I keep asking to myself.. Will he grow as a normal child? Will he be able to answer ppl's comments when they tease him directly? "oh.. U r so little"
Oh God.. Even now I can't control my tears. I am giving proper meals. I spend at least 30 min to 40 min daily for a meal.. I will forcebly feed him whatever it takes.. Poor Boy!! He cries.. But I never leave him. If he misses one meal, then he will lose weight.. He doesn't like fatty items-cakes, ice creams, ghee biscuits.
Can anyone help me? I really need something which will make my son gain some weight. His height is normal maybe 2 inches below a normal 4 yr old. But his physique is so poor.
I and my husband are ready to do anything for my son. Please help and I will be really grateful to you guys.
God Bless Everyone.
Thanks
If he eats little, but good, nourishing food that he loves, it will be absorbed, used and help him grow.
Advice
I was one of those children when I was younger. I was so small they had to put me in the hospital to feed me through my veins when I was 6 months old. I believe that my family worried so much that I began to hate food. Though my family had every reason to worry as my mother was turned in to child services by a neighbor who thought she wasn't taking care of me even though she had tried everything. When I got older I was so skinny that people would tell me I would blow away in the wind if I didn't eat more. I still have a love/ hate relationship with food and I believe I will forever because it was the only thing that people cared about when it came to me. It became the center of my life and all of my achievements were never as important as making sure I was eating. I was never given a choice to eat or not. There were some days I would sit at the table all night because I did not want to eat what was offered and I think my stomach was not big enough. I would gag and almost vomit if I tried to eat more.
Parents think that kids have to eat a certain amount or they will not grow. That is true to a certain extent but you have to let your child decide for themselves if they are finished or they will never learn to stop and start on thier own. This is one of the things that have caused eating disorders to rise so quickly. It is proven that children who are breast fed do not have as many eating disorders because the mother does not see the amount the baby is eating and worry it is not enough. The child eats what it needs and stops when it is full. This is inborn in all humans yet we feel we have to control this for our children.
If your son is truly weak then you should make sure he has all the vitamins he needs. He may be low on iron, copper, or any of the essentials. If you give him blackstrap molassas this could help his weakness. Focus on seeing what he is missing in his diet and try to secretly replace it without him knowing. Make a yummy (green) smoothy with all of the vitamins he needs in it. He will not know that it is good for him.
It is also possible he has a food allergy. Especially if he avoids certain foods. He may be subconciously saying that it does not make him feel well when he its that food. I wish you luck. I can tell you are a wonderful parent because you are worried about it in the first place. So do not listen to others.
Test for Food Allergies
★★★★★
Some children have a hard time eating if food upsets their stomach. Sometimes this is due to delayed food allergies. There is an expensive blood test for this, but it is not 100% accurate, but can be a good starting point. Food elimination diets can detect them, but don't use the ones that are too restrictive. Most popular food problems: gluten (wheat), milk, eggs or egg whites, corn, soy, nuts. Lots of books on this.
Celiac disease= no gluten. If your child is really underweight or short for their age, try the celiac disease blood test. The test is not 100% accurate as there are sometimes false negatives if the disease is in the early stage. Other symptoms of celiacs: stomach upsets, IBS, tooth enamel problems, skin problems.... Google for more info and symptoms. Celiac disease destroys the villi in your intestine and food/vitamins are not absorbed. Ergo, if your child is not absorbing their food, they don't grow. Once your child is off gluten, the intestines heal and food is absorbed.... weight is gained.
Test for Food Allergies
My child had them when he was little and I gave him this in different ways - I would juice them sometimes - grate them sometimes - just to make it a little easier for him to eat. Also I would put him on Fletcher's Castoria - it is a natural senna based laxative that will help to remove everything in his colon. Use your own judgment on the dose - I take it from a bottle a day sipping 1/4 tsp every 30 minutes and sometimes just one Tbls a day. It will not hurt him, so use your own judgment on this.
Test for Food Allergies
Also as my sister said to me yesterday you need to make food for children more palatable as they go through a stage of being picky eaters. Make food arranged with smily faces, homemade healthy pizzas (anything to get them to eat). My son (3 1/2) when he won't eat I play a game with him so we say cheers and clink our food together and eat at the same time. He laughs and thinks its terribly funny but eats his veggies at the same time.
Test for Food Allergies
Advice
Coconut oil would be good if you could add that to his diet as well.
Does he have a digestion issue? Probiotics and digestive enzymes would be helpful if there is a gut problem and the food can't digest properly. Also there is a great book "The Gut & Psychology Syndrome" by Dr. McBride which has been helpful in many kids who have gut issues. She recommends home made chicken broth to get nutrients into the body. You can google her on youtube there is a lot of info. She recommends starting kids off on the broth to heal the gut and then gradually adds foods back into the diet.
I can understand how worried you are having had a child myself who has many issues.
