Weight Gain Ideas

Shelle - posted on 01/14/2009

My son also has a milk allergy and has HLHS.  As a baby he was in the below 5th percentile.  He followed along the scale and at about 5 or 6 yrs he made it to above the 5th percentile!  He is 9 yrs now and weighs 45lbs. @ 4 feet tall.  I think some is genetics (I'm about 105 and 5'2") and some is heart related.  I say that b/c he eats all the time and is very active. I have counted 3 meals and 3 snacks, so I try to make them count calorie wise.  ( Not always easy but I try.)  We use Almond or Rice "milk" in receips that call for cow's milk, even in mashed potatoes and oatmeal.  In his smoothies we use anything from goat yogurt (use lots of honey to sweeten), peanut butter, and a teaspoon of flaxseed oil along with any frozen fruit.  I also coat rice with flaxseed oil also before cooking.  Hope this helps.

Amelia - posted on 01/13/2009

For a son with both a severe milk allergy and HLHS - failure to thrive post-Fontan - I feel your pain. We find that anything you can put Duocal (hypoallergenic and made by the Neocate producers) in is good. Mashed potatoes is a favorite, and we just make it with water instead of milk. We've put it in brownies (some mixes are milk-free), pasta sauce, etc.... basically anything you can hide it in.

Jaime - posted on 11/13/2008

My daughter which is not a heart child. My son is. But I have always struggled with her weight. She is 4 years old and weights 28lbs. We went in for her flu shot and 4.5 years and she finally has hit 30 lbs. My doctors told me with her carnation good start with her formula or with her whole milk as well. I was also told to add olive oil to anything I can add it to. Her problem is she like the healthy things that doesnt gain weigh. She eats eggs every morning but only the white. She loves chicken but doesnt like the skin. Ask the doctor about whole milk and carnation good start. goodluck!!!

Christine - posted on 11/10/2008

I think Pediasure for weight gain. is the best way to go with healthy solid foods. peanut butter and crackers (ritz) are good cause they have what you need and kids love to eat them. nothing to fatty cause thats allso bad for the heart, pasta is good too. and babies like the ravioli with cheese and pretzels. its been awhile sence My son was that age but i know thats some of what the doctors said would help.

Sherri - posted on 11/10/2008

My son is on the small side as well. He's had his surgery and still the doctot isn't happy with his weight. Its so stressful when I take him to the doctor because he tells me what he should be eating, but as parents we all know when your child doesn't want to eat you can't force them. In our case their is genetics involved as well. My fiance is 90lbs soaked and wet. The doctor told me I should be frying his veggies in vegtable oil to boost calories, to give him eggs every day and when I questioned him on the health of that he told me it's not healthy but he has to gain weight. My son doesn't like eating "meals" he will but I have to make it as fun as possible. But he is more of a snacker. So we basically feed him his meals with a dessert of some kind, and in between meals he'll have one or 2 of his cookies, or pudding or yogurt, a sandwhich. If he doesn't have meat I give him eggs, the doctor has said the protein is what gives the calories and pounds. If he has pasta I shred cheese and add it to his meal, give bread pudding. The doctor also told me he was having too much milk, he was having 4 bottles at the time a day, so we've cut that down to 2 1/2. He said if they drink too much milk once they are a year of age then their food won't digest properly. He feels heavier to me but he goes to the doctor next Monday and I will find out then if its working.

Ruth - posted on 11/09/2008

We have been very fortunate that our son was always on the charts growth wise... about the 25th percentile.



However, I did meet with a dietician to discuss nutrition etc. If your daughter can tolerate dairy, obviously whole milk is preferable to low fat. My friend's daughter (HLHS) has been on Pediasure for weight gain. They worked with their insurance company and it was covered until very recently as being medically necessary. I think they might have worked with both their cardiologist and GI.



Best wishes! I know how hard the weight gain issue can be.

Jenny - posted on 11/09/2008

Emmie is just like amanda in that she is small for her age, so I can share some tips that the MDs here have given me, now that she is eating solids (nearly 16 months)...First something that was really helpful even in bottles was Maltodextrin - it came in a powder form that was flavorless and could be added to all of her bottles and puréed fruits. It is a type of simple carbohydrate (like sugar) that is very easy for the body to absorb and so its easy calories. It can be purchased without a prescription at the drugstore in France and it doesn't cost much.
The dietician that we saw when E got out of the hospital and was having trouble gaining weight also suggested two other things - oil in everything and a pinch of salt. First, the oil: emmie had a teaspoon of flavorless (vegetable) oil in her bottles to give her some added fat, and then all of her mixed vegetables I added in about a tablespoon of olive or some other kind of healthy oil, or on very rare occasions, butter. The dietician also said that babies need just a teensy bit of salt in their food. She did clear this with the cardiologist before giving me the go ahead, and i would encourage you to do the same. I also try to make things interesting by occasionally making her evening veggies "au gratin" that is to say with a little bechamel sauce (if you know how to make milk gravy, its the same thing - only takes a couple of minutes). She loves it and it gives her some extra calories to boot. I have been very hesitant to give her lots of sugary desserts because I'm afraid of giving her a sweet tooth and instead focus on fruit sugars (no sugar added applesauce and the like), but also unprocessed or raw sugar, which I mix into yogurts, etc.
There is a wonderful book that you might already know about called Super Baby Food which can give you plenty of ideas for how to fortify Amanda's foods - adding Tahini (sesame seed butter) to yogurt or oatmeal, for example. If you want more info, let me know, but you should be able to find it on amazon with just the title. She sometimes gets a little preachy about baby food, but there' s a great section on finger foods.
I hope this has helped...
PS: always, always ALWAYS use organic oils for babies - inustrial food oils are extracted partially using *solvents*, traces of which stay in the oil - I don't want to be feeding that to my child!!