Need Help With My Daughter

[Guhlia]

Don't feed her junk. Try adding more fatty meats (dark meat instead of light, for example), try the coconut milk, try putting a little bit of canola oil in her cereal, etc.

Also have a look at how much fat she has on her body. Does she have the fat pad on her bottom? A little on her abdomen? If those are not there, then she really does need more calories, if those are fine, then you can make small changes in her diet to see if a little more fat starts her growing quicker.

I started putting 1/2 tsp canola in her quinoa this morning (also added some extra choco chips for good measure since she gets no other treats really. I will also start frying her chicken on occasion. She looks healthy, just small. She has a small amount of fat on her belly and a nice round bottom. LOL She looks great, just really tiny all around.

Have they checked her thyroid and other hormone levels? It may not be diet-related at all.

Just a thought!

No, she hasn't had any bloodwork yet, but I will write that on my list of questions to ask. I hadn't even thought of that, so thank you!

In response to your question about fat (b/c I can't the quote thingy to work, lol)........

I would suggest cutting out the soy milk, and getting fat from other sources. Coconut oil is easy to add in, and has 14g of healthy saturated fat per tbsp. (sounds like an oxymoron, but it is actually good for you!) I spread coconut oil on pancakes, waffles, banana bread, etc...pretty much anything that I would use butter on. Coconut milk has 14g of fat per 2oz, so a cup of that a day will give you a healthy amount of fat.

Like someone else said, if she'll eat red meat....you could do a chuck roast, or a beef stew drizzled with olive oil. What about bacon? She may bit a bit young for that, but you could chop it up small for her. Avocados are a primo fat source, and usually well tolerated. You could mash an avocado up in a brownie mix, or try giving one to her plain w/ olive oil and a little salt/pepper.

Will she eat rice pudding? You could make that with a mix of coconut milk and Vance's (I do this with my kids, they don't like a strong coconut taste)

Just some ideas for ya.....hopefully taking out the soy milk will help, I know it definately inhibited weight gain in my own kids. If you do some digging on soy milk, you'll find some surprising info that will probably make you feel better about taking it out of your dd's diet. Good luck to you!

I am going to add coconut as soon as I'm positive she's not having any reaction to quinoa and choco chips. We have such a delayed reaction time that it's really hard to be sure, we like to wait 2 weeks. Should be sometime next week when we can try assuming she isn't having a reaction. I've cut her soy milk and added canola oil wherever practical. We also started giving her meat for breakfast today. She wasn't thrilled, but she ate a little which I guess is better than none.

I may try to find an uncured bacon that I can puree. I'll bet she'd love that. Pork doesn't seem to be an issue for her, so that's a good idea. After coconut I think we're going to try eggs to see what happens. Once we get her off soy I expect (read: hope) to be able to add things in quicker than once every two weeks. Hopefully eventually she'll be able to tolerate rice or some other grain so I can bake things for her.

[jerseyangel]

Hopefully eventually she'll be able to tolerate rice or some other grain so I can bake things for her.

Ang--Sounds like a good plan. I have a recipe that I made up (based on one I found) for chocolate chip cookies using potato starch (no grains). If/when you ever want it, let me know.

[Guhlia]

Ang--Sounds like a good plan. I have a recipe that I made up (based on one I found) for chocolate chip cookies using potato starch (no grains). If/when you ever want it, let me know.

Oh my goodness, Patti, yes yes YES!!! I really need a travel snack and I imagine I could just reduce the sugar and choco chips. Also, it would be nice for her to have a treat on Christmas. She never gets anything special other than choco chips.

[zeta-lilly]

Wow, I never thought about candy having corn in it! Corn is probably as hard an allergy to have as gluten. I still think you should add some extra sugar and fat to her diet. I know you want her diet to be healthy, but there's nothing wrong with a healthy diet with just a little bit of junk. The reason junk food is bad is that it's devoid of nutrition and makes you gain weight. Shes obviously getting enough nutrition, and gaining some weight would be a good thing for her. It's what our nutritionist told us to do. Which reminds me...

Have you been seeing a nutritionist or trying to do this on your own? We saw a nutritionist for a long time and it was so helpful. I would hate to think you're pulling your hair out trying to do it all on your own. Your child will most likely qualify for first steps or whatever program you have in your area. Your pediatrician should have the information. Good luck!

[jerseyangel]

Oh my goodness, Patti, yes yes YES!!! I really need a travel snack and I imagine I could just reduce the sugar and choco chips. Also, it would be nice for her to have a treat on Christmas. She never gets anything special other than choco chips.

I hope this will work as a treat for her

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup shortening, 1 egg and 1 tsp. vanilla. Add 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 and 1/4 cups potato starch and 1 cup chocolate chips.

Drop from teaspoonfulls onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 8 minutes (or until lightly golden).

[Guhlia]

I hope this will work as a treat for her

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup shortening, 1 egg and 1 tsp. vanilla. Add 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1 and 1/4 cups potato starch and 1 cup chocolate chips.

Drop from teaspoonfulls onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for about 8 minutes (or until lightly golden).

Any clue what could be used instead of egg without using Ener-G egg sub? She hasn't had eggs yet. Is baking soda something she could react to or is that relatively hypoallergenic?

[jerseyangel]

Any clue what could be used instead of egg without using Ener-G egg sub? She hasn't had eggs yet. Is baking soda something she could react to or is that relatively hypoallergenic?

I've never heard of baking soda being a problem as far as allergies or sensitivites (except for salt issues), but I also wouldn't say there's no way she could be intolerant to it. (big help that was.....)

For the egg, you could use a tablespoon of baby food strained apricots or gelatin mixed with warm water and added right before mixing.

[Guhlia]

I've never heard of baking soda being a problem as far as allergies or sensitivites (except for salt issues), but I also wouldn't say there's no way she could be intolerant to it. (big help that was.....)

For the egg, you could use a tablespoon of baby food strained apricots or gelatin mixed with warm water and added right before mixing.

THANK YOU!!! We still have some baby food laying around. I'll try that and see how it turns out. The poor thing is overdue for some yummy treats. Perhaps I'll even be able to make veggie flavored "bread" for her snacks. Think it would work without the sugar?

[jerseyangel]

THANK YOU!!! We still have some baby food laying around. I'll try that and see how it turns out. The poor thing is overdue for some yummy treats. Perhaps I'll even be able to make veggie flavored "bread" for her snacks. Think it would work without the sugar?

I would think that using some strained fruit in place of sugar would be fine (a sweeter fruit that she can tolerate). You may have to play around with some of this, but I'll bet you can come up with a few things she can eat! Let me know if I can help you brainstorm

[Guhlia]

Thanks Patti! And thanks to everyone else who gave me ideas. We've been able to add a fair amount of fat in through beef and canola oil. She is FINALLY trying some new things. Well, same food, but in different combinations. Hopefully this will open her up to trying new things that the doctor wants her to try. I guess we'll see what happens with the weight issue. For now, I'm going to try not to worry since she looks healthy and is happy. I've upped her fat, cut her soy intake, and I'm going to try Patti's recipe, so I think at this point I'm doing what I can. At least until we see the gi. I feel comfortable that I'm acting on things. We'll see what happens. Thanks everyone!

[Chelsea-A]

My little celiac boy is 20 months old. His weight is also at the 3rd percentile. Probiotics have really helped his digestion. When I started probiotics his stool finally smelled and looked normal. I think it really helped his absorption. I started at 1billion/day and worked up to 3 billion/day. Adding olive oil to foods also gives some good fat for weight gain and brain development.

There are other malabsorption disorders that need to be ruled out.