Could I actually be feeding him too little?

Tanya - posted on 09/12/2011

of course, if it is celiac, then you should be able to add back in some solids if you just do fruits and veggies.

Tanya - posted on 09/12/2011

If you think it's celiac (gluten allergy) you could try cutting gluten out of your diet and EBF and see if he grows better.

Kathryn - posted on 09/07/2011

Update at top.

LaLasha - posted on 08/25/2011

I don't think there is anything wrong with him. both of my daughters were very thin and at 8 months only weighted about 12 lbs but they were meeting milestones rolling over pulling up my youngest started to walk at nine months so please don't worry keep doing what you are doing and if he acts hungry feed or nurse him but don't let the doc fear monger you in to thinking you aren't doing it right.

Amber - posted on 08/23/2011

It's common for babies to start growing at a slower pace around the 6-9 month mark as they are getting more and more active. It appears as though he's sleeping through the night, if he were not getting enough calories during the day, he would be waking and needing to nurse during the night. I would be hesitant to put him through any kind of invasive/stressful testing if the only problem is that he's small. If he's healthy and meeting all of is developmental milestones on time, he's fine! Concentrate on getting him enough breastmilk as there's more calories in it than solids. Then give him high calorie, high fat solids: bananas, sweet potatoes, and avocado and add a little bit of butter or olive oil to them. I would stop with the rice cereal and puffs altogether, they are low calorie, but filling foods. Hang in there, momma! You're doing good!

Leah - posted on 08/22/2011

My daughter was also 17.5 lbs at a year and she was perfectly healthy and still is healthy. I wouldn't let the doctors give you a hard time about it. They are comparing you to everyone. Which isn't fair because every baby and child grows different and is a different size. My daughter had two different docs before she was one. The first doc saw her up until she was 9 months and she became "small for her age" by 6 months. The first doc never gave me a hard time on her size but the second doc would constantly bring up how small she was and asking me how much I feed her. Doctors can be so insulting. But you have to remember they don't know you or see how you raise your child so they can only assume from what they see in front of them. I used to reassure the doctors she ate good and plenty and was always happy. Which she was. The doctor eventually convinced me to put her on pedisure once a day. It's a nutritional supplement and weight gainer. My daughter drank one every day for a year and it never made a her gain weight any faster/more.
Hang in there and keep your head up. Only you know your child. Breastfeed before meals and defintely on demand and feed food as is needed and all will be fine. Doctors don't know everything.

Suzie - posted on 08/22/2011

my daughter was only 17 lbs at a year and was perfectly happy and healthy

Jacquelyn - posted on 08/22/2011

He sounds on track for his birth weight, offer breast first and don't worry 15 lbs is good for 8 months :)

Anna - posted on 08/22/2011

It's hard to tell how much your son was taking in by you specifying the number and lenght of feedings as each baby sucks differently and each woman's milk ejection strength varies. As long as you were breastfeeding on demand, day and night, your baby should have been taking in enough. The only way to know for sure is to weight your baby naked before and after feedings. As for solids, babies are very smart and know how much they need. As long as you keep offering food, it's up to the baby to decide if he wants to eat and how much.

Elizabeth - posted on 08/21/2011

It sounds like he's getting enough. If he's not waking up a lot at night to feed and he's not fussing all the time then you're fine. My first son was and still is skinny even though he eats all the time. My second son is huge. It just depends on the child. As long as he's happy you're doing a great job.

Mia - posted on 08/20/2011

I agree offer bf before solids, my boys are all very small boys & they didn't gain a lot of weight either once they got past 6months. Our middle son was premmie & has lung disease so we had all sorts of issues trying to get weight on to him but we had the support of paed, dietician & other consultants around his oxygen & food requirements. But I always felt bad being told he was too small but he was eating more than enough. By 8 months he was on formula but only due to milk protein allergy but had 3 solid meals a day plus morning/afternoon tea.

I'd offer food after his feeds & he'll eat when he's hungry. Good luck, don't stress & don't feel bad, he's probably just one of those small kids like mine!

Tanya - posted on 08/20/2011

15lbs 10oz is pretty big for an 8 month old. Is your baby very active? If he is that could be a factor. But mostly, I would try always nursing before feeding. I did that with my son until he was over a year. BM or formula should be the primary source of nutrition for the first year. Good luck!

Sally - posted on 08/20/2011

Your milk has much more of what he needs than table food does. If table food is taking the place of his momma milk, he may not be getting enough calories or nutrients. Babies enjoy food long before they are capable of digesting enough of it to stay healthy and our cultures obsession with putting a spoon in their mouth as early as possible doesn't help. Try nursing him before every table meal and letting the food be desert.
He may also just be small or prepping for a growth spurt. Babies don't actually grow on a nice neat curve like the charts show. They hang out for a while, then they get long, then they hang out, then they plump up, then they repeat it over and over. My daughter scared her doctor by dropping 20 percentile points between her 18 month and 2 year checkups, then grew a clothing size the next week. Her little sister did the same at about 1 year.
Keep an eye on him just in case, but try not to worry unless he starts acting malnourished or otherwise unhealthy.
Good luck

Jamie - posted on 08/20/2011

I would nurse him on demand. Any time he wants breastmilk, nurse him. Food should come after nursing. That baby food has very, very little nutriction, in comparison with baby food.

*Fluffy Bunnies - posted on 08/19/2011

Always offer the breast before solids. Breast milk has more calories then the amount of solid foods that he could take in. Most days it looks like he's nursing 4 times, but up to 6 times (if I'm reading it right). I would cut back on solids like Teresa said and as I said above offer the breast just before offering solids (breast then about 20 mins later try solids). Food at this age is just for fun, to get him used to it. Breast milk should be his main source of nutrition until after one year. It sounds like you're nursing on demand, he's just not demanding as much because he's eating more food.

Teresa - posted on 08/19/2011

If he is having low weight issues.... I'd cut down on the solids a bit and nurse more and/or always nurse BEFORE solids.

Selia - posted on 08/19/2011

If he isn't acting hungry I am sure you're feeding him enough. Hang in there! Some babies just stay small for a while.