To be worried about my child’s (low) weight

[CarlottaValdez]

I felt like DS (who is 5 and 3/4) was looking a bit skinnier than normal since lockdown. So I weighed and measured him this morning and he’s 2nd centile for BMI which is underweight. He weighs 36 lbs. We saw a consultant when he was about 3 because he was tiny and he had tests but it was decided he just was genetically small and we shouldn’t worry. But I don’t think he was actually underweight then.

Thing is he eats masses, and really well! Porridge and fruit and toast and apple juice for breakfast (and his vitamin). Lunch is omelette or sandwiches or bread cheese and meat or fish finger wraps or something. Whatever we’re eating. Pizza sometimes, hot dogs.

Dinner he eats with us and he eats everything, he’s such a good eater. Curry, stir fry, pasta whatever we’re having. There’s always seconds available.

His teacher even commented at parent’s evening that she couldn’t believe the way he ate everything in his packed lunch as it was a similar size to hers.

I’m at a bit of a loss and very upset. Has anyone else tried to get their child’s weight up in circumstances where he isn’t restricting anything, should I be giving him ice cream every day or something? Cream in his porridge maybe?

I would go to your GP to check for anything underlying

I wouldn't worry if he is eating. Both of my DC are skinny. DS1 eats lots and is very active. DS2 prefers to graze, doesn't really like big meals, but he will eat a variety of foods. He is also very active.

One thing I do with mine is give them lots of milk to drink. It's the easiest way of getting more calories into them that isn't sweets, crisps or junk.

Where is he on his line compared to when the medics decided he was just small? How big are you and dh?
To be honest I'm sceptical about how useful the bmi thing is with children who are outliers on the "'red book" charts.
Go back to the centiles. If he is still following the same line, he is likely fine. Some kids are just skinny! My nephew was skinny and small. As an adult, he is around 5 8 and still slender. My dd3 was always on the 98th centile for height and is still on this line at 12.

I would go and get him checked out again. Sounds to me as though he might be having some problems absorbing the nutrients from what he's eating. It could just be normal for him but I think it's worth confirming with a GP. My eldest is extremely slight, but it's normal for her. She has a pretty small appetite though.

I think he’s between 9th and 25th centile for height and more like just below 9th for weight, looking at the charts online. It’s hard to do on my phone though so I’ll dig out his red book and do it properly. It doesn’t look great though.

He was just above 9th centile for both when they said he was just small. I’m very short (5’) but quite fat. DH is average height but very slim. So genetically it makes sense he wasn’t going to be huge.

I feel dreadful about it all though, honestly I give him lots of food. He’s very active, like he’ll just run laps of the garden but I can’t really stop that.

I better make an appointment I guess. I’m honestly quite traumatised about that peads department though, we had health issues when he was a baby. I’m obviously not going to let that stop me seeing them but I think it’s partly why I’m so upset.

Where is he on the height chart? Have you plotted yours and DH’s height on centile chart and what is your build? Also do you have other DC’s to compare? DS2 is on growth hormones, he was 0.4th centile for height and weight from birth. Part of the medical process involves working out expected adult height using parents’ heights, DS should end up around 50th. After 4 years or so on GH he is now closer to 30th centile for height but still only about 5th centile for weight, medics aren’t worried.

By all means get DS checked for peace of mind but someone has to be on 2nd centile, it’s especially likely if his height is also on the lower side and that is typical for your family. Low centile doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a problem and he sounds healthy.

Sorry, x posted! Please don’t panic, he sounds fine, not a tall family as you say. Lots of kids fill out later . I’m sure GP will put your mind at rest.

Does your son have lots of energy? Is he sleeping well, learning and generally happy? Is his digestive system functioning normally?
Is so I wouldn't worry about it. My son is tall but very skinny, to the point where his knees and elbows appear disproportionately large. He is incredibly active and always healthy though. Dome children are just made like this .

He's around 9th to 25th for height then he is basically in proportion. Does he look ok?

He looks ok to me but I don’t know whether I’m just not seeing it. Bright eyed and active and no problems with sleep or digestion. Doing well at school socially and with the work. His legs are very spindly but his face isn’t gaunt. Can see his ribs but not starkly, his arms are quite soft looking.

Thanks for the reassurance, I think I’ll make a GP appointment just in case and see.

He was absolutely tiny as a baby and there were worries at the time so I’m quite paranoid about it all. He was off the bottom of the chart for weight at about 3 months old that was awful.

The main thing is how he's tracking. If he's been dropping centiles all his life then that is a potentialcause for concern. If he's tracking the same centile as always, not so much.

My ds is on an even lower centile than yours. He's just scraping 15kg at nearly 6. But he's always been on that centile (2nd centile until 4, when the charts change and the centiles drop, then 0.4th). I've been to the GP about it, and she looked at his red book and said, but he's following the line perfectly. Then she asked about me and my husband. I was such a skinny kid that I had friends and family who were convinced I was anorexic (I wasn't). My dh was so skinny as a child his dm used to feed him protein shakes. The GP gently pointed out that he was hardly ever going to be huge (which is what the health visitors have been telling me since he was born), and that he obviously just got a double dose of skinny genes. She also said his build feeds into it- he's long and lean like his dad. He also eats like a horse, his metabolism is obviously on superspeed, but the main thing is he's not often ill, has bags of energy, sleeps well, does well in school...he's just skinny! Do go to the GP if you're worried, but try not to panic.

I have a DS like this (except that he is tall). As a baby his weight was always on a lower percentile than his height. He's now 14yo and his BMI is 8% (but has been lower in the past) - he is 5'10" and weighs 8st. He is a really good eater - eats everything and lots of it. He was a very active toddler and is now a sporty teen. He seems really healthy and is rarely ill.

It seems to be normal for my DS, so although I used to worry about him I've now accepted that this is how he is.

If he’s roughly the same centile for height and weight then it sounds fine. He’s just a bit in the shorter side, but still normal at 9th centile. He’s the same as 9 out of 100 children.

Donyou think he eats an unusually large amount though? That might be something to be concerned about, but it’s probably fine. It sounds like he’s just really active. I’d just keep on as you are.

Me and my brother both ate like horses growing up and we were both taken to the gp due to being small and skinny !
My brother is still a bean pole but sadly my metabolism caught up with me !
My ds is the same , and so is my niece ( brother's daughter)
I guess some people are made like that

Not a cause for worry if both height and weight are tracking near to the 9th centile as you said.

If he's still following the same line then he's probably fine. No harm in having a chat with the doctor about it.

I have a DS who's the same he's 9 now, is slightly smaller then his year group but not by much. He's is very skinny though and can eat anything (although won't eat cake or icream that's another post). He's been slightly less active during lockdown as he's got to an age where he'd prefer to spend more time on electronic devices. I've been taking him out for exercises. But he still doesn't seem to have got any less skinny and has been eating just as much.

The advantage I've had is that he's been weighed every year as part of his asthma check so they know how much he weighs and have been happy with his progress on his hight and weight. I've even asked about it before and they have just said as long as he's growing along the same line it's fine.

I often call him my hobbit as he will have multiple breakfasts. I often wish I had his metabolism as I'm overweight.

My son, 14, was on the 2nd centile then 0.4.

I took him to the GP as he was small and skinny but my husband is very skinny and we are both small, so son's height and weight followed.

At 14 he's still small and skinny - 5ft 4 and 6.5 stone but healthy and eats plenty. I've realised that's his biology and no longer fret, but worth going to GP if you are worried.

I have a very thin boy too, he was on the same centile for BMI at age 6-7ish. He's tall though, he's 91-95th centile for height and about 25th for weight.
We started giving him cream (in porridge), lots of butter in mashed potato, eggs as many times as we could. Switched fruit snacks for calorie dense ones (peperami for example). He always has and still does eat loads and has tons of energy but he did look pitifully thin at one point with a big head and stick-like arms and legs.
It made a small difference but took a long time, probably a year or more before he was out of the underweight category. And even now he's borderline (he's 12). It's just his natural frame but it does need a rethinking to make sure he's getting calorie-dense food - so much dietary advise is aimed at reducing calories.

One of mine was for quite a long time below the bottom of the chart, didn’t even reach the first centile for weight. Had all sorts of investigations - nothing wrong. Saw dietician on NHS - nothing wrong. Eventually reached 2nd centile. Now an adult, she is 5’2”, but an in-proportion weight for height.

It's so hard not to worry isn't it, but he sounds like a healthy little boy

What was his birth weight? Was he early at all? I ate well as a child and was perfectly healthy but like your son, always small. I was born at 34 weeks and have always had a smaller build/height than my brother and sister.

Some people are just naturally small.

For peace of mind, it might be worth talking to your GP. That way, you know that you have ruled anything else out.

Thank you for all the posts, it’s really helpful to hear about other children.

His birth weight was 6lbs on the nose but he was 42 weeks! So I’ve always thought (and blamed myself) that the placenta must have been failing in the last couple of weeks. Consultant thought probably not as it wasn’t noted as visibly deteriorated by the midwives at the birth.

I think I’ll try to get some of his meals a bit more calorie dense maybe. We eat quite a lot of lentils and things like bulgar wheat which is fine but maybe I need to be getting some butter in there or something. He loves cheese and yoghurt and anything potato based.

One thing the GP told me I found quite interesting. She said that all children tend to have a growth spurt around the same time in their teens (slightly different times for girls and boys I think). But the ones that were taller and bigger as a child grow less in their growth spurt, because they've done more growing earlier on. And the ones that were smaller grow more in their growth spurt and it evens out a bit.

My dd was just over 6lb at birth and has always been petite. At 6/7 years old, she was wearing shorts aged 18 months old.
But, she was healthy, rarely had colds and could eat a full fish and chip tea with ease.

Now, at 18, she is still small but dancing has muscled her up.

I have a dd 4 years younger who is near 6ft.
They are what they are.

Meant to say, mine was 5lb 6oz full term at birth.

Add calories and see if it helps. My ds has delayed allergies and problems with weight gain. Despite eating loads his weight can be static.