Wondering why my 5 yr old doesn't gain weight yet is constantly eating?

Question

My 5 yr old son only weighs 37 pounds. As a baby/toddler he was a very chubby baby. To the point the nutritionist told me I should watch his weight cause he weighed 28 pounds at 18 months. @@ He always ate very well...good variety, etc. Now he is picky, but still loves fruits. My son will eat from the minute he wakes up until the minute he goes to bed except when he is in school, obviously. Today so far he has eaten 4 pancakes, a bowl of blueberries, 4 mini muffins, some cubed cheese, a can of Spaghettios, 2 slices of deli cheese, some chips, and some jelly beans. And it is only 3:30pm. You would think he'd gain weight? No, he's actually lost in the past few months. I'm thinking I should request some blood work? Not sure if any of this matters or not, but I was Group B Strep + and was only able to get one dose of antibiotics before he was born with a fever. He also has some issues undiagnosed as of yet (signs of PDD-NOS and ADHD). Just seeing if anyone might know if this is all normal?

Answer 1

I actually know how you feel, my five almost six year old only weighs 30 pounds. He was born small, but the problem he has is that he has a high metabolism. He burns off more calories/carbs than he eats! But, idk if that is your son's issue, I would see what his doc says.....

Answer 2

dont worry it is her matablism.when i was 5 years old i was the same.when i turned 6 i started to get pounds lil by lil!its normaal dont worry!

Answer 3

Hi:  I understand your concern about your 5 yr old.  My grandson weighed 10 pounds when he was born and his weight did not grow normally, He finally does way 40 pounds at 6 1/2.  I talked to a very good doctor recently and he said vitamins are a good idea and sometimes increases a childs appetite.  I think blood tests are always a good thing to do.  Anemia and other conditions can be diagnosed.  Good luck

kara

Answer 4

Ask your doc. about this on his next check-up, if he doesn't think it's anything bad or unusual, than just let it go.

Answer 5

id assume he has a high mettabollism which is a good thing unless he is too skinny. a mettabollism is how fast your heart can beat(i think) and is a good thing because the child will not gain weight despite the rubbish he might eat. but most kids can eat loads of whatever they want really, so i wouldnt worry.

Answer 6

My daughter is 5 and a half and weighs 43 lbs.  She eats all day too and doesn't seem to gain weight either.  Is your son very active?  My daughter is and her doctor says she is just burning off all of the food.  Plus, if you're feeding him well, then it will be easier to burn off as opposed to feeding his junk, it would be harder and he would show more signs of weight gain.  I would ask for a full panel of blood work if you're concerned though, just to be safe!

Answer 7

My son is 6 and he weighs 45 pounds, so your son is fine.  He eats super healthy, he wont eat sugar or any kind of junk food. He will ask for fruit and veggies for snacks, we take them away for punishment lol. I will say though picky or not cut out the junk food. High fiber foods will fill him up longer. Fruit, veggies, complex carbs (brown rice, oatmeal,cream of wheat). The muffins, chips, cheese and jelly beans just arent healthy. I am curious though, how do you know he has undiagnosed issues (pdd-nos and adhd)? If its because he is having trouble focusing and all hyped up then perhaps its because of the junk food he is eating..................

Answer 8

I'm surprised your pediatrician hasn't referred him to specialists.  My extremely small-for-her-age daughter (30 pounds at 4 1/2) was referred to a pediatric endocrinologist, pediatric allergist, and pediatric gastroenterologist to rule out various medical problems that can cause slow weight gain.  it all came out fine, but it's a good step to put your mind at ease, because there are some medical conditions that can be to blame.

Answer 9

Interesting - I have almost an identical concern regarding my son - weight and age are the same I think. See my question also. It is such a worry, we must both speak to our doctors as well as gather advice from everywhere we can. Good luck in helping your son.

Answer 10

I would not EVEN worry about it.  My son was about the same and he's now 8 and 58 lbs.  I would suggest, just let him eat till he's full.  Don't make him eat all of his food because he's gonna get into the habit of eating past when he's full and when his metabolism slows down as an adult, he's still gonna have that habit.  Your child's body knows what it's doing, just feed him until he doesn't want anymore and let nature do the work!!!  

My son was so chubby as a baby that his pediatrician told me to water down the breast milk!!! I didn't do it, because I'm not going to interfere with nature but now my son is skinny and tall like a bean sprout!  His current doctor said he is so impressed that my son is one of the few kids that aren't over weight these days.  He said, "keep doing what you're doing".  So I think you should also :)

Answer 11

Same thing happens to me. Are you sure it isn't just genetics?

Answer 12

dont force your son to eat heavy fatty stuff just to gain weight some children are like that when hese older he'll gain the wieght and im sure you dont want him to be 200 pounds when hese like 11 because of all the thing your feeding him now. take him to the doctor to be sure. from what your feeding him doesnt seem very nuitricious .. . .

Answer 13

First off I'd get a second opionon; a toddler weighing 28 pounds is not overweight; most babys triple their weight during the first year of life. Let's say a baby is 9 pounds at birth, that would mean by the time their one, they would weigh 28 pounds. Secondly 37 pounds at 5 years old is underweight, average weight should be 45-55 pounds. Book an appointment and inform the doctor your child is not gaining weight, and have the doctor's run tests.

Answer 14

Your thyroid can cause these kind of problems. It can be underactive or overactive. I would definitely ask for blood work. Has he grown lately is another thought. 37 lbs is pretty skinny. Sometimes kids eat a lot when they are going through a growth spurt. But to be eating that much and loosing weight, I would have that checked out for sure. And I would not think his possible disorders would have anything to do with it unless he is on meds for it. Some of those medications can cause weight loss.

Answer 15

Have him checked by a doctor, it sound like it could be some kind of parasites! Or even hyperthyroidism.  

Hypothyroid-is an under active thyroid, so he would gain weight because the metabolism slows down, Hyperthyroidism- is an overactive thyroid it’s the opposite and metabolism works double time and you can see because you lose weight.  My son is 3yrs old I also, though he could be sick because of the group B strep.  I was in the hospital for 3-4 days after my delivery due to temperature.  But he is very active, laud, silly, smart, and aggressive so I also, tried to get him checked but my doctor said this are some signs that at preschool the teacher catch and kids are diagnose with ADD, ADHD, but he suggested to observe him and reassure him on his activities so he can concentrate on them,  He is fine know he  but sometimes us mothers worry more that we should and most of us lose our patience and we try to find excuses for their  behaviors But like my doctor said they are kids they don’t now better sometimes.

Have your sun checked, with all the symptoms he has the doctor automatically will request lab work.  Also, check his BM’s after he’s gone to the restroom, sometimes if there is worms present you can see them in their BM’s (bowel movements)

Answer 16

maybe it is his metabolism but as he gets older it will slow down.