21 month old losing weight

[timeplease]

Hi, I wondered if anyone had any experience of slow weight/height gain in toddlers. My dd (now 21 months) was on 91st centile for height and weight fairly consistently for her first 12 months. I then didn't get her weighed or measured until last month, by which time she was on 75th centile for both. She was weighed and measured again today and has actually lost weight (tiny amount) and her height hasn't changed, bring her down to the 50th centile for both.

I'm making an appointment with the GP (the health visitor told me to do this in the next few days - rather alarmingly) and panicking slightly. I have no other concerns at all about her development mentally or physically other than the fact that she's had problems with decaying/crumbling front teeth (a whole other saga), so I'm beginning to wonder if she has some problem absorbing calcium or something. She also has very little hair for her age.

No idea if this is going to turn out to be some hormonal/nutritional problem (hopefully the GP will arrange for tests) but wondered whether any of you had experienced anything simlar. I know patterns of growth are different for breastfed babies (she still bfs a lot and doesn't have a huge appetite for food) but this seems extreme...

Hi I know a boy who is 5 that can't absorb calcium, his teeth have crumbled and he's reasonably slight in size so may be linked

MMMmmm. If she was tall for her age from birth to 12 months (91st centile), I don't think it will be an inbuilt inability to absorb Calcium.
Something has changed/developed since then.

You say she has a small appetite - apart from BM, what is she eating?

Both the teeth and hair MAY be symptoms of malnutrition (but some children have very little hair at age 2, and teeth may decay/crumble for a number of reasons). Malnutrition could be because she is not eating, or because she is ill or unable to absorb some nutrients.

It is VERY important to see the GP asap (your DD has not grown in a month, and has lost a little weight). Make sure to emphasise to the GP that she was 91st centile up to age 1 year, and has dropped down the centiles to 50th and the HV said no growth recently. Mention teeth and thin hair. On a straight forward measure and weigh, it wouldn't look like a problem if she's 50th centile - so the history is important. I assume the HV has put details in your DD red book so you can show it to the GP?

Yes see the gp and don't let them fob you off. It may be nothing much but its important to get it checked to rule out any significant problems. Don't be afraid to push for a second opinion / referal to paed.

16 month ds is bf still and doesn't eat much solids (has picked up a bit recently but is still pretty minimal) and I recently read a good book by a doctor My Child Won't Eat, which stresses it may well be normal for a child to gain little weight, SO LONG as any physical problem has been ruled out by a thorough check up, blood tests etc.

Never heard of crumbling teeth at that age but I'd think it was significant. Anemia can be a problem if they aren't eating much and still bf a lot, don't know if that would affect teeth?

Good luck.

Thanks so much for your replies. I'm going to the GP on Monday and will push for blood tests etc, especially given the fact that I have an underactive thyroid so am slightly worried there might be some hormonal imbalance. Plus I worry that the tooth/hair thing might be significant.

Oldmum, she eats quite a variety of things just not very much of anything (though she would live off fruit given the chance). The HV was particularly useless, and actually wrote down the wrong figures and said all was fine. When I checked the book (on my way out of the clinic) and told her what she'd done, she just said 'oh, go and see your GP as soon as possible then'. And that was it.

Re. malabsorption, I do wonder if there might be some issue. She intermittently has diarrhea so I think there's something not quite right digestive wise. Anyway, I will push for tests and referral. Thanks again to everyone.