12 month old losing weight... HELP me feed his growth!

[mommabritt]

Okay, so this morning was DS #3 12 month check-up. We love our Ped and she is super-supportive of our choices. I had a feeling this was going to happen and I was right. DS is dropping off (almost completely) the charts and scales. He isnt tiny, he just isnt gaining any more. I know that slower gain is normal (he is my third boy) and yes, he is more active BUT, he is also eating more and should still be gaining more than he is. She is supportive of my desire to continue BFing him (he wants it as well) and I am praying that she doesnt tell me that he needs more than what BM can give him right now... Fat and calories I mean. We have a weight check in three months and if he hasnt budged much or is still slipping, off to the Nutritionist we go! SO here are his stats form birth until 12 months...

AGE / WEIGHT, % / LENGTH, %

Birth- 8.9# / 20.5"
2 month- 13.13#, 90% / 24.5", 95%
4 month- 16.11#, 95% / 26.5", 90%
6 month- 18.14#, 70% / 28.25", 95%
9 month- 19.5#, 25-30% / 29", 75%
12 month- 20.1#, 10% / 31.75" 95%

She said he needs to take in a lot more calories and fats. He eats table food (whatever we eat, cut up) and also eats things like cereal mixed with yogurt, 1c of OJ in the morning, 1c of whole milk with dinner, snacks, fruits and veggies.

I am drawing a blank on how to healthfully cram the calories and fat into him without overdoing it or giving him no-no foods. Please help me figure this out. A sample menu would be great even! I am still BF 4-6 times a day at his request. Small feeding but still feedings... Tell me what to give him that is easy to prepare as a snack or to share with my older kids. Thanks mamas!

[Mockeh]

Personally, I'd try nursing him more. That has more fat and calories than the amount of food/other milk he's likely having. If that's not an option, then swap the cow's milk with boobmilk?

[2under2]

Dairy products are good, avocados, and mix in some coconut milk with his cow milk (usually it is in the ethnic section in a can, make sure you do not buy the LITE ) also i would skip the morning oj and give him a smoothie or mommy milk or cow milk or goat milk.

also YOU should up your good fat intake so your breast milk gets higher (eat the above foods, plus you may want to increase your supply a bit so he gets more at each feeding (eat oatmeal with coconut oil and whatever else on it, and up your protein and good fats -olive oil, coconut oil, coconut milk, avocados etc-- an no you will not gain weight!!)

also i would cut out the cereal, babies don't digest grain all that well until 12 mos and the stuff you buy in the store is pretty much crap-- you can give him a little bit of REAL oatmeal, or better yet millet or quinoa

also make sure she is basing his weight off of breatmilk babies chart and not the standard chart (which is for formula fed babies) i am pretty sure the kellymom website has a breastmilk chart.

[angelnavywife]

I'd cut the juice-empty calories and cereal liek above poster mentioned .
And I agree with changing your diet to include healthy fats. I LOOSE weight when eating well with lots of good fats. It helps my body process food properly.
avocado, cream top yogurt, meats, egg yolk,
use only whole dairy (no non/low fat)

My baby girl isn't a big eater but she's a big nurser and a BIG girl LOL She's been in 2T since 6 months! But that is typical for my kiddos

Breakfast here is usually eggs cooked with some butter (if I use the whites for a recipe, I save the yolk and add teh extra into hers), my boys like shredded cheese on top, for mine and babies I put cheese and avocado (CA style omelet, YUM) or cream top yogurt with some fruit mixed in. We buy plain, sometimes we put some real maple syrup in. Our 3rd common breakfast is oatmeal. I stir in some coconut oil and the bigger kids add homemade granola

lunch: homemade soups, leftovers from night before, veggies and sour cream dip, wraps.
Baby gets soup, or shredded chicken and cheese cubes(if we had wraps), sometimes Kashi crackers


Dinner, she gets what we have. I try to avoid processed foods, so all the calories we dont have from junk foods makes all the good fats ok.

[mommabritt]

Thanks ladies...

As for the up-the-bfing, I dont think I could, I have lots of milk and he usually doesnt even come close to emptying. I have thought that maybe he is getting too much foremilk and not enough hind but I dont know how to fix that without pumping off the top, which I cant do. If I pump, I get engorged by the next feeding, my body is a serious milk-makin' machine. Wonderful blessing but can really be a bug!

I have given him avacodos many many times and will not eat them, I will try them in eggs, though! I will give a this a shot and hope for the best!

Thanks!
Also, how do I up his food intake without ruining his appetite for nursing? That is not something I would like to lose because of this...

[mamaratliff]

We have gone through this with my 1 yo too. Here's what we gave her to up her weight
avacado (she would eat up to 1 whole one a day!)
bread w/butter
whole what waffles w/butter
full fat yogurt
eggs
chicken
cheddar cheese (she ate tons of this, and she still loves it)
if she wanted ice cream, she got ice cream
NO WASTED CALORIES

[avidreader]

Originally Posted by mamaratliff We have gone through this with my 1 yo too. Here's what we gave her to up her weight avacado (she would eat up to 1 whole one a day!) bread w/butter whole what waffles w/butter full fat yogurt eggs chicken cheddar cheese (she ate tons of this, and she still loves it) if she wanted ice cream, she got ice cream NO WASTED CALORIES

yup- almost exactly what this poster said. Our ped was really excited because at his last appt he had dropped to the 1% (though he had previously only been in the 2% - he's a skinny minny) and we were just getting worried about how to get him to gain but at this appointment- he was up to the 4%!! We definitely have been pressing healthy fats on him since that last appt. We add olive oil to whatever he is eating- he doesn't even notice when we add it to applesauce, spaghetti, oatmeal or whatever else. Also- he used to hate avacado but we kept trying it and now he loves it! He doesn't eat any differently than we do- we just add extra olive oil or butter to whatever he is eating and it has helped a ton! I agree with the pp- cut out the oj and replace it with a homemade smoothie- banana, plain whole milk yogurt, a bit of olive oil if you wish and some frozen blueberries and he will love it (at least our guy does)!

[veganf]

Nurse as much as possible.
Add extra carbs.
Healthy fats like coconut milk, coconut oil, nut butters, seeds, avocado, olive oil, hemp products.

[negrapy]

lots of great suggestions - try mashing avocado with bananas - worked for my first - my second prefers guacamole

at the sametime - his weight would have looked okay to me - my little ones werent much heavier at a year though they've tended to move up in the weight % as other babies slowed down .......