my 18 month old stuck growing!

Dawn - posted on 11/20/2012

I would suggest a second opinion. My nephew had the same problem. They tried just about everything first, including straight butter...yes, butter...after many tests, he had a low hormone level of something (I forget what). He is now getting shots on a nightly basis and he is growing! The shots are expensive, but his self-esteem has grown and he is not teased.

Amina - posted on 04/02/2012

Well kids are different they don't really fellow a pattern of growth as long as ur baby is healthy just keep ur fingers cross all will be ok don't worry dear

Brittney - posted on 03/16/2012

There are so many potential causes that a doctor will sometimes spend months performing tests and studying a child's diet, health history, activity level, and possible causes of stress before discovering the source of the problem. Generally, if your toddler isn't growing at a healthy rate, it means that he's either not eating well or not absorbing or using nutrients properly.



In rare cases, failure to thrive can be a result of cystic fibrosis, heart disease, celiac disease, or an endocrine disorder. If any of these is the problem, it's important to catch it early.

Melissa - posted on 03/16/2012

it has been in the news for children being overweight and because of situations the child has been taken away from the parents. I have also read how children have been malnurished and children have been taken away too. That is why i want to stay on top of things and make sure my daughter is staying on a steady growth. Right now the growth chart is showing a decline not an increase or steady line so that doesn't show she is growing. Both her height and weight have stopped growing. That is why i am concerned is because she has stopped in both. I have tracked it on a height and weight chart. If it stayed the same and the line continued to remain in the same percentile or average i wouldn't be concerned but she has fallen to the 20-25% from the 75-90% for both height and weight.

Amanda - posted on 03/15/2012

ok unless your child is sick and literally not eating anything then you shouldnt be giving her pediasure ....when they start getting older it is very common for them to gain weight less commonly the start to get taller and the weight tapers off ...that is completely healthy and normal ....my son lost 3 lbs when he had a tummy bug he threw everything up for 4 days ...i gave him pedialite and pediasure and even the doc said not to give pediasure because it gives them diahrehha wich makes things worse ....i have never heard of a child being taken away from a parent for being too skinny or too chubby ...unless they are dying that isnt going to happen child services has more to worry about then childrens eating habbits ....im sorry but its true ....your child is absolutely fine ....especially with girls its more normal for them to be really small for example my son who is going on 19 months is about 30lbs but his female cousin who is going on 4 years old is only 25lbs ....but she eats she looks healthy shes just a stick ....dont worry so much ok your little one is fine

Melissa - posted on 03/12/2012

i just talked to someone from a home visiting place. I used to get a free community visitor that you can get through our community after you get discharged from the hospital. Anyone is eligible for it. I decided to e-mail her too. She said give her lots of whole milk and only give her pediasure on days she doesn't eat much. She said go with what the doctor says. The daycare said she eats lots there. However she doesn't eat all food groups there, either at home! looked into a natiriopath to get her healthier and it's not covered under insurance so can't go there. Will have to continue to fight through it i guess or go see a doctor like an ENT for her upper respiratory stuff and see if he can help her!

Ashley - posted on 03/10/2012

my daughter is 2 1/2 now and we had the same issue with her. Once she turned 1 and the transition to milk and whole foods took place she wouldn't eat. She was very skinny and she was always sick. Once we started her on the pediasure (wal-mart brand is very reasonable) we noticed her weight picked up and she wasn't getting sick as much. Eventually the dr told us to gradually get her back drinking the milk and as soon as we did she started getting sick again due to the fact she wasn't eating enough for proper nutrition. She is still drinking 2 pediasures a day and has went from the 20% w/ weight to the 53%. As mothers sometimes we know better for our kids then the drs.

Melissa - posted on 03/07/2012

i have asked my doctor at her year i was a little concerned but more at her 15 month and 18 month appt with no progress. Now since her 18 month appointment she has lost the weight so i put her back on pediasure just at night. Still on homo milk during the day. Pediasure on the label says it's good until 10 years old. Formulas usually will post labels to 3 years old depending on the brand! After 10 you can i guess change to ensure or boost. I live in Canada, and doctors here are limited and you can be on wait lists and have to go through wait lists and get kicked out of practices here too! You can also go through interviews to get a doctor too for family doctors. So switching doctors is not really an option right now, i have asked pharmacists if they have heard of openings anywhere too to try and help me out! but no one has heard of anything. I can only go to Emergency rooms as my other option. Someone at my dad's work suggested to go to a doctor that deals with herbs- herbologist i think! To help with illnesses and maybe see if they have suggestions for weight gain too! I just have to see if it's covered by my work insurance first because it's not covered by OHIP unless recomended by my doctor and if they aren't being much help with her growth other then giving me the SAME recomendations every appointment then they won't help. That's why i turned here! See if someone else has ideas!

Hope - posted on 03/07/2012

If she's going to the pediatrician and they are tracking her growth, it will show if there's an issue. I have a friend who has a 4 year old who is basically the size of my 20 month old. She (my friend's child) has barely grown, in height or weight, her pediatrician recommended a geneticist, to test for a possible reason whys she isn't growing. Although, her daughter has always been slow to grow, even since birth, and ironically-she has and still does-feed her pediasure. (Which I find an odd connection, don't you?) Her reasoning was that her daughter was/is a picky eater so she wanted to make sure her child got the necessary vitamins/minerals. Personally, I don't think it did anything.



I can't 100% relate, my 20 month old is bigger than average children her age (29lbs and 36 in!!) but she was 11 pounds at birth!! -.- [Wow, I know!!]



Honestly, I think if it's this much of a concern, bring it up to your daughter's doctors. They will have, maybe not answers, but direction. **If they brush it off and you still, in your gut, feel something isn't right, go to another doctor. Mommy's intuition is, usually, amazingly spot-on! Good luck!! ♥



(Keep us posted, please!!!) :)

Melissa - posted on 03/05/2012

tried apples, she will eat most fruits on rare ocassions and she hate seems to really love veggies if they are round! If they aren't then you can't get her to eat them, she will eat cucumbers, because they are circles, carrots are too crunchy even in thin slices and because of the color she is finiky about them cooked too. She hates beans, she loves squash in season. We have tried zucchini, which she feeds the dog, eggplant, everything!

Brittney - posted on 03/05/2012

Have you tried all the fruits and vegetables?

Melissa - posted on 03/05/2012

she has outgrown the baby cereals and pureed foods mostly she eats yogurt and applesauce, that you get that you would give a school age child too. I can get her to eat cereal, she will eat what my son eats, or whatever she sees that looks good and rice crackers. However, besides yogurt, cheese, cereal for breakfast, rice crackers, corn and peas, that's about all we can get her to eat. That is going to grow old quick! The doctor said increase her protein and fat, except the only way to do that the healthy way is higher fat milk- yogurt and cheese. I have had weight issues with being overweight and don't want her to gain the weight with the bad foods, but trying to get her to EAT food is a challenge, so getting her to eat food would be great. I have tried vegetarian meals, because i like them too, but that doesn't work either, unless someone knows of even yummier children friendly ones that LOOK more appealing! I think with her they may have to look and taste more appealing!

Brittney - posted on 03/04/2012

What about giving her more cereal based things, like baby oatmeal with pureed fruit, rice cereal, cheerios. Maybe she just doesn't gain weight. My daughter is a little underweight, but she has been following the weight chart pretty closely. She goes up and down with her eating habits but I offer her nutritious snacks throughout the day and she grows. I think it is all these sicknesses that you say she has been having.