Underweight 1 year old

[Mered12]

HELP! I can’t help but stress, my little boy has just turned 1 and he’s been on and off ill since starting nursery. He’s not been a big eater and will go through phases depending on teeth, illness etc. I haven’t seen a health visitor in months because we switched doctors and the doctors are rubbish putting me in touch. I’ve just weighed him and he’s 19lb4 and looking at his red book puts him on the 9th centile. I’ve thought for a while he seems small for his age but everyone’s told me he’s absolutely fine and now I feel terrible ! What can I do to help him put on weight 😩 he’s also dairy and egg free because of potential allergies, he’s been on a waiting list for an allergist and dietician for around 8 months as well! So with those it doesn’t help because he’s limited on a lot of foods! 🙈 was anyone else’s little boys small for their ages? Or has anyone else been through anything similar?

What centile was he born on? When he was last weighed what centile was he on?

Is he bf or ff?

To answer your question, nut butter and avocado are good sources of fat.

Hi @Mered12 he might not need to put on weight, the 9th Centile is absolutely fine for some DC. It really does depend on which Centile he was born on and which weight Centile he's been tracking for the last few months.

How's his height? Is he tracking his height centile?

As for foods, will he eat things like Mixed Nut butter on toast? You might be able to get extra calories into him by doing things like adding olive oil to mashed potato?

Does he have a decent calcium and vitamin D supplement? And has he got any signs of anaemia?

Agree with pp about centiles - one of mine was 9th centile at 1 and that was fine because he'd tracked around the 9th centile most of his life. You should seek help when they drop down through the centiles.

I'd have a look online, find your local children's centre or ask around local parenting fb groups etc to find out how to contact a health visitor. In my area health visiting is nothing to do with GP surgeries, it's run by the local Community Child Health provision and they have their own website with a helpline number.

He’s always been around the 50th centile exclusively breast fed. It’s only more recently he seems to have lost weight as I said where he’s been ill loses his appetite, regains it and then is teething or something else hits! He’s so fussy with foods I try new things all the time and he tends to just throw a lot on the floor or shut his mouth and turn away ☹️

If he’s always been on the 9th then I wouldn’t be too worried, try to add lots of healthy fats to his diet as suggested (I know that’s hard with the dairy issue).

If he’s dropped centiles then contact someone, you should be able to find your HV without the GP. I was in the same situation with my DD2 she had dropped from 17th at birth to the 9th then the 2nd centile aged 1, we had never seen a HV thanks to COVID but I did speak to them, they advised to see GP who referred us to a consultant where she had lots of blood tests and is now monitored by the hospital every 6 months.

Ok so if he's gone from the 50 th to the 9 th, he needs checking out.

I'd call one of the BFing Helplines for some tips on BFing and toddlers and then I'd book in at the GP.

Tell the GP that you are concerned about his health, weight and height and get them to measure him and record it in the Red Book. If he does get a referral to a Paediatrician, they'll need this measurement as a baseline.

There's a guide here which shows what they should roughly be eating. It's useful because it includes operation guides s d sample menus.

Don't get too hung up on new foods though. If you know he'll eat something, let him have that. You can always add something new on the side of the plate for him to feed to the dog

My almost 2 year old is 9lbs 13oz and is on the 9th centile (born on the 25th centile) for weight as well. She's just on the smaller side. She's hitting her milestones and developing fine. She's just very active so seems to be burning what she eats. If you're concerned, try and push to be seen by the HV or GP or maybe consider going private for peace of mind if you're able

Your 2 year old is 9lb?

My almost 2 year old is 9lbs 13oz and is on the 9th centile (born on the 25th centile) for weight as well

The 9th centile fir a two year girl is around 22 lbs, are you sure you haven't made a typo?

My daughter was on the 90th, born at 42+1. At 6 months old she is on the 25th. EBF and thriving. Just teeny. Not concerned one iota

My ds is like this and it was gluten causing it, and I suspect it was irritating his gut which made him more prone to react to dairy and egg. First step I would go to gp and ask for bloods (iron levels, b12, celiac, thyroid) and a urine test. This will speed up anything the pediatrician can do once you finally get an appointment.

My DD is just above the 9th centile and just turned 3. She was born full term on the 9th centile. At around 14 months she was very fussy and did drop down a little bit. HV was never concerned.

I paid to see a paediatric dietitian and she gave me a lot of advice which I followed. She has gained steadily and eats so much better now (quantity and variety) but has stayed on the same centile ish, slightly above line now rather than on it. She is average height. She is meeting all her milestones and is very energetic so I try not to worry now I think she's just destined to on the smaller side x

It’s is defined worth getting checked if he has dropped centiles, my DC wasn’t a great eater between 1-2 yrs, was still BF and drank a lot of cow’s milk and it turned out she was deficient in zinc and iron which can impact growth hormones. Iron deficiency is common in toddlers who prefer milk over food. She’s just turned 3 and while she’s still extremely small, her growth velocity has improved and we’ve been able to rule out most genetic and hormone issues.

She’s not 2 yet and is in between the 4th and 9th centile but closer to the 9th centile line. HV isn’t concerned

Yes.

DD was born on the 50th centile for height and weight and at 1 she was about on the 9th for weight and 2nd for height. I took her to the GP several times and they always said it was fine as neither me nor DH are very tall. She’s a teenager now and tracked on the 9th and 2nd until about a year ago then she shot up and now she’s between the 25th and 50th.
However I would always advise someone worried about their child development to talk to their doctor or HV. Every child is different - hopefully there’s nothing wrong but no harm in investigating.

Are you sure it’s not 19? ie 9-ish kg?

As I said, DD was also on the 9th centile and was about 9kg on the 2 yo check.

@AudreyJL the 0.4 weight centile at 2 is 8 kilos, which is around 17.5 pounds.

If your baby really is 9 lb, I'd see the GP tomorrow and get her checked over.

My bad 😂 19lbs 13oz

My bad, missed out the 1. 19lbs 13oz. HV isn’t worried about the drop from 25th centile

I would get your little one a check up if you can. Our 9 month old boy is around 17lbs and on the 4th centile. He was born at 1% though. His doctor is very unconcerned as long as “he is tracking his weight curve and not falling off it”. A big change like that might need a doctors visit, but hopefully he’s just got a cold and isn’t hungry.