anyone have any tips for getting a kid to gain weight?

roxywho42

He's only 10 and he's very small, so weight training is not exactly a good option. Just eat more doesn't work because he's just not that hungry.

lizafava2

Some kids are just small but ..... more exercise. Then he should have a better appetite. Thats how my boys work anyway. Its amazing how natural it can be for kids to eat the amount of fuel they need. My 8yo went to skate camp in the heat last week. He spent about 5 hours every day skateboarding and another hour swimming. He ATE ALL THE FOOD that week.

katematt313

Carbs plus fat at every opportunity. That is how you put weight on a kid. There are lots of ways to do that. Super fat mashed potatoes, grilled cheese, extra butter or half and half when you make mac and cheese, bread and butter, milkshakes, cupcakes, any breakfast item with butter and maple syrup. Fat alone won't do it. Neither will carbs alone. Protein is necessary for the little guys, but it doesn't put the weight on.

amgreenwell

Ensure, or any other kind high calorie supplement drink. Whole chocolate milk is good too. Use whey protein shakes if he'll drink them. they pack weight on grown ups peanut butter snacks of any kind, whole grain pastas, fruit pops

stealthq

Weight training is brilliant for a 10yr old - bodyweight training.

Maybe you could get him in age-appropriate classes for gymnastics, wrestling, rock climbing, something like that? Then make sure he eats plenty to compensate for the extra activity and for the growth he needs.

Limath

Does his pediatrician think he's too small? I'd get their advice before trying anything else. Chances are his appetite will improve right before a growth spurt.

rml_16

Does his pediatrician think he's too small? I'd get their advice before trying anything else. Chances are his appetite will improve right before a growth spurt.

This.

I was a very small person most of my life. My fiance's daughter is teeny-tiny thin, but it just her natural state. She's perfectly healthy.

tesha_chandler

If you're very concerned and he's way smaller than normal, I'd take him to the Dr. Sometimes kids don't have the correct growth hormones. A friend of mine had to have shots every 6 months in Jackonville as a kid or he wouldn't have grown to be over 4 feet tall.

ashdawg8790

Sunshine!

callas444

Unless the pediatrician says he's underweight, I'd just keep focusing on a healthy, balanced diet with lots of play and activity. In a year or two, puberty will increase his appetite naturally and he'll be eating your entire weekly food budget in one day. It's okay to be thin/small as long as he isn't underweight.

srslybritt

Oh, oh, pick me!

Don't worry 'bout it till a doctor tells you it's a problem.

He's a kid, he'll grow. Let him be a kid.

Adefowler

My niece was very tiny and underweight due to several illnesses when she was a baby. The doctor suggested that we add butter - not carbs and sugar - to everything. He didn't want her to get a sweet tooth. We did and she LOVED it. She was a child who really didn't like to eat and was very fussy. Adding the butter really made a difference.

sandralee78

as the mother of 2 very tiny little girls, we had to get them to up their weights. Our doctor suggested butter or vegitable oil in everything, high fat food (good fats) like avocados and cheese, whole milk and/or cream in cereals, and there's really yummy 10% MF yogurt that's like a dessert. I have a hard time giving sweets, I think they go crazy if they have too much sugar. They're still tiny, but at least we aren't hassled by the doc anymore. Also was told by the DR that after 6, height is a better indication of health than weight, so as long as they are growing taller, there are no concerns.

srslybritt

My niece was very tiny and underweight due to several illnesses when she was a baby. The doctor suggested that we add butter - not carbs and sugar - to everything. He didn't want her to get a sweet tooth. We did and she LOVED it. She was a child who really didn't like to eat and was very fussy. Adding the butter really made a difference.

as the mother of 2 very tiny little girls, we had to get them to up their weights. Our doctor suggested butter or vegitable oil in everything, high fat food (good fats) like avocados and cheese, whole milk and/or cream in cereals, and there's really yummy 10% MF yogurt that's like a dessert. I have a hard time giving sweets, I think they go crazy if they have too much sugar. They're still tiny, but at least we aren't hassled by the doc anymore. Also was told by the DR that after 6, height is a better indication of health than weight, so as long as they are growing taller, there are no concerns.

Bolded the important parts of these posts for emphasis.

If you're worried about him, go see a doctor. Don't try the DIY approach because you could really hurt him.

healthygreek

Every so often, I worried about my 3rd child (a boy) because he was very slender throughout his childhood. I would ask his pediatrician about it and he would always show me his growth chart and reassure me that he was growing at a good rate. He was simply on the smaller side. Once he went through puberty, his appetite increased and he shot up fast and put on muscle!
Exercise had no affect on his growth before then. He was a very active athletic little boy but small and slender.
Unless the doc says he's too small-don't worry!

DancingMoosie

I was very small as a young child and my mom decided to put me on a "diet" before letting the doctors run tests on me. What worked: using half and half instead of milk on cereal, mixing my veggies with cream of chicken soup, mixing protein powder into ice cream for milk shakes. Just make sure that none of the foods are "low-fat" or light versions of something else. I loved to dip almost anything in sour cream, too. PB also makes a great dip for fruit, crackers, even carrots, but I wasn't a pb kid.

Ulwaz

If youre concerned about his weight speak to a doctor they may be able to give drinks/foods with higher calories to help put on some weight, also good in healthy oils, calorie dense healthy foods are good too (bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, milk. dried fruit, bananas, avocado, yoghurt, cheese, nuts,eggs,red meat, peanut butter, oatmeal)

goodluck

Kestrelwings

Another vote here for 'Don't worry about it unless your Dr tells you that he is underweight'. Most kids who their parents are convinced are underweight are actually growing perfectly well and are not underweight at all. Trying to 'fatten them up' is needless stress for both parent and child, and potentially harmful.

Conflict of interest - I am a paediatrican :flowerforyou:

mustgetmuscles1

There is nothing wrong with strength training for children and it is now actually recommended.

I collected a bunch of links on this a while back if you would like to read them.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1136184-weightlifting-for-children?hl=Children+weightlifting#posts-17656426

As for gaining weight it is the same as anyone else they have to eat more than they burn.

navyrigger46

Find a sport that he enjoys, that will help motivate him to eat. Also, calorie rich foods, like chocolate milk, whole chocolate milk, show me a kid that doesn't like chocolate milk and I'll show you a future ruthless dictator.

Rigger

thyella

Check my facts but I have 4 kids and they went thru periods when they ate almost nothing. Put food out while you eat, good healthy food and if he doesn't eat, he doesn't eat. If you make too much of it, it will become a game and a way he controls you. Better at 10 months to have him sit with you try a few thing and if he does take him out to blow bubbles or build cardboard boxes. Don't reward with dessert or we will have our kids in this same program. By the time he is 14 he will eat 2 cantaloupes as a snack while you cook dinner. I have 3 boys and 1 girls. Sports of any kind will increase an appetite and chasing ducks at a pond is considered a sport:laugh:

Rainboots80

I add one to two tablespoons of heavy whipping cream to my 1 year olds milk to add extra calories.

_KitKat_

Little things can help too....whole milk can make a big difference if he drinks milk. Otherwise high activity usually does increase appetite. My youngest daughter (11) is tiny 17th percentile. She actually eats a decent amount but she eats little bits all the time. She loves making smoothies and these can pack a lot of calories as well as nuts, peanut butter and guacamole.

I do side with the not worry crowd, my daughter is just active and naturally tiny. I do just try to make sure when she eats, it has what she needs.

nxd10

Some kids have small appetites. And some kids are small. Small kids don't need a lot of food. And some kids are skinny - mine are both string beans - lowest BMI in their schools. You can see every vertebrae. They eat twice as much as me. That's okay. They have lots of muscle from carrying backpacks and are VERY healthy. That said . . .

Ask the doctor if there's anything to worry about. If no, just drop it.
You didn't see he was picky, just not hungry. If so, make sure everything you put in front of him is nutritious. Up the fat content. Cream. Butter. Nuts. Oil.
Add cheese or cream cheese to eggs in the morning. Full fat milk.

My kids know when they are full and stop eating when they are. They take their food and put it in the refrigerator. Later, if they're peckish, they pull it out and finish it. When my kids were 10 both of them took 2 sitting to finish dinner.

Swimming increases appetite because of the cold and exercise.

marysidneyherbert

I think people really need more info before answering this one well. For example, if you just adopted him from an underdeveloped country, that would be completely different from him just being a small boy. And certainly you need to consult with a good pediatrician, particularly if there are known medical issues ... or they may be medical issues that haven't yet been diagnosed that you need to find out about in order to make sure he is getting what he needs.

hearthwood

Don't worry about a 10 year old gaining weight. If they're not hungry don't try to stuff them. They get bigger in their teens and continue to grow for years after. Every kid has a different time that they hit their growth spurts. All you need to do is look at the size if the father to see what he is going to look like when he gets older, and you certainly don't want to give him bad habits of overheating while he's young.

If you're worried about it, take him to a doctor.

powrwrap

Another vote here for 'Don't worry about it unless your Dr tells you that he is underweight'. Most kids who their parents are convinced are underweight are actually growing perfectly well and are not underweight at all. Trying to 'fatten them up' is needless stress for both parent and child, and potentially harmful.

Conflict of interest - I am a paediatrican :flowerforyou:

Over a year ago we were worried about our 12 year old son, who was 5'0" and weighed 70 lbs. Since then we have brought him to 2 doctors. Both say he is in the 2% of his weight class (98% of all other boys weigh more than him), very underweight and it needs to be addressed. They both suggested Ensure or Boost once a day. That's just not doing it. We've gone to whole milk, lots of butter, cheese, milkshakes, etc. He's now 5' 1 1/2" and weighs 85 lbs. He plays soccer and baseball so he's somewhat active. Of course, he's the smallest boy on the field. I'm his dad and I'm 6'3" and weigh 203. My oldest son is 16 years old and is 6'2" and weighs 170 lbs. A friend suggested adding protein powder to his milkshakes. Is that something we should try? What else can we do?

CarolinaGirlinVA

My little guy is 9yo, 48" and 40lbs. Yep, he's much smaller than his classmates, but he is healthy. The doctors were concerned when he was younger and ran many tests on him. He is perfectly healthy, just a little guy. My husband and I both were small when we were kids. His brothers actually tower over us at 6'1" and 5'10". The 11yo has almost caught up to me and I'm 5'3".

Point is...talk to the doctor. We gave my littlest/youngest Pediasure nutrition shakes, he still has one per day. The doctor said his growth curve is coming along just fine.

Elsie_Brownraisin

Butter on as much as possible, gold top milk and full fat greek yogurt, salad dressings with olive oil if they'll eat it, nut butters, loose nuts, home made ceral bars packed with oats/seeds/dried fruit/condensed milk, trail mix. If they'll eat meat or poultry, don't remove the skin or rind, cheese, beans.

We've been advised by the dietician to leave little dishes with fresh fruit, olives, bits of chocolate and nuts lying around the house, as like many children, mine prefers to pick and graze rather than face a big meal. As someone else has said, mine sometimes eats his dinner in 2 sittings.

ETA: agree with others that you should speak a Dr if you have concerns before embarking on major dietary changes.

amethyst7986

Does his pediatrician think he's too small? I'd get their advice before trying anything else. Chances are his appetite will improve right before a growth spurt.

This.

I was a very small person most of my life. My fiance's daughter is teeny-tiny thin, but it just her natural state. She's perfectly healthy.

Definitely this. I would worry if there were some issues with his eating habits. Is he not eating or is he eating and just not putting on the weight? Does he take medication that may suppress his appetite? Lack of energy? Lots of factors come into play when it comes to kiddos. Play it safe, ask doc and go from there.

MissJay75

You have some excellent advice already. If the doctor encourages you to try getting more calories in him, I can tell you some of the things that have worked for my daughter:

1) As mentioned calorie dense foods, so you aren't trying to get him to eat more volume of foods. Put dressing, butter, dips, peanut butter, sauce, etc on anything you can. For example, we add a tsp of olive oil to my daughter's applesauce, and dip pretzels into peanut butter,

2) Consider a nutrient supplement such as Carnation Instant Breakfast or Ensure. We give her 1 in the morning with breakfast, and usually half in the evening before bed. 8 ounces of whole milk is around 150 calories. 8 ounces of Ensure is 250 calories.

3) Try to offer snacks often. I hate that I feed my daughter when she's not hungry, but I can count the number of times in her life she's claimed hunger on 1 hand. We do breakfast at 7am, snack at 9, lunch at 11, snack at 2, dinner at 5, milk before bed at 7. We have other food issues, including Selective Eating Disorder and tactile sensitivity, so sometime it feels like feeding her is a full time job.

4) We allow our daughter to watch TV while she eats. For the exact same reason adults who are watching their calories shouldn't. It's easier to get distracted and mindlessly eat. She will sit for longer and eat more.

edited for clarity