NT ways to help a child gain weight....

[knittinclothmama]

So we're trying to incorporate NT eating into our life and it is happening slowly. One thing that's been bothering me lately is my sons slow weight gain. He is 33 months old and weighs 25 pounds and is 35" tall. His weight gain is just so slow. The last time he was at the doctor he was 19 months old and weighed 21 pounds. I know it's a mom thing to want chubby kids but I worry..... He drinks a glass of milk only a couple times a week and he likes it so I'm thinking I need to have him drink milk every day. Any other suggestions??
Oh, and he has eczema.... probably not related to weight gain but to me that suggests some kind of imbalance.

[JaneS]

What else does he eat? I would absolutely make sure he has a reliable source of calcium everyday.

The eczema could be a number of things. In our house, it's related to gut flora, fats in diet, and a cow dairy allergy (DS can do goat though).

[JaneS]

Ooops, hit submit too soon.... does he have any digestive issues? Failure to gain weight can often mean he is not breaking down his food properly and absorbing it well enough.

[cobluegirl]

will he eat avacado? those are excellent for weight gainl.

[knittinclothmama]

Sorry it's taken me so long.... the site was down last week and we were away this week.

Jane S - He always has yogurt with oatmeal or cereal for breakfast, pancakes when I make them occasionally. Lunch is a pb & j on sprouted wheat or a turkey sandwich. Dinner is usually a meat with potatoes or brown rice and a veggie or salad. That's just a basic list.... there's definitely more variety than that. As for the eczema.... I'm not sure what it is related to. My girls have never had it and he's had it since he was 2 months old (1st shots?? which we don't do anymore but he had them.....). He has been eating more dairy and his eczema has recently flared up again so that does make me wonder.... how would I find out if it is food related? As for digestive issues, he tends to have diarrhea more often than I remember my older girls having it but it certainly isn't chronic.... other than that none that I can think of. He never complains about a stomach ache. I'm interested in "healing the gut" because I'm pretty sure the eczema has a root cause, not just an external thing. Do you have more information or links that you can direct me to??

cobluegirl - Avacados was one of his first foods and he loved it then. I haven't offered them in quite awhile. I should see if he'll eat them!! Are you the one who's dh asked why you have to put avacado in everything? I love avacados!!!

[cobluegirl]

nope isn't me..but sounds yummy..lol

[wanderinggypsy]

I also have a slight built boy, and I know how frustrating it can be. My only important suggestion to you is to make sure that your child is getting enough good fats. Does he get any flax in his diet? How about salmon? My six year old son inhales flaxseed cookies (i allow the sugar to get the omegas into him) and he also is fond of salmon fillets grilled on the bbq with a sprinkle of salt and a squirt of lemon. I would be willing to bet that if you upped ds's omega 3, 6, and 9 intake his eczema would vanish promptly. And as an added bonus he might put on a little weight. My son also likes persident's choice vanilla soy beverage, which has some omegas in it.

You know, something i have found is that people love to see chubby little kids, but as soon as they hit pre-teen that chub becomes a problem. If you have a wiry little boy, be proud. Look for signs of his health not only in his size, but in his vitality, the quality of his skin and hair, the clarity of his eyes, and his behavior, such as attention span.

[Gale Force]

My son is small too. What's been working lately is an eggnog-like drink: one cup raw milk gently heated, add dash of vanilla. Separate an egg, add tsp or so of honey to yolk, mix with fork. Add warmed milk (body temp) slowly to egg mixture. Drink.

[JaneS]

Originally Posted by knittinclothmama

Jane S - He always has yogurt with oatmeal or cereal for breakfast, pancakes when I make them occasionally. Lunch is a pb & j on sprouted wheat or a turkey sandwich. Dinner is usually a meat with potatoes or brown rice and a veggie or salad. That's just a basic list.... there's definitely more variety than that. As for the eczema.... I'm not sure what it is related to. My girls have never had it and he's had it since he was 2 months old (1st shots?? which we don't do anymore but he had them.....). He has been eating more dairy and his eczema has recently flared up again so that does make me wonder.... how would I find out if it is food related? As for digestive issues, he tends to have diarrhea more often than I remember my older girls having it but it certainly isn't chronic.... other than that none that I can think of. He never complains about a stomach ache. I'm interested in "healing the gut" because I'm pretty sure the eczema has a root cause, not just an external thing. Do you have more information or links that you can direct me to??

Studies on eczema have consistently pointed to 2 important things in the body being out of balance: gut flora and fatty acids.

Some ideas:

High vitamin cod liver oil for the omega 3s and the vitamin A (which also stimulates the immune system and a deficiency causes skin problems.)

Evening primrose oil (this particular omega 6 is sometimes needed for those people who cannot make the conversion to GLA). Also pay attention to the types of vegetable oils that he eats and cut those out in favor of saturated fats and omega 3s.

If he has diarrhea often that is your clue that his gut flora is indeed out of balance. D. is not normal and always indicates a problem. If it's literally like 2x/year then it's probably viral but regularly, it's gut flora.

Changing gut flora can be as simple as homemade yogurt/kefir or other ferments everyday or as complex as a complete diet overhaul. You might get some more ideas in the Gut Healing Tribe Cheat Sheet in H&H forum.

The food related thing can be determined by an elmination diet. And also with respect to NT, specific versions of foods are likely to be an issue as well: unsoaked grains, pasteurized dairy, etc.

You mean Hep B vax and 3 month vaccines? Yes all vaxs can indeed change gut flora along with other things.

[knittinclothmama]

Wandering Gypsy - Thanks so much for the tips!! Where can I get the Flaxseed Cookie recipe?
Gale Force - That recipe sounds yummy!! I'll have to try that one!!
Jane S - Thanks for all the suggestions.
I am going to start deeply looking into all of this more. I'm sure I'll have more questions. I really appreciate all the help!!!!