Emma's 18 month check up - Please make me feel better.....

natjasem wrote: Emma's 18 month check up didn't go well. She's still so underweight. I just about cried in the ped's office because it's so frustrating. We feed her fatty foods and she drinks Pedisure, but her appetite just isn't what it should be compared to another 18 month old. We're going to see an Occupational Therapist to get her to eat better since she refuses many foods and spits them out. The doctor also wants to check for cystic fibrosis, however I was checked for that when I was pregnant and I was not a carrier. So why would he check her for CF if I don't have the trait???? I'm so tired of worrying that she's sick when she's the heathiest, most energetic baby! Her language and motor skills are way ahead, and she's never sick! I wish we could figure this out, I'm so aggrevated. I need some uplifting advice!!!!!!!!

kit_kats_mom replied: Aw hon!

I know exactly what you are going through and I'm sorry. I think that your ped is just checking for CF as a shot in the dark. How much did she weigh? I don't have my baby book handy but I know that Katherine didn't hit 20 lbs until she was almost 20 mos old.

Does she go to daycare or does she interact with other kids her age or a little older? I know that K started eating quite a bit better when she started daycare and saw the older kids eating.

She is still not a pig but I am forever giving her a snack, almost every hour I offer something. We also try something new almost every day. Her faves right now are hot dogs, eggs, macaroni and cheese and broccoli. Not the best diet but she's gaining well finally so I'm not going to complain.

Feel free to email or PM me if you want to vent or ask anything. I'm happy to offer my support.

Kaitlin'smom replied: aww I am sorry it did not go well, Kaitlin is also on the petite side, and she can be picky on foods she eats and how much. How much does she weigh? I woul djust say as long as she is gaining even if its not much then she is still doing fine. I would just offer her food ever hour or two and maybe that would help also......(((BIG HUGS)))

natjasem replied: Yes, we're doing better about offering her snacks constantly, but most of the time they are thrown around. She registered around 16lbs. 9 oz, but her height is 50th percentile! So at least I know she's growing. She's not around a lot of kids because she's not in daycare. She does like macaroni, mashed potatoes, avocado, cheese and other fatty foods, but she just doesn't eat enough of it to gain any weight. Kit Kat's mom: a while back you said Katherine likes peanut butter shakes.. how did you make them??

kit_kats_mom replied:
Well, you can really put anything you have on hand in a blender and make a shake with it.

I don't have any measurements because I just kind of make this stuff up as I go but I know that the peanut butter shake contained some peanut butter, a serving of chocolate pudding, some milk (or ice cream). Blend it up unitl it looks yummy. If she will eat that, you can try adding protein powder and/or wheat germ to boost the nurition. I've also skipped the pudding and added a banana a few times too. Silken tofu also makes shakes really creamy.

Maybe try to get her involved in a playgroup or find another mom with a kid whos a bit older and eating well. See if you can enlist their help to show Emma how it's done. A good example of this is something that our part time sitter told me today. She gave the kids corn on the cob yesterday. K didn't know what to do with it but the other kids (2.5 & 3) LOVE it and K watched them and learned. The daycare lady had to literally pry the empty cob from K's hand. LOL

She also seemed to start to gain more when she began taking juice. She drinks at least one sippy of straight up apple juice and one of diluted juice. Of course, you are ahead of us on the pediasure. K never would take that. DOH!

I just looked up K's weight and she was 18 lbs at 18mos. However, as you've said, she's normal, smart and active and doesn't act sick. Perhaps she's just a skinny minnie like K. Were you or DH small babies? Try not to worry although, I know how pointless that is to say.

kit_kats_mom replied: I'm super busy today with work but I will try to find some time to locate some of the links I had for feeding babies and post them later.

Kirstenmumof3 replied: What is her weight? I went through the same thing with Claudia. At 20mths she weighs 20lbs 3oz. Very small for her age. We were referred to the pediatrician and were told to feed her fatty foods, a lot of homoginzied milk, no juice at all. In the end it was just determined that she was tiny. I wouldn't worry if she is healthy, happy and active.

coasterqueen replied: I don't know what it's like to deal with a petite toddler, mine's a CHUNK. Some say she's overweight, I just say it's momma's milk doing her body good. ROFL.

Are you or your DH petite? I've heard that babies can take after their family in the sense of their frame size. It may just be "normal" for her?

natjasem replied: Well, I was on the smaller side as a child, but I wasn't this little, but now I'm only 5'2 and 115lbs and DH is 5'10 and 175lbs, so we're not big people. Emma's not going to be a big person and I keep telling myself that, but when the ped is ordering all these tests, it makes me think, "oh my God maybe there's something wrong. Thanks for all the words of encouragment.

coasterqueen replied:
Oh I totally understand. It's natural for any of us to be worried when a doctor is ordering all kinds of tests. The doc is probably doing it to be sure to rule every possibly out so he covers himself I'm sure she's gonna be petite like her momma and daddy .

A&A'smommy replied: (((BIG HUGS)))) I'm sorry your app. didn't go well!!

MommyToAshley replied: ((((HUGS)))) I can understand that you are worried, it's only natural. But, since you are on the smaller side, it might just be genetics. If she is happy, healthy, and doing well developmentally... then I would try not to worry. She sounds like she is doing great.

I can't say that I can relate because Ashley eats anything and everything. But, there were a couple of things that I did (and still do) to get Ashley to try new foods. One is that I eat it myself, and then she will ask for some. For some reason, it tastes better if it is Mommy's food. The other thing is that I would play a game with the colors and name of the food. Now, she will pick up the veggie and call out the name and color. She likes mixed veggies because then she has more to name off. HTH.

CantWait replied: I'm sorry things didn't go well. Robbie was a small toddler, didn't gain a lot of weight, but grew upwards like a weed. He was also a very picky eater and went through spurts where he would eat one thing and nothing else. Now he's 8 years old and he's healthy (still skinny), but bursting with energy. He does great in school, and most importantly he's happy. Try not to worry about it. It sounds like Emma is thriving.

DansMom replied: I'm going through this worry with Daniel too---he's 18 months old and weighs 21 pounds of I put my toe on the scale. This is quite small for a boy---he might not even be on the chart. So he's gained about a pound and a half since he was 9 months old.
His appetite varies so much, some days he eats well and others almost nothing.
But he's gotten a lot taller and his feet are really long, and like your 18 month old very active and bright.

My ped. is the opposite of yours. He never seems to worry about anything, and I have trouble getting referrals to specialists from him. I'm 5' 1", about 110 pounds (96 before getting preggo), and DH only weighed about 122 pounds through his twenties and is only about 154 now. The ped. says Daniel can't be chunky with us as parents, and as long as he's healthy and such not to worry, but it's hard not to worry. We want to do what's best for our babies, and not miss something.

I bet everything is fine!

Mom2Boyz replied: Sorry you had a crummy appt
Try not to worry too much (I know easier said than done) She's probably just going to be a small kid. Nothing wrong with that.