skinny kids? how to get more food into them?

[ktgrok]

My son is extremely thin. He is 11 years old next week, but only weighs 61lbs. When he is in a growth spurt, or after an illness, you can see his ribs. The rest of the time they are right there, but not totally visible at a glance. He takes after his dad's side of the family (ex husband). My ex was 6'2", and weighed between 135 and 145lbs. His father was also thin, but not THAT thin. I truly believe that my ex used his weight partly to get attention. He put NO effort into gaining weight at any time we were married. I would cook great meals and he would not eat them, and would have frozen pizza at midnight instead. He was not healthy in general, and depressed. My son is much healthier, and very strong for his size, so that is good. But he can be picky, and hates to stop and eat. I want to get weight on him, but at the same time I don't want to fill him up with food that is bad for him. If i gave him bratwurst and soy ice cream everyday he might gain weight, but that's hardly healthy. Any suggestions for high calorie nutrient dense foods? He doesn't like avocado, and some days he likes meat some days he doesn't. And he hates fatty meats. And he is allergic to dairy. Oh, and my ex was tested for celiacs, and it was negative. He had a full gi workup related to another issue.

 

ETA: I've tried smoothies...he LOVES them the first day, then by the second or third day he is only drinking a few sips of it then throwing it away :(

Edited July 8, 2010 by ktgrok

[Blossom'sGirl]

I would love to know too. I am the mom to 4 very skinny boys. I have started letting them all have a big bowl of cereal before bed but I think they are stuck with skinny genes. DH was only 140 lbs (6') when we married, now he is closer to 190.

[Kim in Appalachia]

Some kids are just skinny. I was one of them. Some people thought I was ill, but I was just very thin. I have the small bone structure, no muscle mass and (had) an incredible metabolism. The truth is no matter how much I ate, I did not get big. I did not eat much meat, because I didn't like it, and I tended to stay away from sweets, I didn't have a sweet tooth. I was a lot like my dad. But eventually weight caught with him and with me. :001_smile:

 

You can't force kids to eat certain foods. When I was very little and very under weight my mom gave a instant breakfast 2 or 3 times a day. But eventually I didn't like to drink those all the time.

 

Provide you son with healthy meals, opportunity to be active and don't worry about it. As long as you know he doesn't have some underlying health issue, let him be the skinny kid that he is.

 

I hope you don't take what I said the wrong way. I know you're concerned for you son, but you can't alter his genetics. The same goes for kids who are a little on the "heavier" side. As long as they eat well and are active, you should not worry about their weight. Children do not need to become worried about their weight.

[k2bdeutmeyer]

I have a 3.5yr old who is 26lbs and doesn't really care to eat either. We've met with a nutritionist (as a part of her ongoing metabolic condition) who basically told us to just sneak in calories however we can. Obviously, she's quite a bit younger, so it's easier to try to do things like shapes and dips, but just thought I'd share in your "pain".

[TundraAcademy]

Sounds a bit like us! I just took my 11yo in for a physical and asked the Dr. about his weight. My Dr. said that being on the thin side is much better for kids today than overeating. He said as long as he eats healthy when he eats it isn't a problem. He was in the 65th percentile for height and 25th for weight. We do a lot of oatmeal, smoothies (soy + peanut butter/bananas), popcorn, bagels, english muffins and homemade pizzas.

 

I also really watch how he feels. If he seems sluggish/tired I encourage him to eat and drink water. I think sometimes he just forgets. Good luck!

[LizzyBee]

My youngest will be 9 next week, and she weighs only 45 pounds. All of my kids are skinny, but this one can stand shirtless in front of a mirror and watch her heart beat. She's at the 95th percentile for height and has dropped off the bottom of the chart for weight.

 

Our doctors have told us not to use low-fat anything; give them ice cream at bedtime; offer lots of cheese, peanut butter, nuts, trail mix, and other high-calorie but healthy snacks.

 

Oops, I just saw that your son is allergic to dairy, so that cuts down on the number of choices he has. Would his insurance authorize a consultation with a nutritionist?

Edited July 8, 2010 by LizzyBee

[Cricket]

You could make a smoothie every 3-4 days or so. That way he might eat them if he doesn't like them everyday. You could look at some meal replacement powders to add to them. (They may have dairy though.) And throw in a big scoop of soy ice cream and make it more like a milk shake. Maybe a little coconut milk too since that is higher in fat and calories.

 

My kids said they didn't like avocado either but really liked quacamole. :confused: They are weird. :) Nuts are high in fat and calories. Eggs are good too.

 

I wouldn't worry too much. All of my kids are on the skinny side too. My oldest just turned 12 and is all of a sudden starting to fill out. He eats like a horse though! Our pediatrician said that same thing as someone else said--it's much better to be a little too skinny than too heavy. My brother was very skinny as a child. My mom would make him milkshakes with whole milk, ice cream and eggs. Now he struggles to keep his weight down.