9 month old is only 16 lbs any ideas on weight gain recipes?

[ipanemagirl]

The health visitor wants me to go back in two weeks and have dd weighed again. She started on the middle of the weight chart and has now dipped below the middle line, not in the shadowed bit.
She is partially bf now.
I'd be grateful for any ideas of weight gaining food. She eats everything, but can be quite fussy at times. It's hard not to feel bad when all the babies in her group are absolutely enormous!!!

Some babies just are, and noamount of "fattening". It is the basic law of averages/centiles , some are at the top , soem at the bottom, some are midway. dd was simialr , in fact I doubt she was 16lbs at that age and fell off hte graph altogether. Both dc levelled out as they became mobile.

My DD was about that size at 9 months, maybe a bit smaller, she is only 22lbs at 15 months (although she is very well covered, think she must have light bones!). Neither my GP or HV were bothered at all, I don't think you need to be too concerned if she seems otherwise healthy, lots of wet and dirty nappies, alert, responsive etc.

I would just keep doing what you are doing, feed her a good well balanced diet, offer her milk when she wants it. I am sure she will sort herself out. Also, I am fairly sure they shouldn't be weighed weekly/fortnightly at this age, can't remember where I read it though!

If she's developing well and is happy and healthy, you don't need to worry. Babies don't always follow a perfect chart line.

sorry should read ...'no amount of "fattening" makes any difference.'

Our DD is 8.5 months and only 16lbs 4oz. She is happy, healthy, has lots of wet and poo nappies and HV is not worried about her. We are not worried either as she is so obviously ok. I stopped looking at the charts a while ago.

I'm surprised your HV is concerned if your DD is otherwise healthy?

my 11-month DS was tiny for ages and still is smaller than his friends but i haven't bothered to have him weighed for ages because he has finally laid down some baby chub.

his favourite food is Greek yoghurt, which I think has quite a lot of fat and calories. he also loves cheese ...

Ipanemagirl totally ignore the HV she is talking rubbish and is just worring you when there is no need to worry. My dd(is 2.4months) was born 8.5oz has never gained much weight and has always been on the small side. At 6 months she was about 13llb and at 1 year was 18lb,she not a good drinker of milk at all. Even now is is a dreadful eater and i have to feed her in order for her to gain calories otherwish she would look like a starving child. She still fits into some 9-12 months clothes.

Even though she was below the centiles, the HV was not concerned as dd is alert, active and otherwise healthy and hitting all her developmental milestones. I So dont worry she is probably fine.

My now 19 year old daughter was always small, followed up at Paeds for slow weight gain. She weighed 16 lbs at 16 months but was an absolute livewire, never stood still and I think she was just ultra efficient at taking just enough food for her energy requirements. She is still small, size 6-8, but the epitome of the phrase "pocket venus". She is very active and seems to need very little sleep (wish I'd known that 18 years ago!) I am 5'1 and dh is 5'7, but I think what made her appear even smaller was baby brother (born when she was 20 mts) was 10lbs at birth and 16lbs at 6 weeks, exclusively breastfed.
As a sidenote I was told to supplement him too as he was so big
All this to say that food intake proves nothing except that a child can physically chew and swallow. Weight gain does not always follow.

I have a 2.9 year old who is still fitting into plenty of 9-12 month and 12-18 month clothes. She weighs about 13kg. She dipped below the 9th centile at about 8 months and after a few fruitless yelling sessions ("her father only weighs nine stone and he's a man!!" etc), I just gave up and never went back. If you and/or your partner are below average weight or height, please do take this into account and don't be bullied into trying to fatten up your daughter beyond what is natural and normal for her. My DD is happy, healthy, hitting all her normal developmental milestones etc, she's just small as I was at the same age. There is nothing wrong with being naturally slim and it's not something you have to try and change unless your child seems hungry.

I totally agree, I was a dreadfully small baby and child(smaller that dd my mum said), hated eating and was extremely active so like dd used to burn off the calories i did eat. When i was a baby they wanted me to eat, now they want me not to eat as i am 5ft3 and a little overweight lol. These growth charts and centiles unecessarily worry parents.