Should I try and fatten up skinny DS?

[FimbleHobbs]

Bear with me, this is long, and I am a bit food clueless.

DS is almost 5, average height for his age (maybe slightly on the tall side). Don't know how much he weighs, but he is skinny.

Lately he is shattered after school, which he never used to be, and he is getting rather moody and tearful. I'm wondering whether I need to be feeding him more energy rich foods?

He rabbits on about 5 a day (thanks, school) and does eat a lot of fruit. I have started giving him a cereal bar straight after school, but have this feeling he needs less of the uber-healthy stuff and more wholesome but fattening/energy giving food?

Was considering changing from 1%/semi milk to full fat (he has at least a glass a day) and giving him cheese as a snack more often. But other than that I'm at a bit of a loss for 'healthy fattening' food?

peanut butter?

porridge with full fat milk/cream? Nuts/sunflower seeds/etc as a snack or sprinkled on cereal? Plenty of carbs (can still be healthy-jacket pots/seedy brown bread/etc).

Bananas, flapjacks, raisins, wholemilk yogurts.

Obvious advice I know but don't make an issue of it. A lot of kids that age are naturally skinny. Maybe his lack of energy is due to exhaustion or something else.

Thanks all, good advice. I am not going to tell him - in fact I am not bothered about his body shape at all, its just the tiredness/moods that make me think he needs more energy.

He loves pepper and carrot sticks but I cannot get him to dunk them in hummus/cream cheese - don't know why as I love it - I will keep --filling- my facemodelling it though (just for his sake you see).

I thought potatoes and bread just fill you up but don't provide that much energy?

Peanut butter - fab - and yum - will get some.

I had to see a dietician when pg as lost lots of weight and was quite skinny to start with and these are some suggestions she gave me to help:

Hot chocolate with full fat milk at bed time (best bit of medical advice I've ever been given!! )
Slices of toast with butter instead of margarine for supper
Try to add more cheese where possible - so if having beans on toast, put a little grated cheese on top
Switch to full fat milk for cereal
Eat more eggs
Have a few extra biscuits (This was my favourite!! )
Add pulses/beans (of the borlotti/black-eyed/butter type, not Heinz beans!) to things like casseroles and pasta sauces

She said that things like the more calorific fruit and veg (ie bananas, avocados etc) were unlikely to put on much extra weight. But they are very healthy, so can't hurt!!

HTH!

I have a skinny 5 year old ds as well.
I find that he's grumpy after school because he's not drank enough during the day (despite having lots to drink with him, which he hardly drinks).

So he gets a big drink of diluting juice as soon as he gets in and he suddenly perks up.

Try macaroni cheese made with full fat milk etc with veg mixed through it for a fattening/healthy meal for him.

Dd1 is almost 6 years old, she eats a lot of cheese, cream, milk, bananas as well as fruit and cereal but is still very skinny (just under 3 stone). her sister (3.10) weighs 2.5 stone and is not skinny (not fat either) and they eat roughly the same.

My Ds is a skinny thing, but always full of energy so thats slightly different.

I often give him banana and cream smoothies.