High Calorie Foods For Children

Poor weight gain or weight loss in children is troubling to both a parent and the pediatrician. The child's poor weight status may be caused by an illness, restricted diet, poor appetite or lack of food, according to "Krause's Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy." Inadequate nutrition in a child's young life is detrimental to growth and development. High-calorie foods may be necessary to help promote weight gain. Consult your child's pediatrician before making drastic changes to your child's diet.

Fats and Oils

To boost calorie intake in children you need to make every bite count, the Costello Syndrome Support Group explains. Adding fats and oils to food increases the caloric density without really increasing the amount of food your child needs to consume. A teaspoon of butter or oil provides an additional 30 to 45 calories. You can add butter or margarine to toast, hot cereal, noodles, rice, potatoes, bread and vegetables. Cook meats and vegetables in oil to add calories. Add mayonnaise to sandwiches or use it as a dip for vegetables and meats.

Powdered Milk

Add powdered milk can to foods to increase caloric density. One tablespoon of powdered milk contains 33 calories, according to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford University. Add a tablespoon of powdered milk to every glass of milk to help boost calorie intake. It can also be added to hot cereal, pudding, casseroles, macaroni and cheese, milkshakes, yogurt and pancake batter.

Eggs

One egg has 80 calories, according to the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital; add them to meatloaf and macaroni and cheese. Add extra eggs to pancake and French toast batter. Add a cooked egg yolk, which contains about 60 calories, to tuna or chicken salad or mash cooked yolks into already-cooked mashed potatoes.

Cheese

Regular cheese has 100 calories per ounce, according to the Costello Syndrome Support Group. Children can eat cheese as a snack or add it to a sandwich or scrambled eggs to boost calories.

Whole Milk

Experts recommend that all children over age 2 drink skim milk. However, one cup of whole milk has 150 calories to 90 calories for one cup of skim milk --- a big difference if you're looking to boost your child's intake.

Peanut Butter

One tablespoon of peanut butter has 100 calories, according to the Costello Syndrome Support Group. You can easily add peanut butter to crackers or bread for a high-calorie snack. Add it to milkshakes or mix it with cookie dough to add extra calories.