low weight baby weaning - best foods for gaining

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ds2 was born 4 weeks premature and low weight (4 lbs) and is still only 12lbs at 36 weeks. I started weaning at just under 6 months (corrected) and he's taken to it well and is now having 3 meals. Am still bfing as often as possible, but can anyone advise me on what foods would give him the most energy. We see the paeds/nutritionist at the hospital every couple of months and they suggested just cooking with lost of butter/cheese etc but would this be good for him? don't want to just lace everything with animal fats and I don't want him to get constipated (he does strain a lot already). Can anyone advise? (am just off on the school run, so back later)

I had the same issue with my son when we weaned him (born 6 weeks early - 3 lbs). I really didn't like the idea of putting lots of butter etc into his food as I decided that would possibly put his metabolism up the creek before we knew it. I just fed him usual baby smoosh like in the annabel karmel book. He always seemed to have lots of energy and was keeping to the same centile line (2nd) so I have just kept with it.
He is 3 now and a very picky eater so who knows if we did the right thing!
Sorry - just realised this is possibly not much help at all
Just keep an eye on his weight and energy levels I guess and you will soon know if you are doing it right!

thanks for reply. is your ds still small or did he eventually pick up? ds2 is below the chart, but following his own line. Would obviously like him to at least get back on the chart at some point! I read somewhere that avocados have a high calorific value but wondered if there were any others.

I had problems with DS (now 8 mo) weight and was given the same advice about adding butter, cheese, cream etc. I've been doing that, but haven't gone overboard on it (eg cook some of his food in butter or olive oil / adding one or two teaspoons of cream, cheese or mascarpone cheese to some dishes). He got up to 3 meals a day really quickly and his weight started to pick up much more once he started solids (although he's still hardly chubby). He still gets 4 milk feeds each day and an average day's food will be something along the lines of: porridge with banana or berries and a little whole milk for breakfast; pasta stars with a vegetable cheese sauce for lunch; some sort of chicken, fish or egg dish with some mashed veg for dinner, followed by some wholemilk yoghurt with fruit or some cheese cubes. I was really worried about his weight early on and was told that veg purees on their own probably weren't going to be enough as they are pretty low calorie, and that it was important to get him eating more protein, carbohydrates (2 or 3 servings a day) and fat. It's worked for us.

i would have thought cheese, butter and cream etc would e good as long as everything isn't smothered! for example cream has arginine in it - an essential fatty acid i think and is good for you in small quantities... olive oil - another good fat (can babies have that????) fish - salmon, trout, sardines - can babies have these too???? sorry = am thinking of good food / fats but no idea if suitable. am sure the idea behind blw is that they can have most things - ds is six months soon so very interested in replies too.

butter, cheese - good source of calcium

thanks for replies. traveller glad you got a good result, agree that veg alone will not do much for him. Today he had porridge with a bit of weetabix crumbled in with banana and ff milk, then he had a stew type thing (beef with carrots/parsnips/potato), but no added fats, apart from the oil it's cooked in, then for tea leek and potato and I did put some cheese in and a splash of ff milk. Haven't been doing any puds though so might introduce a yoghurt although usually I just keep feeding him his 'main course' until he stops opening his mouth. ruby hadn't thought of oily fish - good brain food!

Sounds like you're doing great . My HV suggested doing puddings as well as mains to help boost weight. I generally only give them if DS finishes most of his main. As well as yoghurt (with or without fruit), we've tried rice pudding (made with pudding or risotto rice and coconut milk, which makes it slightly sweeter without having to add sugar) and mascarpone mixed with banana (although I've eased back on this a bit now his weight is picking up!).

Good luck!

my dd1 struggled to gain weight as she started crawling at 6 months so it was a struggle to get enough food into her.

i was told to load her food with cheese/butter/cream which i did. lots of cheese sauce made with full fat cream. it did work and now aged 5 she is still slim but does absolutely LOVE cheese/milk, though hasn't got a sweet tooth at all.

re constipation i found making custard with lightly boiled apricots and apple mixed through a wonder. i used to call it the "shitbuster". also try prune juice watered down with a bit of apple juice and water.

sweet potato mashed with butter. low GI and good calories.

fromage frais also help to add some weight though they are loaded with sugar...

red meat, oily fish - limit filling foods like bread, weetabix, pasta and focus on the dense stuff. banana good (but constipating) mashed avocado a fantastic snack.

mmm traveller oh to be 12lbs!! rice pudding is definitely on the menu tonight. I think I'm coming round to the idea now. I suppose you spend your life avoiding too much animal fat and high cholesterol stuff, but I suppose babies needs are different. Just didn't want to make him fat for fat's sake iykwim.
amidaiwish at the shitbuster, that's exactly what we need with him, even on bm he used to strain, turn puce and be in a terrible way. Had to take him to cranial osteopathy in the end which helped. Anyway, thanks for the suggestions, will give them all a go.