4.5 year old so skinny

[ayesar]

My son is going to be 5 in June and he's only 35 lbs. he's tall and looks so skinny. He is so slow when it comes to eating, and it is very frustrating for me. He can sit at the table for over an hour and not eat. Most times I have to end up feeding him because we need to get somewhere or do bedtime or whatever. Does anyone have any tips on how to get him to eat faster or put on more weight? I don't want to stuff him with food and I can accept that he's just thin but he doesn't have much energy either. He wants to be carried after he comes home from school, and gets so tired sometimes after walking for a short time.

How tall is he? My DD is the same weight at the same age, although she is far from having no energy.

They can be very tired after school at this age I remember DD, who also a June Birthday was very tired from school in the first year. I could put her to bed 2 hours early some nights. So I wouldn't worry about that too much, she is also a slow eater and already has been but is totally in proportion. Which is what counts really.

Just try feeding high fat foods as they do need energy at this age, not like us adults. If your really concerned you could ask to see the school nursing team or take him to the doctors for a checkup.

Try and add cheese/ cream to every meal. Have you spoken to the school about it and how he eats at lunchtime? If he eats really slowly, he might not be eating enough lunch. I would make sure he has dessert at every meal. High fat breakfasts could be croissants, chocolate chip brioche.

Is he underweight for his height? Has the doctor said so or are you just thinking he looks skinny?

Is he very low on the height and weight charts? They do start to lose the toddler podge so are meant to have visible ribs/backbone etc as they get older.

www.rcpch.ac.uk/system/files/protected/page/A5%20WHO%20Boys%20HT%204-20yrs(new%20style)2pps_0_0.pdf

How's his sleep? How long has he been eating like this? My friend's DS (3, so younger), just had his tonsils out for similar reasons - his appetite has gone nuts and he's piling weight on. Maybe Google obstructive sleep apnea and see if it fits?

my ds1 is 4yr9mo, 104cm and 14.9kg. skinny! He is 2nd centile. He eats totally random amounts and i am generous with full fat dairy, puddings etc although also push fruit and veg. I would only worry if not gaining, fallen off centile, unwell. If concerned see doc!

I have to measure his height...I'm not sure how tall he is. His sleep for the past almost year has not been good, with him getting nightmares and waking multiple times a night. He slept through the night the last few days so I'm happy. But this eating problem has been there since he was pretty much born. For sure he doesn't eat a lot. If he has pizza he will have 1/2 of 1 slice, and that too with a lot of effort made by us to feed him. He eats rice and curries pretty well though and in good amounts. He doesn't eat a lot and I think he also has a fast metabolism. He hardly puts on weight whereas his brother is gaining appropriately and eats the same amount. The reason I was worried is because his energy seems low at times. He was on iron for a year or so before he turned 4 but then his bloodwork showed he as back to normal and his ped said not to give it to him anymore. He gets iron in his multivitamin that he takes daily still.

He is probably at the 2nd percentile for weight and height but his doctor doesn't seem concerned and says its in his genes.