Weight loss in toddler.....

[TaffyandTeenyTaffy]

DS has always had a bit of a battle to gain weight. He has never been a great eater - we have good days and bad days. He is now 2y3m and is still only 9.5kgs.

He has dropped from 25th to 0.4th centile over the past few months and is now losing weight fairly consistently. We are getting him weighed fortnightly on the HV and GP advice but the HV and GP just keep referring us back to one another without actually doing anything. We are waiting on a paediaticians appointment that we should have had in January, which has again been re-arranged for July.

I think part of it is that he is not drinking so much milk since switching from bottles to cups entirely - and he loves fruit/veg but struggles to eat potatoes/meat/dairy etc ie the stuff that might actually put some weight on.

Just wondered if any one had any experience of this or any ideas as to what could be causing this. Should I be worried? or rather, should I be as worried as I am?

I have no real experience of it in a toddler but our oldest had reflux and food aversion as a baby and also hit the 0.4th centile. However, he picked up from about 1 year old and is now doing very well and is the right weight for his height.

That does sound a big weight drop in an older child. Does he have any other symptoms or is he well in himself? If he is at all unwell, I would really push for an urgent paediatrician appointment (or pay for one if you can afford it).

Otherwise, the basic principles are the reverse for those losing weight. Try to cook things with lots of fats, for instance make his vegetables very buttery and maybe, if he is unenthused by milk, give him full fat milk mixed with a little cream and make it into a chocolate milkshake. If he likes strong flavours, thai coconut milk is also hugely calorific.

Thanks for your reply, and glad your eldest is now doing well.

DS is generally well, although he has only one functioning kidney and so is regularly being checked for water infections. I have now managed to get our paediatricians appointment for the end of may re-instated after a complaint to the hospital, so only a couple of weeks to wait.

He does enjoy spicy food so thai curry would be a good one to try with coconut milk. I have always avoided giving him milkshakes as he has a sweet tooth and I thought he might not drink his milk if he got a taste for them - but his milk consumption seems to have dropped off naturally so that may be a way forward. We have also managed to get him to eat an ice cream over the weekend, so will keep that up if summer returns!