~Feeding Frustration~

[babybunny]

One more thing....we have friends with a 14 month old who weights 29 lbs compared to my son at 16 months old and 22 lbs with a wet diaper on. During a recent visit, 29 lb child hardly moved around. My son NEVER stopped moving.

Also to note -- the 14 month old hardly had any teeth...my son has 16 teeth already. His appetite really slowed down when he had a tooth coming in....

All I'm saying is every child is different.

[kahplayground]

Hi Rachel,

How big did you say Liv is? DD was on the smaller side as well( birth weight 5# 13 oz & 18# at 12 months) but was thriving and staying on the growth curve. I have been a little obsessive the last year about her size, so I feel for you! Prior to weaning, dd wouldn't take anything to drink except from the breast and now she only will drink water..no breastmilk, whole milk, formula, f/u formula, nothing. It took me a while, but I have finally found some foods the dd loves that is higher in calories:
-try adding either mashed banana or applesauce to the avocado (dd hated avocado prior to me adding this)
- what about ravioli w/ several different cheeses (this has become a staple for dd; she loves the 4 cheese made by costco. I just make 3-4 and cut them up with kitchen scizzors)?
-whole milk yogurt (again another staple in dd diet; sometimes I add fruit or veggies but mostly she eats it plain. I found the best yogurt at Trader Joes
-open faced grilled cheese (sometimes I put two slices of cheese on)
-mac n' cheese
-pancakes with applesauce mixed in
-scrambled eggs/omlet (I always give her cereal for breakfast and then give her a larger snack about 2 hours later usually consiting of eggs, yogurt, &/or pancakes

HTH and hang in there. I found that dd really started in thrive in growth after her first bday. She goes back next Wed for her 15 month exam. I expect she is about 20-21# now and much taller!

Karin
Reagan 1/05

[kahplayground]

Rachel,

I almost forgot the most important thing that has worked for me...I give dd books (washable) & puzzels (bought a cheap $1 one at Target that I can eventually throw away) and came up with silly songs and games (putting things on her head and mine and letting them fall off)to keep her eating, occupied and happy. She has learned quite a bit from this b/c she is contained temporarily and it allows me to teach her things. She has gotten quite good with matching the puzzel pieces too.

Good Luck!

Karin
Reagan 1/05

[anamika]

Hi Rachel,
This is just FYI - My DD was diagnosed with RTA (renal tubular acidosis) around her first b'day and the situation with your DD is similar to the way it was with my DD (which is why I, very hesitantly, mention this). DD fell off the curve around 1 year (eta -her height percentile was declining too), had no appetite, self weaned around 13 months. And she hit all the milestones right on or way ahead.
We moved around her first b'day and so we had to pick a new ped. By some good luck, we picked a nephrologist and he said right away that DD's case was a text book case for RTA. The blood for the test has to be free flowing so it has to be drawn from the neck or the thigh (Has your DD had this blood test - I'm sure you would remmeber if so!!) The treatment is relatively simple (thankfully) - DD now gets polycitra 4 times a day and it helps her appetite. I add heavy cream to everything she drinks and butter to everything she eats.
I also mention this b'cos DH and I were initially very reluctant to submit her to this test mainly b'cos she was hitting all the milestones so we argued that nothing was wrong. In the end we decided to go ahead b'cos we read online that RTA does *not* affect any of the developmental milestones.
Of course, I'm in no way a doctor and I definitely don't mean to alarm you. I actually debated a lot about whether to post this or not, but I figure having more information about something is always useful. So I hope I haven't alarmed or offended you in anyway.

HTH,
eta - I also wanted to stress that RTA mainly affects appetite and growth. Otherwise DD is absolutely normal (knock on wood).

[Lovingliv]

Oh, I have been so busy with work I totally forgot about this thread! Thank-you all for your imput!

Karin, it is funny you mention that about giving her a toy to play with! My husband figured this out a few days ago, and now if she has something to play with she eats much more!
It is so hard, because I grew up at a table with no toys, just food. I guess I probably wouldn't remember if my mom gave me a toy (to get me to eat) at this age, huh?
The ravioli I am trying tonight! Yay Costco!
We use yogurt as a staple and she loves it! She loves cheese. Once in a while mac and cheese.
She will eat blueberry pancakes and eggos smeared with cream cheese but only to eat the cream cheese off!
Thanks for all the info!

[Lovingliv]

NO worries Usha! I appreciate the info and she has not been tested for this! I just had a workup done on her two weeks ago, and I am due to go back to the ped in 2 weeks so I will mention it then. I would much rather know there is something wrong, treat it, and move on! Thanks so much, I am a realist :)
Liv was born at 7' 1" and at her weight check one month ago was 16.8 pounds. She does move constantly, and she is teething, but if it is something else it is my job to find it. Or at least help the docs find it. The blood test sounds horrible at best :(
I am adding cream, butter, and olive oil to everything she eats as well. Here is hoping both our kids gain some weight!
Thanks again!

[anamika]

Whew...I was really worried about how you would react.
Yes, the test is awful but like you, I would rather know. While I certainly wish my DD didn't have RTA, I will be honest and admit that I was *relieved* to find out what was wrong with her and know that we could treat it. And it sounds callous but as disorders go, RTA is certainly not the worst.
DD was born 6 lb 13 oz and at her 1 yr check up was at 16 lbs something. We did a couple of weight checks but her curve was going flat and her height was starting to flatten out too (height always lags weight). I wish I could say she was back on the curve but as my ped keeps telling me there's no magic wand and it will take at least 6 months of treatment to make a dent and see the curve go steep again. Plus DD has had severe stomach and other viral infections 2-3 times and of course, kept losing whatever weight she gained and more. So one step forward, two steps back!!
So we're keeping our fingers crossed and trying to ignore the fact that all the kids on the playground are half her age and twice her size! It gets a bit depressing.
I sincerely hope you find out soon how to get her weight back up and here's hoping like you said.
Also, I didn't find a whole lot of resources on the net about RTA, so if you need more info, feel free to ask.
Take care,

[kedss]

Have you tried giving her some brand new food? DS is now over 2, and won't eat the thing he ate when he first started solids. Also there are some good whole wheat pastas that have good protein in them. Does she like cheese or eggs or yogurt? There are some really yummy high fat yogurts that I think really helped DS gain weight, course he won't eat them now usually!

Hang in there, mama, try letting her do her own thing for a while, and see what happens. I know it can be frustrating, but it sounds to me that you are doing all the right things. :)