SKinny 10yo - worry or not?

[LilyBolero]

My 10yo boy, average height, weighs only 4 stone 5, ie 61 pounds. He is very skinny - not an ounce of fat, and tiny frame. He is however full of energy.

Too thin?

Normal. I presume he eats well? It's only now that mine are approaching their teens that they're starting to bulk up a little.

He eats very badly, ultra fussy, we struggle and just about get a balanced diet into him, but he is not really interested in food.

any other thoughts?

Hi, I don't have a 10yo but didn't want to read and run... only an idea, but if he is very fussy about food, have you tried getting him more interested in cooking etc? I don't know about the weight issue (have you still got a red book for him? Ask his doctor about centiles maybe?), but I had periods of being extremely fussy with food and was underweight as a result when I was little. Learning to cook in a non-pressured environment really helped. If you are worried I would try getting him involved in making stuff like funny face cakes, sausage pop-overs, bacon bites, mini mash islands etc - fun food that you can decorate, play with, make a mess with. If you want recipes let me know and I'll send you some. Don't pressure him to eat anything when you make it but get him used to being in the kitchen, playing with textures, shapes, foods of different colours. Let him make a big old mess and get creative. It might spark his interest? Good luck!

Has he always been skinny and fussy about food, or is this a new thing?

How tall is he?

Sorry - I've just spotted that you said average. So if he's 50th centile for height, and around 15th for weight, then there is a bit of a disproportion. Has this been his growth pattern all along?

My ds (12) is also very thin. But he eats a ton and there is a bit of a family pattern. I do worry when he comes out as off the scale on BMIs, or gets very cold in the pool (he is always out long before dd). I'd be much more worried if he was eating badly though.

How is your son's general health? does he pick up infections, lack stamina etc? It may be that you need to try and get more energy dense food into him, and it might be that if he ate more he'd have more of an appetite, so perhaps some advice from a dietitian woudl be helpful. Alternately it might just be the way he is (what sort of growth pastern is normal in the family) and nothing to worry about.

Hi thanks for replies, yes he's always been both fussy and skinny, and I think it's partly how he is, he's got a very light build, so is never going to be a heavy child, but he does seem ridiculously slight!

He does like cooking, and we have had some successes in getting him to eat some foods, never any pressure to eat stuff (unless he's just being lazy, and it's something he likes, but he just can't be bothered to eat it!).

He is generally healthy, runs around all the time, is a real live wire!

I wrote a post similar to yours earlier this year, Lily - except that DS is 14 yrs, and is only 4st 10 pounds, ie 4 years older, and only 5 pounds heavier. He is not tall either, though at 4ft 10 (well that's what he was when I posted). I was concerned about this (and still am) and raised it with GP, who was also concerned - so he was seen by a paediatrician, who is not concerned, at this stage. I guess it is something worth checking with your GP if you are worried, but if he's running around all the time, sounds like he burns up a lot of calories doing that!

My DS has never been a huge eater but enjoys a HUGE bowl of cereal most days when he comes home from school. And then he comes into the kitchen to see what else can be consumed. It has taken us a long time to realise that he does not have the capacity to fill up on a large meal, he needs small meals/snacks more often (bit like a puppy!)

yy, ds1 fills up on cereal before bedtime!

(Sorry, pressed post too soon)
That's interesting that the paed wasn't concerned, I guess some kids are slighter than others, ds1 is noticeably slimmer than the other boys in his class, especially at swimming, and certainly in clothes it is almost impossible to find trousers that fit lengthways AND round the middle - generally they just fall straight down round his ankles. Adjustable waists are just about ok, but I guess fairly soon they will stop doing them (they seem to be more common with younger children's clothes).

Yes, meant to add that DS has a follow up appt in Jan 2012, at which point he may have blood tests to check all ok. All his friends are shooting up, but he deals with it very well (at the moment). Although when he was 11 he wrote a list of things to do in the summer hols, and item No 1 was "Grow"!!

My 11yo is 4 stone, slim, no fat. She eats very well and is very healthy - did a 10 mile walk in the heat yesterday and was bouncing after it. I see it as good if a primary age child is skinny, my 7yo is very skinny too, also eats well. Neither of them is ever ill. Given that far more children and adults in our society are a bit overweight, it seems that being a bit skinny as a child is a good start.

So I really wouldn't worry. Children are meant to be thin. I would worry more about a child who was too interested in food.