underweight children -inspired by the overwieght children thread

[PUZZLDY5]

Unfortunately we have the opposite problem.
I have 3 boys. 2 are in the normal category. My oldest however is sooo little. He is 19 almost 20 years old 5'8" tall and only weighs 115 pounds. We have been stuffing calories (and anything this kid wants to eat and lots of it too) down his throat all his life because he is right on the border of being too thin.
We have done test upon test upon test to see if there are any problems with his metabolism. No red flags by any of the doctors. They always come back with I guess he is just going to be a little guy.

Anyone else with this problem?

 

[golfgal]

That is the way he is. If he is healthy and nothing is wrong, what difference does it make? I would stop stuffing him with food to make him gain weight. As he matures more, he will gain weight. My DH was 6' tall, 125 when he graduated from college, he is still 6' tall and has put on about 50 lbs. Kids tend to have better metabolisms. I guess I don't see this as out of the norm, especially if he is at all active. Our youngest is about 5'8" and is up to 105 lbs now. He is just a skinny kid.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I would make sure depression and and eating disorder weren't a problem. Is he preoccupied with how he looks? Does he often comment on other people's weight? People with eating disorders will say they are eating but will notice immediately if they gain weight. Then there is the heart thing, being too thin can do as much damage to the heart as being heavy. But, if he is eating a solidly well balanced diet with all the calories his growing body needs from proteins, carbs and fats (nerves demand fats) then I agree about leaving the kid alone.

Thin or heavy, kids have enough self esteem issues to deal with without adults getting all bent out of shape about it. Personally, I find the current trend towards the powers that be micromanaging our health to be particularly disturbing. The whole preoccupation with defining and creating a perfect group of humans is pretty messed up and has a long history of ending badly.

You go OP, good for you accepting your DS just the way he is. He's a lucky kid!

 

[PUZZLDY5]

I think I have been misunderstood here. We have to make him eat or he will slip into the "unhealthy" category. Well we used to anyway. (He is good about making sure his caloric intake is on a higher level than most people his age and he is starting to level off as far as weight goes.) Our doctor has told us to "Get this kid a cheeseburger" before.

 

[PollyannaMom]

I completely understand, OP! My DS is also naturally thin. I have to remind him to eat breakfast in the morning, and he thinks I'm horrible for making him stop playing ouside for a few minutes to eat lunch.

We went through a very scary period when he was little, in which his pediatrician considered him "not thriving" and he was tested for everything from lactose intollerence to cystic fibrosis. Then we were sent to a "nutritionist" who actually told me to take him to McDonald's once a week, let him eat in front of the TV, and not to give him his vegetables until he ate his dessert. Being fairly new parents, we thought we had to listen to doctors without question, and got into some very bad habits. And you know what - he's still thin.

We did eventually wise up and leave the nutritionist, and his ped did finally concede that he's just blessed with a high metabolism, but the whole experience really did a number on my confidence as a parent, and we're still dealing with some of the effects.

It's nice to hear we're not alone.

 

[HelenePA]

I have an underweight child. She is 7 and weighs 45pounds her bmi is in the >2 range. She is not suffering from depression or a eating disorder She's just a very skinny girl. She's also pretty tall in the 80 percent range for her age. I was the same way as a child... The only person who is "concerned " is the school nurse. I got a lovely paper sent home at the end of the year telling me she was underweight. Its not like we dont feed her its just the way she is... she was blessed, leave the poor girl alone.. She eats when she wants as much as she wants. I'm not going to push her to finish her plate nor do I do that with the other kids.. I believe in eating til your full.

ETA I just measured her she is 4ft4in

 

[mamamary]

I was tall and very skinny when I was a child. I remember I used to drink this "tonic" the doctor gave my mother. Well let's just say I'm not very skinny anymore I think as long as nothing is medically wrong that is just how your body is.

My DS was chubby as a kid - prob. up until about 4th grade. Now he is 13 and skinny. Total opposite of when he was younger. I used to buy him "stretchy" pants cause that's what felt comfortable on him and now I try to find pants that won't fall down. What a difference.

 

[smb6]

Many kids (mainly boys) go through a stage from about 12 to 25 where they can eat anything and everything and gain practically no weight.

And it usually catches up to them by 30.....

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I think I have been misunderstood here. We have to make him eat or he will slip into the "unhealthy" category. Well we used to anyway. (He is good about making sure his caloric intake is on a higher level than most people his age and he is starting to level off as far as weight goes.) Our doctor has told us to "Get this kid a cheeseburger" before.

My DH is 28 and he is still in this category. Not only does he have an extremely high metabolism, but he's inherited his dad's tendency to "forget" to eat if he's busy or doing something else. My MIL jokingly remarked to me a few months ago that it makes her feel so much better that I haven't done any better at "fattening up" her son than she had!

I think that, at almost 20 years old, as long as your son is healthy and active, don't worry about his weight. He's survived to adulthood this long and is done with his growth spurts, so stop worrying and just enjoy the fact that you have a healthy adult child.

 

[PUZZLDY5]

Believe me I'm so greatful that he is a happy healthy adult. I am so fortunate but as a mom I will never stop worrying about my kids. His weight has just been such a big part of our lives for so long it's just hard to let it go kwim? It is nice to know that I'm not alone in this and there are other mothers go through this. He's never been sickly looking or anything he has just been in the lowest percentile in everything since he was born (i.e. weight, height etc.) so we have just had to work harder at keeping him on the apgar scale (I think thats what it's called) and not let him slip into dangerous territory.

 

[kristilew]

DD12 is very very thin. She eats very healthily, but not in huge amounts - I am always shocked when "regular" kids eat dinner at our house, because they take such huge portions and then take seconds. I also always just when I read the threads where moms are insisting that they are keeping their kids in booster seats in the back of the car until they reach the "safe" weight of 80 pounds. At almost 13 years old, and five feet tall, DD is still hovering in the 70s. (but we let her sit in the front seat )

We've never worried about it health-wise because DH is tall and thin. Since I'm short and, ahem, curvy, I've always just been thankful she inherited his build and metabolism and not mine. It is a pain for clothes, though. Girls clothes these days are made for, um, wider kids than mine will ever be. I have to take in every single thing I buy for her, including the double-zero super skinny jeans. Luckily I can sew!

 

[stsomewhere]

My son is 12. We just went to the Dr this morning for a physical. He weighs 74 lbs and is 5'2''. He is in thE 75% FOR HEIGHT AND 25% FOR WEIGHT. The dr. said that he is fine.

 

[pilesoflaundry]

My youngest is that way. Ironically she eats more than the other 2. She is tiny! As a baby she even stopped growing for a long time and had some blood tests done. She's healthy and just has a super metabolism I guess. She's pretty active and eats healthy stuff so I guess that's part of it.

 

[ORMom2Four]

Same thing with my DS16. He's finally gaining height, he's about 5'10", but his weight is still the same. (he looks anorexic, but he does eat) DH is 6'6", and only weighed 160 all through high school up until his mid 20's. When Dh gains, he gains in his belly only. His father had the same body type too.

I can see the different body types in our twins. They are fraternal. One of them seems to have my body type (bigger, sturdy, "big boned" type) and while the other is the same height as her sister, she has a smaller head, and just feels smaller than her sister.

 

[laughinplace199]

I have 3 kids and 2 of them are considered "underweight." According to our ped, DD11 is perfect. She's thin, but not super skinny.

DS9 is very skinny. His legs look like they're gonna snap at any minute because they just don't look like they could support a person - even a skinny one! Every year, the ped calculates his BMI (which says that he's underweight) and then says he's fine. He's been like this since he was a little kid. It's who he is.

DS3 is even skinnier than my older DS. He's been tested for food allergies, celiac, etc. and there's nothing wrong with him, he's just skinny. He is a little different though as he's been skinny since shortly after birth. He never had baby fat or any chubbiness. We even had to go to the ped for weight checks very often when he was an infant. The hardest thing with him is finding clothes to fit. His height is at the 50th percentile, but his weight is at the 3rd.

I used to worry a lot about my youngest, but I've relaxed a bit. As long as my DH & I and our ped feel that he is healthy, I just try to let go of the worry. It isn't always easy though.

 

[BrerMom]

If DS11 says he'll eat a shake, he gets one. If he ever asked for seconds, it would be fine. He's weighed at the pediatrician's office and consistently gains three pounds per year.

Standard McD breakfast when we're on the road: Sausage/Egg/Cheese Bagel and a vanilla shake!

 

[*BTMRR*]

I posted this on the "overweight" thread. Just because someone has a lucky metabolism doesn't mean they should eat whatever it takes to fatten them up. A friend whom everyone always tried to "fatten up" but who never "filled out" at all ended up having a heart attack in his 30s. I have one underweight child. She's healthy and growing, but very very thin. My doctor has NEVER said (even jokingly) "give the kid a cheeseburger." She has suggested HEALTHY, unsaturated fats/oils, and lots of lean proteins and fiber. We don't have our daughter eat extra junk just to put weight onto her. We try to help her grow in a healthy way. That does NOT mean a low fat diet, but a diet containing plenty of GOOD fats.

Stuff a kid with butter and full fat ice cream and other saturated fats, and maybe you'll have a kid who doesn't look so scrawny, but their heart may be suffering.

 

[Explodo]

We have 2 kids...DD(6) and DS(3)

DD is 45 inches tall and 38 pounds. She eats like a horse but is still a peanut. in the 15th percentile for weight.

DS is 41 inches tall and 36 pounds. 90th percentile in height...15the percentile in weight.

We had to make out journals to document what they ate for a week for the docs...Normal caloric intake...but very little weight gain.

Our thoughts are this:

They play outside constantly...always on a bike/big wheel/scooter.

They burn off as many calories as they take in...

 

[laughinplace199]

I posted this on the "overweight" thread. Just because someone has a lucky metabolism doesn't mean they should eat whatever it takes to fatten them up. A friend whom everyone always tried to "fatten up" but who never "filled out" at all ended up having a heart attack in his 30s. I have one underweight child. She's healthy and growing, but very very thin. My doctor has NEVER said (even jokingly) "give the kid a cheeseburger." She has suggested HEALTHY, unsaturated fats/oils, and lots of lean proteins and fiber. We don't have our daughter eat extra junk just to put weight onto her. We try to help her grow in a healthy way. That does NOT mean a low fat diet, but a diet containing plenty of GOOD fats.

Stuff a kid with butter and full fat ice cream and other saturated fats, and maybe you'll have a kid who doesn't look so scrawny, but their heart may be suffering.

This is a really good point.

I once asked my ped about going back to whole milk for DS3. He did not recommend it for this very reason. He said something about not wanting DS to have a heart attack at 40 just because he was a skinny kid.

 

[ReneeA]

My kids are both tall and very thin for their ages. DD just turned 7 last month, is 49" tall and weighs 45 pounds. She's very muscular due to sports and gymnastics, but her cheeks are sunken in she's so thin. The only time a doctor has said anything about her weight was when she started kindergarten. She was about the same build, and the ped. told me he'd really like to see her above 40 pounds for her height (she was 36# at the time). She eats like a horse, but prefers very healthy foods. I haven't pushed the issue with her because she eats and I don't want her to be hyper-aware of weight at her age...I think that's unhealthy.

DS is 8. He's 57" tall and weighs 65 pounds. He also eats everything is sight and his spine sticks out & you can count all his ribs. The ped has never made a comment about his weight (even though both kids have the same BMI - in the 5th percentage for weight, 95% in height for him and 80% for her). To be honest with you, I am very thankful that neither child has a weight problem. I have a nephew who's "chubby" at 5, and my sister struggles with limiting his bad snacks and finding healthy food that he wants to eat...it's a daily issue for them.