Should I worry that skinny DS is losing weight?

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

DS is just 5 and has lost about half a kilo in the last year (in other words he weighs less than he did on his 4th birthday). He otherwise appears to be in robust health (rarely ill, plenty of energy etc).

He’s quite fussy with meals and not really interested in food unless it’s beige or sugary (ideally both).

I’ve tried to follow the advice about not pandering to fussy eating habits - the whole ‘you can lead a horse to water...’ philosophy. And he’s just not really eating.

He was weighed at school a few months ago and he was within normal range although he does seem to have got skinnier since then.

When does it become a problem?

(At the other extreme I have a younger DS whose wants seconds of everything and is rocketing off the centile charts so I just feel I can’t win at the moment)

I have a very similar problem-eldest DD (11) very fussy, likes similar food to your DS, very slim, eats very little, to the point where I struggle not to make food an issue. She has always been like this, even as a toddler, and i have to weigh it up-sometimes she’ll have a big (for her) lunch but barely any breakfast or dinner. Sometimes she grazes all day-& sometimes it seems like she’s eaten barely anything. But, she’s active, her school work is fine and she seems to be physically developing fine. I think she’s just one of those (strange) people who sees food purely as fuel...
I also have a younger DD who will eat anything & loves her food
I guess, just keep an eye on him, & see if it balances out in the bigger picture. Obviously if he keeps losing weight, take him to a GP. It’s really hard tho, I know.

I also have a super skinny DS - although he's not a fussy eater, he eats everything, just not very much of it. He's 13 and last time I calculated his BMI it was 5th percentile, which is still within the healthy range for a child but only just. He seems very active and healthy so I am not worrying about it. If you know your DS's height and weight you could maybe calculate his BMI (it's different from the adult calculation) just to check? If it falls outside the healthy range (ie below 3%) I would take him to a doctor.

www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/bmi-calculator/

When I questioned my sons weight (healthy but only just) my doctor told me he’d rather see skinny children. Said society has forgotten that you should be able to see children’s ribs etc. He said he sees far too many overweight children who’s parents are in denial.

Thanks all - I’ll measure him tonight so I can work out his BMI

I had a fantastic HV who reassured me when older relatives were worrying me about my 'skinny' dc1:

"You should generally be able to see their ribs, occasionally their hips, never their nose."

(Hips being the top of their hip bones, nose being the bony bridge.)

And in 18y of rearing 4dc, with different body-shapes and different appetites, I find that she was absolutely right.

Well, it's fine to be skinny, but actually with babies and toddlers I thought the advice was "as long as they are gaining (weight and height)" rather than staying still.
If there is a reason you think he's losing weight (recent illness for instance) then that's fine but otherwise I would monitor closely and check with the GP if it continues.
(To be fair half a kilo is a very small difference, it could be dur to just a difference in scales, constipation, or whether he had just had a big meal/drink)

My dd is like this. Skinny, fussy and sometimes she loses weight.

I just keep an eye on her balance of food and try and make sure she has some vegetables (she only eats carrots 🤦🏻‍♀️), fruit and meat. Some days she has no meat at all. I think she’ll be better suited to a vegetarian diet as she’s just not keen.

If I feel she’s getting hangry (which does happen!), I will feed her more meals I know she’ll eat like plain pasta.

The best approach for me is to have a selection of foods on the table for everyone to help themselves. She feels less self conscious and I’m less stressed.

But I’ve had some success in keeping on offering things she hasn’t liked because she has ended up liking them (rice and some types of chicken for example).

Luckily she’s not massively into cakes or chocolate!