DS needs fattening up

[Zachmeister]

Hi there,

My DS is 5 years old and only weighs 16kg (approx 2.5 stone). He looks painfully thin but my doc believes he is fine because he is in the 9th centinile. He eats a varied diet but is a very lazy eater and often wants me to help feed him (which I sometimes do as I want the calories in him!). He has had tonsilitis this week so has hardly eaten and I could cry looking at his skeletal frame....should I consider something like Complan to help build him up...I try to add cream etc to his meals but feel it is an ongoing battle (one that I try not to make a big deal about in front of him)

I just want him to look healthy (he is generally energetic etc and both my husband and I were skinny kids but he has absolutely no fat reserves to fall back on when he is poorly)

My husband is becoming very tense about the whole thing and we both want the best for our DS.

Michelle

Hi there, my ds is very thin also, 4yo, bottom centile. Not weighed him lately but last time we did he was around 11kg.

He has been a fussy water but is getting better all the time. The more we relax the better he gets

It's hard when they're like this but if all the signs are that he is well I wouldn't worry too much. You say he eats a varied diet and is energetic, that's great.

I would maybe just do some research in to foods a that are calorie dense, as in you don't have to eat a lot of them to get a lot of calories. Things like peanuts and rasins for instance. Advocado is a good one.

We tend to use full fat spreadable butter on all ds's sandwiches and give him lots of cheese type fillings a soft cheese, normal cheese, cheese spreads. Also things like peanut butter etc. he ears fruit and veg also obviously. Things like milkshake or smoothies are good too, just full fat milk with a bit of milkshake powder. He also has cakey snacks and puddings etc.

Tbh though all this doesn't make a massive difference as he's so energetic he must burn a lot of it off! Some people are just made this way, lucky him I say. Dh and I were skinny kids but you wouldn't know that now

I think the main thing is not to fret about it, they pick up on it even when you think try don't. Try not I discuss any of it in front of him too. These are things I've had to learn myself!

Hi I have the same problem with ds1 - 9 years old and only weighs 20kg - you can count every rib in his body! However he is extreamely fit and strong - does gymnastics and swimming every week and is constantly on the go. If its any help I had to take him to the docs last week as he had a chesty cough and the doc didn't seem overly concerned about his weight.

Why don't you give your health visitor a shout and see what she says - at the very least she may be able to allay your fears or suggest some other ways of getting some weight onto him.

Thanks for your responses. I think I will have a chat with the health visitor. Its good to know there are other parents out there with the same concerns!

Michelle x

Yeah health visitor might have some ideas (although mine is useless)

Another tip i've heard is to get them to bake with you, maybe make a batch of cookies or something with him and he might be more willing to eat them

He sounds fine to me

Too tired to type for long - mother of picky eater!

Bread and nutella and a glass of milk is never a bad idea in this house.

But I wouldn't make yourself ill with worry over how skinny he looks - especially as it is easy to loose perspective after a bout of tonsillitis (my slim daughter looks emaciated for about a week after being ill but eventually gains weight back)

if your child is naturaly thin and a picky eater and you are concerned, just add a few changes that are not drastic to the amount you are expecting him to eat, try little changes such as full fat milk, lots of protien, iron and carbs and whole grains, switch to brown rice, brown pasta etc. pulses, grains and nuts can be easily disguised. as long as his diet is varied and helthy I would not worry so much.

I'd not worry overly. Dd is tiny IMO. You can see her ribs and the bones in her wrists. Dr says she is exactly right for her height. She does get run down, but she is coeliac so has absorption issues. I try very hard to make sure that she eats a healthy balanced diet and has regular vitamin supplements. I'm very loath to make an issue of eating. I don't want her to end up with hangups later on, so when she is picky and eats like a sparrow, I bite my tongue.
She is very active, and hares about most of the time. When she does bottom out or is Ill, I just pamper her and let her rest.
According to the doctor, our Holden only look skinny because the majority of children we see are overweight!

Children, not Holden!!

Hi OP, My Nephew is the same, although he has just turned 3. He is under the Dietician (sp) as he is on the 2centile, As i understand it that means there are only 2 children his age that are lower in weight (so Dsis tells me) (although I could be wrong)
The dietician told my sister to increase calories as much as possible adding cream and butter to mash, butter in soups etc, give him as much cake, biscuits as he will eat. DNephew isn't bothered by cakes etc
The thing is he is on the go constantly, doesn't really sit still so any extra calories she does get inside him are just burned off.
He is still in 18-24month clothes and most of them are too big waist wise so he had to have the elastic pullys pulled right in.
However he is a lovely happy clever little fella, who will grow and put on weight when he is ready :o

Hi my ds1 was was the same like a skelaton but had loads of energy just looked so skinny being so tall as well made it worse but now he's nearly 16 and a big strapping lad he's far from skinny now as long as he's got energy i wouldnt worry as other mums have said make sure you feed him full fat milk and yogs use butter and cream when you mash veg etc thats the advive my sil was given by her doctor when her dd needed to put weight on but hers was because of a medical condition but same advice would apply please dont worry i knw how you feel but its proberbly just his own metabalism :)

as long as he is alert and thriving try not to worry too much. and try not to make eating an issue.
children of that age are supposed to show ribs and spine.

Thanks again - I feel reassured by all of your comments!! xx

My DS2 is tiny and has been through all the dietician and paediatrician stuff. As soon as he tracked on the 9th centile for three months in a row we were discharged. As the paed said, small or skinny doesn't mean weak. He also said he'd prefer to see a child at that end of the weight spectrum than at the other, bearing in mind possible future health issues etc etc.

My DS1 however is a portly little fellow who loves his food rather too much. We have to keep an eye on his eating for the opposite reasons!