My 4 year old weighs 28 pounds!!?

Question

My little girl is 4 years old and just got wieghted at the doctors office. they say she is only 28 pounds. They said that I should start feeding her higher fat and calorie foods. o.k . but what could be wrong? Please no funny comments. only real answers or suggestions please.

Answer 1

My daughter was the same way. She is now 8 and weighs only 50lbs. She is tiny compared to other children her age as well as her siblings. But she is very healthy and eats us out of house and home. I would not worry unless she completely stops gaining.

Answer 2

My son will be 4 in just a few weeks. He probably weighs a little over 30.  He is very lean. He didn't eat much meat until recently (just hated beef!).  I would NOT give my kid higher fat content foods.  Have you heard that even skinny people could have a fatty inside?  That isn't healthy!  And she's a girl...girls can be petite! (boys can too of course...) but I am saying that I would try something like the pedisure supplement drinks and a daily vitamin. I think being healthy is more important then being in the "normal" range of the growth chart. Humans are unique.....we shouldn't be put into catergories if we are healthy.

Answer 3

Some kids are just naturally small for their age.  My brother has 4 boys and they are following right after my brother- he was pretty tiny growing up but then all of a sudden as a teenager, he shot up and out and as an adult is now 6'2" and 215 lbs.!  His one son is 6 years old and is just now at about 39 lbs.- he's just a tall stringbean! He is very active, healthy  and eats great- it's just how he's built.

Did your daughter have a sharp decline in weight from one dr. visit to the next? If so, that might be a red flag- but if she has steadily progressed along this trend, my dr. wouldn't have any worries.  My 4 year old daughter is 31 lbs- not much difference from yours- and she is VERY healthy and our Dr. has no concerns.    

If your daughter is just naturally petite, I would be concerned about feeding her high fat and calorie foods as that could set her up for obesity later in life- unless they have a valid medical reason for it, I would check further in to that advice before starting a high fat diet.

Answer 4

Woah my son was 27lbs at 8 months.

That's around the 5th percentile for a girl that age:

http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards...

But you should check weight for height:

http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards...

You should also check that she is not anemic, zinc or b vitamin deficient.

Also don't feed "high fat" junk that's not the answer.  Feed nutrient dense foods like dark veggies, and healthy fats.

http://www.westonaprice.org/children/nou...

Don't Fear Fats!

Pediatric clinicians have known for some time that children fed low-fat and low-cholesterol diets fail to grow properly. After all, a majority of mother's milk is fat, much of it saturated fat. Children need high levels of fat throughout growth and development. Milk and animal fats give energy and also help children build muscle and bone.1 In addition, the animal fats provide vitamins A and D necessary for protein and mineral assimilation, normal growth and hormone production.27

Choose a variety of foods so your child gets a range of fats, but emphasize stable saturated fats, found in butter, meat and coconut oil, and monounsaturated fats, found in avocados and olive oil.

Answer 5

If shes a very active girl that could be the problem. My daughter is 4.5 and weighs 36 lbs and is about 39 in but she doesn't stop from the minute she wakes up til she goes to sleep at night and she doesn't take naps. My niece who is 2 is 34 lbs. I still give her whole milk and she does eat a lot. Her metabolism is just very fast. She actually just gained weight recently. We noticed that as soon as we put her in ballet her appetite grew. I dont think there is a problem with your daughters weight as long as she's healthy, active and the doctor doesn't see a problem with it. My daughter does love tortillas and avocado, so i try giving her her favorite foods more often so that she can eat a bit more. A kids daily multi-vitamin wouldn't hurt either. Maybe shes naturally petite.

Answer 6

Does she exercise regular well maybe you should feed her just like some greasy foods,not alot.I have a 3 year old son he weighs 39 pounds.

Answer 7

All kids are different. I have a friend whose 2 year old weighs less than my 1 year old. She's 23 pounds. Anyways, try pediasure. As long as she's eating and drinking, she's probably ok.

Answer 8

There is no way to know, based on weight alone, what is wrong. Or indeed, if there is anything wrong.  

Healthy children come in a wide range of sizes. Looking at the growth charts ,it looks like 28 pounds is about the 3rd percentile for a 4 year old.  If she has always been petite (say, under the 10th percentile) and is happy, healthy,  eating a reasonable diet, and developing normally, she's probably just a petite little girl.  You could certainly force high fat/high calorie foods, and you MIGHT make her put on more fat ... or you might just make her eat less overall. (If allowed to listen to their bodies, young children tend to take in the number of calories they need.)

If her weight gain was good as a baby, and she has simply stopped growing/gaining, or there are other signs of trouble (developmentally behind, frequent illness, etc.) you would need to talk to the doctor about possible tests to find/rule-out underlying health issues.

Answer 9

Have they checked her thyroid? That was what was wrong with my grandmother (Seriously) I hope she will be all right though. Good luck.

Answer 10

Is she a really busy girl? My daughter will be 3 in Oct and weighs 31 lbs and my 6 yr old weighs 41 lbs so I think she is only a little behind. If she is very active that could be what it is. My super busy girl needs snack all day. She doesnt sit down and eat a meal really well so we just feed her when she is hungry but we are sure to make what she does eat healthy!

Answer 11

I agree with everyone who says that every child is different. If the doctor thinks something may be wrong he'll check it out. Pediasure is a great source of extra calories with little effort. Especially if she's a picky eater. My niece is the same way. She's exactly 6 months older than my son. She's almost 2 and only weighs 22lbs where as my son weighs 31. She is also a very active girl so weight gain would be a little much to ask of her:)