healthy, high fat/caloric ideas for 2 year old?

[lula'smom]

took my dd2 for annual check up today, and she hadn't gained any weight since 18 mth check. she did grow taller though, and is developing fine, and eats. not a huge eater, but fine. my inclination is to think she's fine, but my pediatrician is pressuring me a bit b/c she thinks that she is filling up on breastmilk b/c she nurses often and should be eating more. i disagree with this, but would like any ideas people have for packing on weight. it would make me less worried if she had a bit more meat on her bones because she is teensy and not even on the growth curve. so, she doesn't do well with cow dairy and doesn't like avocado. i feed her raw milk cheese, goat cheese, all kinds of nuts and seeds, meat, fruits and veg of course, pastas and grains. any other ideas that won't rot out her tiny teeth but might help to bulk her up? thank

s.

[meemee]

to be honest i'd use animal fat instead of oil. or even butter. clarified butter which should be ok with non dairy eaters.

but really i'd listen to your gut.

my dd hardly ate anything till she was 2 but bfed a lot.

i didnt really let my ob know that. she checked her out and dd was just fine.

your dd seems to be eating well. 18 months is a transition period.

what are your family and partners family like? anyone have a body type like her? could be genetics.

[Nightwish]

Breastmilk contains 50% fat, so your best bet is breastmilk.

She might be naturally slender and you won't be able to do anything but turn her off food if you insist on her eating specific foods (whatever they may be).

[lula'smom]

meemee-yes, i was thinking more sausage and bacon. but you're right, i think it's just her build. my dd1 is also teensy and petite. my sister is built like this too, so it may just be genetic. i think i know in my heart she's fine, but my "good girl follow the rules" instincts are interfering so i'm trying to bulk her up before the next weigh-in....silly. nightwish--is a good point about the pressure. thanks.

[greenemami]

I think it is actually fairly normal not to gain much weight in the 1-2 year, simply because they are starting to walk/run and be much more active.  Dd and ds both gained very little in weight, but gained in height.  However, they were at the high end of the percentiles to begin with, so I see why you are more concerned. 

Another good fatty food is coconut milk-my kids love to eat the creamy part on the top straight out of the can :) They will also eat spoonfuls of coconut oil. 

[Sweetpeasand]

Real butter, cream, sausage, bacon, cheese and other high fat products.

[meemee]

Originally Posted by lula'smom 

meemee-yes, i was thinking more sausage and bacon. but you're right, i think it's just her build. my dd1 is also teensy and petite. my sister is built like this too, so it may just be genetic. i think i know in my heart she's fine, but my "good girl follow the rules" instincts are interfering so i'm trying to bulk her up before the next weigh-in....silly. nightwish--is a good point about the pressure. thanks.

if this is so then i would not change a thing. remember giving your child the high fat diet is also kinda getting them used to the flavor. it could possibly become their comfort food. i know because i struggle with butter all the time. i was raised on butter. 

my mother tried many things to fatten my brother up. nothing worked. he has always been thin. 

dont go by body weight. if your child is otherwise normal, healthy, full of energy, ignore the doctor's words. 

remember what you start now is what you could possibly be setting your child up for the future. 

having a ten year old i tell you these days - for everyone - food is an ADDICTION. there is so much 'so called yumminess' around that its hard, VERY HARD for them to resist temptation. its also not fair. 

so please be aware healthy eating starts now. i made a few mistakes when dd started eating and i wish i had done otherwise. 

so just go on doing what you are doing and watch and see how your child does. perhaps she will start eating at 2 and go on the opposite end of the scale. 

dd has been obese all her life. her peds. would say reduce her food. i asked them but her dad was like this when he was her age. lots of baby fat. she eats welll, runns around, lot of energy - why should i change anything. they would keep parotting. i stopped listening to them. dd would hit her growth spurt and right before it she would gain even more weight and then shoot up. today at 10 without changing anything, dd has lost most of her puppy fat as she starts getting ready for puberty. she is turning into a slim, curvy girl. 

[julieven]

I don't know about ignoring the doctor completely. My DD also stopped gaining weight but continued to gain height between 12 and 18 months. Because of family history, she was tested and diagnosed with celiac disease. She started a gluten-free diet and started gaining weight again. She showed no other classical signs of food intolerance. No other symptoms, no development delays. Just wanted to throw that out as something to keep in mind. 

We met with a pediatric nutritionist after the diagnosis and I can tell you that I did not follow any of their advice to add calories to my DD diet. The suggestions of cheese sauce on vegetables, instant breakfast powder in milk, etc., were ridiculous. There way no way I was going to influence her healthy diet with a bunch of junk food. We did continue feeding her full fat milk, cheese, yogurt. She loves avocados, pumpkin, squash, berries, nuts. All calorie dense, but nutritious.

Also, my DD was a big baby (75% weight and 90% height) until the celiac showed up when table foods were introduced ~10 months. She is now a very active, healthy child who has stayed on her new, post-celiac curve (50% weight, 75% height) since turning 2. Maybe your DD is just jumping to a different curve on the growth charts?

[meemee]

good point. however here in california inspite of the ethnic diversity lots of asian kids are given failure to thrive diagnosis when clearly that is so not the case. but it freaks the parents out. and therefore i said ignore the docs in this instant. 

Originally Posted by julieven 

I don't know about ignoring the doctor completely. 

[MountainMamaGC]

My DD loved pancakes at that age, and you can fortify them however you like. Use whole milk, goats milk or even half and half for the liquid, a couple of eggs, some ground flax, or some hemp hearts. Top with some nut butter, real butter, and a little bit of real maple syrup. My DD is just naturally small though. She is 4.5 now, and still looks like a 3 year old. I just make sure that whatever she eats counts, and it nutrient dense. Speaking of eggs, eggs are always a hit for my DD. Dippy eggs, scrambled eggs, omlettes with lots of veggies and cheese. 

[mumkimum]

Dd2 has been at that same point - petite and not up on the growth curve.  

I didn't do much different to try and bulk her up, but I did try to pay a little more attention to keeping her preferred foods around so that she'd have things she liked to eat when/if she was hungry.  That seemed to do enough for us and she's doing fine still (still tiny and petite and not really on the curve, but consistently growing and everything at 2 1/2 now, and this started being a more serious issue for the ped at 18mo).  For us, some of this was dairy (like cottage cheese or sour cream), but also broccoli, apples, etc that were just favorites and I tried to keep handy more often than I was.

[PumaBearclan]

Originally Posted by Sweetpeasand 

Real butter, cream, sausage, bacon, cheese and other high fat products.

I agree with this post. I would also recommend eggs.

I think that a child under 3-4 years should not be thin. Medium or plump, but not thin.

Breastmilk is high in fat but also in sugars. Cows milk has been shown to cause insulin resistance.

Some transitional foods that my daughter enjoyed at that age:

egg custard: 1-2 eggs stirred up with milk, butter, and bacon, baked in the toaster oven until firm.

oatmeal or rye cereal made with butter and cream

mashed sweet potato with sausage, butter, and cream

yogurt with raw egg yolk stirred into it

My daughter wouldn't eat cheese. She ate egg custard almost every day, though.

While I don't advocate grain foods and lots of starches for older adults, they are good transitional foods as long as they serve as base for fats and proteins and are not sweetened.