My son is too skinny! Any tips

[MrZohe]

for food that will help him gain weight?

Hi Mums,
A run out of ideas dad here....

My son who is 20 months is a little bit too skinny. Hes not unhealthy or anything and is strong as an ox and is quite tall and lean for his age. Hes basically, probably not getting enough calories and is a bit of a fussy eater. Hes very active during the day and seems to be burning all his intake meaning hes always skinny :-)

He only really eats chicken and fish and rice & bread. He also likes apples, strawberries, cucumbers and tomatoes. Anything else is a bit hit and miss if he will eat and depends on his mood. He also loves crisps and will occasionally have biscuits again depending on some very specific biscuits.

Generally he does not like sweet things like chocolate or cakes...

Any ideas for how I can fatten him up a little. Just a little as I obviously dont want to then worry about obesity, but i would be happier if he gained a little weight.

Thanks!
Z

GP for check up first

stir in cream / cheese

avocados

coconut rice pudding

Why do you want to fatten him up if he's not unhealthy?

Some kids are just naturally more skinny than others.

DD1 has always been extremely thin - she was under the 0.4 growth curve for weight for a while, but about 25th centile for height.

She is healthy, and happy, and everyone is different. We went to a consultant peadiatician four times before she was one because she was thin, only to be told that they weren't going to do any tests, because there was nothing wrong. She is now 3.4 and I resent the time I spent worrying about her weight.

I think if you are going to try and change him, then maybe look at increasing the range of his food, but feeding him unhealthy food just to make him fatter is'nt necessarily a route I would consider now. (but I did ply my dd with cheese to get her fatter as a baby).

If he needed more calories, he would eat them. Try not to worry.

All his favourite foods are quite calorie-light and you can bump it up by adopting reverse techniques that someone trying to lose weight would use. If he likes fish, switch from white fish to salmon which has a higher oil content and fry it rather than grilling. Similarly, cook the chicken in olive oil rather than grilling etc. If he likes crisps he may enjoy sauteed potatoes or chips. Try not to let him fill up too much on things like cucumber, apples and tomatoes because they are very bulky for not much in the way of energy. Does he like bananas? Lots more energy in those.

Drinks are a good way to get children to take in more calories. Fruit juice, smoothies or full-fat milk rather than water, for example. And remember the 'little and often' technique. Small children often can't sit down to very big meals but can be encouraged to eat regular snacks. Something every hour or two is recommended. A biscuit with a high-cal drink between meals, for example.

If he's strong, alert, growing normally and not falling prey to illnesses then chances are he's fine. But if you want him to get more energy, the above will help.

Peanut butter is fantastic for skinny active kids.
My son had a small appetite, when he felt full nothing could get him to more.
Peanut butter gets a lot of calories in a small mouthful.

Mash with lots of butter and cream stirred in
Smoothies and milkshakes -- add lots of cream again

Would he eat cheese with crackers or apples?
Apples smeared with peanut butter
Fruit dipped in chocolate (not the healthiest...)
Cauliflower Cheese

tbh, if he's healthy though I wouldn't worry

we fed my skinny 3 year old a banana and strawberry smoothie with full fat milk once a day to add some calories. Also gave him peanut butter on whole wheat crackers as a snack.

Yoghurt! Full fat yoghurt. My DS loves the Yeo Valley natural and Greek varieties. About 10% fat per 100g and no sugar so good for the teeth. Try Brioche too great for handy snacks.

Would agree with the other posters that if he is healthy and growing try not to worry too much.

does sound like his diet is light on fat. Unsaturated fats should be in there for all sorts of health reasons - olive oil/guacamole/ hummus/ smoked mackerel pate or any type of fish he'll eat/ nuts and seeds (peanut butter sounds good) or halva? - but a small amount of saturated fat is also good - greek yoghurt, cream, any form of cheese/cheesy sauces or anything buttery (croissants etc).

echo the others who say i wouldn't be trying to fatten him up, but defo try to get small amounts of a range of fats into his diets and snacks for the brain development alone.

sorry i just noticed you said he ate fish already! x