slow growers - when did you switch to cows milk?

SWR&MSM

My girl is such a wee little nugget - I'm guessing she is maybe 15lbs and she will be a year old on the 27th (how did that happen btw???).  We don't fortify her formula anymore and don't prepare special meals for her.  I have an email into my pediatrician to ask about switching off of formula before her first bday as I'm on my last can of formula.  If you didn't switch to cows milk did you stay on formula or move to pediasure?  And on a related note if you have a slow grower did you work with a nutritionist to develop high calorie menus?  We've seen a growth and nutrition specialist, who has been pleased with her development but he feels that rather then adding calories to just offer more food and that she will self regulate and take what she needs.  Just curious what other mamas of little ones do.....besides worry

MeL2185

PM me anytime as I have 15 month old twins who are now like 17 and 18 lbs and were about where your DD was at 1 year old. We started out tiny and just don't seem to ever gain fast. Of course I worry all the time but am learning to let it go. we were on neosure until 11 months and then we ran out and I called our doc and she we could try whole milk. They have done great on it. They aren't gaining tons but literally walk around our house all day long so makes sense. Our docs says by about 3 years old they should be caught up. We have never been in anything but less than 5th % for our weight, we are 50th on heighth so our doc thinks they will be tall and skinny.

We don't give them specific high calorie diets or anything special but they do graze all day long and more and more these days. We feed them a good  breakfast lunch and dinner and they are drinking milk 3 times a day but it seems like they are hungry 24/7 and with them being so small we just let them eat snacks anytime between their meals. So yes they eat all day long. They aren't as interested in the milk as they were when we first started so I am considered adding in a little pedisure. I would get the ok from your doc but then definitely switch to whole milk, it will save you money and she's going to have to switch eventually and from my research the calories are the same and the fat is actually more. We were just told to continue with our polyvisol vitamins, which we are religious about daily! Hope this helps! Let me know if I can give you anymore info that has worked for our little peanuts! For what its worth it hasn't hindered their development in any single way. Meeting all their milestones and then some!

caitdana

S was 17 lbs at a year (9 months adj) and E was 14 lbs and they kept both of the girls on formula until 1 year adjusted (which thankfully is 1 month away!!!). 1 was on Neosure this whole year and the other is on regular formula. They said that is helpful to get the extra vitamins until the full adjusted year. 

njdcgirl

It's so interesting how each Pedi has different thoughts on this. 

My DS (23 weeker) was a great grower - he was about 22 pounds at one year.  My pedi kept him on Enfacare (22 cal) formula until his first birthday, and then we switched him to regular formula until 1 year adjusted.  We just recently switched to WCM in November. 

I do think that each kid has their own growth curve though, and as long as your pedi/nutrionist is happy with their growth, then I'd go with what they suggest.

ETA: Happy birthday to your LO!