Feeding Under Weight Kids

[MammaG]

We are gluten intolerant. My youngest (27 months) is underweight. How do I approach mealtimes? She often doesn't want to eat. My natural instinct is to say here is your food. If she doesn't eat it then fine she would have to skip a meal and eventually she would eat or make up the calories at another meal. However, being underweight I can't really let a meal go uneaten. How do I get her to eat without it being a control issue; I don't want to say eat or it is a time-out. Any suggestions?

[Darn210]

We used carnation instant breakfast added to milk to add calories. We also used the ensure (with the extra calories). Most times, we let my son work on a can of ensure all day (in addition to the meals).

[SilverSlipper]

We use scandishake by axcan pharmacies for a weight booster for our daughter. Our gastroenterologist recommended it and it tastes really sweet - all of my kids like it (though only one is drinking it regularly).

You might want to try more frequent meals/snacks. At one point, my daughter had three meals and four snacks daily to try to increase her calorie intake. I would make sure that there is something she likes at mealtime even if other items are foods she may not care for. And, I have found that presentation is everything. Kids love 'cute' things. I bought party picks (Hannah Montana) and made small fruit kabobs. Tiny little forks (like you would see at parties for cocktail weenies) are a great size for dipping small pieces of vegetables in ranch dressing. I've also used clean ice cube trays and put small portions in each thing - veggies, fruits, lots of dips, peanut butter, raisins, yogurt, dry gluten-free cereal, gluten-free pretzels, gluten-free crackers. Dipping things seems to be great fun and a good way to sneak extra calories in. Banana chocolate milkshakes (with instant breakfast, ensure or scandishake thrown in) were a great bedtime snack.

Basically, make meals fun. Many parents try the 'they'll eat when they get hungry approach' which works just fine... unless you have a child who is underweight. Then, they kind of have the upper hand. The trick is to have it under parental control before they realize that they can demand whatever they want and you're a bit forced to give it to them. (Not saying that yours will do that, just in general). Small, fun things every few hours. After things are a bit more stable, start making the snacks smaller portioned and the meals a bit bigger.

[Country Girl]

I was doing the same thing a silver slipper and making food fun made all the difference. I stopped worrying about him eating a wide variety of foods and just started letting him eat foods he likes (within reason). If he wants chicken nuggets 2 days in a row, I let him have it. I think he reached the point where he was so used to not eating that it didn't bother him and meals became a battle. Once he got used to knowing what a full belly felt like it was much easier to start introducing more balanced meals.

At our doctors recommendations we stopped snacks. That really helped. We do have an afternoon snack, but I make sure that he is served nothing besides water for 1.5 hours prior to our dinner so he will be hungry. He is now eating more calories than when he was taking a bite here and there.

I also put butter and ranch on to anything I can. We dip everything in ranch. We also use a prescription weigh gain our doctor gave us to add to his vitamin D milk.

On side note, In the nursing facility I work in we use peanut butter cups to put weight on patients. They are high in protein and fat, plus they taste good.

[sugarsue]

First, HUGS to you!! It is hard!

I have a rule with my dd that she eat a protein and a veggie or fruit at every meal (3 a day). She does not have to eat a lot, but she must have some of each. I let her pick it and that helps a lot. So I am catering to her in a way but she is getting good food. Then, for snacks, she can eat a lof of whatever she wants. She most often picks hashbrowns at the moment (her obsession changes frequently).

Then, I make up her "dessert" which is a bananna, strawberry smoothie with rice milk and protein powder. I freeze it into an ice cream. She thinks she's in dessert heaven and I am happy too!

My dd is older though so she can help make more decisions which I think help her learn what will keep her healthy. Tonight for dinner she picked asparagus and meatballs and ate 5 stalks of asaparagus and 1 meatball and a glass of juice. Then I let her eat popcorn and some of that smoothie. I was super happy with that dinner!

Things will continue to change for you as she gets older and it should get easier I think.

[The Kids Folks]

I agree that its hard with those picky underweight kiddos. We have found that our 7 yo DS loves carnation instant breakfast. We give it to him a couple of times a day. We mix it with whole milk and some half and half. It truly does make the best hot chocolate!! He gets the choice if he wants it hot or cold. We've even sent it to school with him in a thermos. His other favorite is apples with peanut butter and raisins!! We try not to push the food thing too much - but he knows that he has to eat a protein with every meal. Right now he is on some sort of feeding frenzy - growth spurt?! he is eating breakfast, lunch, a snack when he gets home from school, a big dinner and a big snack (usually waffles) before bed. I agree with the other mom - go with whatever your child wants to eat - even it means that they eat the same thing three times a day! This is just a kid thing - not a celiac kid thing!

The Kids Folks

[MammaG]

Thank you for all of your input. There are some good ideas in there that I hadn't thought of before. I particularly like the idea of them (both my kids) choosing one of each healthy food and then letting them have extra food that they want. I like the idea of putting the power in their hands and yet giving it structure and an added bonus of education (which foods count as which). And I haven't been good about making the food fun so I'll have to add that too. Thanks again and especially for the support offered. It has been stressful. Thank you, MammaG