how to put weight back on a sick baby?

Question

I have a 15 month old baby who has started day care and has fell very ill for the past 3 days with high fevers.
He has a respority virus and he under doctors care.

What foods can I give him as he is very picky abd hardly eats.
Was thin to start with now very skinny and all his clothes now are starting to fall off.

Any suggestions would be helpful.

Thanks!

Answer 1

try adding a calorie powder to his food and drinks I had the same problem with my 16 month old he lost a lot weight because of G.E.R.D and now he is starting to put back on the weight there are different brands so ask a pharmacist what will be better for your child.

Answer 2

Avocado & peanut butter are two high fat/calorie foods that are healthy and appealing to toddlers.

Try baking pasta with tomato sauce, lots of cheese and assorted sauted veggies (carrots, zucchini, mushrooms...) It's a good way to sneak a few new veggies in there. You can even put in some cooked ground meat or meatballs.

He likely will not have much of an appetite for a few days after being sick. When our son doesn't feel good and doesn't want to eat, he'll usually go for drinkable yogurt. I buy organic stuff over the "Danimals" brand - less sugar and my son actually prefers it.

Answer 3

I agree with the previous answer. Kids are very resilient. Weights go up and down, and they even out in the end.

At that age, they do say that the child should pretty much be eating what you are. However, if he's got picky, then you'll have to just keep trying stuff on him.

Someone in our family swears that if you put food in front of a child three or four times, they'll eat it and like it eventually. I have to say it's partly true... we have at least one fussy child, and we always put at least one thing on her plate that we know she won't eat. Over time, she's started to eat a few of them...

Don't worry - kids have an in-bult self preservation mechanism. They won't starve themselves to death. Even if it means they fill up on milk, they'll be ok and you can get them into a good diet eventually.

I hope he gets well soon.

Answer 4

If you & your doctor are worried about it, try avocados and other things that are high in good fats. If he likes fruit (like bananas & strawberries), put some in a blender with some whole milk yogurt for a smoothie.

Also, try feeding him more often. He may not feel like eating much at once, but he may eat more often.

Answer 5

PediaSure is a good supplement for extra calories. My daughter takes a liquid only diet and what the doctor tells us to feed her is PediaSure. It has all the vitamens that kids need and a whopping 237 calories per bottle.

Answer 6

My doctor told me to give my daughter Nestle Carnation Instant Breakfast to help put on weight when she was about the same age. She was healthy but underweight. It is a drink like a shake. It comes in chocolate and vanilla so he would probably like it.

Answer 7

He'll come back around, don't worry. He probably isn't in the mood to eat anyway because he doesn't feel well. Wait until he's better to start getting weight back on him or you could make him feel even worse.