Wow! I have been having a hard time finding a few minutes to post anything lately. Life is crazy and it just gets crazier for us as soon as summer comes. But we love being in Bear Lake! It is a great place to spend the summer! So you may not see very many posts from me for the next few months.
Well it seems like Gavin turned into a little boy overnight. Brent was commenting today that he seems to grow up so much when he doesn't see him for a few days. Here is what I mean...
Doesn't he just look like a little boy now?! Where did the baby go? :(
I took him to the Dr. on Tuesday for his 18 month appointment. I have to vent a little bit about it and get everyone's opinion. So please let me know what you think...
Gavin is in the less than 5th percentile for his weight now. He is so skinny! But he is getting taller, his head is a good size and he has good muscle mass so the Dr. isn't as worried about him, but he still wants me to bring him back in 2 months for a weight check. He also suggested a few things that I should do to help him gain weight. For example: put oil in his orange juice, Carnation Instant Breakfast in his milk and put extra butter on everything. He also said I should feed him things like spaghetti and pizza because a slice of pizza has about 220 calories. Then he joked about feeding him a lot of LaBeau's milkshakes and french fries this summer! Anyway, my whole issue with what the doctor advised me to do is that it is so unhealthy! I don't want him to get used to eating junk food and then want only that. I know he is below the curve, but so many Americans are overweight these days and I don't want him to start eating unhealthy at such a young age! I don't know, maybe I'm just being paranoid, but what does it matter if he weighs a little less than other kids his age?
I think a lot of the reason he is so skinny is just genetics. I looked just like him when I was little: skin and bones with a little belly! Maybe he just has a high metabolism or he has food allergies or something (which he could very likely have. I feel so bad that my children have to inherit my allergies!)
Here are some more recent pictures...
Gavin hanging out in Grandpa Hirschi's sweet Fiat convertible...
I took him to the Dr. on Tuesday for his 18 month appointment. I have to vent a little bit about it and get everyone's opinion. So please let me know what you think...
Gavin is in the less than 5th percentile for his weight now. He is so skinny! But he is getting taller, his head is a good size and he has good muscle mass so the Dr. isn't as worried about him, but he still wants me to bring him back in 2 months for a weight check. He also suggested a few things that I should do to help him gain weight. For example: put oil in his orange juice, Carnation Instant Breakfast in his milk and put extra butter on everything. He also said I should feed him things like spaghetti and pizza because a slice of pizza has about 220 calories. Then he joked about feeding him a lot of LaBeau's milkshakes and french fries this summer! Anyway, my whole issue with what the doctor advised me to do is that it is so unhealthy! I don't want him to get used to eating junk food and then want only that. I know he is below the curve, but so many Americans are overweight these days and I don't want him to start eating unhealthy at such a young age! I don't know, maybe I'm just being paranoid, but what does it matter if he weighs a little less than other kids his age?
I think a lot of the reason he is so skinny is just genetics. I looked just like him when I was little: skin and bones with a little belly! Maybe he just has a high metabolism or he has food allergies or something (which he could very likely have. I feel so bad that my children have to inherit my allergies!)
Here are some more recent pictures...
Gavin hanging out in Grandpa Hirschi's sweet Fiat convertible...
Brent and Gavin having a grand old time on our riding lawn mower...
Gavin and Spencer enjoying breakfast...
Spencer, Brooklynn, and Gavin reading a book together! :) So cute!
12 comments:
I agree with you about eating unhealthy! They have little ensures for kids and other things like that. You could make smoothies with a breakfast shake. 100% fruit juice is high calorie also! I don't think that junk is a good way to gain weight. That's a tough one! We do have spagehitti alot at our house. I buy ground turkey and whole wheat pasta!
Bear Lake sounds like fun!!
i wouldn't worry. the doctor said the same thing about denver and though denver is skinny, he's not unhealthy. he gave me the same suggestions and i didn't do them. i have that same obsese child complex and get called a nazi mom cuz i monitor all the junk that goes in him but he's fine at three. so i wouldn't worry yet.
Gavin is very cute. I agree that you don't want him to eat junk--but at the same time the fatty proteins are so essential for brain development. Maybe you could add the butter into stuff and sneak some oil in his juice--that way maybe he won't realize it's there and still pick up some extra calories. Good luck!
Well looks like I have just a little different opinion than the other comments. I can totally agree with the not wanting him to be unhealthy part and can see how you would worry about him getting used to the junk food...And it just depends on the person I think but just from my experience with Brooklynn-she was underweight b/c of being preemie and I was young then and just did anything I was told now I'm not so good at that but just so you know Brooklynn grew up on junk food and chocolate milk a lot when she was little and now her favorite food over any junk food is fruit! She will drink water over chocolate milk or juice anyday well most days she is 7 after all! But I guess it's a tough one cause just b/c Brooklynn turned out okay doesn't mean every child would so that is hard but you have to remember I think the doctor might be talking about "right now" and as he is older even if he get's used to it he can only eat what is in your house and you are the mom and after he's gained some weight you could go back to what you've been doing and I think he would be just fine but man that is a tough one Randi--I hope that helped and made sense! Good Luck!!! Love the pics of Spencer and Gavin..so so so cute!
I agree about not worrying. Ryder has the same problem (low weight, but super tall). I think if its been consistent over awhile, it's just his body type. I wouldn't worry about the food either. Just keep doing what you have been doing while maybe adding in a couple of higher calorie/fat items here and there. But again, don't worry. I think a lot of babies are that way.
Randi you were the same way tall, skinny and beautiful! :) I wouldn't stress the issue. I'm with you on the whole obese issue. That's all they talk about on the news that and Obama Vs. Hillary. Ha Ha! You are doing everything right. Keep up the good work. Love ya lots!
I hear ya. I'm having the same thing with Jackson. He is in the 10th%. He is tall and skinny too. The DR told me about the same thing, But I'm not going to fill my boy with junk food. Jared was tall and skinny when he was little too. Just keep doing what you are doing. He will be fine. Maybe feed him more crackers and bread.... Jackson loves cheese sandwiches. Don't worry about it. I know that is easier said then done.
It does seem like odd advice. I mean if he is healthy why push the weight issue just so he's in a range that is determined how exactly? Ava's always been at the opposite end of the spectrum but it's been consistant from her newborn days, tall and thick. She's not one of those petite body types but she's not fat either. I think, like you, it's genetics. I looked like her when I was little and while I was never "fat" as a child I was always just a bigger body frame, like I looked two years older than I actually was. Maybe take a few suggestions and skip the rest.
Randi- I just re-read my comment and I sound like a dork!! I think I should explain myself better.
First my boys have never had an underweight issue- they have been in fact the opposite, so I can't relate there, but Caden has an immune deficiency. (Which I think he is growing out of.) I think the extra weight has kept him out of the hospital. I have even had a few doctors say the same. He has gotten things that other children would really be in trouble with if they had. From the time Caden was just 3 months old until about 20 months he was chronically sick and on one antibiotic after another. Our joke was that he was healthy for a week and then sick for two. At one point I was giving him breathing treatment every 3-4 hours. I learned a whole new way of doing things and changed my whole approach to meal time and other little habits. We still eat junk food now and then, but I guess that's why I told you about the spaghetti with whole grains. (like a nerd) I just had to take something we had a LOT because my boys loves it, and turn it into something more nutrient packed! It is not good for a little body to be an a ton of antibiotics so I tried to build up his nutrition where I could!
The one big thing that I learned from this experience was trust your instincts. We went through 5 different doctors over about an 8 month period before I found one that I felt good about. I think Heavenly Father helps give you the peace-or inspiration you need when things are good for your kids, or things are not right! It's humbling to be a parent! I never had a big issue with Andrew so it was a new experience for us.
Sorry for the long comment and sorry that I am such a nerd!
You don't know me, I'm Deb's sister - I saw your blog when I was looking into your business at Bear Lake, where we're going this summer. I thought I would comment when I saw this post. I have three little boys, all underweight and off the charts. With my oldest we saw a dietician a few times, and basically, bite for bite, fat is the way to increase their calories since it has 9 calories per gram, rather than 4 that protein and carbs have. If you can't get him to eat more (which you can never do) then you have to add to what bites they do eat. Other than fatty foods that aren't so healthy, you can try things like adding grated cheese to his casseroles, add powdered milk (dry) or wheat germ to things like muffins, pancakes, hot cereal, etc., as you make them. If you make smoothies, add yogurt instead of just fruit, add powdered milk to the smoothie, if you add ice to it take his out before you add the ice so his is more concentrated. Choose fruits and vegetables with higher calories, bananas have more calories than watermelon, sweet potatoes more than carrots, etc. Breads such as banana have more calories than white bread, give him peanut butter to dip lower calorie veggies in, things like that. Little things can make a difference. Someone mentioned pediasure, which has almost 30 calories per ounce rather than nearly 19 in whole milk. My oldest could have lived on pediasure, so I'd only give it to him as a snack and the rest of the time he had white milk, he now still loves white milk, it didn't seem to ruin him that way. Good luck with your boy, he is a cutie!
we have this same issue. i think all three of ours are on the low end of the weight chart. samuel and jared i know are less than 5th and i imagine calvin is too.
as for the fats and such, under age two, they need it, so the whole milk, cheese, and butter aren't bad for them. we tried hard to add calories, especially with jared who is SO skinny, but you do what you can and they choose how much they eat.
good luck with it. i know it's stressful trying to figure out what's normal for gavin and what more you might do to help him.
Thanks everyone for your great advice on this subject! It was nice to hear some solutions from other mom's who are going through the same thing!
Post a Comment