Why isn't my son gaining a lot of weight?

Christine - posted on 01/11/2010

I was talking to a friend about getting a civilian dr. on base. She said they're typically better because they went to REAL medical school, not military medical school, therefore have more training and are more qualified. I am going to the dr. myself today so I figured I'd look into it. And as far as going out in town, I've never heard of Tricare making you pay extra, as long as the dr. accepts Tricare. That's where we've gone before and it never cost us a dime.

Katherine - posted on 01/09/2010

I want to add my vote to getting a new doctor. All fat isn't created equal and a crapy diet is going to wreak havoc on your child's development. Any competent doctor would know that. Talk to a nutritionist about the best and healthiest way to help your munchkin gain weight.

Christine - before you go off base remember that it will cost you more with Tricare. You can change your PCP anytime on base just by calling Tricare and letting them know who you want to be changed to, it's really easy. Ask around your FRG and get some referrals.

Connie - posted on 01/09/2010

My pediatrician is worried about my daughter's weight as well. My daughter was full term 6lb 4oz. 19 3/4in. at birth, was formula fed 7-9 bottles a day now 5-7 bottles, and eats 3 jars of food at every sitting, 3 times a day (tried to follow the Gerber Food Plan on the Gerber website), hasn't been sick at all since birth, no allergies of the sort, normal diaper changes and has always been between the 4%-12% and consistant with her growth, but advanced stages for her age development, She just turned 1 on Thursday and at her visit she was 15lb.s 6oz. She suggested Yoplait yogurt, pudding, whole milk, melted cheeses, mashed bananas, mashed potatoes, soft french fries, Gerber puffs, Spagehetti O's, pancakes with syrup, cassoroles, and anything that is soft or can grasp to feed themselves along with the regular baby food (if you haven't switched yet). I've found taking the breading off the chicken nuggets makes the texture easier to swallow. Now is the time to be creative with meals.I've been looking into books on baby/toddler diets, online. Also, I've been trying to find a pediatrician nutritionist with no luck in my area and it's near a major U.S. city! I'm tossing out my food plan for my daughter and letting her gain whatever she can by her next dr. visit at 15 months,

Medic - posted on 01/09/2010

my husband is military also but i requested a civilian dr and got it....i have also been told i can change drs on base if i dont like them

Christine - posted on 01/09/2010

I wish I could look for another dr. but unfortunately my husband is in the military and you are kind of stuck with what you get at the Naval Hospital. We lived else where for almost the first year of my son's life, and his old pediatrician was AMAZING. I miss seeing dr's who know what they're talking about! Any ways, I was supposed to take him to two appt's this month about his weight (one through the pediatrician, and one through the dietician) and cancelled them both. The one dr. was concerned about his weight because I guess that fat content can make a difference in brain development.

Medic - posted on 01/08/2010

some kids are just skinny....my son is 3 1/4 and weighs between 28 and 30 depending on the day....and he kind of hit a stand still for almost a year between 18 months and almost 3 so if he is eating and he is happy i would look elsewhere for advise(different drs will have different reactions to the same issue)

Kirsten - posted on 01/08/2010

My son is 15 months and weighs about the same. As long as they are continuing to gain some weight it doesn't really matter how much. If he was small from the beginning then I'm sure he's just fine. I agree with you that chicken nuggets and margarine don't seem like the best way to get a kid to gain weight. I would look for another doctor or just disregard it completely.