Underweight child who eats good

[Terra720]

I am struggling with our Doctors suggestions on feeding our kids more fatty foods so he can gain some weight.  Our son is very small for his age we understand that.  But his height is in the 14% and his weight is .46%, his weight to length is below 5%.  With those numbers it seems clear to us that he is underweight.  But if you look at him he does not look underweight at all.  He looks perfectly fine for his size.  He has always been low on the charts.  His has gained weight but when down in %.  He is a very good eater.  He eats lots of fruit and veggies.  Dont get me wrong he gets his share of snacks like cookies, candy, etc so it isnt just healthy foods.  He eats better then his 3.5 year old sister.  Who has also been low on charts but not this low.  We just dont want to start changing to more fatty foods that we typically dont eat when he looks very healthy.  He has great energy and is a very happy boy.  Nothing seems abnormal.  Any advice?

[Renee Radenberg]

You are correct that his weight is below the 5th percentile and his height is between the 25-10th percentile for his age. Are the males in your family having small stature? If yes, then he may be smaller than normal. At 15 months, he can have 'fatty' foods because he brain is still developing and needs fat for it. It is after the age of 3 that children can be feed low fat foods/dairy. To help him gain weight in a healthier way, suggest in place of milk and at the end of each meal give him milkshakes (milk and ice cream blended together – add a banana if he will accept it) or yogurt smoothies (yogurt, milk, and frozen fruit blended together). Add dry milk to oatmeal, mashed potatoes, gravies, creamed vegetables, and creamed soups (add additional meats to soups). This will give him additional calories and protein for weight gain. Use all regular dairy products and no low fat foods so he gets the calories he needs. Hoped this helped you.

[mommy_of_three88]

I am in the same boat, My son is almost 14 mo old and weighs about 18 lbs. He also eats more than his 3.5 yr old sister. His ped. told us to feed him, "fries, and cookies, and ice cream..all the stuff we avoid when trying to lose weight" but that just doesn't sound very healthy for one and for two, we don't normally buy that kind of stuff and try to avoid fast food...so do I go to mcdonald's just for my 1 yr old when I have 2 more kids that I don't want eating this stuff??