’ milk issue presented itself as excessive vomiting as an infant and blood in his stool. Now, if he consumes cows’ milk, his bowel movements immediately react with his skin, producing a red, welted rash that bleeds.
Our pediatrician is content to watch and wait, which I am, for the most part. She states that because I am so small (below the 2nd percentile for my weight when not pregnant), that he may just be taking after me. She also states that he is healthy, and in the right place for all of his developmental milestones. She reasons that an underlying issue would present itself developmentally and in his health as well.
However, she has recommended adding some sort of milk substitute to his diet. Generally, I would not agree with this recommendation, but as I am 15 weeks pregnant, I’m not sure I’m still meeting his nutritional needs. Would it be prudent to add some type of non-cows’ milk to his diet?
I do want to be sure not to be complacent, but also do not want to overreact.
The other issue that we encountered is his hemoglobin. It is 9.4, down from 12.6 at 9 months. His pediatrician is content to treat with diet for 6 weeks, and then test again. If, at that point, we have not achieved an adequate increase, we will discuss supplementation. What are the best ways to increase a young toddler’s iron intake? I don’t cook meat, but Carter and my husband eat it while out.
While I trust my pediatrician, I’m seeking additional information. Does any of this stick out as odd or unhealthy or wrong? A little bit of me feels like “oh my gosh, I’ve been starving the kid, he is losing weight and is iron-deficient.” I don’t want to be neurotic, but I don’t want to overlook things, either.
Recently he has begun to lose a significant amount of weight. He was 30lbs at 12 months, and now, at 18 months he is 23lbs 6.5oz. He has been on this downward trend since just after his 1st birthday.
Before his 1st birthday, he was always in the 95th percentile or above for his weight. Now, he is in the 25th percentile. His height has fluctuated back and forth between the 25th and 50th percentile from birth. Currently, he is in the 25th percentile for height.
Until 12 months, he was exclusively breastfed. Until 14.5 months, 95% of his nutrition came from breastmilk. Currently, he is eating a HUGE variety of solids. He also still breastfeeds on demand, and is quite frequent.
He has a hypersensitivity to cows’ milk, and we’re not sure if he also does to soy and coconut. The cows’ milk issue presented itself as excessive vomiting as an infant and blood in his stool. Now, if he consumes cows’ milk, his bowel movements immediately react with his skin, producing a red, welted rash that bleeds.
Our pediatrician is content to watch and wait, which I am, for the most part. She states that because I am so small (below the 2nd percentile for my weight when not pregnant), that he may just be taking after me. She also states that he is healthy, and in the right place for all of his developmental milestones. She reasons that an underlying issue would present itself developmentally and in his health as well.
However, she has recommended adding some sort of milk substitute to his diet. Generally, I would not agree with this recommendation, but as I am 15 weeks pregnant, I’m not sure I’m still meeting his nutritional needs. Would it be prudent to add some type of non-cows’ milk to his diet?
I do want to be sure not to be complacent, but also do not want to overreact.
The other issue that we encountered is his hemoglobin. It is 9.4, down from 12.6 at 9 months. His pediatrician is content to treat with diet for 6 weeks, and then test again. If, at that point, we have not achieved an adequate increase, we will discuss supplementation. What are the best ways to increase a young toddler’s iron intake? I don’t cook meat, but Carter and my husband eat it while out.
While I trust my pediatrician, I’m seeking additional information. Does any of this stick out as odd or unhealthy or wrong? A little bit of me feels like “oh my gosh, I’ve been starving the kid, he is losing weight and is iron-deficient.” I don’t want to be neurotic, but I don’t want to overlook things, either.
Right now I'm dairy, soy, egg, wheat, and beef free. I would go off major allergens, dairy, soy, egg, wheat, peanuts, treenuts, fish, and shellfish and see what happens. What about diabetes? That's an easy test and if it's bad enough can cause weight loss despite eating well etc.
