12 month old dropping through height and weight centiles

[WindUpBird]

DS is nearly a year old. He was on the 75th centile at birth and has steadily made his way down to the 25th centile.
The other day I had his height measured for the first time in 6 months. At birth, and up to 22 weeks, he was on the 98th centile for height, now he is just above the 50th. Is this in any way 'normal' or is it an indicator that something more serious is wrong?
He hardly eats any solids, still feeds through the night and has some lumps on his neck which we are being referred to a paediatrician for. He has had blood tests which showed slightly raised lymphocytes (I think??) The referral to the paed could take up to 3 months, hence asking on here for advice!

"Lymphocytes: A small white blood cell (leukocyte) that plays a large role in defending the body against disease.

Lymphocytes are responsible for immune responses. There are two main types of lymphocytes: B cells and T cells. The B cells make antibodies that attack bacteria and toxins while the T cells attack body cells themselves when they have been taken over by viruses or have become cancerous. Lymphocytes secrete products (lymphokines) that modulate the functional activities of many other types of cells and are often present at sites of chronic inflammation."

Have you been giving him any multi vitamins? i would start if not. Especially, A,D,C and Iron.

Does the lumps seem to bother him? Are they inflamed? How long has he had them for?

My dd started just above 50th percentile when born. Over time shes dropped to just above 4th percentile! Hes still average for his age, maybe hes just starting to slow down the growing process as his first year of life is coming to an end and starting the 2nd. A child never grows more than what he has done in his first yr of life.

How much solids does he eat?

Thanks for replying! He's steadily dropped through the weight centiles throughout the last 12 months. It just seemed strange that he should now be dropping height as well.

I first noticed the lumps in February this year but I don't know how long they were there before I found them. They are very small and they don't seem to hurt him when the doctor presses them.

I would say he eats virtually no solids... i'm sure he used to as I would see evidence in his nappies. The doc could see no visible reason why he wouldn't be able to swallow solids...

Ask for a referral to a paediatric dietician.

If you are concerned I would push for a Paed referral ASAP. Particularly as you say he seems to have little appetite for solids. How much milk is he consuming - this could be taking the edge off his appetite?

Children do not usually sustain the same level of growth after the first year and do have growth spurts, both in terms of height and weight...and I think Paeds do generally like to take a wider picture view (over a longer term)...so it is probably nothing to worry about but a good idea to just get everything checked over.

I would also just check with the Doc about which Vits are appropriate before administering, just to be cautious...

Thank you. Yes, the referral is in the 'system' but apparently there is a 'long wait' of up to 78 days! I think we should get a cancellation before then.
Difficult to know re milk consumption. He's still breastfed and that's what he has through the night, then 3 or 4 times a day. It feels like a bit of a catch 22 re the milk/solids. I'll ask about the vits next time we see the doc, he can't be getting many nutrients at the moment, though I guess he does suck and chew the food, so something might get through.

Breastfed...I actually dont see the problem in him having the breast up until age 1. Maybe just cut out a feed so that he is hungry then try him on some pureed rusk and breastmilk? Or mash potato and your milk?

The GP surely cant say that 'he' doesnt see a problem with him swallowing food. It could be an underlying cause thats not visable to the human eye.

Are you and your partner tall, average or short, WindUp? If you're not tall, then I would personally be thinking he's just making his way to where he naturally needs to be on the chart. But definitely nothing wrong with getting it all checked out, if only to put your mind at rest.

We're both tallish, but even so, DS could have a short gene from a long lost ancestor...

Well, that's true! My brother's 6'2" and my dad's 5'6".

I only said to look at what your son's family are like because I got loads of grief about my daughter being tiny and skinny when me and her dad are both (you guessed it) tiny and skinny. But actually, 50th centile for height and 25th for weight sounds perfectly healthy - lovely and slim without being too skinny.

Ds1 fell from the 65th percentile to the 25th (height) and 9th (weight) in his first 12 months. Ds2 fell from the 98th to the 50th. Both are fine and well -it seems I just produce big babies.

I was told not to worry as long as they were healthy and active and that the fall was a gradual one (not a flat line) so it can be normal BUT if you have any other causes for concern - illness, listlessness etc then to get things checked out.

B

I really appreciate the posts. Horton, that's true the weight and height written like that sound ok. Now it is more the lumps and the raised lymphocytes that I am worrying about.

Horton... can i just ask you, how did you go about tellin the health professionals to sodd off when it came to your dd's weight/size? my dd is skinny, shes a teenie bop and 14 months old. Doctors are concerned that shes always been skinny alhtough me and her dad are that too. No one in my family are overweight unless caused by diabetes.

It aggravates me when they think there is something wrong with hr. Shes got the purest skin, the brightests eyes and is very very active and eats all day!

I didn't bother, Chellesgirl! I just stopped going to the clinic. Actually, I did go to see my v sensible doctor who took one look at DD and said 'She's absolutely fine, what are they on about?' So I didn't go to the clinic any more and she's still skinny and tiny but quite obviously perfectly healthy. She doesn't have a huge appetite and never has done but eats healthy stuff, loves fruit, loves meat, loves full fat yoghurt and bread etc.

Actually, I meant to say that to the OP, too - my daughter didn't really get the hang of meals until she was at least 15 or 16 months old (after she self-weaned).

I hope you get a quick and reassuring answer about the lumps etc, too, WindUp. I am guessing that if they thought there was any real cause for concern, you'd be seeing someone a lot sooner than three months away.

Oh yes, and have you thought that maybe the fact that you see less evidence of solids in the nappies might just mean he is digesting/chewing them better than he used to? When my DD was tiny, there were frankly disturbing bits of practically unchewed stuff in her nappies but that just slackened off as time went on and she is honestly fine now.

And she's about on the 1st centile, I think, not that I've got her officially weighed since she was about 8 months.

No, I really think he's just not consuming much food. He's constantly constipated too(though he used to have chunks of undigested raisins etc in poo when he first started solids).
That's interesting your dd didn't get the hang of meals till she was quite 'old', i think I've had a deadline in my head for ds to be eating decent amounts of solids by 12 months!
We've got a date for mid-May to see the paed so it's going to be a long 3 weeks' wait, but glad it wasn't any longer.

The lumps and raised lymphocytes sound like hes fighting an infection. Does he have any skin conditions? Can you remember if hes had a cold or something in the last few months.

I had this a couple of years ago, was scary at the time and there was talk of more serious conditions, but it turned out i'd had a bug and my gland popped up and stayed up. Its still there now.

Hope you get some answers.

Thats what I dod Horton. Thanks for your reply. It dosnt make me feel so bad for not taking her to HV. Also Doc at childrens hosp said today she is perfectly fine and dont know why casualty were so concerned.

I second The phantom, infection of some sort, where bacteria is present, such as tonsilitis.

hope some answers come your way soon Windup

I think there are a lot of us out there, Chelle. I don't feel at all bad for not taking mine to the HV. I honestly think the ones I came across had no idea what they were talking about. To put it in perspective, I looked at those charts which go up to age 20 and realised (with my mum's help) that between the ages of about 6 months and 37 (when I got pregnant), I'd never been anywhere near the bottom line on any of them. And I am in the best of health and always have been! DD's dad weighs nine stone and he's a man. So sod 'em, I say.

WindUp, I reckon lots of children don't really eat that much at that age, particularly if destined to be slimmer than average. Mid-May doesn't sound too bad a wait. Hope you will let us know how things go with the referral. Good luck!

Thanks Phantom, that's encouraging.
Really appreciate all the posts on this thread, I'll no doubt have more questions once we meet with the paediatrician and will keep you posted.

Sorry, I know this is a super old thread but I could really use the experience of others. @WindUpBird how did things go for your LO? We’re in a similar situation with the steadily dropping centiles and so far, GP advice (after a few tests) has been to monitor. Our LO is 2 and the drop has been really gradual but I feel like he’s ill a lot and it worries me that the issues could be connected. I would be so grateful for any words of wisdom.

@thebearandthemare oh my goodness this is an old thread! Sorry you’re going through this, it’s a worry isn’t it? If it’s any consolation, I now have a medium-height, healthy, slim/skinny 13 year-old! The last time he was weighed was in Year 6 by the school nurse & I think he was 3rd or 4th centile - so quite skinny!
I never got to the bottom of his health ‘issues’ as a toddler. I guess there was nothing wrong, although at the back of my mind it is still a slight worry, especially as he’s had slight gastro issues on and off…
He has never been as tall as his sister when I compare them at the same age (another cause of my slight worry!), but I guess he will have a growth-spurt in the next couple of years.
I hope this reassures slightly and that you get the right answers/support from health professionals. It might just be ‘normal’ for your LO.

@WindUpBird thank you soooo much for replying! It’s reassuring to hear how things are now. It’s such a strange situation at the moment…I read that dropping centiles is a concern, but then the GPS don’t seem particularly worried! I’m always hoping for a growth spurt sometime soon