How can i fatten up my child

Underweight children aged 6 to 12

Children aged 6 to 12 are still growing, which means they need the energy (calories) and nutrients that come from a varied and balanced diet. If your child is underweight, they may not be getting enough calories.

If you're concerned that your child is underweight or not growing normally, see a GP. Low weight can occur for a number of reasons.

How can I tell if my child is underweight?

As a parent, it can be difficult to tell if your child is underweight.

If you already know your child's height and weight, and want to know if they're a healthy weight, you can check using our healthy weight calculator.

If your child is in Year 6 (ages 10 and 11), they may have already been weighed and their height measured as part of the National Child Measurement Programme.

In some areas you may be sent the results for your child. In other areas you will have to contact your local authority to find out your child's measurements.

If results show that your child is underweight, consult a GP, who can talk to you about the possible causes.

If there is a problem with your child's diet, the GP can give advice that will help bring your child up to a healthy weight, or refer them to a dietitian.

Your child's diet

All children need the energy (calories) and nutrients that come from a varied and balanced diet.

If your child is underweight, it may be tempting to fill them up with high-calorie but unhealthy foods, such as sweets, cake, chocolate and sugary and fatty foods and drinks. However, it's important that your child gains weight in a healthy way, and this means eating a balanced diet.

Once your child is 5, they should be eating a healthy, low-fat diet like the one recommended for adults. Find out more in What to feed young children.

What is a balanced diet?

The government advises that children aged 5 and over follow the Eatwell Guide. This guide shows the proportions in which different types of foods are needed to have a balanced diet: 

• Eat at least 5 portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables every day.
• Base meals on potatoes, bread, rice, pasta or other starchy carbohydrates. Choose wholegrain where possible.
• Have some dairy or dairy alternatives (such as soya drinks and yoghurts). Choose lower-fat and lower-sugar options.
• Eat some beans and pulses, fish, eggs, meat and other protein. Aim for 2 portions of fish every week – 1 of which should be oily, such as salmon or mackerel.
• Choose unsaturated oils and spreads and eat in small amounts.
• Drink plenty of fluids – the government recommends 6 to 8 glasses a day.

Try to choose a variety of different foods from the 5 main food groups.

Consume foods and drinks that are high in fat, salt and sugar less often and in small amounts.

Most people in the UK eat and drink too many calories, too much fat, sugar and salt, and not enough fruit, vegetables, oily fish or fibre.

Learn more about the different food groups and how they form part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Children's meals at home

Do you find it difficult to make time to prepare healthy balanced meals for the whole family? If so, that might be part of the reason your child is not consuming enough calories.

Try to make time for breakfast and dinner, and eat together as a family. Make mealtime a fun part of the day.

Children's lunches

During the week, your child will eat lunch at school. It's impossible to monitor exactly what your child eats away from home, but you can help your child make healthy choices.

• Talk to your child about the importance of a healthy and balanced diet.
• Give your child prepaid school lunches, or a healthy packed lunch, instead of giving money that your child can spend on food.
• Find out what the school's healthy eating policy is.

These days, school lunches are more likely to meet a child's nutritional requirements compared with the average packed lunch.

If you would prefer to make your child a packed lunch, make sure it is nutritionally balanced.

A healthier packed lunch should:

• be based on starchy carbohydrates (bread, potatoes, rice, pasta)
• include fresh fruit and vegetables/salad
• include protein such as beans and pulses, eggs, fish, meat, cheese (or dairy alternative)
• include a side dish, such as a low-fat and lower-sugar yoghurt (or dairy alternative), tea cake, fruit bread, plain rice/corn cakes, homemade plain popcorn, sugar-free jelly
• include a drink, such as water, skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, sugar-free or no-added sugar drink

Get ideas from Change4Life for what to put in your child's school packed lunch.

How to increase your child's calorie intake

To help your child gain weight, try increasing their portion sizes at mealtimes, especially for starchy foods such as bread, rice, pasta and potatoes.

Alternatively, if your child finds it hard to eat larger portions, try increasing the energy density of your child's meals, until they have reached a healthy weight.

Energy density is the amount of energy (calories) per gram of food. Higher energy density foods tend to be higher in fat, such as cheese, nuts, whole milk and nut butters.

Try:

• a jacket potato with baked beans topped with grated cheese
• tuna pasta bake
• mashed avocado topped with chopped hardboiled egg on wholemeal toast

You can also boost your child's daily calorie intake by providing healthier snacks.

Great snack ideas include:

• small sandwiches with a protein filling, such as cheese or eggs
• cheese and crackers or cheese on wholemeal or brown bread
• yoghurt, which contains protein and calcium
• breadsticks and vegetable dips such as hummus

Keep your child active

Even if your child is underweight, it's still important that they're physically active.

Physical activity helps them develop strong, healthy bones and muscles. It's an important part of how they learn about themselves and the world. And, best of all, it's great fun.

Children over 5 should do a minimum of 60 minutes of activity each day. But the amount of physical activity your child should do may be different if they're underweight. A GP, practice nurse or school nurse can advise you on this.

Find ideas on how to get active with your child.

Monitor your child's progress

If you provide a healthy diet using these guidelines, you should see your child's weight and growth improve.

Keep regular records of your child's height and weight, and take your child back to the GP to check that their weight gain is happening as it should.

Once your child has reached a healthy weight, their diet may need adjusting so that they do not become overweight.

7 Tips for Feeding the Skinny Kid | Underweight Child

If you have a skinny kid or underweight child, you may be uncertain about your child’s health.

In this article, you’ll learn what you can do to calm your fears and help your child, including checking the growth chart, what food for weight gain I recommend (if needed), and more.

Many parents worry about their child’s weight. They fear their skinny child is under-eating or under-fed.

I can empathize. I was a skinny kid when I was young.

One of my memories is of my freshman year in high school during gym class when all the girls had to get weighed and measured.

Even back in the ’70s we were weighed in front of everyone at school. 

Weighing in at roughly 90 pounds, I mostly remember the teacher announcing, “Jill weighs 90 pounds ….”

I was the lightest of all the girls in my class.

It was one of the first times I felt different. The first time I felt public shame.

Embarrassed to be thin and behind my peers in maturation.

At the time, I hadn’t “developed” yet. I hadn’t started my menses and I was thin.

It wasn’t until I showed up for my senior year in high school that I reached my current 5’8″ and had filled out my frame.

Read: Body Image: How to Prevent Issues in Kids

Back then, my parents weren’t worried about whether I was underweight or about my growth and development.

I was active everyday playing basketball. I had a voracious appetite and a love of food and eating.

My parents accepted things as they were, and probably recognized that I was very similar to my mother’s frame and maturation tendencies.

Today though, having a skinny child may cause you to sprout grey hairs and yell incessant pleas from the table to eat.

You may worry more about nutritional status, peak growth, and the status of your child’s health down the road.

Some kids are genetically inclined to be slight of build, while others, naturally husky.

In a world where so much attention is given to prevention and treatment of the condition child obesity, I know that your underweight child can be just as concerning.

Especially if he’s not eating enough.

Naturally, you probably want to help your child gain weight and grow.

But, I caution you: Most kids are fine, especially if they are eating and active.

Thin kids who aren't eating can be just as concerning as those kids who are overeating. Here's how you can feed the thin child. #skinnykid #fearlessfeeding #healthyeating Click To Tweet

If you do have a child who is underweight and you’re worried about whether she is getting enough nutrition, remember, it’s not about getting your child to eat.

Here are some healthy tips to help calm your fears and help your child:

Children show us they are thriving through their normal growth and development as demonstrated on the Center for Disease Control growth charts. 

Your pediatrician plots your child’s weight and length/height routinely at well-visits and check-ups. 

Children who are growing normally will track predictably on their own personal growth curve. 

Children who are not gaining weight appropriately may demonstrate a flattening of their growth curve.

Or, they may show a decrease from their usual growth channel percentile.  

The growth chart is a good indicator of your child’s overall nutritional status. 

If your child appears to be maintaining a usual and predictable pattern of growth on the curve, you can rest assured that your child is getting adequate calories.

While children may be naturally or constitutionally thin, some are skinny due to selective or extremely picky eating.

These kids may not be getting adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals.

They may also lose weight.

If your child leaves out one of the major food groups (dairy, fruit, vegetable, grains, proteins), consumes more processed foods than whole, natural foods, or is losing weight or having difficulty gaining weight, a multivitamin may be a prudent addition to his/her daily diet.

Every bite of food and every gulp of liquid can help your child gain weight, grow and be better nourished.

Keep these nutrition “boosts” in mind:  

1. Be sure to add and/or cook vegetables with fat, such as butter and/or oils. 
2. Add sauces such as cheese, hollandaise, or sour cream to boost calories.
3. Dip fresh fruit in yogurt, fruit dips, or peanut butter. 
4. Double dress pasta--rinse and toss with olive oil, then add butter, cheese or sauce.
5. Choose 2% or whole milk, instead of skim or 1% fat.  
6. Reconstitute soups and prepare oatmeal with milk instead of water. 
7. Boost baked goods such as these healthy muffins, cookies, or pancakes with an extra egg or dry milk powder.  

Smoothies, milkshakes, instant breakfast drinks or peanut butter toast are good snacks that pack extra protein and calories before sleeping. 

The timeframe before bed is a golden hour for packing in some extra calories. And they won’t be burned off so readily!

For some additional snack ideas, check out my 51 Snacks for Kids blog or download this handy snack guide.

If you’re stuck in the cycle of junky snacks, take a look at my Healthy Snack Planner.

It will help you revamp the way you think about and offer snacks to your child.

Plan meals and snacks to occur on a consistent basis, as it can help support the cycle of hunger and promote adequate nutrient intake.

Aim to offer meals and snacks every 3-4 hours and maintain this regular routine. And of course, offer balanced meals.

Encourage your child to stay physically active. While this may seem counter-intuitive, it helps build appetite.

Daily activity is part of a healthy lifestyle. 

Exercise helps build and sustain the appetite cycle, causing hunger, which leads to eating.

When you plead for your child to eat more, beg or bribe him with dessert or even threaten to take food away if he doesn’t eat enough, this sets up a negative dynamic around food for your child.  

These are also controlling feeding behaviors, and may backfire in the long run, causing your child to be pickier and/or eat less. 

What should you do instead?

Provide ample opportunity to eat with a regular schedule of meals and snacks. And, offer nutritious, acceptable foods.

Although you can’t force your child to eat, you can allow him to choose which foods he’ll eat from what you have offered and let him make decisions about how much he will eat.

I’ve had a number of parents ask about weight gain supplements such as protein powders and shakes. While there are some products on the market that tout the ability to help children grow, like Pediasure, the reality is a child needs to like these products and be willing to drink them.

Many of the commercial products are formulated with children’s needs in mind. They can add a calorie and nutritional boost to a child’s overall diet.

Homemade weight gainer shakes, or a boosted milk drink, like Carnation Instant Breakfast or Ovaltine (both of which get added to milk) can do the trick, too.

I like to use whole milk, whole milk yogurt, peanut butter, honey, frozen fruit like mango, and flax oil to concoct a high calorie high protein beverage.

Offering something like this at night, before bedtime, can help. The most important things to consider when thinking about weight gain supplements are:

• Your child enjoys drinking it
• It is appropriately made for the pediatric population (the amounts of nutrients aren’t too high for kids)
• Your child doesn’t become reliant on them
• They’re working well, and not crowding out the ability to eat other nutrient-rich foods

Warning: Many supplements are designed with adults in mind and may be too high in vitamins and protein for a young child. And remember, supplements are a short-term fix. You don’t want your child on them for the long term.

Have a Skinny Boy?

Today, boys may feel an inordinate amount of pressure to be muscular – even before it’s biologically possible for them to bulk up their muscles.

The latest science tells us that boys are developing body image problems and eating disorders at an increasing rate.

If you have a skinny boy, be on the lookout for changes in eating, particularly eating more protein to bulk up, and dissatisfaction with body appearance.

Tune in to my podcast interview with author and researcher Charlotte Markey on this topic.

Got a Skinny Girl?

Similar to skinny boys, girls can feel just as inadequate when they are smaller bodied or have trouble keeping weight on.

Equally as disturbing, though, are those girls who are trying to get skinny through dieting, purging or other means of losing weight.

Be on the lookout for behaviors that predict disordered eating and eating disorders. I’ve got more details in The Eating Disorder Guide.

Remember, some children are naturally thin. This is part of their constitution.

Some kids may be thin due to suboptimal or inadequate nutrition.

You’ll see a downturn on their growth chart and they may classify with an underweight BMI.

If you’ve tried these suggestions, consider further assistance from a Registered Dietitian or your pediatrician if you are concerned about your child’s weight.

If you think part of the problem is related to a limited food variety, my book, Try New Food: How to Help Picky Eaters Taste, Eat & Like New Food, can help!

It takes you through some steps to encourage your child to expand his food repertoire without pressure or negative feeding.

Want more expert tips? Check out my podcast, The Nourished Child!

Is My CHILD UNDERWEIGHT? | EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW so Your KID GROWS from a Pediatric Dietitian

Watch this video on YouTube

This post was updated in June, 2020.

What to do if the child does not eat well

April 14, 2019 A life Food

How to feed children with a selective appetite and instill in them a love for healthy food - we explain together with "Maloyezhka".

Why babies are so picky about what they eat

Children's appetite and eating habits are influenced by the time of first feeding, metabolic rate and lifestyle.

First food

Doctors call the age between four and six months the "window of tolerance" - this is the time when children should be given their first food. The longer you do not accustom a child to a new food, the stronger his attachment to one type of food is formed. This affects appetite later on: children refuse vegetables, ask for cookies and agree to eat soup only if there is ice cream later. nine0003

Metabolic rate

The child may eat little because he has a slow metabolism. This is a normal feature of the body, not a pathology. To understand how this works, you can draw an analogy with the fuel consumption of cars: one car needs 5 liters per 100 kilometers, while the other “eats” 20 liters under the same conditions.

Lifestyle

Selective appetite or refusal to eat is largely a matter of upbringing and lifestyle. If the child does not want to eat, then he did not spend enough energy and did not have time to get hungry. To awaken the appetite, you need to increase energy consumption: walk in the fresh air, ride the slides or offer classes in the sports section. The more energy children expend, the better their appetite. nine0003

How to understand if a child is eating enough

Traditionally, parents, grandmothers and neighbors from the stairwell determine the health of the baby by his fatness and appetite. "The child must eat," and the more the better. If it doesn't, then something is wrong with it. Do not rush to panic.

It is believed that among children aged 3-6 years, only 18% are "babies".

Malnutrition is not defined by portion size and appetite, but by a lack of nutrients in the diet. nine0003

Here are the criteria to determine this:

• The child does not gain weight for a long time, growth and lags behind in physical development. Calculate your baby's weight, height and daily nutrient requirements using the calculator.
• A child older than 1.5-2 years does not eat certain food groups. For example, refuses vegetables, meat or cereals.
• The child bites and eats mainly junk food: sweets, fast food and processed meat (sausages, sausages). nine0036
• A child older than one and a half years old eats only liquid, homogeneous food (for example, milk, formula or puree).
• The child refuses any food and goes on a hunger strike.

Keep a food diary and record everything your baby eats in it. After a week of observations, analyze the records, or rather show them to a pediatrician or gastroenterologist. Remember that the main indicator is a balanced diet, and not just the amount of food eaten. You won't be happy if your child eats a whole pack of cookies - what's the use of "empty" calories? nine0003

What should be in a healthy diet for a child?

Nutrition should be balanced, consisting of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

• In the recommended diet for children 2-3 years old, proteins make up about 20% of all food, fats - 30-35%, carbohydrates - 45-65%.
• For children 4-18 years of age, the recommended diet is 10-30% protein, 25-35% fat, and 45-65% carbohydrate.

Healthy nutrition is especially important for children as they grow and develop. They need protein for muscles, calcium and phosphorus to strengthen bones, iron to deliver oxygen to organs and tissues, including the brain. To gain the right amount of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, a balanced diet should include six food groups:

1. Meat, fish and eggs.
2. Vegetables.
3. Fruit.
4. Dairy products.
5. Complex carbohydrates (whole grain bread, cereals, durum wheat pasta).
6. Legumes.

At least 2-3 products from each group should be among the products for the child.

Nutrient deficiencies can be filled with PediaSure Maloezhka drink for children 1 to 10 years old. It contains proteins, fats, carbohydrates, 29 vitamins and minerals, omega-3 fatty acids and probiotics and is proven to be effective. After a month of regular use, the baby's appetite and activity improve, after two months he begins to gain weight (if he was underweight), and after three months his diet expands - the child eats more varied. nine0003

The dangers of selective eating and malnutrition

Refusing healthy foods leads to nutritional deficiencies and developmental delays.

Lack of protein can cause stunting, memory impairment, reduced physical activity and weakened immunity. Children with poor nutrition may lag behind their peers in mental development. Consumption of sweets and fast food increases the likelihood of cardiovascular disease, overweight and obesity at school age. nine0003

How to feed your child if he refuses to eat

Stimulate your appetite

The best medicine to increase your appetite is hunger. To make the child want to eat, increase physical activity: walk more and send the child to the sports section.

Be creative with the decoration of dishes

For a child to want to eat a dish, it must look beautiful. Build a funny face out of boiled vegetables, lay out a bicycle or decorate a dish with vegetable sauce. Use cookie cutters to make shapes out of bell peppers, eggplant, and zucchini. Unusual "accordions" of vegetables can be created using curly graters and knives. nine0003

Cook together

Children are more likely to eat food prepared by themselves. Let the child help you and captivate the process: let him mix vegetables, rub carrots or watch potatoes bake - he will become interested in what happened and will want to try the dish.

Offer food many times

Young children may refuse unfamiliar foods. This is also true for adults - not everyone is able to try fried grasshoppers or veal brains. It takes time to overcome the fear of new food. Therefore, offer the same dish many times: the child may agree on the tenth or fifteenth attempt. nine0003

Respect refusal

Saying a firm “no” is an important social skill. Do not suppress it and respect the opinion of the child. Otherwise, he will not learn to stand his ground in adulthood and say no, including to himself.

How not to feed your child

Do not force him to eat

We strive to feed the baby with all our might and do it with such zeal that he develops an aversion to food. He ceases to listen to the signals of his body and understand when he is full and when he is hungry. And the harder you push, the more the child resists. It's okay if he skipped breakfast or lunch - he will be more hungry for dinner. nine0003

Remember that a child's body is not used to social norms and the need to eat five times a day. If the child has no appetite, it means that he has not yet spent all the energy that entered the body with the last meal. A little patience, and the appetite will appear.

Don't make them eat up

Don't scold the child for not eating everything. Perhaps you gave him too much portion and he physically cannot handle it. The skill to “stop when you’re full” is important and will come in handy in adulthood. nine0003

Don't let your child snack

If you want your children to eat well at lunch, don't let them snack between meals. Remove sweets and cookies from the table, do not make sandwiches. If the baby works up an appetite, he will not refuse the soup.

French mothers adhere to this principle: they teach the child to eat at certain hours. "Children don't know how to snack, so they're always hungry by a certain time," writes Pamela Druckerman, author of French Kids Don't Spit Food. nine0003

Do not entertain the child while eating

Cartoons, books and dancing with a tambourine distract the child from eating. No need to stuff a spoonful of porridge at any cost. It is necessary to teach him to treat food consciously, to feel its taste and feel full. Instead of cartoons, talk about food: what does it look like? What does it look like? What does she taste like? Do you want another piece?

Talk to your child about food not only from the position of "tasty - not tasty". Food can be crispy, sour, sweet, spicy, spicy, soft. An inquisitive attitude to food will help to cope with children's fear of new dishes. nine0003

Do not focus on nutrition in the family

Do not show your child how important nutrition is to you, no matter how difficult it may be. Do not praise the baby if he ate something healthy or ate in principle. If the child notices this, he may begin to manipulate you: beg for toys, ask for a trampoline and ride that pony in the park for a spoonful of oatmeal.

Food is just food, it gives strength and energy. Don't use it as a reward or punishment. If the child is crying, it is better to hug him than to soothe him with chocolate. nine0003

How to instill in children a love for healthy food

Start with yourself

Your child imitates everything you do, including adopting your eating habits. Why does he have to eat oatmeal and steamed broccoli when you're so hungry for cakes and fried potatoes?

Double standards do not work in the family: either you all eat right (at least in front of the children), or you allow the children to eat not the most healthy food.

Don't be manipulated

You are the parent and only you can decide what your child will eat. You can gradually accustom him to healthy food or indulge desires by agreeing to give him a cookie or a piece of sausage.

Stand firm, but leave the child a choice: offer 2-3 healthy meals, and let him decide what he will eat. Don't yell or force him to eat something he doesn't want. Remember how often hated semolina was shoved into you or forced to eat milk soup in kindergarten. And how you love sweets only because they were forbidden in childhood. nine0003

Show that healthy food can be tasty

There is a lot of healthy food: vegetables, fruits, herbs, legumes, nuts, dried fruits, honey. Introduce the child to different products, tell an interesting story about each and let's try a piece. Let the kid understand that the right food is not only oatmeal and cabbage soup.

The same dishes can be prepared in different ways. For example, cauliflower can be boiled, baked in the oven with other vegetables, fried with egg and tomato, added to a jellied pie. To make the taste more pleasant, vegetable slices can be dipped in Greek yogurt or sour cream sauce, and fruit slices in honey. Show your imagination, the child will definitely like something. nine0003

If your baby has a weakness for juices and drinking yoghurts, replace them with PediaSure Baby. It is free of dyes, preservatives, palm oil, gluten and GMOs, and in terms of energy value it is comparable to a serving of boiled cod and a medium apple. A bottle of drink can be taken for a walk, given to a child at school or kindergarten, or simply offered as a dessert after breakfast or lunch.

Learn more about PediaSure Maloezhka

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