About a month ago I wrote about my frustrations in trying to get her to eat and I appreciate all of your advice. I have tried so many different things with her and I really thought we were making progress. She has outgrown some of her clothes in the last couple weeks so I was sure that she had at least put on a little poundage, but no dice.
On average, I would say that I spend at least half of the time she is awake feeding her or trying to get her to eat. It literally consumes our days and has been consuming me. Seeing that number on the scale yesterday - the same number I saw weeks ago - knocked the wind out of me.
So our next steps are blood work to {hopefully} rule out any metabolic issues and a follow up in 6 weeks. I am supposed to continue to feed her high calorie foods as often as possible and hope for the best in the meantime, I guess. I wish she liked chocolate because it's Cadbury Mini Egg season and I know for a fact that they have been to blame for my seasonal freak weight gain in the past...
20 words of geekdom:
I feel your pain mama! Colson is having trouble growing as well. From 9 months old until 13 month old he only gained 1.5 pounds-- for a grand total of 20 pounds. At his one year appointment theY said there was no need for blood work. :o/ our little guy is also short--barely making the charts at 28.25 inches.
And Colson eats all the time---usually more than his sister. It's hard to not get down on yourself, I know! But you are doing all that you can do! You're a great mama! Hang in there!
So sorry you are going through this. Sending hugs your way!
I'm so sorry sweetie. I can relate on getting your LO to eat. It's a constant battle here on our house and I can't help but worry about it. I hope the doctor can find the answers for you.
ORDER THAT BOOK. NOAW. child of mine- ellyn satter. And M, stop freaking yourself out, she is fine and showing normal toddler behavior. The more you hassle her about eating, the less she is going to eat. It's the one thing she can control. And remember shell gain 2-3 pounds in the second year, not 10-20 like the first year.
And dont fall into the something is wrong with your baby trap because she doesn't fit into a certain mold. Kids come in all shapes and sizes. She's petite. You're petite. M doesnt look bulky by any means, it's just not in her genes to be some chunky toddler (who is eating oatmeal cream pies and 68 ounces of milk a day).
We are in a similar situation. Just curious, what high calorie foods have you been told to offer? Also, if you don't mind me asking, how much does she weight?
@Paul and Sara - she currently weights 18 lbs 4 oz. Our doctor specifically mentioned avocado and cheese, and adding cream instead of milk to her oatmeal, and adding olive oil or butter to her vegetables.
Have you considered a calorie booster, such as scandical? It's a flavorless powder you can put in food that boost calories.
You can also add breakfast type drink mixes (like ovaltine, powdered milk, etc.) to cows milk to boost calories.
These don't really help to eat more, but they will help get more calories in. Like others have said, though, she might just be petite.
A girl I know swears by adding Carnation Instant Breakfast to her daughter's milk. She's had similar issues with weight gain as Carina.
One thing I know for sure is that you are a wonderful Mom. xo
:( so sorry you're dealing with this! our doctor was worried about emmie's weight gain between her 9 mo and 1 yr appt and we had to bring her back for a check. luckily she gained, but i wasn't really doing anything different :( i know it's hard, but try not to stress out about it--carina totally picks up on that and i'm sure it's not helping :(
Have you thought about asking to be referred to a nutritionist? We work with two good ones (wish you were in the area!) and they've been really helpful with our feeding struggles.
Just something nobody else suggested- our daycare does all meals family-style (promotes eating by making it a positive experience and leading by example of others) and we do family-style meals at home whenever possible and I think it greatly contributes to making mealtime a positive (and successful!) experience.
GL!
Wendy
Thank you for the thoughts, ideas, and words of support, ladies! I am writing all of your suggestions down. I really appreciate your help.
@Wendy - what exactly do you mean by family-style?
I hope she starts to gain soon and there are no metabolic issues. ((hugs))
I'm sure you've already tried this, but I thought I'd throw it out there. Have you tried giving her the food that comes in pouches? I know it can be expensive but, if you wait for it to go on sale at Target or BRU, you can stock up for a good price. Even when Eli refuses to eat anything, he loves carrying the pouch around and feeding himself. Same goes for the probiotic smoothies/yogurt and applesauce in pouches, too.
I hope you guys get this figured out.
I feel your pain. I have a nearly 19 month old daughter that only weighs 21 lbs. and is only 28.5 inches tall. She has grown less than 2 inches in the last 6 months, and only gained 2 lbs. She eats pretty well, it is just that she is a little peanut like Carina. Are you having her checked for Celiac Disease? If it runs in the family, or if she has ever had low iron, you definitely should check for it. I eat gluten free, and it really isn't that bad. Good luck!
@Jaymi - YES. We love those, and so does she. I probably just need to suck it up and buy them for daily use.
@Lyla - I'm sorry to hear you're going through the same thing. We are having her checked for Celiac. It doesn't run in the family, but it's definitely worth checking.
What I mean by "family style" is everyone sits down for the meal together (even if it's just you and her) and you eat at the same time and focus on the meal (no tv, toys). Even better if your hubs is home and she sees that it's mealtime and whether or not she eats, she will sit nicely in her chair. Soon enough, maybe she'll realize that it's her chance to eat and get it over with...
best of luck!
My girlie hardly ever eats she has been between 23 and 27 pounds sence she was one, she is 3 next month and had a doctor appointment last week and is 29 pounds! I was so excited. The doctors want me to take her to a eating specalist, still. She is short for her age too, in 24 month pants. She was in 6-9 month clothes forever. Does she go through issues of puking? My daughter does and doctors still dont know why.
@Wendy - we do that for dinner, and it is a struggle. We used to do it for breakfast and lunch but she wouldn't eat anything at all. Most of the time the only way to get her to eat is follow her around with a plate of something while she plays :(
@Mommy2jambers - Yay for 29 lbs! Carina has never had issues with puking. What kind of tests have the doctors run?
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