Helping My Baby

she does sound pretty tiny. but i'd hold off on juice- it's just sugar water. if she's eating real food, just give her the fruit.
honestly i'd keep trying formula, or that transitional stuff. it sounds as if she needs the nutrients, and if she can't get it from breast milk, formula will be better for her than straight cow's milk, which is probably causing the runs. and introduce (slowly and carefully!) foods that have a high water content.
khairete
S.

This all might be information that you're very aware of, and I'm not saying it to be offensive, but just in the spirit of "have all the questions been asked". Are you taking your baby to a pediatrician who is actually a board certified medical pediatrician who is knowledgeable about babies who are not gaining enough weight? (I once knew a woman who kept taking her baby to the doctor for some medical issues, and wasn't getting results, and it turned out she was following the advice of some friend of a friend and was taking her baby to basically a person who sold vitamin supplements and practiced some kind of baby energy reading but whom everyone called Dr Mary or something.) Please, I'm not trying to imply that you are doing any such thing, but I have spent the last ten years searching for medical help for my daughter and there are some real shady people out there. And in the interest of being thorough because your baby appears to be getting insufficient help, I just thought I'd check to see if you had checked your doctor's credentials and if you think your doctor is being proactive enough. If the doctor is worried, has he told you why he's worried (is it simply that she's not gaining weight, or is it the bowel movements, or your baby's insufficient diet, or perhaps your baby isn't hitting the developmental milestones like reaching for things, rolling over, sitting up, babbling, responding to sounds, etc)? Has he helped you develop a plan or does he just keep weighing the baby and worrying?

I'm wondering why your pediatrician is not referring your daughter for blood tests, for nutritional counseling, for allergy testing (for both you and the baby), for lactation consulting. How is your diet, since you're still breast-feeding? Do you eat well? Do you eat healthy vegetables and whole grains and drink lots of water, for example? Doctors worry, certainly. But good doctors do more than worry. They turn that worry into action, into consultations with specialists, with solid advice.

Juice is not usually recommended. Plain water will keep your baby hydrated. If your baby has teeth and is nearly a year old, is she eating some soft cereal, munching on some homemade baby food (soft cooked vegetables that are mashed, or appropriate baby foods that are cooked without seasonings, soft cooked rice, etc)?

I would get her growth chart records and seek a second opinion. No doctor should tell a mother to only put her not yet 1 yr old daughter on pediasure and nothing else. I would question that. She should be nursing or have formula as primary and then some amount of solids. Further, some kids are just small. My DD wasn't 20 lbs til well after a year old. Is she on her curve or not? Is she meeting milestones?That matters more than how much she weighs if she's always been small. If she's having runny diapers, that could be so much - including the all pediasure diet. You need to talk to an allergist if you think she has an allergy.

ETA: I don't know how you responded to your own question but I've seen that weirdness before. If she's biting during nursing, you need to teach her not to. My DD got teeth at 6 mo. and I nursed her til 2.5. Biting is a bad habit. If she won't take anything else, you need to do something to increase what she will take. I would try to get better nursing habits and/or try pumping some of her milk. I know you say you are busy but there is rarely a magic bullet for medical issues. If you are seeing specialists (which you did not say in the original post) then you need to go back to them. There are prescription products you may want/need to try. You may also want her tested to see if it's not the intake that is the issue, but something else. Friend's son was always small and when his little sister started catching up, they realized there was more going on. Press your doctors for answers or get a second opinion.

My daughter's ate absolutely nothing but breast milk until they were a year old. Then they went to table food. Both my girls were under 20lbs at a year. Since I exclusively BF and I didn't pump I had no way of knowing what my milk supply was like. I just trusted they were getting what they needed.

Is your doctor concerned? Juice is sugar water and simply empty calories. Personally, I would not ever give my baby juice.

Does your doctor say her weight is a part of a health issue or does he say it's something to be concerned about. Has she been diagnosed as a failure to thrive baby?

The things you say the doctor asks you to do don't add up unless your daughter's weight is of serious concern. I read your previous post which tells me her low weight is serious.

My granddaughter was tested for food allergies, including one for milk protein, with a blood test when she was 4-5 months old. She was diagnosed with food allergies including an allergy to milk protein. My daughter tried her on a couple different milk free formulas. My granddaughter's gas, diarrhea, and fussiness decreased with Aliamentum. I suggest that if you only give her milk free formula she will learn to drink it. When you give her something else to drink she will hold out to get the something else.

When my granddaughter was 1, her doctor switched her from dairy free formula to enriched rice milk. My daughter was also careful to not give her anything containing the foods testing had suggested she had an allergy for. Has her daughter tested her for food allergies?

I don't remember the ingredients of Pediasure. If it's dairy free, lactose is not the cause of the frequent bowel movements or diarrhea. If your daughter's only reaction to Pediasure is frequent bowel movements, I suggest that lactose intolerance is not the cause.

When you give your baby watered down juice you are filling her up with empty calories. She is likely to eat less and refuse milk and food. This can prevent her from gaining weight. I urge you to follow her doctor's recommendation. Feeding Pediasure is frequently recommended for weight gain.

She's nearly one. She can have mushed up food. You said in your previous question that you are giving her solid food. Is she is not eating solid food for 3 meals and 2-3 snacks try ma king sure she does. We gain weight when we eat more calories than we need to stay alive. Give her high calorie foods such as mac and cheese, high fiber pasta with butter and cheese, fruits, cheese sticks, a small amount of ice cream. There is non-dairy ice cream like frozen deserts.

It sounds like your daughter has been diagnosed as failure to thrive. There can be medical causes unrelated to what she eats. You've mentioned having other children and a lot of stress. You aren't able to have dinner at a regular time. Is it possible that your baby is reacting to the stress around meals? Cold it be possible you don't feed her on a schedule, thus perhaps skipping meals. Or that you give her a snack instead of a meal. Perhaps you nurse her instead of sitting down with her for a calm meal time.

I know the doctor, no matter the cause of low weight, would tell you to stop giving her watered down juice. He would expect you to be feeding solid food along with the Pediasure on a regular schedule. If he hasn't asked you to list, including amounts, of the foods and liquids you give her everyday, I suggest you do that so you'll have a better idea of what she eats and how much. Show the doctor your record at the next visit.

I don't understand how your son's soccer practice prevents you from having dinner together with your other children. I suggest it's important to have a regular and relaxed meet time together most of the time. Perhaps you can have dinner after his practise. Perhaps you could share transportation with other parents.

Isn't soccer over for the season? I also suggest if your son is in grade school and his participat ion in supports does not allow you to have dinner close to a set time or if his participation causes you stress, he should drop sports. You, your baby's and children's health is more important than sports participation.

You mentioned money difficulties. Are you getting food stamps, WIC and health care for low income families? If not, make an appointment to see if you're eligible. If you're getting WIC, they will include your babies special needs in your voucher. WIC provided Aliamentum for my granddaughter after they received a prescription from her pediatrician.

My kids were also primarily breastfed at 1 year. I started my younger one on a mix of rice milk and coconut milk that they really enjoyed. Check with your doc first, but coconut milk is tasty, sweet like breast milk, and has some great nutrients. Maybe you could mix a little with formula to make it tastier?? For solids, avocado, quinoa, and Greek yogurt are really great, nutrient-dense options. Sorry you are dealing with this, it sounds very stressful.

Pediasure is dairy based and is not recommended (by the company) for children under 2. If cow's milk is causing loose bowel movements, I wouldn't give her any dairy at all. Juice, even watered down, can contribute to loose stools as well.

Can you say more about the problem with infant formulas? Have you tried a non-dairy formula? There are so many. What happens to your daughter when she takes these?

I'm concerned that the pediatrician is saying "nothing else" - that seems unreasonable given her reactions.

There is an excellent non-dairy infant nutrition supplement that is safely given to kids, healthy ones and those who are underweight or with compromised digestive systems. It's used in clinics and feeding stations through a children's foundation, it's given to preemies with feeding tubes, it's given to kids with Failure To Thrive issues. It has a patent (so all ingredients are verified) and the manufacturer has received the FDA's Good Manufacturing Process commendation. I can give you info on that if it interests you. I work in food science experts in pediatric liquid nutrition. It works well with children who are also eating some real table foods too.

She should be eating food by now. They usually start eating solid food after 6 months. Is she?

Pediasure is milk-based so if she started having loose bowels on milk and you suspect that milk doesn't agree with her, Pediasure isn't going to help either. Juice can also cause loose stools so I wouldn't give her that either.

For food, can you try to add some fat and calories to whatever it is that she is eating? Coconut oil is non-dairy, has a neutral flavor and contains lots of good fats. It doesn't seem that your pediatrician is giving you very good advice - is there another person in the practice who you can consult with? There are alternatives to cow's milk that might be easier on her tummy- goat's milk, or plant-based milks such as almond or coconut. You may need to add some fat and other nutrients to those though - I think that Pediasure has a powder that you can add to non-dairy milk to get the nutrients without the dairy.

Also, is she starting to walk (or crawl and stand)? If she's a lot more mobile now than she was a few months ago, she may just be using more calories because she's active. They do grow in bursts. My youngest didn't hit the 20 lb mark until he was 20 months old, so some kids are just smaller and lighter than others.

I would ask your pediatrician for a GI Specialist referral before giving her anything else, but my sister's son was born at 26 weeks and is very little himself. He was put on Pedisure as well. Have you been to a GI specialist? My sister's recommended a tablespoon of Olive Oil in his food. I'm confused. Is she on the Pedisure or not? It sounds like your doctor recommended it, but you are just giving juice and breast milk. It will take awhile for a child to get adjusted so loose stools can be temporary. How long did you give the milk and Pedisure before you discontinued use? If she hasn't gained weight since 9 months, that's a serious concern and you should be seeing specialist at this point.

Both my kids were tiny (still are) and didn't hit 20 pounds until well after 12 months. That was just their growth pattern.

I'm curious - maybe I'm misreading - but if the doctor told you to use pediasure, you don't say why you are looking for something else. It's sound advice. Is she not drinking it? That is exactly what I was going to say you should do. It's high calorie and nutritive.

And I would get a second opinion on the lactose issues. I've never heard that that is the only way to test - my daughter had blood and urine testing that revealed a dairy allergy, although she was older. At this age, an elimination diet is pretty effective. Personally, at this age, we really pushed the solid food, but I agree she should be drinking pedicure.

And if your doctor really is concerned about her weight, get a babysitter for the others and take her as recommended! Failure to thrive is no small thing!

just to clarify - is your ped concerned about her weight? My babies were both born bigger than average (8 & 9lbs) and they were both less than 20lbs when they turned one. And they both were and are perfectly healthy. Their ped was never concerned and neither was I. Not every healthy baby is chunky.

If you are concerned about your milk supply, have you talked to a lactation consultant?

ETA: Hmm, I wish you had written in about the nursing with teeth as soon as that started to happen. If you can feel her teeth, that means she doesn't have a good latch. And if she doesn't have a good latch, she's probably not nursing efficiently (not getting as much milk out), which leads to your decrease in supply. So if you are willing to correct the underlying latch problem, a visit to a lactation consultant is still good advice, because you could fix her latch, be able to nurse without pain, and get more healthy breastmilk into her all by fixing that one issue. I know you said you are not interested in continuing to nurse, but I have to say it anyway since it would be the easiest, healthiest, and most inexpensive option.

Otherwise, cut out all liquids except your milk and whatever substitute you are using. Have you tried giving her dairy-free formula mixed with oatmeal baby cereal? Make it thinso she's getting a lot of liquid, you could even add a little baby food banana puree to for flavor if she won't eat it otherwise.

It's surprising to me that she will take milk and pediasure but not formula. How does she drink the milk and pediasure? Cold? If so, have you tried dairy-free formula cold?

I was always told that juice for babies (especially under a year) can cause diarrhea because of the sorbitol in it (I think it's hard for them to break down). I never gave any of mine juice until they were toddlers (and I watered it down also, like you do). So I would take the juice out.
I think if the doctor told you to nurse more often, you should likely follow that advice. Rest, up your fluid intake (drink water constantly) and your milk supply should go up. At that age, they start getting distracted when they nurse and don't always get full feeds - so going into a darkened room, without distractions can help if needs be.
I'm not sure why you wouldn't up the solids ... they must have some reason for this. You always want to time the solids at a different time than the milk so that they aren't full of one or the other. That way they are hungry for both.
Mine wouldn't take formula unless it was heated to a precise temperature (unique for each child) and I had to try different bottles and nipples for them to accept one. Each of my babies was fussy that way but they all found one they liked and we stuck with it. Like you, I was tired of breastfeeding by that point and it was nice to supplement. Good luck :)

I would (and have) try goats milk. Mine that could not tolerate cows milk did great on it.

Your daughter may just be "tiny". I have a girlfriend whose daughter is tiny. She was born 9lbs 2 ounces and people thought she was going to be a line backer!! LOL...she's now 10 years old and maybe 5 feet tall and 75 lbs. She eats well and her pediatrician has checked her blood regularly for anemia, thyroid and other things, everything comes out fine. She hair is shiny. Her nails are healthy and not peeling. She's just skinny.

I would NOT give my child pediasure. I would have a serious problems giving it to my child when the manufacturer of the product says no to children under 2. Find another doctor.

Are you or your husband small/petite? Just asking because some kids are naturally smaller than others and there is nothing wrong. How much does your daughter eat at the table? At a year my kids were eating plenty of food at the table when we would sit down to eat...as well as drinking a lot of milk. At age 1 my daughter loved any mushed up foods we were eating. She also loved small cut up soft foods...bread, avocado, sweet potato, cooked pears, and banana were her favorites. I would do multiple sit down meals a day and give her lots of soft and mushed up foods. LOTS. Have you tried dairy free formula mixed with rice or oat cereal and mashed cooked fruit (babyfood)? Or mix breastmilk with the cereal and babyfood. My kids would eat a whole bowl of this at a time plus finger foods at that age. Take your time sitting with her. Keep trying the formula...look for dairy free if dairy is a concern. You say she does not like it, but keep trying with different brands. Try mixing breastmilk with a little formula and bottle feeding her this. Then over time increase the formula by small amounts so she gets used to the taste. Although most kids are done breastfeeding and taking formula by age one and are drinking milk. Aren't rice milk, soy milk, goat milk, and almond milk a good option if she cannot have dairy? I would think so! Juice will not do much for her so I really would not count that as getting nutrition into her. Basically, I would make it a priority to have multiple sit down meals with plenty of different foods every day. If your baby is not eating enough and needs my time I would get friends to drive my kids to their sports/activities for a while so I could focus on the baby and get her up to speed. I am sure if you sent out an email to the entire team there will be parents who would be very happy to help! Again...I cannot tell if your baby is really doing poorly or if she is naturally small and petite. I am a small person and was very small as a baby/kid. My daughter was the same as me as a baby and it was nothing to worry about. She did have a big appetite though. Google foods to feed a one year old for ideas and try everything!

Your daughter may just be petite as the others have stated. But since you mention the very loose bowel movements, I wonder if she has other symptoms related to Cystic Fibrosis. I definitely don't want to alarm you since you only mention 2 of the common symptoms that CF children have. Your daughter may not even have the other CF common symptoms which are poor growth/weight gain in spite of a good appetite; frequent loose stools; persistent coughing; wheezing & short of breath; frequent lung infections, bronchitis or pneumonia. Most have salty skin..in fact when you kiss their forehead you can almost taste salt.

Is there a Children's Hospital near you? The test for CF is painless and quick. It's called a sweat test and basically they measure the amount of salt from the skin. I am definitely not in the medical field but I do have a lot of knowledge/experience when it comes to CF. Private message me if you want more info.

I'd get another pediatrician. I cannot fathom that he'd put an infant on Pediasure. Please go get a second opinion on this.

What was her birth weight?
The general rule of thumb I always heard was babies roughly double their birth weight by 5 months old and triple it by their first birthday.
Our son was 9 lbs 1.5 oz at birth, 18 lbs at 5 months and 25 lbs at 1 yr (which wasn't exactly tripled his birth weight but our pediatrician and we were really happy with his growth and development).
If your daughter was 5 lbs at birth, then it sounds like she's doing alright.
At about 1 yr old she should be ready for some solid foods.
Her weight gain will slow as she begins to get more mobile - crawling, walking, etc.

Listen to your doc. The sugar in the juice will make her runs worse. ANYTHING with sugar in it will increase it. There are a lot of stomach viruses going round. Maybe it's that.

If you have started giving the baby straight up 100% milk, Vitamin D milk and NOT lower fat milk then this can mess her system up. Without transition time her body sort of goes into shock. So it comes right back out.

I think that her table food, not baby food in any way, not baby food, but the same food you eat for dinner just chopped up or mixed up in a blender, should be giving her enough food now. She's at that point where she will be going to table food and regular milk full time. You can and should still nurse her, nothing wrong with that, but let her eat more now.

Baby food is not nutrition, okay? It's flavored goo and should only be used as a tool to help her learn to chew and swallow. It's not for food. It's not nutritious.

Baby food puts fat on the babies because it's full of nothing but calories. The vitamins and minerals in it are the lowest amount they can be and they do not supply enough nutrition for the baby to have filled their needs. So they scream and cry and gulp down more. And they get all those empty calories and then half an hour later are starving again because they need real food or formula or breast milk.

They don't need baby food at all, you can blend or chop what you're eating, for the most part, please google food that is good for my baby at age 1. Some foods shouldn't be started until much later. Like raisins, marshmallows, gummy fruits, nuts, grapes, etc...if you give it to the baby it has to be less than 1/4 inch in size so if they choke it might not block their wind pipe. Think about the size of a straw, Sonic or McDonald's straw. That's how big the babies wind pipe is. So make sure to not give them choke hazards. Google it.

Yes she was being seen by a GI specialist that also had a nutritionist there. She had no medical reason to be seen by him anymore. They said she needed more calories from liquid but she will not drink formula at all by any means. Yes I have given her milk as they suggested b/c she wouldn't take anything else and she had very poopy diapers for days and a rash from her private area to her butt. Yes I was giving her Pediasure and she still had a lot of poops right after but they want me to still use it. I am looking for ways to give her something that her body can handle. I can't produce enough for her and am not trying to stimulate to make more. She has teeth and knows how to use them.

I've been there. My daughter dropped significantly in weight percentiles around that age -- she went from maintaining 75th percentile from birth to 6 months then by 12 months, she was down to 15th percentile. It was scary. But by age 2, she had gone up to 44th percentile and when we recently went in for the 3 year check up, she was still 44th percentile. Just telling you this to let you know that it will get better.

If your doctor said she should drink pediasure, keep giving it to her. I also gave my daughter pediasure until she was 2.5 years old to help with weight gain.

When my daughter was around that age and had trouble gaining weight, I tried to give her as much high calorie, high (good) fat, nutritionally dense foods as I could, like avocados. Bananas are also high in calories for a fruit. Some may not agree with this, but I was so desperate to get my daughter to gain weight that I cooked everything she ate with butter rather than oil. Also try hemp seed milk or coconut milk if you think your daughter is lactose intolerant. There is also almond/peanut/soy/sunflower seed butter, nuts, and hummus. I also tried to incorporate lots of beef and chicken around that time.

I would not fill her stomach with empty calorie foods like watered down juice because EVERYTHING SHE EATS MUST COUNT. Nutritionally empty foods like watered down juice will take up space in her little stomach, leaving little room for the high calorie, high fat, nutritionally dense foods she must eat to gain weight. Good luck!

when my children were still brestfed and not weighing enough our pedi said to check out the toddler fat diet. (i googled it) and feed them that.
just a month ago my daughter saw her nutritionist and since she is in the 5th % for weight we were told to feed her everything with butter.

Is she generally healthy? Is she meeting milestones in a reasonable time frame? Is she active and alert? These are the questions our doctor asks about my petite kid. He barely hangs on to the chart at the bottom and has for the vast majority of his life. He's 11 now and still barely sits around the 5% mark on the chart at times. But he's totally healthy, rarely even gets a cold. He's active and can out pace everyone else in the family. He's met or exceeded every milestone. Some children are just petite. There obviously had to be smaller children at that end of the chart when they made the charts up or it wouldn't be there just as much as there are children at the top or even past the top like my daughter. Not everyone is built the same.
Unless she's showing health issues because of her petite size, I wouldn't worry about it.