My 20 month old is losing weight

[BensMum08]

Hi,
I'm wondering if anyone else has had experience of this and whether it's normal or should I take him to see the GP. My son is teething quite badly at the moment (he's extremely grumpy all of the time, which is very unlike him). He's got the sharp canine teeth pushing through and they seem to be really painful for him. The problem is that he's not eating as much as he used to and so has lost some weight. He's always been between the 50th and 75th centile, but now he's dropped right down to the 25th centile. I'm a little worried and I'm not sure whether I should be. He was also born with a heart murmur (which the doctors have never been too concerned about as he's never had any health issues relating to it). So, am I being an overly concerned mum and hang it out until all of his teeth come through (which I hope isn't too much longer)? Is there anything else I can do to up his calorie intake? He eats plenty of dairy food so I would have thought that would be more calorific than anything. Please help.

I think you should take him to the GP if he is losing weight enough to drop down that much on the centiles. As far as I know, weight loss isn't usually a massive issue with teething. Although by the sounds of it your son is having a bit more pain than most, poor thing! Have you tried a teething gel or one of those teething rings that you put in the fridge to soothe him a bit?

If the GP rules out illness after a checkup, then I'd suggest the following to boost his intake a bit:

Extra oil or butter stirred in to foods like soup, mash, purees, pasta and rice, and on top of veggies
Cream stirred into his food or milk/yoghurt (just a little bit at a time)
Cheese on anything it'll go with
Pieces of ham or cheese to nibble on
Hummus made with plenty of oil and tahini
Little and often snacks such as oatcakes, buttery toast, banana slices, and milk to drink.
Tempt him with things you know he likes if he likes his food presented or cut up a certain way or in a favorite/colourful bowl maybe?

Don't worry about the fat content of things (I'm sure you aren't but some people do) as he needs it and it is a very concentrated form of energy without bulk.

Hope that helps a bit and he gets back to himself very soon

completely agree with smash

yes book at GP apt today

Hiya, Have you read health info from Weston Price and Sally Fallon? They've written a lot about the optimal diets for kids from studying traditional diets. So they recommend things rich in Vitamin A like organ meats, cod liver oil, butter, fish, eggs, cream, bone broth etc and it's supposed to help kids grow and thrive. I've been upping my kids diet with these (sneaking in liver to pasta sauce etc) after reading about it and I think it's making a difference. Good luck with your boy. I know it's a huge worry!