height/weight

[momtob&t]

Hi. I have an 18 month old dd. she is 29 inches long and weighs 21 lbs exactly. The ped has been concerned about her growth and has labeled her "failure to thrive". She is on pediasure 24-7 and I also still nurse her on demand. I was wondering if I could get other parents to share their toddlers height/weight. I really don't know other children her age, and to be quite honest, she doesn't seem "too small" to me. The only way I notice anything is that she wears 6-12 clothes most of the time still. Thanks.

[ellemenope]

Well, DD was 19lbs at 18 months and is now barely 22lbs at 21 months. I cant remember height. But, she was in 18 month clothes, and is now in 2t. So, I don't know. Bu, if my pedi labeled my DD as FTT based solely on weight I would be upset. And, I personally have objections with pediasure.

[junipervt]

my DD is 23m about 30in tall & about 20lbs. She has always been tiny, but is growing just at her own pace. I was also pretty small as a child as was my mother in law (who she looks a lot like).

DD is doing everything else kids her age are doing & I am constantly amazed at the amount of food she can put away We went out for Thai food the other night & I think she ate more than I did. She is also still nursing about every 2-3hrs during the day & up until we started night weaning last week she was also nursing all night long.

[corrieoseal]

DD was about 21lbs and 31 inches at 18 months. My pediatrician wasn't at all alarmed, my DH and I are not large people, so there was no reason to believe my DD should be in the 90th or even 50%. Your DD sounds like a perfectly proportional smaller toddler. Was it a sudden drop in her regular growth curve that alarmed the pedi?

[momtob&t]

Originally Posted by ellemenope

Well, DD was 19lbs at 18 months and is now barely 22lbs at 21 months. I cant remember height. But, she was in 18 month clothes, and is now in 2t. So, I don't know. Bu, if my pedi labeled my DD as FTT based solely on weight I would be upset. And, I personally have objections with pediasure.

Please share your problems with pediasure.
Here is the long story about dd: she was 20 pounds and 9 oz at 9 mos and has fluctuated up and down since then. Hence the FTT. Seems like your dd is even smaller than her. The troubling thing for me is, I wasn't worried at first, and still don't look at her and think "what a small little thing" or something like that. She even has chubby thighs and cheeks. But the longer this drags on and the more it becomes the focus of every doctor visit, even visits for my other children, the more I think, "Gee, is there something wrong?" I thought if I could get some perspective from another parent, I would feel better about the whole situation.

[marispel]

My DS is 19 months, weighs 28lbs and 34" 1/4 tall. Just 2 months ago he weighed 26lbs and was 33" tall...so he went through a huge growth spurt. We didnt' change anything in his diet...it just happened. We have a lot of tall people on my side of the family (3 brothers are all over 6ft)..but I'm 5'7 and DH is 5'10.

I think as long as they are eating, sleeping, playing, learning...how can that be FTT?

[ellemenope]

Originally Posted by momtob&t

Please share your problems with pediasure.
Here is the long story about dd: she was 20 pounds and 9 oz at 9 mos and has fluctuated up and down since then. Hence the FTT. Seems like your dd is even smaller than her. The troubling thing for me is, I wasn't worried at first, and still don't look at her and think "what a small little thing" or something like that. She even has chubby thighs and cheeks. But the longer this drags on and the more it becomes the focus of every doctor visit, even visits for my other children, the more I think, "Gee, is there something wrong?" I thought if I could get some perspective from another parent, I would feel better about the whole situation.

DD was about 19lbs at 12 mos too. So I think she only gained a couple ounces between then and 18 mos. We were/are concerned about her eating. She is so picky. But, she is very healthy, chubby legs, good hair and nail growth, etc. I do believe that between 12 and 18 mos some babies grow in a way that they don't gain weight. (Maybe there is someone out there that can explain this better) And, yes, we are not big people.

I don't like how pediasure is touted as a replacement to regular healthy eating habits. Giving my DD pediasure IMO would only make her relationship with food worse. Most toddler are inately picky. That is nature. I try to offer my DD healthy food options all the time and keep track in my head nutrition vs. calories. I try to trust that she might actually know more about what she needs than I. Some days nutrition is not so good, but I always make sure she gets enough calories. If I gave her pediasure she would be even less hungry and probably not eat solid food at all. Plus, there is a lot of sugar in them. And, I have heared of kids getting addicted to them.

However, I have a healthy child, and my goals are to instill a healthy relationship with food. If the former weren't true, I would definitley do anything in the best interest of her health.

Honestly, If my doctor told me DD was FTT (which has not happened yet), I would be asking for possible reasons behind this before I just started throwing more calories at her. (And, in DD's case, I think we would all come to the conclusion she has food/texture aversions.)

It is sometimes stressful. I know. s

[klk197]

DS is 22 lbs and 30" at 19 mo. At one time, he was labeled FTT, but this was after I switched peds because I knew his serious lack of growth from 3-6 months was a signal of a problem and our ped thought it was just his nature. Our new ped gave the FTT 'diagnosis', but really is was just a formality. The reason for the problem was more important. In my case, it was seriously low supply--a solvable problem for us. He was under the 1st percentile, and over time, rose on the chart--but is still low, but 'normal' low and now growing along his own curve).

An alternative to pediasure: find a pediatric nutritionist. We used a lactation consultant/nutritionist, and I credit her with getting us back on track. She supported our continuation with nursing and helped us start solids in the most calorie-packed way possible. I still refer to many of the lessons she taught us and feel lucky that we 'had' to see her since there are so many opinions out there about starting solids, and many of those paths would have not helped DS gain weight at all.

[daniturtle]

Originally Posted by ellemenope

I don't like how pediasure is touted as a replacement to regular healthy eating habits. Giving my DD pediasure IMO would only make her relationship with food worse. Most toddler are inately picky. That is nature. I try to offer my DD healthy food options all the time and keep track in my head nutrition vs. calories. I try to trust that she might actually know more about what she needs than I. Some days nutrition is not so good, but I always make sure she gets enough calories. If I gave her pediasure she would be even less hungry and probably not eat solid food at all. Plus, there is a lot of sugar in them. And, I have heared of kids getting addicted to them.

However, I have a healthy child, and my goals are to instill a healthy relationship with food. If the former weren't true, I would definitley do anything in the best interest of her health.

My 18-month old is about 33 inches, 21 lbs. She's tall and thin, like her parents. She's always been like this, except for at birth when she was chubby, in the 95th percentile for both height & weight. But within days after birth she went to being in the 50th for weight but staying at the 95th for height. Which makes her "thin for her height." Whatever. And if someone gave me a FTT diagnosis based on weight alone or being consistently on the small side and perscribed pediasure, without ANY other signs of a problem, I'm afraid I'd tell them to go jump. Pediasure is probably not going to cure being small....I thnk the idea of a pediatric nutritionist is a better idea than pediasure, for what it is worth. And hopefully they could help you help you daughter to build a healthy relationship with food!

[Eligracey]

My son at age 13 months was 31 inches and 23 pounds. Have you looked at the growth charts to see what percentile she is? I tried looking at the girls weight-for-age charts and if I'm reading them right she seems a tiny bit below the 10th percentile? Which doesn't seem that low me, but I'm not a pediatrician. There's a fair number of medical conditions that can cause FTT, so I'd want to know why. I would be concerned about pediasure, too, if it's replacing most other healthy solid foods. I wouldn't want my child to become used to only a few tastes (pediasure and breastmilk) and later refuse to eat things that didn't taste like that.

[Honey693]

At 15 months DD was 32" and 21.5lbs. Her ped was freaking out and told me to put her on formula or pediasure since she won't drink milk. B/c if she hates milk she'll looooove formula. Uh-huh. Never mind that she was still nursing and eats tons of dairy . We followed the other suggestions though like more butter, sour cream, avocado, etc. DD has her 18 month visit in a week and we'll see if she's gained. I'm not very worried though since DH was skinny kid and DD is so active. Even when she's sitting down she's still moving.

[NicaG]

My dd is 33.5 inches and 23 pounds (she's 18 months today). She's in the 95th percentile for height and has been since she was a few months old. Her weight is currently a little below the 25th percentile. She dropped under the 10th percentile when she started crawling a lot. My pedi has always been ok with her weight (even though I was freaking out a little).I was worried about my supply a lot when she was younger and nursing more, but now it looks like she's just a tall thin kid (her older brother is also tall and thin). Dd eats a ton, and lots of high-fat foods.

[MamaPhD]

My DD turned 16 months yesterday and she was 32.5" and 22lbs 5oz at our 15 month checkup. When she was a little baby, she was 90th percentile height & weight, and her height remains 90th but weight has steadily dropped to 50th percentile. She's been wearing 2T for a while. The whole height/weight ratio thing confuses me because DD seriously looks really healthy & borderline chubby (cheeks, butt, thigh, etc.) but she would be considered underweight by these charts, right? Hmmm....yeah.....confusing!

[claddaghmom]

I would get a stool analysis and a second opinion before giving Pediasure to my kid.

[bobandjess99]

My son is under the charts also. He was basically 20 lbs from 12 months through 24 months. He just had a growth spurt and at 27 months is about 24 lbs.

[JBaxter]

What is your family size I mean if you have 5ft tall 90lb women in your family( even generation back) she may be her perfect ht/wt. Is she meeting her milestones? Healthy?
I would also get a stool sample and possibly check for a gluten sensitivity. Pediasure does replace healthy eating habits its like filling up on milk before eating a meal. She wont eat as much because she already has "X" amount of ounces in her belly. My boys were bigger but all slimmed down between 9-18 months due to crawling , walking running climbing.

[momtob&t]

Thanks for all the replies. It seems like most kids are similar in size to her so I am not sure what all the fuss is about. Thanks for your opinions on pediasure. I was just saying to my husband that I wonder if she will have a problem with drinking regular milk, because she is used to the flavor of pediasure. To answer some questions, she has been tested for celiac's and cystic fibrosis. The celiac's was high in one area, but the doctor said that the area she was high in meant nothing. The CF test was negative as well. My husband and I are not small people. We are not overweight or anything, but are also not short. I think I will ask about the nutritionist, to be honest the doctor offered for us to go to one, but I didn't feel there was a problem and I declined. Once again thanks so much!!

[LadyCatherine185]

at 18 months my DS was 32 inches and 28.5 lbs. He has always been on the chunky side though.

I would also ditch the pediasure. Have you thought about eating more good fats yourself to help increase the fat in your milk? avocado is one excellent source of good fats, and vitamens. Coconut milk is another good thing you and your DD can drink. I would give goat's milk or coconut milk before pediasure.

[Geist]

This is a timely thread. We just got back from DS's 18 month check up. He's 19 months and has only gained a little over 4 oz since December but he's grown like an inch, so the doctor's concerned and we have another appointment in a month for a weight check The doctor also suggested pediasure, but that's not really a route I want to go down especially since he IS eating. Pediasure is like gatorade for kids....it's got electrolytes! Fine, useful if your kid is puking and has diarrhea to make sure they don't get dehydrated, but since he does nurse and does eat, I'd rather not feed him junk just to get him to gain wait.

Coconut milk is another good thing you and your DD can drink. I would give goat's milk or coconut milk before pediasure.

I think we're going to try coconut milk with our son. We tried cow's milk and he would take a sip and throw away the cup (some times literally, in the trash can) and then we tried goat's milk...same result. So who knows, maybe he'll like coconut better.

[klk197]

Originally Posted by Geist

Pediasure is like gatorade for kids....it's got electrolytes! Fine, useful if your kid is puking and has diarrhea to make sure they don't get dehydrated, but since he does nurse and does eat, I'd rather not feed him junk just to get him to gain wait. .

Pediasure and Pedialyte are two different things. I think you are thinking of latter. My son was hospitalized and had an IV because he was dehydrated (among other problems). When we were released, Pedialyte was suggested. I tried to get him to take it (a return to the hospital was the last thing I wanted) but he refused. Fortunately he didn't regress (he wanted to nurse all day and night) so we dodged that bullet. I would hesitate to give my child Pediasure as a strategy to gain weight, but Pedialyte serves a purpose under extreme circumstances.