Catch Up Growth

[bear6954]

My 2 1/2 year old son was diagnosed by bioposy in May 08 with celiacs disease. He in no longer on the growth charts. He is about the size of an 18 month old. He has grown about 1/2" since May. They also found that he had eosinophilic esophagitis and has been on prednisone. We are weaning him off of it now. I know that interrupts growth. How long did it take your children to make up growth once they went gluten free? Are they average height now? I can't seem to find much research on the subject. Thanks so much.

[jcnfc]

My daughter was diagnosed about 9 weeks ago. In the first three weeks she gained 3 pounds and another 1.5 pounds in the following 4 weeks. She also grew 1/2 inch since then. She rebounded quickly once we went Gluten free and got past the constipation. She was not diagnosed with EE so I am not sure what additional difficulties that could pose. I think I recall seeing some other posts in the past concerning this. You should try to do some seraches on this site; you will probably find additional useful information. Best of luck; I know how difficult this can be.

[Aleshia]

My 2 1/2 year old son was diagnosed by bioposy in May 08 with celiacs disease. He in no longer on the growth charts. He is about the size of an 18 month old. He has grown about 1/2" since May. They also found that he had eosinophilic esophagitis and has been on prednisone. We are weaning him off of it now. I know that interrupts growth. How long did it take your children to make up growth once they went gluten free? Are they average height now? I can't seem to find much research on the subject. Thanks so much.

I took my son off of gluten at 17mo. old (he had only gained 2 pounds since he was 4 months old and was still in the same size clothing (the docs didn't have a problem with it since that size was a size 18mo...) anyway, after I took him off of gluten he started growing about a pound a month and he is 22 mo. now and in a size 3 clothes and size 8 shoes (from size 18 mo. clothes size 6 shoes) thats in a matter of 4 - 5 mo. I have also noticed a difference in my other children especially my other son who just turned 4 he gained 2 clothing sizes and 3 shoe sizes in that amount of time also. (went from size 4 clothes to size 6 and from size 10 shoes to size 13) my daughter jumped 1 1/2 sizes for clothes and also for shoes (which could be normal, but hey she isn't complaining of tummy aches anymore so I am pretty sure gluten is an issue for her also) anyway not sure how much this helps you. not sure how long it will take yoru son to gain but it was pretty big change in our family

[crunchy-mama]

I am really interested in this as well. Luke's shoe size hasn't changed in a year. He did get bit taller, but not enough that he is not continuing to fall off the chart on height, has already done so on weight. It is good to hear that they can start catching up relatively soon.

[Kibbie]

MY dd was diagnosed at 18 months old... she was born weight 10lbs and was off the charts in height too.

From the first noticeable" symptom" to diagnosis was about 1 month and she had dropped from the 98% in weight to the 50% (I only know this because her 18 month apt was the day before her biopsy and I remember looking at the sharp turn on her chart and the Dr. noting the diagnoses of Celiac Disease then and we had been in the previous month for a flu shot so they weighed her the month before and she was in the 98%)

We did the biopsy the next day so she was gluten free right that day. 3 months later she was back up to the 98% Her pedi-GI said that 3 things were a factor in her unusually rapid recovery

1. We caught things really quickly so the significant amount of damage to their little bodies was not there (thsi was compared to a child who had been ill for quite some time)

2. She weighted a lot to begin with so her body had extra resources (Fat) to draw on while her intestines were so messed up

3. My daughters strange interest in all sorts of food (lack of being picky) helped her get the nutrients she needed faster than a lot of toddlers who are just naturally picky at that age.

She told me that with most kids she doesn't see them back to "normal" for up to a year and sometimes even a year and a half.... that typically they just look for some improvement at 3 months of being gluten free.

Give it time.... Her bloated belly didnt go down for at least 5 months even though she had gained weight back... and she was still a little anemic at 3 months... so total healing can take time... each kid is different... I'd say improvement is improvement and be happy with that!

[dandelionmom]

My daughter grew two clothing sizes in 8-9 months. She's now the tallest child in her class (not surprising since her parents are taller than average). She grew so fast sometimes that she would complain of leg pain that her pediatrician said were growing pains.

[LongFam4]

I am really interested in this as well. Luke's shoe size hasn't changed in a year. He did get bit taller, but not enough that he is not continuing to fall off the chart on height, has already done so on weight. It is good to hear that they can start catching up relatively soon.

Me, too. We took our boy off gluten 8 months ago. He's had a little bit of growth but he's still below the charts in weight. He's almost 3 but looks to be 2 years old and he still wears 24-month and 2T sizes. It breaks my heart sometimes to see him so thin and small. I'm 5'4" and very small boned, and my parents were short, too, so I don't expect him to be huge, necessarily, but I'd like to seem him back on the growth curve for weight. (He's in the 10th percentile for height.) He also is extremely picky and never seems very hungry. We do gluten free everything and I don't think he's getting contamination since his BMs are on the normal to constipated side.

I get so anxious about his weight sometimes, but I try not to let it show or pressure him at the table, as I know this would seriously turn him off to eating even more.

Anyway, thanks for creating this thread. It does make me feel better to know that we're not alone.

Can any of you suggest any fattening, gluten free, toddler friendly recipes I could try on my little guy?

[MarsupialMama]

The weight and growth thing DEFINITELY depends on the individual. I've heard many many stories where the weight is packed back on pretty fast. I have a friend however whose little boy took about a year to get back together with his weight. I try to remember this in dealing with our daughter, because the weight has not been coming so fast. After 3 months of gluten free with us, I think my daughter gained one, maybe two pounds, but she was weighed with a different scale, so that's not really reliable as scales can WIDELY differ from each other. I've worried to death over the weight issue as well and it bothers me to see her so skinny looking. But you have to write down all the improvements you DO see and focus on those. The weight will come. Some comes overnight, some comes over many months.

One thing that my daughter LOVES is what I call Instant Carob Pudding.

Take a handful of nuts, blend with just enough water to cover them.

Add a few tablespoons of carob or chocolate powder

Add one whole avocado and 1 whole banana, and enough water to make it all turn through the blades.

Then you can add honey/sweetener to make it sweet enough. If you want to use dates, make sure they have no pits, and blend them together with the nuts at the beginning so everything ends up real smooth and not chunky.

Both my girls are crazy over this, it only take a minute to make, and it gives them their protein, fat and carboyhdrates all at once. And its not loaded with sugar which can deplete their body's reserves of nutrients.

You can make it without the nuts too if there is an allergy problem there - i basically just do those for added protein. You can also add a sprinkle of salt if it happens to have an "off flavor". Depends on the quality of the avocado many times.

Fruit smoothies are also very popular in our house, are taken well by even picky eaters, and packs the girls full of nutrition. You can use bananas, fresh fruit, fruit juices, and milks, even nuts or nut butters.

Mashed potatoes with olive oil and salt is usually taken well too.

[bear6954]

Me, too. We took our boy off gluten 8 months ago. He's had a little bit of growth but he's still below the charts in weight. He's almost 3 but looks to be 2 years old and he still wears 24-month and 2T sizes. It breaks my heart sometimes to see him so thin and small. I'm 5'4" and very small boned, and my parents were short, too, so I don't expect him to be huge, necessarily, but I'd like to seem him back on the growth curve for weight. (He's in the 10th percentile for height.) He also is extremely picky and never seems very hungry. We do gluten free everything and I don't think he's getting contamination since his BMs are on the normal to constipated side.

I get so anxious about his weight sometimes, but I try not to let it show or pressure him at the table, as I know this would seriously turn him off to eating even more.

Anyway, thanks for creating this thread. It does make me feel better to know that we're not alone.

Can any of you suggest any fattening, gluten free, toddler friendly recipes I could try on my little guy?

[bear6954]

I saw a dietitian for my son they told me to feed him the exact opposite of healthy. He is suppose to eat 1200 calories a day. I am to use butter, oil, whole milk etc in his food. I found that using heavy whiping cream and one stick of butter in mashed potatoes was real good. I fry almost all his food on canola oil - french fries etc. His eggs I cook with butter. i also let him eat as much corn on the cob that he wants for the carbs. I just try to find ways to increase his fat since he he is a very picky eater. I also let him eat cool ranch doritos and marshmallows for snacks. My son wont eat fruit and he still has a hard time with swallowing meats so I grind hamb to put in spag and I cook his noodles a little longer to make them soft. Hope this helps.

[Amyleigh0007]

My son was 8 years old and 41 pounds when he was dx in March. He was very small. It has been almost 6 months and he now weighs 53 pounds. He has grown a few inches in height although I'm not sure how many. I know that he has gone up two pants sizes (from 5 slim to 7 slim) and his feet have grown from a size 10 to a 1 1/2. His GI also told us to put butter on everything and give him whole milk to fatten him up. I fry his chicken nuggets and hamburgers and let him eat as many cookies as he wants for dessert as long as he eats all the food I give him for dinner. I am so thrilled with his results.

[mardigan]

Whole Foods sells a gluten free, casein free Applegate Farms "The Great Organic Hotdog". They are expensive but fattening & the beef is grass fed so it's full of omega-3 fatty acid. I find them spicy(turmeric) but my 2 and 7 year olds love them.

Lisa

[LongFam4]

All excellent suggestions. Thank you so much. We do add lots of olive and canola oil and butter to his foods. We also let him eat quite a lot of ice cream and ice cream shakes. But he tires of things quickly so we have to switch things up a lot. It's a huge challenge to get him to try anything new.

I will definitely try many of your suggestions, especially that crazy Carob Pudding!

Thank you, MarsupialMama for reminding me that growth catch-up strongly depends on the individual child — it helps so much to read these types of supportive and wise comments.

[sixdogssixcats]

My 3 1/2yo daughter has gained almost 3 lbs since she was diagnosed at the end of June, and I'm finally able to get rid of most of her 24mo-2T clothes. I've never had so much fun clothes shopping in my life!

[kbalman]

Glad to hear that my son is not the only one who has not grown and that has drs are not concerned. He is 15 months old and still wearing size 3-6 months. He went for 3 months without gainging weight, then gained about 1/2 a lb then he did not grow in length any for 3 months. This month after starting him on pediasure in place of his milk (it is gluten and lactose free) he started gaining weight. We started him on the gluten diet on friday.

He has not actually been diagnosed yet via biopsy or blood work because the drs are morones and those are very inaccurate under the age of 3. I am giving the diet a try to see how things go. So far his belly is not nearly as bloated and he is having bowel movements more consistantly.

Good luck everyone with your growing babies. I get so irritated that in such a key developemental stage drs are not more concerned about the health and well being of our babies like us mothers are.

[momofboys05]

I am very new. Today my 7 yr old son saw his pedi-GI and she said she is very concered about his weight and height growth. In 2 months he hasnt grown or gained weight. He is 34 lbs and 43" tall. He is in 1st grade and has bathroom issuies for the past 2 yrs. Today she said that she wants to do a biopsy to see if he has this celiac disease. Any info you could give me on this disease and the foods to use if he is diagonised with it. I want to try to prepare myself and my husband with whats ahead of us. For 2 yrs we were told that he just has behavior problems. He has been diagonsed with ADHD.

[bear6954]

I am very new. Today my 7 yr old son saw his pedi-GI and she said she is very concered about his weight and height growth. In 2 months he hasnt grown or gained weight. He is 34 lbs and 43" tall. He is in 1st grade and has bathroom issuies for the past 2 yrs. Today she said that she wants to do a biopsy to see if he has this celiac disease. Any info you could give me on this disease and the foods to use if he is diagonised with it. I want to try to prepare myself and my husband with whats ahead of us. For 2 yrs we were told that he just has behavior problems. He has been diagonsed with ADHD.

My son had huge behavioral issues - cranky, grumpy, clingy etc. Once we went gluten free he completly changed. We wakes up and tells me he is happy today. He acts like anormal little boy! Celiacs react to the protien in the wheat or gluten. There body attacks the intestines resulting in damage to the intestine. My son had the runs, projectile vomiting, stopped growing for almost a year, big belly, elevated liver function test and longer than normal eyelashes. Your best bet is to google celiacs disease and get onto some of the foundation web sites. I do some shopping for crackers etc on line. The rest I look for in the store - whole foods and trader joes are real good for gluten free stuff. Hang in there.

[LongFam4]

Update: Finally seeing results! In just a few weeks, our son suddenly jumped from 10th to 25th percentile in height! He's still too thin

[MarsupialMama]

That makes me feel good because our daughter has seemed to have been slower in the gaining weight category (she has gained a few pounds, but not as fast as many people say happens), but my husband keeps asking me "Have you measured her recently?" because it does look like she has gained in height. I wish I would have measured her before, because now I have no comparison. But its good hear your post - confirms what we have been thinking with our own.

[Pattymom]

This is reassuring. WE have been gluten free for 7 months or so, dairyfree for maybe 3 months, and it has been slow. We had one burst the beginning of the summer and then leveled off. My 4 year old dd wieghs 27.5pounds, which made us happy, and I jsut changed over hr fall clthes and after 3 years the 2Ts are too short. so it's progress but as not a speedy as I dreamed. My 7 year old is now up to 44 lbs, 2 pund gain in the past 2 months. Still not a lot, I will jsut try to be more patient.

Patty

[ryebaby0]

As most of you know, my son was dx 5 yrs ago next month, and was off-the-chart underweight. He's now in the 50th for weight, and 80th for height -- he's grown 8 inches and is closing in on 6ft. (He's 15 now)

One thing I haven't seen mentioned: if your child has bloodwork done, have their zinc levels checked. Children's proper growth is drastically slowed by a zinc deficit, which is often present in malabsorption cases. My son took a prescribed zinc supplement (an oral liquid, pink and gum-flavored but "icky") for 3-4 months. Who knew?