OT: Do you have a skinny toddler?

[laughinplace199]

OP here. I just want to thank everyone for their replies.

It does make me worry less when I hear about other families who are in the same situation. My mom said that I was built the same way when I was a baby (unfortunately, I didn't stay that way...). DS is very healthy, hardly ever gets sick or even a sniffle, so I'm just going to focus on the fact that he's healthy and happy and lucky to be that way.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I agree not to worry! - and wish I'd had more people tell me that when DS was little!!!! (We actually had a nutritionist tell us to give him dessert first, and no veggies unless he ate it. - Yes we fired her!)

Actually, that was what finally shocked us into wising up and trusting our gut feeling that he was just built that way. - But not before enough people had worried us that we'd let him pick up some bad habits, like eating in front of the TV (because he would sit and eat a little longer) and substituting "kid food" too often (becasue at least we knew he'd eat.) - We're still paying for those now.

As for clothes, DS likes Land's End adjustables better than Old Navy, because they don't have a button on the inside.

Best of luck, and I like the "Isn't he lucky?" line!

 

[dyna]

As long as they healthy an active nothin go worry about. My youngest weighed 35 lbs her 1st bday an was not walking yet. That was about the time a neighbor started buying DD's out grown clothes for her kid that was 3 yrs older than DD at least the ones that was unisex. Turned out that poor boy did have a growing problem they did try harmone shots on him for awhile which helped a little but the side effects turned him into a very mean little boy an they soon stopped at 21 he's like 5'2 an still skinny as a rail.

A 35 lb baby at 1 yr is not fun I almost needed a stroller to wheel her from her bed to the table. By the time she was 2 an wearing size 6 clothes ppl was asking me every time when I took her out during the day why she was not in school. LOL DD was never fat but outgrew kids clothes by 2nd grade tryin to find jr clothin for her that did not make her look like a teenager was a challenge. Tryin to find dress shoes a size 9 for a 7 yr old that did not make her either look like a teenager or an old lady was a challenge too.

It was funny when DD was 11 an we would ask for a kids menu her 19 yr old sister always got handed the kids menu. By the time DD was 13 an her sis past 21 the 21 yr old went to a bar with me 1 day ordered a coke the same as I did. She had no ID with her Barmaid would not serve her ran her out I looked at barmaid said you know you served me at 13 she said laws have changed since then. Few days later saw the barmaid seen me at the mall I had the 13 yr old with me barmaid asked if she was my oldest I said NO this one the youngest only 13 barmaid said I'd have served her anything she wanted without an ID.....that was almost scary

I now have a gson who just turned 2 weighs 30 lbs an has periventricular lukomyalsia which is simular to cerbal palsay he only has a mild case. He has very little upper body an torse muscle which is part of his PVL he's SKINNY an not only that you can tell he just does not have the muscle tone he should have I've noticed this summer that when he runs his little male ****ies bounce. We have him in therapy OT, PT, DT, an speech so MOM is trying to do everything she can to help him we all work with him between therapy sessions poor kid has therapy every day mon - friday. The past month he has started talking more.

It is very possible that as this boy grows his body will not be able to support it's self that he will need a wheel chair for long distances if not all the time. For now he pretty much gets around well as most 2 yr olds he does fall more than most which could also be a problem as he gets older. We have also been told he might have trouble with bodily functions as well. He is curious about the potty now tho so maybe he will be potty trained most of the time anyway.

Believe me when he's having a way with his wills you'd never know he had any lack of muscle tone what so ever. He's a redhead with strong stubborn ways too part of that is lack of discipline which is his parents fault an they the same with his brother who is 3,6 yrs old.

In other words if child is only skinny take it an be HAPPY and as I found out there are no advantages to having a child that grows fast an is way bigger than kids her age. Usually extened family members love to hold babies an play with them NOT in DD's case she was just to big to be fun. Even DH an I didn't get to play with her as we did her sisters she was just to heavy to hold over our heads an play helicopter with an etc.

 

[Disney_Tall_Mommy]

My daughter is 4.5 and only weighs 32 pounds. Her height has been in the 75%-weight is usually 5%. She has had some minor issues including low muscle tone. She also tires very easily. She didn't walk until 19 months. She does go to private physical therapy and we have recently started her in OT because she has some sensory issues. She is a picky eater, but will eat a lot of the foods she likes.
So far our pediatrician has said not to worry because my husband and I were both skinny kids and she has been pretty consistent growth wise. The clothes issue is very frustrating though. My daughter won't wear jeans because they're too itchy. I have found some legging pants in 4T, but she's already getting too long for them. I have never (literally never) been able to have her wear a clothes set (where you get the shirt and pants together).
I am a worrier and it's hard when people make comments, but I keep reminding myself that her doctor is not worried and that we were skinny kids. (not skinny adults)
Good luck to parents of skinny kids out there.

 

[my2minnies]

Try not to worry too much especially if your doctor is ok with it.
My first dd did not get to 20lbs until she was 3 years old. We had her go through every test you could imagine and see the top nutritionists in the country to try to get her to eat and gain weight.

Now she is 9 and is of normal size and she eats everything. I so wish I hadnt spent so much of my energy trying to deal with this. She just grew at her own pace.

 

[indimom]

When DS9 was 1, he was pretty sick and was moved from our local hospital to Riley (the children's hospital) in Indianapolis. The doctors there took one look at his size and started doing thousands of tests, and scared us to death. When he was well and back home again, we told our pediatrician about this. Her reply was "Did they LOOK at YOU???" I'm 5'4" and DH is 5'6".
Some folks just panic when they see a child at either end of the size spectrum.

 

[tam626]

All three of my kids have been skinny & so was I. I can tell you, it hurts your feelings when complete strangers tell you how skinny (said in in a rude way) you are when you are a kid. I would let snyone know who makes those comments that your child is very happy & healthy. I buy my 4 yr old jeans with the adjustable waist from Children's place so they don't fall off him.

 

[ekatiel]

My DS is almost 5.5 and is 38 pounds and 44 inches tall. He was a 5.5 pound baby and has been trending 25% on the weight charts since he turned 6months old.

The child is healthy and can out eat me, so I am not worried. I am 5'4" 125# and DH is 5'8" 150# so I doubt the child is going to be playing professional football.

However it is not fun to try to find pants to fit him...

Do we have the same DS??!! I could have written that post (except DS was an "average" size newborn). He's been tracking at between the 5th and 25th percentiles ever since. DH and I are the same height and weight as you guys. Somebody's gotta be in the lower quartile on the charts (25% of somebodies to be exact!).

I also TA with the posters who mentioned the adjustable waist pants-- Carter's makes them, too. I won't buy pants unless they are tight elastic jogging pants OR have the adjustable waist. My sister calls DS's "condition" diminished glutes syndrome (DGS)-- Ie-- his pants are always falling down!! --Katie

 

[DisneyBabies]

My DS5 (6 in March) wears a size 6 in pants because he needs the length. But the waist falls completely off him . to whomever came up with the adjustable waist pants! He is wearing 5/S shirts.

In September, he was 44 inches and 38 lbs. I won't get new measurements until March at his well check.

DD3 (4 in February) now wears a 5T in pants and 4/XS in shirts . In March she was 39 1/4 inches and 34 1/2 lbs. She has grown since then, but I'm not sure how much.

 

[Erica09M]

I have a skinny 4.5 year old. She's 35 pounds, and her weight has only fluctuated by about a pound in the past 18-20 months. But she's grown like 3 inches. Her shoulders are narrow, arms, legs, etc. are just tiny. And, she has no butt (takes after her dad). She eats like a cow though, constantly wanting something to eat. I'm not worried about her weight though. She's just hard to fit into clothes.

 

[arcticdisneylovers]

My DD 5.5 has always been skinny. She was 6 lb 10oz when she was born and compared to my sister's 10lb babies she did look tiny! Now she is 45" and 35lbs but she is a great healthy eater who has never really ever been sick. But I come from a "plus" sized family. It's hard because they only see her 1x a year and they just continually comment on how skinny she is, how we should "feed" her, how she looks like she's starving Even friends, playgroup moms etc.. have always made comments about how small she is

Honestly I just keep saying, "the dr says she's fine, normal", "she eats great". When she was younger it really ticked me off but I try to ignore they're warped comments now

I do have to get slim fit pants or take in all the waists (but the butt and legs are so baggy). Luckily she really likes to wear the tight legging style pants, they a bit baggy but usually they will stay up without falling down

I really don't understand our society, the experts are all concerned about the rate of childhood obesity but when people see a child who isn't the typical chubbie, they act like you are a horrible parent and must be starving them.

 

[CrzyforPiglet]

Our DS now 4 was a fat, fat baby - measuring in the 90-95th percentile for weight and everyone commented (in a good way) about how chubby he was. Well once he started moving that all changed and he started dropping quickly - not losing weight but growing taller and not gaining so his percentile dropped - and we ended up having to visit a nutritionist twice and filling out forms as to what he ate etc. Not a very happy experience and I really wish the "experts" had not stressed us out so much - hey we were new parents we didn't need the extra stress. He is now in the 20th percentile for weight which is where he's been at for a couple of years now and if it weren't for adjustable pants I don't know what we'd do. We now have a new baby and I now know if she trends the same way not to panic - its just the way things go.

 

[jpeka65844]

DS4 is also skinny! He's 40 inches and has hovered b/t 30-32 pounds for close to 2 years now.

I will admit, he's not a great eater. He's picky which I don't always indulge so sometimes it feels like he's surviving on very little. Makes me sound like I'm starving him, doesn't it?

The doctor has never been too concerned. It's not like he's experiencing failure to thrive or anything. He's developmentally off the charts in just about everything else; just skinny! He's hardly ever sick so I know his immune system is good and he doesn't look unhealthy. He does have an iron deficiency (just like his mom!) but we take multi-vitamins and we're fine.....

We have some 24 months/2T pants that will still fit around the waist but are hilarious b/c they're so short! I agree with the adjustable waist pants! LIFESAVERS! But he's mostly in a 3T pant and can wear 4T shirts.

We went to a dr once that told us when I was concerned about his lack of eating "Well...MAKE him eat." Hmmm....hold his mouth open while I shovel it in? That was the last time we went to that doctor.

 

[starsweeper]

My DS is small and very skinny. We actually consulted an immunologist today because he is also sick very often with sinus issues and coughing in particular. He is 31 inches and 31 pounds at 40 months. He wears 2T pants and tees, but needs 18 mos pants if they do not have an adjustable waist. He's a good eater and high energy, but never gains much weight.

 

[PrincessMama605]

I have the same issues with my dd (4). She used to be in the 90% for height and weight but as she got older (and more active) she has slowed down in gaining weight. She is still 90% for height but only about 20% for weight. She is a picky eater but she does eat. Her doc says she is fine, so I stopped worrying about it.

She needs at least a 5T in jeans for them to be long enough but she still fits into shorts and capris that are 2T because she is so skinny. In that way it's good because when she outgrows jeans in length she can still wear them as capris. I love those adjustable waists, and I won't buy elastic waist pants anymore because they just end up falling down! I actually work in retail and I am grateful my dd is built that way every time a parent comes in to buy jeans and has a hard time finding some that fit because their child is wider than they are tall!

 

[kim_o]

I've got a skinny one too. Had the work up for FTT, but everything came back okay. I don't remember what he was around that age, but it was somewhere close. I know he was 16lbs at his 1 year check up, and I'm pretty sure he was 22 lbs at 2 years, 25 lbs at 3 years. At 4, he is 38" and 30ls (fully clothes since they stopped stripping down for weights at 4). Starting at about 18-24 months I just bought the 2T pants with the adjustable waists. I could get the waists on those things smaller than any of the 12mo pants (I would pull those tabs out to the 10-12th hole on each side), and the length was better. Even if it was too long - pants could be rolled.

 

[marciemouse]

We just adopted a little girl from Ukraine in October, and she's tiny for her age. She was a month premature and only weighed about 4 pounds, but I really think it's due more to her living in an orphanage for almost 2 years. She's almost 29 months old now, weighs 21 pounds and is about 32 inches tall. She's still little, but she's gained and grown already in the couple months we've been home, so I'm not worried. She eats fine, is smart and active, so I'm not too worried. And if she ends up being on the petite side, who cares? She wears about an 18 month size, and I try to get her adjustable waist pants. (Target has some Oshkosh ones right now.) Or dresses are a nice solution since they don't depend on a waistband to stay up!