Skinny Child woes - iron culprit?

[SheSpeeds]

My son is 3.5, never a big eater (runs in the family), hard to pin him down, doesn't have consistent favorites. He's 31 lbs, hitting all his milestones, energetic, no signs of malnutrition...his poo is the color of breast fed poo, though he's weaned.

I know low iron could be a cause of an upset tummy, nausea, and would reduce his appetite. And seems like iron would, um, redden that which comes out of him.

Is this theory have merit? And how do I get iron in my picky eater?

(We take a snack-approach with him, anytime he wants, control what he eats by what we buy at the grocery. And occasionally remind him there's desert for a clean plate, but sweets rarely motivate him to eat).

[Alyantavid]

Does he eat foods with iron? Have you had his iron checked?

My oldest is very skinny but eats alot and is growing well.

[SheSpeeds]

Raisins, grapes. If it's fortified in cereal...
No, in fact if it has iron in it, it's a good indication of a food he won't eat.
He is offered nutritious food, in forms that would be appealing to a toddler, and will go to bed without eating (except a bed time snack which is usually raisins and banana chips, and/or peanuts). He politely declines.

[elanorh]

My dds are both skinny, dd1 has been at the bottom or off the charts for weight for much of her life....

I wish I had read Ellyn Satter's books sooner. Child of Mine: Feeding Your Child with Love and Good Sense is a good place to start. She talks about establishing healthy eating habits, self-regulation (and respecting it), etc. etc. She's a nutritionist whose specialties are childhood nutrition, and eating disorders (both separately and how they intertwine).

If I had read Ellyn's books sooner, I think I would have worried less about dd1's weight. And, I think I would have started dd2 out a little better in terms of her much-pickier eating habits (both the girls had allergies which did impact it although dd2 has outgrown hers and is still picky). Satter has good tips for how to help a picky eater become more confident about eating a varied diet.

If you suspect low iron levels, you could ask the Ped to check that ... make sure you're serving something high in Vitamin C with your iron-rich foods to maximize absorption of the iron, too.