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Baby not gaining weight/growing

cal&clairecal&claire member
in Babies: 9 - 12 Months

My little girl is 10 months old and hasn't grown since she was 6 months old. She also is barely gaining any weight! She has only gained 5oz since she was 6 months old and had barely gained between 4-6 months. She was doing great until 4 months. Now she is in the 15% for height and 1% for weight (she used to be in the upper 50s-low 60s).

She breastfeeds 5-6 times a day and eats more solids than the average 10 month old. Any advice?

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Re: Baby not gaining weight/growing

  • JENandJEHJENandJEH member

    Is your pedi worried?  DS fell off of his original curve after 6 months and has picked up on a new curve.  His pedi is keeping her eye on it but not worried, just wants to make sure he's found a new curve.  He breastfeeds 4-5 times a day and is a better eater than his 4 year old brother.  I'm honestly not worried because it's fairly common for breastfed babies growth to slow after 6 months. 

    Not sure about your DD, but before 6 months, DS was still eating every 2-2.5 hours a day and once overnight.  Also, around 6 months they start to get more active and burn calories faster because of that.  Remember, it takes longer to metabolize formula than breastmilk so they're probably burning those breastmilk calories a lot faster when you add in their increased activity.  If your pedi isn't concerned, I wouldn't be either. 

    Our doc said to keep doing what we're doing and to make the most of the table foods we're feeding.  Lots of veggies and fruits, whole grains, etc.  Avocado is a great "good fat" food if your DD likes them.  DS loves yogurt so I make sure to buy a full fat yogurt and he gets that for breakfast every morning along with either a whole grain waffle or piece of toast. 

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  • oliversmommy32912oliversmommy32912 member
    This was my niece exactly. She ate tons of solids and breastfed a lot but didn't grow at all from six to nine months. They started adding oils to her foods at least twice a day. They would add a teaspoon of coconut oil to fruit and a teaspoon of olive oil to meats and veggies. They also made sure they chose lots of high fat foods like avocados. She started gaining weight right away and they also noticed a big difference in her demeanor. It would be good to discuss that option with your pedi.
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  • Jessica&BobbyJessica&Bobby

    We are in the same boat as you basically. he's in the 15th percentile for height, but only the 2nd percentile for weight. he weighed only 13lb 13 oz at his 9 month appointment. He was gaining well until his 6 month appointment, then he dropped off. My pediatrician didn't seem worried, but of course, I'm concerned.

    Here are things that I tried doing, which seemed to help as he gained over a pound in 3 weeks:

    Try to stick to high calorie solids. (yogurt, avocado (a whopping 45 calories per ounce), cheese, meats, bananas, sweet potatoes).I double check to see how many calories per ounce everything has, to make sure I'm not giving him something really low in calories, like apples, carrots, green beans and squash. If I do give him something low in calories, I mix it with oatmeal cereal.

    If you give oatmeal or rice cereal, mix it with a high calorie formula or pump your breastmilk and add 1/2 teaspoon of regular formula powder to 3 ounces (89 mL) of pumped breast milk.

     Add butter or oil to food - 1 teaspoon per every ? cup of food

     Good luck!

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  • Jessica&BobbyJessica&Bobby
    Forgot to add- we had a full bloodwork check done to rule out any medical problems for the poor weight gain. They check for a ton of stuff, I would recommend it, just to make sure it's not a deficiency of some kind or a problem with the digestive system.
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  • cal&clairecal&claire member
    She doesn't like avocados unless it's made into guacamole, but even that only lasts so long. She LOVES beef and chicken and could eat her weight in sweet potatoes - literally. She will eat a whole sweet potato each time we feed it to her on top of the other food. She eats yogurt (yobaby) and applesauce or a banana every morning (with a vitamin and a probiotic). She usually eats beef or chicken, broccoli, and a pear or something similar for lunch and dinner. She eats bread with a lot of that too (biscuits or wheat bread typically). My pediatrician gave me a list of how much of each thing she should be eating but she eats more than that at every meal. We have started cooking her food in butter too or adding butter to things like potatoes. My pediatrician goes back and forth about whether she's concerned. We are weight the little one extra times, but so far have not taken any extra steps. She was tested for RTA since she also has some kidney problems, but that came back negative. She has another weigh in tomorrow - fingers crossed. She was 13lbs 13oz at 9 months
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  • Jessica&BobbyJessica&Bobby

    It sounds like you're doing a great job.

    Mine also hates avocados, the only way I can get him to eat them is to blend them with yobaby yogurt. I think it's a texture thing for him.

    Good luck with your weigh in tomorrow. 

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  • cal&clairecal&claire member
    She gained almost 2lbs just this month!
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  • Jessica&BobbyJessica&Bobby
    Awesome! Sounds like everything you did worked like a charm.
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