Things I Can't Say

Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom

Having a Skinny Mini Kid

My middle son is a skinny mini.

Those jeans with the adjustable waists don’t work for him- pull them as tight as they’ll go and they will still fail the jump test and you’ll be able to see his butt.

He weighs only two pounds more than his younger brother- who is two years younger than he is. He falls into about the 5th percentile for weight(when he’s soaking wet, anyway).

scale weightI know we often hear about the problem with kids who are overweight or obese, but when I mentioned my skinny mini on my facebook page a while back, there were a lot of you who chimed in about your kids.

For my son, he’s always been on the thin side but with the medication he takes for his ADHD, it suppresses his appetite- for the majority of the day anyway. So we try to get bigger meals into him for breakfast and then a very heavy snack near bedtime(like a second dinner big). But obviously, there are other reasons that kids can be skinny minis. I was a teeny little thing growing up. But that was back when there was the old school opinion of oh, she’s just a petite girl.

We have regular visits with our doctor to check on his weight as well as updates about his medication, so his doctor is well aware of his weight and isn’t overly concerned, though she did talk about ways to get him to gain.

I asked Doctor G to share some tips(since somehow it didn’t occur to me to ask my doctor for a quote that I could use on my blog… I wonder how she’d respond). Here’s what Debi had to say:

“This is actually kind of fun! All the stuff that we weight-conscious adults have to avoid? We can give to our child who needs to gain! So that means full fat dairy products – like yogurt and cheese and milk. Adding butter, gravy, peanut butter, even ice cream! For kids who aren’t in to that, or for families with varying needs who don’t want to have all that in the fridge, I suggest using Carnation Instant Breakfast mixed with whole milk. Don’t give this to replace a meal, give it as a snack.”

Doctor G’s advice fell very much in line with what my doctor suggested. We go for the full-fat versions of just about everything now(which sometimes means having to buy two different products since my son can have the full-fat, but some of us *ahem* me *ahem* don’t need it.)

Peanut butter is something my son loves so he can have it on his pancakes in the morning for some extra calories(and extra protein). We give him smoogies(smoothies) with his bedtime snack, made with whole milk, yogurt, spinach, and berries(dark berries to hide the green of the spinach). Muffins, homemade cookies(oatmeal raisin so I can pretend they are totally healthy)- all go in the mix.

While I still want to keep the majority of his calories healthy ones and not give in and say well, he needs to gain weight, so go ahead and eat fried oreos all day long… I don’t shy away from adding some unhealthy fattening stuff along with the healthy. For example, he LOVES fruit and would live on that if we let him. To get some extra calories in there, he can have some fruit dip to go with it(I like one block of cream cheese, one jar of marshmallow fluff, and 1 cup of powdered sugar mixed up). Or adding some chocolate chips to trail mix. As long as he’s eating more of the healthy stuff than the “treats,” I’m okay with adding those treats in there- especially when it makes him eat more of the healthy anyway.

Do you have any recipes or suggestions for foods for a kid who needs to gain some weight?

Obviously, I’m not a doctor. I’ve talked with my own doctor about ways to have my child gain weight, but if you have concerns about your child’s weight, you should talk to your doctor- not take medical advice from some mom off the internet. 😉

Comments

  1. We used to go through a ton of Carnation Instant Breakfast. Why have regular milk, when I can add calories AND vitamins? Plus it was like a treat.

    My friend made pancakes with almond flour —which her not just skinny but underweight kid loved.

    And I know many more parents with skinny kids than the opposite.

    • I might have to try Carnation Instant breakfast. My son is right there on that line between skinny and having it be a concern. He has a doctor appointment tomorrow, so we’ll see. 

    • My mom thought it was awesome that I was so skinny. She was very weight obsessed. I wonder if she would have handled it differently if one of my brothers had been that thin. 

  3. Oh my gosh! I dont have a recipe but I do have this problem with my 4 year old who can still wear her 2T pants as capris this year!!! Ugh!!! To top it off she has so much energy that she cant keep any of the calories that she takes in. Thanks for this post, I’m pinning it because I need to read it again and I think it’d be helpful to other moms.

    • My skinny mini can fit into 2T swim trunks- and he’ll be 7 next week. It’s craziness. 

  4. My boys are all super skinny. In fact, my ‘biggest’ child is only in the 10th percentile for weight. The other two are 5th percentile and not even on the chart. Their pedi is not concerned though – he always says better skinny than the alternative.

    • That’s true. I’d rather have this issue. We’re just monitoring him. My other two are on the slim side as well so I think that coupled with the medication is what is causing him to be so low.

  5. My youngest falls into this category. Ever since the womb! He measured 2-3 weeks behind gestation. 
    We’ve done the carnation instant breakfast too and he loves it. I give him snacks all the time and meals. I know he needs it all to gain the weight. He is on the lower end of the growth chart but is growing consistently at his own pace. 

  6. I need the same advice! My 3 year old has been picky with food forever, and just recently, he’s broken down his resistance to trying new food, so that’s exciting for us. We’ve been giving him cheese, chocolate, ice- cream, all sorts of full-fat stuff, whatever he wants. Though I do want to balance it out with some healthy food. 

    • Oh, that’s great that he’s trying new things. My little guy has lots of texture issues so there are only certain foods he’ll eat. Thankfully, he loves pretty much all fruits, so that helps. But sometimes it’s hard with other foods. 

  7. I wish I had a recipe for you. My kids live off of rice, beans, pasta, chicken, fruits and veggies and are really skinny. The Carnation Instant Breakfast is AWESOME and the Pediasure as well. I use almond milk when I give the Carnation milk though. 
    I have one child that is extremely skinny. He was even diagnosed with failure to thrive. His issues with eating are primarily sensory issues. He sticks to certain foods so this makes it difficult. The doc says as long as he’s eating and getting his vitamins via Pediasure and his Proteins he’s doing good. 
    Good luck!!

    • Mine has some texture issues as well. His main source of protein is peanut butter. Thankfully, he loves fruits and yogurt and cheese, so I feel like he’s still getting some good stuff in there. 

  8. My former stepson was the same way.  He never stopped moving and I think that contributed to it, he actually ate quite a lot!  But one thing he loved was Pediasure.  They’re expensive but a good way to load up on calories!

  9. James is pretty thin. I was really happy that he has seemed to have a major growth spurt over the winter. I was starting to get worried that he would never grow, and then he just shot up all of the sudden. He eats ALL the time so I’m not really worried, and he wears a size that is appropriate for his age  (not that smaller sizes aren’t appropriate, you know what I mean). Actually I have to say that this is one thing I’m happy I don’t have to worry about. Cady tends to fall on the not-so skinny side so we talk a lot about eating healthy and moving our bodies. It would be a real challenge if I were having to bulk one up while trying to get the other one to not over-indulge.

    • Definitely a challenge. Right now, I feel like I’m the one gaining weight from trying to put weight on my son! He can still put on 2 or 3 T shorts. 

  10. My doctor suggested smearing everything with butter. My friend got to eat a chocolate milkshake every day after school. I kind of wish I had that life…
    Sandy

  11. My middle son is also the same he is 5 and 33 lbs and very short same size as my daughter who is 2 . I’ve tried all the tricks !! Hang in there hopefully it gets better . I was wondering if your child has a eating problem (Swallowing) ?

    • No problem with swallowing. He is very sensitive to different textures and that’s something we’ve had to work around. 

  12. I have no suggestions . . . just, I’m too frugal to buy two of anything, but I only buy the full-fat/non-diet stuff for the kids right now . . . so I’m being ultra conscious of serving size for me.  Also, I spend so much time making peanut butter sandwiches & hot dogs that I don’t want those items for me.

    CJ, at 3, is significantly larger than the twin 6-year-old boys of a good friend.  Me, I’ve never been close to ever being “skinny” (especially growing up) . . . I’m quite interested to hear what strategies you employ & how they work.

    • I’m not a big fan of having to buy two of somethings- but I was starting to gain weight and he wasn’t, so I needed to do something. :/ 

      He has a check up tomorrow, so we’ll see how much of an effect this has all had on him. 

      • I’m willing to bet that he’s finely in-tune with his feeling of “full” that, yeah, more-caloric-dense foods are just what he needs.

        Me, I like the feeling of eating so very much that, well, the more-caloric-dense foods need to be avoided 🙂

        Except wine.  Wine needs me.

  13. Good luck!! I tried all those things to gain weight as a teen and nothing worked. (The drs back then have me the same advice!). I guess my metabolism was just a little too good. ;). My boys are both skinny minis. Hard to find pants long enough that will actually stay up! Slims with adjustable waists seem to be the only solution!

    • I can remember you drinking slim fast type drinks in addition to meals to try to gain. I was jealous. You know, because I thought I was huge in high school. SIGH. 

      We’ve had good luck with the “pull on jean” from Gymboree. They look just like their regular jeans but have a band at the waist. It sort of looks like a maternity stretchy band, but it’s always covered by his shirt. Even the adjustables are way too big on him, especially since he shot up another inch. 

  14. Ben is skinny. He’s at the 50% for his weight/height so he’s average on the charts. He doesn’t seem that much skinner than the kids in his kindergarten class but when I buy him pants I buy them in the slim fit because the other ones are either too short or too wide for his waist. My mother seems to think this indicative that he doesn’t eat enough. But he does he’s just a skinny kid! It’s not a bad thing! 

    Also, I’ve never made fruit dip before sounds easy and tasty!

    • No, nothing wrong with having a kid on the thin side! 

      That did is super yummy and easy to make. Not the healthiest thing in the world, but with a little fruit, I figure it balances it out. 

  15. My son can eat pretty much anything but he is a total ball of muscle, not an ounce of fat on him cause he just never stops, he’ll jump in place just for the fun of it. He runs around outside and eats and eats. His doctor said he’s fine and healthy but since he’s all muscle I can keep him on whole milk instead of going with a low fat.

  16. We have a similar issue with The Boy. His sister actually outweighs him by two pounds, even though he’s 2 inches taller. He’s just so lean and he loves to exercise, so that adds to it, especially during football season. I haven’t actively tried to get weight on him, because he’s probably in the 30%ile for weight, plus I”m conscious of NOT sending the wrong message to The Girl who is still lean, but doesn’t need the extra calories!

    • 30% percentile isn’t anything to be concerned about, either. My little dude is pretty close to dropping off the chart for weight right now, so that combined with knowing that his meds suppress his appetite, I feel obligated to put a little more thought into how much he eats and how calorie-rich it is. 

      • True. We get alarmed because he’s so lean… you can see his ribs and tendons. The big concern is because of the football. He’s just so little and playing against boys that are literally twice his weight!

  17. Ah lucky boy to have that problem 🙂  My oldest only weighs about 7 pounds more than his little sister, who is two years younger– but he is at a fine weight percentage, he is just skinny and tall and she is really tall and built more solid. 

  18. I have a similar problem with my oldest. I give her the full fat versions of most foods. She has been blessed with my husband’s metabolism. I’m constantly trying to add extra fat and protein to both of their meals. Granola is great way to get in some good fats like nuts and seeds. 

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