Feeding my vegetarian 15 month old?

Question

my 15 month old son weighs 19 lbs. his weight is below the 5th percentile. our dr has run a blood test and urinalysis and everything has checked out fine. i am breastfeeding but will wean him at the end of this summer. dr. has asked me to begin feeding him whole cows milk - which is okay with us (we eat dairy and eggs). and she has expressed how important it is that he gets enought fat in his diet for brain growth. we eat lots of LEAN meals - brown rice, beans, whole wheat breads, veggies, fruit. we feed our son the same foods we eat.
so, my question, i guess, is have any of you had this same issue with low baby weight ? and what are some foods high in healthy fats that i can feed him ? he is very muscular and lean - which i feel is healthy and i think it's genetic. my husband and i are both small and two nephews weighed the same at this age. however, our doctor wants him to fatten up.

yes, his weight has steadily increased but stays under the 5th percentile. we feed him many small meals through the day and he is a good eater. also, he is EXTREEMLY active. he loves to walk around the block and to the park. i rarely put him in his stroller anymore.
you guys have been so helpful and encouraging. thank you :)

Answer 1

As you are breastfeeding, did you doctor compare his weight to the new World Health Organization breastfeeding standards chart?? The WHO recently changed the standards for breastfed babes to be lower in weight based on the internationally average breastfed child. Please don't give your son whole milk!! Why should you substitute your all natural supposed to be fed to him milk for the milk of another species? Your milk is perfectly adequate in every way!! As for brain development? Saturated fats found in whole milk do not help in that department! Since you are still breastfeeding, are you taking blue-green algae for DHA? DHA is a specific chain of Omega-3 fatty acids. You can find Omega-3 in flax seeds and walnuts, but it is the ALA chain, not DHA which is by far more important for brain development than ALA in infants!! Avocados, nut butters, young coconut water and meat, and olives are high in good fats (but won't plump up your son that much, as they are used better for more purposes)! But seriously, if his tests came back fine, then why should you try to fatten him up like his SAD counterparts! My breastfed 14 month old is in the 10th percentile and I see nothing wrong with this. Especially since he runs wherever he wants to go. I have a problem with the doctors wishing me to substitute my perfect milk for inadequate milk to fatten him up so that he can be the average obese Type 2 diabetes child!! Please contact me with questions and concerns as I have breastfed both my children, changed my oldest's diet to vegetarian and started my son this way from the get go!

Answer 2

My daughter is very small for her age as well. She is currently 3 and at her last check up she was in the 10th percentile after being in the 5th percentile since about 5 months old.

We are not vegetarians, she just drank a LOT of milk and didn't eat much real food. Ever since she was 100% weaned off the bottle, her appetite returned and now she is like always hungry.

For you, I would suggest feeding baby white rice instead of brown rice. Maybe use some real butter on his foods to give him a bit of fat. Ezmac is one of the best inventions on the face of this earth. Saves a lot of time when you want something fast to feed the little one. "Grilled cheese" sandwiches...only I pop the bread in the toaster then microwave it with the cheese and don't use any butter. In your case you might want to use a little butter to give baby some fat. The other suggestion is to feed him peanut butter and jelly sandwiches too. I don't know how healthy you like to keep things but peanut butter will have a lot of fat calories as well. I hope this helps.

Answer 3

It it's genetic (it sounds like it is), then there isn't a lot that you can do differently. You can try the whole milk, but you should be sensitive to the effects that dairy products have on your baby. When I was a baby, dairy caused ear infections, which is relatively common, as their bodies are not as good at processing the cows milk. Goat milk is a little bit more expensive, but is much easier for the body to process.

Does he like quacamole? Avacado is the vegetable with the highest fat content, and it is also very good for you.

As far as the issue of eating meats is concerned. It's fine if you feed him a vegetarian diet, as long as he's getting protein, which you can get from the beans that are already in your diet, then he's fine. Meat is especially difficult for the body to digest, and that goes for any body, not just a baby's.

Also, doctor's don't always know best. They can give suggestions, but you have to ensure that anything the doctor suggests is going to work for your baby. In my case, it was the doctor who told my mother to give me the milk that caused my ear infections. She was rather adamant about the importance of it, in spite of the infections. It wasn't until later that she found out that it was what was hurting me.

Answer 4

Babies need fat for brain development.
For meal such as beans and rice[ yum ] add a bit of butter or olive oil for your son.
You don't need to add a lot just a bit.
What about whole milk yogurts ?
Cheeses are good too.What about Peanut butter ?

Has your sons weight been consistently going up but staying under the 5th % ? That's the important part.
If he is not gaining, you need to help him gain.
I wish you the very best.
Babies do well with several small meals a day than just a few larger ones.

Answer 5

My son didn't eat meat t until he was almost 16 months old (which is now). I kept offering it and he kept refusing. I think it was a texture thing since it isn't as easy to eat as fruits and veggies. One day we tried chicken nuggets from Wendy's... not healthy, I know, but at least he ate meat. Later that week I found a recipe online for kid-friendly chicken nuggets. I made them and he loved them! I've also noticed that my son will eat most things that I give him from fork. So if I want him to eat meat, I'll put a very small piece on the tip of my fork and feed it to him. He eats it primarily because he likes to do what I do, but it turns out that he likes the way it tastes and he comes back for more. Just keep trying!!

Answer 6

When my son was that age he weighed 19 lbs. By the time he was 4 and started school he weighed 30lbs. He didn't eat hardly anything. The doctor said as long as he eats something during the day he will be fine. We was so scared, because he never ate. Now he is 15 and he weighs 135 and he eats. So your little boy is normal. I let mine eat whatever due to him not eating at all. But he is ever health and lively.
As long as he is eating, don't listen to the doctor. 55% of the children under 18 are obese. So you are going a great job with your son. God Bless you.

Answer 7

I have a skinny little 6 year old vegetarian and a slightly chunky 9 year old one and two fairly normal sized ones that are older. (Note: All were breastfed for at least 18 months.) We watch the little one and try to get him to eat more but much of it is just a body type. Just because your meal is lean which is probably good for you it does not mean his can't have more fat. Mine will each things like veggie dogs, veggie corn dogs and veggie chik nuggets which are higher in fat so you might want to try some of that type of items to increase the protein and fat in his diet. The chik nuggets and corn dogs heat up in the micro in about a minute so its not a big deal to add to his meal or substitute for something you are eating.

Answer 8

Beware of processed foods.. Soy, tofu (see the other articles), and artificial sweetners and preservatives.
(As we all have heard before)
Fresh veggies and fruits (after washing well) are full of essential vitamins and minerals. Make sure your baby has enough fats and proteins, (from nuts and grains and dairy).
It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job! Keep alot of fluids around too. Fruit Juices (apple juice) can be diluted with water, so your toddler can drink more without getting too sweet! ..Also, Keep feeding him all day long- because heathy, natural foods are metabolilzed faster than processed foods (which sit in the stomach longer), therefore he needs to eat more good, natural foods while he is growing.

Answer 9

If being "skinny" is something that runs in the family, then I'd worry that today obese children is the growing problem.

Nuts have a lot of fat and protein, I'm nut sure how to feed them to a child. I suspect they would need to be pulverized into apple sauce or something. So you should look up nuts.

Avocados as someone else mentioned has a lot of fats too.

Answer 10

the milk and eggs will help try cheese and juicy juice maybe even try some soy based things like tofu there are lots of ways to "fatten him up" as u say with different kinds of cereal and even with stuff like peanut butter bread cause it is high in protein that u get from meats with out having to eat the meat i worked at a day care and we had this lil girl who was a 5 week preemie and after she was 13 months we could start to give her some of this stuff to help her put on some weight her fav was dry cheerios she went from 16 lbs at 13 months to 22lbs at 16 months and her Dr was very happy