Underweight child

BelovedSOZO

Help my 8 year old daughter is underweight and dairy foods constipate her.
Any help is much appreciated. I on the other hand am overweight.
Challenged and needing some encouragement and advice please!

momof3and3

Is she truely underweight, accroding to dr or just really skinny? 2 of my girls are really skinny, and so was one of my sons. It is more of body type/genetics for them, not a health concern. Their weight was always between 5-15 percentile for weight...My youngest daughter (age 12) hasn't gained any weight in 6 months, but has grown 2 inches...I joke that she eats like a construction worker That is her normal and medically she is in good health

It is easy to add calories...buy children's pedisure and give it to her with her meals, or any protein shake...muscle milk ( no dairy) atkins shakes, etc. Let her snack on high fat/high calories foods...nuts, granola are good choices.

Make her fruit smoothies, and add in protein powder to boost the caloric intake.

Have her eat every 2-3 hours to fuel her body.

DrMAvDPhD

Is she lactose intolerant? If her food problems are causing her to lose weight, see a doctor. Seriously, she could have Crohn's or Celiac's or a million other things going on that should be under medical supervision.

ldholcombe

They make those ensure meals for kids. Get her some of those. Also ask the doctor. The doctor can help you more than anyone, maybe test to see if there is a bigger issue.

good luck

3foldchord

My son was barely 40 pounds at 7 years old. I had to get protein drinks and protein bars. Between his sensory disorder and food allergies, it was not the easiest thing. I tried to add seeds to his meals. He loved sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. He can't do peanuts, so I bought soynut butter for him.

edit: All my kids have weights in the lower percentiles, but my youngest was always tired and weak , so for him it was an issue, but not my other two.

Brengild

I was an underweight kid and one of my daughters was underweight. If it is just her genetics so be it. I and my daughter were both told we needed to gain weight. Even had a school nurse call me about her. So, to satisfy everyone, I took her to her Dr. and asked for complete blood tests etc. for him to confirm she was not malnourished or had an eating disorder. It just happens to be her body type. But it is good to have a Dr. confirm no illness. I just have a bias against trying to fatten her up(unless ill). It didnt work for my daughter or myself and only makes you more self conscious about your body. Age and pregnancy finally put weight(too much) on me! lol!

IveLanded

Yes....is she underweight, or just a petite kid? If she's healthy and normal and doing good in school and feels fine then I would do nothing. Not every kid is the same. My kids were all giant babies and have all become teeny kids. My 13 year old daughter can still fit into kids size 10 stuff. She's just thin and small. But healthy and normal.

Troll

of course have her dr make sure everything physically checks out-if shehas an intolerance you need to know why!

my fiance and his whole family are slim. theyre fat as a grease hog as babies, but by age 4 theyre underweight. my nieces outeat me several times over, are taller than me by 9 years old, and weigh a whopping......78-90lbs. my fiances oldest brother, at 6'1" weighs about 145.

your kiddo may just be slender!

cmriverside

To everyone recommending meal-replacement shakes - she said the girl can't do dairy. That is most of the meal replacement shake, almost all of the mainstream ones use whey as the protein.

To the OP - you can buy protein powders that are not made with whey protein. Look for those online.

jazee11

Has the doctor confirmed that your child is underweight? I would have it checked out just to be sure there is not another issue going on.

Like another poster mentioned, you could also add nuts and seeds to your child's meals.

You can use almond milk or other dairy subs if your child is intolerant to the regular dairy products. Look at some of the cereals and other products you are buying. There could be hidden casein or other forms of hidden dairy in there.

3foldchord

To everyone recommending meal-replacement shakes - she said the girl can't do dairy. That is most of the meal replacement shake, almost all of the mainstream ones use whey as the protein.

To the OP - you can buy protein powders that are not made with whey protein. Look for those online.

Yes, I know they are, but I figured she could find the ones that are not. Most stores that carry protein stuff will have non dairy ones.

SuperstarDJ

Firstly, I can guarantee this post will be locked as it's a question about a minor. Your child is still growing and developing so adequate nutrition will never be so important as it is now. If you are worried you need to see your doctor who will probably refer you to a paediatric dietician (if she needs it). Do not start supplementing her with Ensures or anything else until she is checked out. Too much of certain vitamins and minerals can be just as dangerous - if not more dangerous - than too little, but only your doctor can determine if she needs supplements.

BCSMama

I recommend talking to a nutritionist. My dd was underweight when she was younger due to a medical condition and we consulted a nutritionist who gave us some really good ideas of ways to add calories to her diet without giving her a bunch of junk. For example, we would add a little olive oil to her foods (brown rice, whole grain pasta, mashed potato, etc.). We also gave her high calorie healthy foods a lot like nuts, nut butters, seeds, etc. One thing she really liked was mashed avocado with honey.

BelovedSOZO

Thanks for the help! : )