Underweight 19 months old.........

jignasha27 · Jan 26, 2012

Hi everyone,

so this is not first time am writing about my fussy eater DS who will be 19 months next week. so last week we went to pediatrician for his 18 moths appointment . as usual same thing. hes below chart and this time really below. i started giving him pediasure when he was 1 yr old. first started mixing 4 oz with whole milk. then after 2 months 1 bottle. and now doctor want me to give 2 bottles ( 16 oz) pediasure and no milk.
but my concern is already hes one fussy eater. and if i give him 2 bottles of pediasure when he will eat his food. i mean pediasure is very heavy and it takes to digest. morning when he wakes up at 9-9:30 i give 5 oz of pediasure. so atleast he needs 1 to 1 and half hr to digest it right???? after that i struggle so much to feed him little bit of breakfast. and it takes 45 minutes for each meal. so by the time we complete brk fast its like 11. he plays for sometime. if he want i give him small cube of cheese or some other snacks like raisins.( he likes sweet things). he takes his nap from 12:30 to 2. at 2:30 lunch till 3:15. after that he plays for sometime now in the evning if i give pediasure he wont eat fruits. and if i give friuts he wont take pediasure. dinner is at 7:30 or 8. again before bed i give 5 oz of pediasure. with much struggle he finishes only 4 oz.
my question is when i look at his schedule whole day hes eating something or other. when do i give him almondor any nuts, when he gets time to eat fruit. am really confused and still he is not gaining any weight. am i doing anything wrong here. how much quantity do i feed him each meal. he hardly eats few spoons ( say 4 big adults spoon) per meal.

Plz advice something. am really worried.

Thanks,
Jignasha.

kishoremommy · Jan 27, 2012

This is my suggestion.Try to wake him up by 7 in the morning

Half an hour later give his break fast.

By,11 AM give pediasure.

By,1.30 PM give his lunch.Then let him take his nap.

By,evening 4.30 make a fruit shake--apple,papaya,banana,chickoo,mango or carrot, anything.

Add badam,cashew,dates,honey,with the fruit together with the milk.Just one glass.

After play,dinner by 8 or 8.30.And at night time pediasure.

This was my elder son's routine and he stuck to it perfectly.But,my second son who is now 19 months old,doesn't cooperate with me in any activity.

Nothing goes according to my schedule and he is lactose intolerant too.He hates soya milk and cries a lot and even vomits when I give him that.

So,he lives on freshly made food like idli,dosa,sathu maavu kanji without milk,oats kanji ,rice and fruits.

He is also lean.Generally,sathu maavu with milk increases weight .Try that during evening time or instead of break fast feed him that.

jignasha27 · Jan 27, 2012

Thnaks for reply kishoremommy.
what is sathu maavu. i know its tamil word but do you know hindi name for it. the schedule u have given is nice and when i read i thought its so simple but kids wont cooperate with us daily. he gets up at 9 am but will try to wake him up early. it was nice to see ur son is also of same age. hey one more question- how much a 19 months old should eat per meal. ( 1 roti with little sabji or 6 bites os rice and daal). i still make roti in to very tiny pieces and mix with curry and curd. he dont eat if i give him roti and sabji as elders eat like taking one piece and dipping in sabji. i know by this age they eat same like how we eat but my son is lacking behind
Thank you.

kishoremommy · Jan 28, 2012

I am a south indian.Sathu maavu is a tamil word for a porridge powder made from ragi,cashew,groundnut,almond,chickpea,wheat,rice etc.It has nearly 21 ingredients.I will send you the proportions if you are interested.

It is a diet rich in protein.We south indians generally eat idlis,dosas for breakfast.They are soft and are easily digestible.With different chutneys,kids never gets bored.

Amount of food can never be generalized.My son eats very little during lunch.But,he loves eating idlis.That's why I suggested you to give 5 course meal.Even if they eat less in one meal,it can be compromised in the next one.

My son doesn't like hard texture and doesn't chew well.So,I grind cooked rice a little, using mixie.

Your son's diet should contain a fruit per day,two vegetables per day, not to mention carbohydrates,protein,fiber and dairy products.

As far as minimize artificial food like pediasure instead give him fruit shakes.

jignasha27 · Jan 28, 2012

Thanks for quick reply kishoremommy. ok so sathu maavu is like homemade cerelac. i would be really on top of world if my son eats this. but my inner feeling says he wont coz he never liked ready made cerelac. but i would want to try some. can u share recipe of this. and yes i make idli,dosa, upma everything south indian bcoz i was born n brought up in hyderabad. but my little hero dont like idli,dosa. he likes upma. with force i can feed hardly one idli. huh first when i was pregnant i thought i would plan for second child when 1st one is 18 months old. but now am not even thinking of second child
u said u still grind rice and daal in mixie. as for vegetables what i do is i add all veggies, rice, dal and temper with ghee and presurre cook. u can say mix veg khichdi or daliya. and grate cheese on top.

and about pediasure what i thought is lemme try for 2 months or so and if i dont see any change in weight i will stop giving that. ur son has lactose intolerance. so what u give in place of milk. did u try lactose-free milk.

thanks, bye

jigna.

tashidelek2002 · Jan 28, 2012

Are you feeding your son or are you letting him eat his food himself? Please try to let him eat himself....he may eat more this way. I would also consult a dietician/nutritionist if you can. It sounds to me like the pediasure is killing his appetite and I also wonder if you should just give some simple western foods if he is not eating your native foods. Have you tried some of the oatmeal instant packets for breakfast? Giving egg? Cheese sauce over either steamed cauliflower, broccoli or boiled macaroni is a good thing to put on weight. French toast with jam and cottage cheese (the kind you get in the tub in dairy aisle).

Here is the cheese sauce method: You will melt 2 T butter in a pan and put in 1/4 tsp salt and some black pepper to taste (optional on the pepper). Then stir in 2 T of flour (maida) and let it bubble a little in the hot butter. Then quickly whisk in your milk (1.5 - 2.0 cups?) and let that thicken to medium consistancy. Take off the fire and stir in grated cheese and put on your hot veg or macaroni. This reheats well also.

kishoremommy · Jan 29, 2012

Lactose free milk is not available here.Our doctor prescribed soya milk but he hates the smell of it.Even if I force feed him ,he would vomit .So,still I am breast feeding him at nights.

No,milk.Occasionally I will give him curd rice made from freshly made curd.

http://www.indusladies.com/forums/recipe-central/129712-recipe-making-sathu-mavu-kanji-4.html

Check this link.

With the ingredients given above,you can add any kind of pulses,rice available in US.I make it like this.

Ragi,wheat,rice,bajra,jowar,fried gram,chick pea,sago,brown rice,horse gram,ground nut,white corn,yellow corn,soya beans,urad dal each 100 gm.

Pista,badam,cashew each 10 gm.

Cardomom 10 numbers.

Dry ginger 4 pieces an inch each.

Dry roast everything one by one separately in a slow fire till a mild roasted smell comes.Let it cool and grind.If any ingredient is not available,make it with the available one.Fine powder would do.

Just start with one cup per day.The porridge can be made with sugar and milk.You can also ad jaggery if your son likes it.

The consistency can be a little thick or watery.It depends on your son's preference.

It fills the stomach very well and increases weight.If he is not taking it,you can have it instead of your breakfast.The porridge is rich in protein.

jignasha27 · Jan 31, 2012

@ Tashidelek2002

Thanks for reply. If you remember u suggested me this some time before also to let him eat by himself. so i tried it. but what he does is eat 2-3 bites. thats it. then he start mashing all the food. and lastly throws evrything here and there on floor. even with friuts. huh.....so frustrated. as for western foods. we are vegetarian so cant give any item of egg or meat. tried pasta nad mac and cheese. he just swallows pasta as they are slippery. and same thing eats few and starts playing with that. i teid to fedd him fresh homemade curd( daily i make crd freshly specially for him). but no he wont eat. if i give bread and jam. he simlpy licks jam and crumble the bread. sorry for venting am not complaining about my kid. but seriously worried. he was totally breast fed baby. never liked formula. even trasition to milk was hard. never took bottle. so used to feed with spoon. some how he got used to this straw bottle. but he nevr liked plain milk.for few days i added sugar or honey. then added horlicks. and now pediasure. when i look back since last 1 year all my days are going around what to feed him today. I really cant enjoy playing with him or anything,just always running around to prepare food for him & at the end he he wont eat, i shout, food goes to trash. really affecting me mentally. no time to even talk to my huuby.
let me try your cheese sauce : first we have to pressure cook veggies right???? then pour this sauce on it. he might eat one or two piece.
one day bought muffins and swirl bread(sweet one). he did not like both. what to do with this kid. on top of this he throws tantrums ( terrible twos). i cant talk to my friends over phone cause of him. i fell like am isolated from this world. i dont feel like going uot. coz he never eats and we always get late n hubby shouts at me. so totaly avoid going out. ppl say ohhh hes so light. ohhh so tiny

sorry for such a long post.

jignasha27 · Jan 31, 2012

@kishoremommy

Thanks for reciepe. few questions. how to prepare this. do we have to boil milk and then stir in this powder and let it cook. same like cerelac right? u said to add sugar or jaggery or honey. but is it good to give sweet daily. one of my friend said dont give sugary item. is it ok to give brown sugar or honey daily.

lets hope he likes it. but i know he wont eat more than five spoons. thanks a ton. as you said that pediasure is artificial food. but he never liked plain milk. either i had add sugar or horlicks. as a mom we have to keep on trying. cant give up.

when hes sleeping. i sit near him and tell him that mom loves him a lot and she shouts and gets irritated coz he wont eat anything.

kishoremommy · Feb 1, 2012

As a trial ,take two teaspoons of the powder.Add half a cup of water and half a cup of milk.Mix thoroughly without any lumps.Now keep the vessel on flame in medium level.When you see it start boiling,lower the flame and keep stirring.You will soon see it done.Regarding the consistency,you have to try whether your son likes it runny like milk or like porridge.There is nothing wrong in adding sugar or jaggery or honey.

I think it is better than maida made food ,jam,sauce.

All children don't eat by themselves.Here,when I see a few kids of my son's age I am really surprised.They eat by themselves.Let it be chips,boiled chick pea,apple all the food.But mine cannot chew even biscuits .He wants everything soft and smooth like a paste.I think now you need not try it.

Whatever food you make for you and in what form you eat,you give it him from your plate.My son eats a very little food every time.But,I only force feed the mashed fruits.

Throwing tantrums is what most of the children would do.Even mine.When you notice keenly,you can see that kids absorb our emotions.When we are frustrated or tensed ,kids tend to behave oddly.They easily sense our helplessness and frustration.So,they try all sort of tricks and mischief.

First relax.I know,it is hard.But,this is what I do.Take deep breath when you feel irritated.Once in our life time we are going to get this opportunity of playing and spending time with our little ones.When they grow up this kind of relation ship and affection would go away.So,we should enjoy each and every moment.

Every saturday night my son sleeps early and also peacefully.When I noticed the pattern,I realized that he is picking up my emotions.As Sunday is a holiday,I am usually relaxed on Saturdays.So,he is also feeling happy.
Our mind has an effect on our kids.

While feeding my son,I use to play rhymes and few movie songs in PC.Sometimes on DVD also.

These are his favourite songs.
1.Munnabhai MBBS.

2.Zoobi Doobi.

3.Chamak Chalo.

4.Kolaveri.

And many more Tamil songs.

Rhymes too from mother goose club.You can download them from you tube and save in your PC.

Try it out.Don't ever shout at your kid.When you feel angry,you just sit quietly without speaking to him.He will realize that he is making a mistake and that's why momma is angry.

I am advising you but still I have so many problems with my kid and still trying to improve in parenting .