Failure To Thrive In Todler With Celiac

[VelezLA]

My son was diagnosed with Celiac disease at age 2. He is 30 months old now, and his is at the five percentile for height and 10% for weight. Most gluten free products are "Fat-Free", he is also restricted from dairy, eggs and peanuts.

His Dr. believes the problem is his "fat=free" diet...I do not know what else to do.

My son has an appt. with a nutritionist in December!!

Any ideas??

[Matilda]

...

[Smunkeemom]

you might want to check into the scd (specific carbohydrate diet) it is more restrictive than what he is on now, but people have really had a lot of success with it. My husband is on it for his crohns and says he has never felt better.

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it's not really an unhealthy diet (fresh fruit, fresh veggies, gluten free, low fat ect.) and once he heals he should gain weight. I would def. talk to his doctor about whether he would need vitamin suppliments on it though (since he is so young and may be a picky eater.)

there is a thred of scd people somewhere around here I will try to find it.

[e&j0304]

I understand your concern. My daughter is also very small and at 34 months old is in the 3% for height and the 10% for weight. She has been gluten-free since August of this year.

I agree with the previous poster in that we also buy a lot of products with plenty of fat. I realize that you are more limited since your little guy has aome other food restrictions. I'm not used to looking for dairy, egg, and peanut free things, so I'm just trying to think about what may be safe for him. I can't really think of anything right now. I hope someone else will have some good suggestions for you. I have heard of people adding some vegetable oil into their kids foods to add some fat to them. That could be an option.

Basically, to gain weight he needs to be taking in more calories than he's burning off, regardless of the amout of fat he takes in. Although he of course needs some fat I think the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children over the age of two follow a low fat diet similar to that of an adult. *I would of course never suggest that anyone cut back on necessary and needed fats for their children*

I don't think that lack of dietary fat is the cause of his lack of weight gain. I would guess that he either needs to be taking in more calories in general or that he is getting some trace amounts of gluten and is still not absorbing his food properly.

I hope someone is able to help give you some good ideas!

Best of luck,

Shannon

[Smunkeemom]

I just remembered something, when my 2 year old was diagnosed at 1 she had lost about 60% of her weight . her doctor put her on pediasure for a few weeks (3 cans a day) and then her regular diet on top of that. she seemed to gain fast

I know it is gluten,dairy, and nut free but I am not sure about anything else (like eggs) so you should check

it was pretty expensive, but covered by WIC in the US.

[Guest nini]

My daughter also had failure to thrive, her ped. put her on Pediasure to help her gain weight. If you can't use that particular product, maybe you can make your own protein shakes that he can have daily.

I agree he may also still be getting trace amts of gluten and that could be affecting his healing, in my daughter's case we didn't realize that the PLAYDOUGH she was playing with EVERY DAY was the source of her problem. She would get it all over her hands, touch her face, suck her fingers, etc... and was constantly getting glutenened.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. My daughter is now a very healthy 5 year old and is right on target on her growth charts, and even TALL for her age!

[VelezLA]

My daughter also had failure to thrive, her ped. put her on Pediasure to help her gain weight. If you can't use that particular product, maybe you can make your own protein shakes that he can have daily.

I agree he may also still be getting trace amts of gluten and that could be affecting his healing, in my daughter's case we didn't realize that the PLAYDOUGH she was playing with EVERY DAY was the source of her problem. She would get it all over her hands, touch her face, suck her fingers, etc... and was constantly getting glutenened.

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions. My daughter is now a very healthy 5 year old and is right on target on her growth charts, and even TALL for her age!

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[VelezLA]

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Dear all,

Thank you for your comments and feedback!...I will be asking his DR. about Pediasure or something similar, It is my understanding that it does contain dairy but I will confirm that... Perhaps his Dr. would like to do a "food challenge"

Very interesting the comment on "Playdough", I was not aware that it contains gluten too... Is the "crayola brand" gluten free???

My husband suffered this disease for 42 years, he did not know he had celiac until my son was diagnosed!! then he tested positive too --Now he is following the same gluten-free diet and feeling great!

[VelezLA]

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I am glad to hear that your daugther is healthy and doing well... Great news!

How difficult is to deal with her diet at school???

[Guest nini]

All commercial brands of playdough contain gluten. There is a brand Colorations that makes a gluten free playdough and you can order it off of Discount School Supply, however it's expensive, and you can make your own play dough very easily. You can e-mail me at nisla@comcast.net for the recipe if you like.

As far as school goes, I just did a lot of preparation at the beginning of the school year, sent in letters that I got off of some website and provided lists of safe gluten-free school supplies and provided gluten-free playdough enough for the whole class, and I stay in constant contact with her teacher if I need to send in cookie mix or gluten-free flour or pasta noodles for art projects. I also send her lunch every day and provide her snacks. For birthday parties, they send home a calendar of birthdays and what day to do that birthday party, so I can send in a gluten-free cupcake that day.

It just takes vigilance and patience, but it can be done. It is frustrating at times, especially if they are doing a project where there is not a gluten-free substitute. BUT, I've found that the teachers and the principle and the school nurse have all been extremely supportive.

[Jnkmnky]

Dairy, eggs and peanuts. Well, that does complicate the diet. Any chance the egg thing is not accurate? I believe this company makes bread your son can have...

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Give it a look. I know they have a lot of soy and Casien free breads. All good stuff, too.

How about tacos- old el paso taco sauce is gluten-free. Skip the cheese.

Beef stew

Chicken noodle soup

Split pea with ham

Stuffed peppers

Bacon

Corn tortillas with bacon, turkey, mayo, avocado

Avocados are high in good fat. Mash them into his tuna, chicken salad, etc.

Sprinkle olive oil in his food. Not a lot, just a dash

Mashed potatoes made with rice milk and salt----add a tablespoon of olive oil

Make gravy with corn starch and add a bit of olive oil.

Fatten up his foods.