Please help me with my son..

[hollybabies]

any mom's out there seen this:
Long story short, My 3 1/2 yo son is very thin 28-29lbs, and hasn't gained weight in more than 1 1/2 yrs. He has a severe peanut allergy, and he eats like a bird, and someone told me to check out a gluten free diet saying it would help him absorb nutrients better, then he should start to gain weight. He had lots of ear infections as a baby, got tubes, and an allergist we saw said he probably has other allergies, but wouldn't test him or recommend anything. I am hoping to find a naturopath. Anyone have a kid like this? Any advice?

[MrsAsh]

My son is 3.5 and about 32 lbs (dressed on home scales) and he is 41 inches tall. He's a picky and strange eater and has been extremely hard to feed since birth. He doesn't have allergies though. I know what's it's like to be in tears meal after meal, so I just wanted to say to ya mama! I have yet to figure anything out about my DS, but he's strong and active, so I've left him to his own pace. I hope you find answers!

[RJ6Mommy]

My son is four and weighs 30lbs. He is very very picky and seems to never eat. He does not have any allergies he is just not s big guy. Actually all my kids are thin and weighed less then 18 lbs at a year old. My first skinny minny was tested for systic fibrosis when he was one because they thought there had to be a reason for him being small. After all my kids were thin they just decided it was in their genes. My son never whines about being hungry but does eat a fruit or something before bed because he doesnt eat his dinner.

[hollybabies]

ok mamas, that makes me feel a lot better. People just keep telling me that he has allergies by the way he looks, and it is making me question, and frankly making me a wreck because I can't tell what/if he is allergic, like the peanuts, nothing else does that, almost an anaphylactic response.

[mommy2sammy]

Fwiw, my ds was a big baby and toddler. At 2 ish, he stopped gaining weight, but continued to grow in height. He is sensitive to milk and eggs and allergic to wheat. He never looked sickly to me until we removed the wheat and now he looks so much better, that I can see what others were talking about. Before he was just kind of grey and his eyes were not clear, shiny, or bright. Hard to see when you live with them, as it's a very subtle difference. He was constipated and vomited alot, which is what prompted the testing. He does not have an anaphylactic reaction, he has an inflammatory gut reaction. He did have a wheat product on his skin and it swelled and turned red, so I'm guessing that's what the inside of his gut looked like. We are almost a year wheat free and he is now much less whiney, has an awesome appetite, poops daily without meds, and doesn't vomit. He has gained close to 6 lbs and just looks really healthy overall. We had a less reliable but less invasive blood test for the allergies, but his wheat response was so off the charts and quality of life is so better now, that I don't question it at all. A friend of ours, adult, went to a natro and had the same test done.
Hope this novel helps!

[hollybabies]

Originally Posted by mommy2sammy Fwiw, my ds was a big baby and toddler. At 2 ish, he stopped gaining weight, but continued to grow in height. He is sensitive to milk and eggs and allergic to wheat. He never looked sickly to me until we removed the wheat and now he looks so much better, that I can see what others were talking about. Before he was just kind of grey and his eyes were not clear, shiny, or bright. Hard to see when you live with them, as it's a very subtle difference. He was constipated and vomited alot, which is what prompted the testing. He does not have an anaphylactic reaction, he has an inflammatory gut reaction. He did have a wheat product on his skin and it swelled and turned red, so I'm guessing that's what the inside of his gut looked like. We are almost a year wheat free and he is now much less whiney, has an awesome appetite, poops daily without meds, and doesn't vomit. He has gained close to 6 lbs and just looks really healthy overall. We had a less reliable but less invasive blood test for the allergies, but his wheat response was so off the charts and quality of life is so better now, that I don't question it at all. A friend of ours, adult, went to a natro and had the same test done. Hope this novel helps!

That is what happened, when he turned 2, he just stopped gaining weight. Mine seems to have more belly issues lately, complaining that his belly hurts off and on, but he is extremely whiney, and he has had some bouts of vomiting lately, when no one else is sick. weird. maybe I should just start gluten free and then go from there. It can't hurt right? He already won't touch eggs, and we don't do milk, but we do yogurt. So I guess wheat is the next thing to take out.
Thanks again for your help

[mommy2sammy]

I asked ds's ped if we should just try GF, and she wanted to do the test first, since it is a huge lifestyle change. She never thought it would be wheat and was visibly sad and apologetic when she gave us the results. I had a "feeling" that it was even before the testing. It can't hurt to try it and see if things improve. We noticed a huge improvement from 2-3 weeks on. And the vomiting stopped immediately. Ds also won't touch eggs, which is good, since his test showed a level just under the threshold for an allergy. We also do yogurt and cheese, but only drink almond milk, since he reacted to milk as a baby.
There are lots of GF options now, so it wasn't a horrible change for us. However, the rest of us occasionally indulge in a piece of "real" bread and it is amazing ;-)
The rest of our family has responded well to the GF life. Dh and I have lost weight in a healthy way, about 2 lbs a week, and feel much better overall. That could be attributed to eating at home most of the time and an increase in fresh fruits and veggies, while decreasing processed foods astronomically. We've found that witg GF we eat way less processed food, since I'm having to mimic our old faves by making them GF from scratch.

[vjbakke]

I know of a blog that you may find interesting and helpful. Maria has great knowledge on nutrition and health, all her recipes are grain free ( all grains) starch free and sugar free. She also does consultations online. Many people that go GF make the mistake of adding a lot of starch in place of wheat. That can be just as harmful as the wheat. We follow Maria's type of lifestyle, but we have no allergies in our family. http://mariahealth.blogspot.com/

[vjbakke]

double post

[beansie19]

I would bet on the gluten allergy. It takes a good few weeks to a month for his system to get back on track. But you should notice a def change in him. Happier, less irritable, increase in appetite, sleeping better etc. Gluten is not really good for anyone. We should all consume only small amounts. There are a lot of gluten-free options out there but I wouldn't over do the processed foods with all the tapioca/potato starch either. Rice pasta, quinoa flour millet and amaranth are good things to have on hand and easy to digest. With my DD, I did the first week with no grains at all. Just fruits, veggies, including squash and sweet potatoes and proteins like lentils, fish or chicken. hope that helps.