Because children have different body types and because they develop at different times, your child may be thinner than her peers but still be at a healthy weight. However, her pediatrician may perform extra health assessments if she stops gaining weight or if she begins to lose some, according to BabyCenter.com. If the doctor determines that your child should gain some weight, he may ask you to help her by making some adjustments to her diet.
Record Eating Habits
Keep an eating log for several days to determine when, where and how much your child eats, suggests pediatric health website DrSpock.com. You might discover a pattern, such as a tendency to eat less food when he's groggy or distracted at the table. Once you've determined what could be causing your child to eat fewer calories, you can adjust his diet accordingly.
Feed Her Breakfast
Children who don't eat breakfast typically get fewer nutrients and calories than children who do eat breakfast, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Focus on preparing hearty breakfast foods, such as oatmeal with butter and whole milk or peanut butter and bananas on toast. However, even serving your child ready-made foods, such as granola bars and a cup of yogurt, are better than no breakfast.
Cut Back on Juice
Your child might not be eating enough calories because she's filling up on juice throughout the day. Juice is healthy in moderation, but it contains more sugar and fewer vitamins than fresh, frozen or canned fruits, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Limit juice intake to a cup a day, and your child should be hungrier for meals, recommends BabyCenter.com.
Use Heart-Healthy Fats
Some children meet their weight gain goals simply by eating more foods that contain heart-healthy fats, says BabyCenter.com. Find ways to incorporate nuts and avocados into your child's meals and prepare his soups, potatoes, casseroles and pastas with vegetable oils for a nutritious, calorie-rich boost. Just 1 tsp. of vegetable oil can add 40 extra calories to any meal, according to Kaiser Permanente.
Use Whole-Fat Dairy
Since there's no need to cut calories from your child's diet, buy her milk that hasn't had the fat removed. If the rest of the family drinks skim or low-fat milk, buy your child a separate quart of whole milk. Other ways to incorporate whole dairy products into your child's diet are to include whole milk yogurt in desserts, fruit dishes, waffles and smoothies, and top her mashed potatoes, beans, rice, pasta and vegetables with cheese.
Focus on Nutrient-Dense Foods
Junk foods may be full of calories but they don't provide the nutrients your child needs to grow. Besides avocados, cheese, yogurt and peanut butter, foods that contain the most nutritious "punch" in small doses include eggs, fish, tofu, kidney beans, sweet potatoes, poultry, brown rice and broccoli, according to pediatric health website AskDrSears.com. For example, just 1 tbsp. of diced meat, fish, poultry or eggs added to your child's dishes will provide 25 calories, says Kaiser Permanente.
Add "Extras"
"Extras" add flavorful pizzazz to foods your child might otherwise push away. According to Kaiser Permanente, adding 1 tbsp. of peanut butter to crackers or a smoothie can provide an extra 90 calories, and putting 1 tbsp. of mayonnaise in a tuna or egg salad sandwich will add 100 calories.
References
- Kaiser Permanente: High Calorie Diet for the Toddler and Preschool Child
- Ask Dr. Sears: 17 Tips for Pleasing the Picky Eater
- BabyCenter: Helping a Child Who's Underweight
- Dr. Spock: Feeding the Underweight Toddler
- Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services: Nutrition for Your Underweight Child
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