Anyone on pediasure?

st.augbride

How did you get LO to transition over to it? Ds (14 months) doesn't seem to want it at all, and our GI just said to switch him fully over to it. We even put 4oz of formula and 1oz of pediasure (vanilla) in his bottle and he wouldn't touch it. Any advice?

ToastieSimons

Just curious why you're switching to pediasure?  We switched over to Toddler Formula (Gerber Goodstart Gentle because DS can't have corn syrup).  I found that the only thing he would drink were things that taste similar.  Pediasure, carnation instant breakfast are too sweet.  He would take a few sips of it out of a cup but he would never drink only that.

lboers

My daughter (who eats practically nothing) has been on almost strictly pediasure since she was a year old (she's now almost 18-months). I can't really offer advice because she never did have a problem taking it. I can tell you, however, that in the past two weeks we are weaning her off pediasure and on to regular cow's milk. She will not drink cow's milk so we've been adding pediasure for taste. We can honestly add half an ounce to a five ounce bottle and it's still enough for her to take. It's flavor seems pretty potent so Id be tempted to just add half an ounce or less and gradually increase.

I assume your LO is on pediasure for the calories because he doesn't eat enough? I would just be leary because it seems like our daughter became so comfortable and (comforted) with pediasure and so full that she refused to eat. When we last met with the pediatrician i suggested that we just quit that altogether and try to get her eating solids. We always try to feed her solids first and she would always hold out for the bottle. Anyway, whatever your reason, I wish you luck. I know how difficult it can be to get your baby to eat/drink and how emotionally draining it can be.

rsd12

My youngest was on pediasure for a year. Fortunately, he had no issues with the flavor. The kid will eat/drink anything (but, did not gain weight). But it is also very thick, maybe thinning it out with whole milk could help too. He also liked kids boost essentials too (similar to pediasure) or maybe try a different flavor.

st.augbride

Thanks, it's definitely the flavor and not the consistency as he gobbles up liquid yobaby yogurt drinks which are pretty thick. He's not a fan of anything that is super sweet, but he especially despises pediasure. The flavor and smell is so strong too. Today I sent him to daycare with less than half an ounce of pediasure and 3.5oz of formula. At 3pm I get a call that he hasn't had a sip ALL DAY! Ugh.. He typically drinks about 20-25oz of formula per day and eats 5-8oz of solids (all self-fed, no spoon at all, and very limited/picky). He moves nonstop, so he burns a lot. He's only 18.5lbs. That being said, he was very severe IUGR and was 3lb at birth. While his weight is 1st percentile, his height is 30th. From some IUGR groups I belong to, it seems that his weight at his age isn't so uncommon. So I don't know what to think. If this was all we were dealing with, fine. But worrying about totally changing his intake on top of all the therapies is sending me to my breaking point. I just don't know what to do. He barely ate anything today after the pediasure fiasco : ( The last thing I want is to try to force something he hates on him only to make him not eat all together.

At what point do you just let it go and try again later? Is being long and skinny that terrible? I understand that we have issues with food, and we are in OT and ST to address everything, but if he was truly nutrient deprived, his height would suffer. He started out at 15.25in and is now 29.5in. That's pretty good to me. I feel so overwhelmed... 

 

lboers

We're in a similar situation. My daughter is almost 18-months old and 19.5lbs. She has always been at 3% or under for weight and 50-75% for height. She was born at 7lbs but never ate much or gained quickly. I honestly blame the therapists for her lack of eating now. I believe they jumped to the conclusion that she needed to be pumped full of calories from liquids and now she doesn't have much desire to change that. And I know she's skinny but hell, so was I was young. I never have been one to eat a ot at once either. That's why I finally had enough and said no more pediasure. It's only been about two weeks and I think she's slowly getting better.

 

Anyway, I didn't mean to make this about me. I just wanted to let you know that I understand how hard this can be. And also that you should question everything. If it doesn't feel right to you, ask for a second, third and fourth opinion. Good luck.

st.augbride

Thanks, I really appreciate hearing what others are going through. I agree, that sometimes it feels like they try to force it when it isn't necessary. When ds was only 4 months old, one old school ped we saw wanted us to add formula to his BM to bump up the cals. Well, I guess it seemed pointless to me since he just ate less! We've been trying this schedule the GI suggested now and he is taking in about 10oz less... So yeah, I don't see this working.... Is being skinny really that terrible, as long as he's happy and healthy and making progress?

lboers

Exactly! Our medical team increased her formula concentration and she ate less, they put her on pediasure and she ate less... it's kind of a catch 22. You wanna get more calories into them but the more calories they get the less they eat. Our daughter has NEVER eaten more than 6oz at a time and that is rare. She's usually at about 4 and then she's done. Everybody says all kid's are different but if your kid doesn't gain weight ask quickly as others then they jump to stuffing them full of calorie. Of course sometimes this is warranted but not always.

st.augbride

Yeah, ds NEVER takes more than 4oz in a bottle. Just this past week, we had a few nights where he took 5-6oz before bed and it felt like a miracle. Did anyone ever recommend periactin to increase the appetite? It's something they said we should consider if pediasure didn't work. I also am wondering if we should try one of the feeding clinics for a team approach to help us, since this GIs advice clearly is NOT helping at all!