underweight toddler - advice please

[fififlores]

My dd is 12.5 months old, weighs 8kg (2.7 at birth). currently she is on full-fat cow's milk, and also lots of veg/fish/chicken with rich, creamy saucces, and thick creamy greek yoghurt plus snacks like houmous/cream cheese/avocado on rice cakes etc. I really want her to put on weight, and generally, apart from teething days, she eats pretty well. So wondering what I can do to make her put on weight. Her general development is fine, she is nearly walking (has taken a few steps), chats, has a few words and is very lively and responsive generally.

Dr has recommended a formula called Nidina 2 Premium Excel, a Nestle hypoallergenic formula with partially hydrogenised proteins which are easier to absorb, apparently, and a calorie supplement called Duocal.

I don't know what to do - I did formula from 2.5 months, cos she didn't put on weight with just breast (tho carried on with both till 7 months anyway). Is it important to give a low-weight child special formula? And what about duocal? Any advice, either on these products, or other recipes or foods I can give her, would be appreciated.

I'm struggling a bit to convert punds and kg (old ), but I'm pretty sure that my DD was no more than that at 12/13 months (15 months and 8.6 kg now).

I don't consider her to be underweight as she is quite petite and obviously healthy and vigorous. She is just right for her iyswim.

Are you sure your DD is underweight? Where is she on the centile chart compared to where she started? Could it be that she is just naturally slender?

My DD doesn't drink milk at all (she refuses it) apart from a couple of bfs a day. I just make sure she has plenty of fairly high fat foods. biscuits, cake, full fat dairy, yoghurt and cheese, bananas, pasta, meat, that kind of thing.

Does she look underweight ie skinny wrists, bony knees etc, or is she just small? If she seems happy healthy and energetic I personally wouldn't worry too much. Most children don't need formula after 12 months - full fat cows milk is generally fine.

no, she looks healthy - slim, svelte (she is 74cm, average for her age but tall for her weight, iyswim) whatever you want to call it - her brother is the same. On the chart she was slow to gain weight at first, then shot up when started solids, then levelled out again.

We do lots of bananas, not pasta yet as she still prefers puree (whatever she eats best is whatever I am happy to give her, iyswim) with lots of thick cream added to make it extra smooth and creamy! Cheese in sauces too - my friend who has an equally small ds advised everything in a creamy cheese sauce (cauliflower, fish, chicken etc) as her ds put on 400g in a month eating that.

My instinct is not to give her chemical formulas and supplements, and hearing about other not-podgy toddlers always helps, so thanks, pushmepullyou.

8kg is 17.6lb

I had a very slight one year-old, and now have a lightweight 9 year-old - absolutely healthy, vigorous, strong and lovely in every way. She is quite short, but her weight has always been low for her height.

I did try to feed her up when she was that age (butter and cream in anything, hope her arteries are OK), as the doc had been a bit concerned about her weight at 9 months, but never used any sort of supplement. The doctor eventually diagnosed her as 'little'. Does your doc think it very important that she should gain weight, or is it mainly your concern?

I was told if baby is on lower percentile at birth for good health they should gain but stay on the same part of the graph [lower end]am I wrong or should I be worried to?

Well she's always been right on the bottom of the chart, and only went up one percentile once. He mentioned this formula before, when I told him she was on Hipp, which he'd never heard of. And I think the supplement was because I was upset that when she turned one year, she had hardly put on weight since the previous month, and I had really hoped she would have, so I guess maybe he was treating the mother and her worries, as much as the child. He has never said there is anything wrong with her, or been concerned at all. So neurotic Mum I guess, seeing small child next to chunkier ones!

You'll find as she grows older, your only problem is that you'll find it impossible to buy trousers for her that stay up.

already finding that, with ds too - thank heavens for the places (Next, H&M) that do adjustable waists!

Fifi - My daughter is 2.7 years old and weighs 25lb, so light for her age, HV said that's just the way she is petite! (It doesn't come from me)!! She is only just going into 18-24 month clothes and there to big on her!!

I tried all the full fat foods and it didn't make any difference, so I've just accepted thats how she is going to be, if your daughter is otherwise healthy don't worry too much?