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

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2

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  • Rainboots80
    Rainboots80 Posts: 218 Member
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    I add one to two tablespoons of heavy whipping cream to my 1 year olds milk to add extra calories.
  • _KitKat_
    _KitKat_ Posts: 1,066 Member
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    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
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    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
    marysidneyherbert Posts: 69
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    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
    hearthwood Posts: 794 Member
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    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
    powrwrap Posts: 85 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:

    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
    CarolinaGirlinVA Posts: 1,512 Member
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    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
    Elsie_Brownraisin Posts: 786 Member
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    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
    amethyst7986 Posts: 223 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.

    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
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
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    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
  • MissJay75
    MissJay75 Posts: 768 Member
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    I have to add this as well - because we just tried it out and my daughter is gobbling it up. A friend of mine was telling me how she and her sister used to mix nestle quik with peanut butter as a homemade version of peanut butter cups since their mom wouldn't buy treats. So I took half an envelope of Carnation Instant Breakfast, added about 1 TBSP of Hershey's chocolate syrup and mixed until all the powder was mixed in. Then I added about 2 TBSP of peanut butter. (I wasn't measuring, so these are super apx amounts) Mixed it all together until it was the thickness of frosting.

    She ate some plain, but it is pretty rich, so I spread it on graham crackers. Talk about calorie dense!

    I entered those numbers into a recipe calculator and got 300 calories, 10 gr protein, and 25 grams sugar. (Not including crackers)
  • dawnmcneil10
    dawnmcneil10 Posts: 638 Member
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    This scares the crap out of me! Please DO NOT just make changes to your childs diet by adding a bunch of carbs and fats. Take this child to the doctor, get them a checkup and speak to the doctor about your concerns.

    No child should need to worry about being too fat or too thin just as they shouldn't have to worry about being tall or short. You cannot change body shapes, you have what you are given by your genes.

    Lead by example #1, eat healthy foods, make exercise fun and your children will do the same.

    Again if you are concerned, speak to the pediatrician.
  • feather314
    feather314 Posts: 97
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    I definitely suggest speaking with your pediatrician. Being thin or having low weight does not necessarily indicate a problem. My daughter was always on the line between average and below average (but never under weight) however she was always in the 90th percentile or higher for height which means although she was thin she was still growing at a steady rate. The pediatrician had no concerns and we just let her continue as normal. She is 15 now and is about 5'8" (or more) and still slender but at a healthy and within normal weight range.

    My niece on the other hand is both under weight AND height (as in not growing well, she is 7 and is basically the same size as a 5 yr old). The pediatrician (same as mine) did suggest that she gain weight. I won't tell you the specific suggestion on how as I think that should be determined individually for each child.

    My nephew is bordering on overweight and his parents have been told he needs to lose weight. Same pediatrician by they way. See how that works out differently for each child?

    So again I suggest scheduling an appt with your pediatrician and having a check up for your son. They will weigh and measure and bust out the charts to see if there is a growth issue. Best of luck.
  • authorwriter
    authorwriter Posts: 323 Member
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    My son was always way under on the weight/height charts. I mean his little cheeks were sunken and his underwear would fall off because he was smaller than the waistband. His pediatrician referred us to a pediatric nutritionist. She followed him for about a year, keeping weight and height measurements. Basically, we were to ensure he got enough calories. She didn't find any nutrition issues because he had a healthy diet, he just wasn't getting enough calories to grow. So we added liquid supplements to his diet, high-calorie, well-balanced stuff like Pediasure. He started growing until he was at least consistently in the 5 to 10 percent range on his chart. Now he's almost 18, weight about 135 pounds and is 5 ft 7 or so. He eats everything in the fridge and everything in the pantry. It's hard to believe how we had to coax him to eat before puberty.

    I encourage you to see your pediatrician for an evaluation.
  • sheedy17
    sheedy17 Posts: 128
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    eat lots of mcdonalds and KFC
  • mylifejourney2find
    mylifejourney2find Posts: 4
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    My Son was the same way. His Doctor said to give him Ensure. So we did! My Son is 18 now still a skinny mini! But now we buy him Weight gain Power it is found @ GNC Ask for the weight gain Meal powder. You can mix the powder with which ever flavor of Ice cream he likes I use vanilla or chocolate only once I a while. And freeze Bananass, I use a 1/2 of a banana add milk and Walla a Great shake for a picky eater. The Whole banana is too bananay or that is what my Son says. But I got him to eat a banana so that is progress! The Doctor said he would grow out of it. He didn't. So Try the Protein weight gain power and different combo shakes. Orange sherbet is another good one.
    Hope it Helps

    ~ Patty
  • Phanntom
    Phanntom Posts: 28 Member
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    IF he's eating healthy and what you would consider enough for a child his age I wouldn't be in a big rush to get weight on him. When I was young, I couldn't put on an ounce try as I might....I ate well enough but my activity level was so high I just burned it off. My mother would send my brother and I down the street to the Dairy Queen every evening after supper for ice cream trying as you are, to get weight on us. We loved the ice cream, but it didn't add an ounce to either of us.

    In my 28th year that all changed. I finally began adding weight....not a lot, maybe a pound a year. This was happening because my activity level had changed....I was no longer playing baseball, football etc., or running or biking everywhere I went, but was sailing (sitting), working behind a desk, watching tv, (something I'd never done before) and reading. With the more sedentary lifestyle the pounds began sneaking their way onto me.

    If the doctor says he's healthy and you feel he's eating well....I wouldn't worry about it. To try and force weight on him now might end up creating a pattern for him in the future where he ends up fighting weight the rest of his life.

    The most shocking thing I find is sitting at crosswalk near a school with the kids passing in front of my car. When I was in school, we had maybe 3 or 4 kids in the whole school that were overweight....new it seems like half the kids passing in front of my car are portly...it's really sad.
  • mfp2014mfp
    mfp2014mfp Posts: 689 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.

    My brother had/has people making comments and worrying about his weight since a child, he's now 30, and is and always has been perfectly healthy, just naturaly very lean. All that worrying ever did for him was give him a complex about how his body LOOKED. If his doctor says he's healthy, leave it. If his doctor says his not follow the doctors/nutritionists/dieticians advice. :grumble:
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 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:

    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?
    if he's gone from 70 lb to 85 lb then that's a big growth!
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
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    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
    i have a hard time with some of these. Is she dangerously underweight? Seems like it creates bad habits. Many kids are small and grow into adults with weight problems. My kids are small for their age but I'm not going to start to force feed them and add oil and fat to everything. And encourage mindless eating and eating when not hungry? I would get a second opinion if my dr was recommending that. What will she do as an adult when she actually may want to lose weight and has been conditioned to eat regardless of her own body's cues. How small is she???

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