Your pediatrician uses a formula known as BMI to assess whether your child is at a healthy weight based on her height. Your child may be deemed underweight if her BMI number is below the 5th percentile for kids of her age and sex, according to BabyCenter.com. If the doctor recommends that you help your child gain some weight, adding some healthy calories to your child's diet should do the trick.
Healthy Calories
Some underweight kids will get all the added calories they need to grow through foods that contain healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, according to BabyCenter.com. Examples of foods rich in healthy fats are fish, nuts, avocados and foods cooked in vegetable oil. Other nutritious bulky foods are: whole-fat dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt; caloric sources of protein such as peanut butter and eggs; and hearty carb-rich foods such as macaroni and cheese and mashed potatoes, according to BabyCenter.com.
Adding Extras
Toss some "extras" onto your child's meals to add more calories to them. One type of bulky add-on is butter, or margarine that doesn't contain trans fat, says the Center for Young Women's Health at Children's Hospital Boston. Spread some on your child's toast, stir some into his whole grain rice, put a small pat on his baked potato and use some to flavor his cooked vegetables. Other caloric add-on examples are: nuts tossed onto a salad, granola on his yogurt and peanut butter on his fresh celery sticks, says the Center for Young Women's Health.
Limits
Drinks such as soda, milk and juice can fill up your child's stomach so that she has less room to accommodate caloric meals. Cut out soda altogether as it is full of unnecessary sugar. Also, cut back her juice intake to a cup per day and don't let her drink more than 2 cups of milk per day, recommends BabyCenter.com. Other foods to limit are sources of empty calories, including candy, baked treats and fatty fast food meals, says the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Finally, your child shouldn't be eating any household member's calorie-free, fat-free, low-carb or low-fat meals, says the Center for Young Women's Health.
Eating Habits
Your child's small stomach may not be able to accommodate three solid meals, let alone three solid meals that have been bulked up in an effort to help him gain weight. The Virginia Cooperative Extension recommends that you feed your child six small meals per day, offering him caloric snacks such as granola bars, trail mix and peanut butter on crackers to take to school in his backpack for easy snacking. If your child is resistant to eating, invest some time and effort in involving him in meal planning, recommends BabyCenter.com. Let him pick out his favorite foods at the store, ask him to help you prepare meals and sit down to eat with him at the dining room table.
Supplements
Supplements such as over-the-counter liquid shakes might help your child gain pounds if she isn't gaining them at a rapid enough pace despite your best efforts, says the Center for Young Women's Health. Ask your doctor if he thinks the supplements would be appropriate.
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