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

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roxywho42
roxywho42 Posts: 165 Member
in Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
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.
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  • lizafava2
    lizafava2 Posts: 185
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    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
    katematt313 Posts: 624 Member
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    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
    amgreenwell Posts: 1,268 Member
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    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
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
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    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
    Limath Posts: 89 Member
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    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
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    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
    tesha_chandler Posts: 378 Member
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    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
    ashdawg8790 Posts: 819 Member
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    Sunshine! :)
  • callas444
    callas444 Posts: 261 Member
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    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
    srslybritt Posts: 1,618 Member
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    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
    Adefowler Posts: 61 Member
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    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
    sandralee78 Posts: 2
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    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
    srslybritt Posts: 1,618 Member
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    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
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
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    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
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    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
    Ulwaz Posts: 380 Member
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    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
    Kestrelwings Posts: 238 Member
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    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
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    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
    navyrigger46 Posts: 1,301 Member
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    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
    thyella Posts: 21 Member
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    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:

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