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

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.

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.

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.

Sunshine!

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.

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.

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!

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

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.

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:

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.

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.

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?

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.

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