All children grow and develop at different rates, but some remain very thin despite eating healthy diets. Low weight could be a symptom of a high metabolism or it might signify a diet too low in calories and nutrition. A child who fails to gain enough weight to stay healthy should see a pediatrician for advice. But parents of a healthy, thin child might help their child gain weight with some diet adjustments.
Step 1
Prepare your child's breakfast cereal with whole milk to which you've added a couple of tablespoons of dry milk powder. Avoid serving low-fat or skim milk.
Step 2
Serve sliced fruits with a topping of heavy cream or a scoop of ice cream or full-fat yogurt. Top off waffles, fruit gelatin, pudding and cocoa with real whipped cream.
Step 3
Substitute half-and-half for water in your child's soup or stir in a dollop of sour cream after you remove the soup from the stove. Use vitamin- and calorie-enhanced drinks, such as Ensure Plus, in shakes and smoothies.
Step 4
Sprinkle or spread cheese on everything. Kids love the taste, and cheese adds nutritious calories to their diet. Cream cheese blended with a little ranch-type dressing makes a tasty dip for crackers, and grated cheddar cheese enhances scrambled eggs.
Step 5
Add a caloric boost to mashed potatoes and casseroles with cream cheese or sour cream, and top casseroles with canned biscuits before baking.
Step 6
Make foods easy to eat. Cut a small child's meat into bite-size morsels and provide a small cup of gravy or sauce in which to dip each bite. If a child struggles to cut or chew his food, he can become discouraged before finishing his meal.
Step 7
Layer an extra slice of sandwich meat and cheese on your child's sandwich and add extra toppings to pizza. Add chopped or shredded cooked chicken, ham or beef to ready-to-eat soups to boost the caloric content.
Step 8
Make mealtime an enjoyable event. Avoid showing excessive concern over food consumption and allow your child to eat in a relaxed atmosphere. Anxiety can diminish your child's appetite. Arrange food on your child's plate in an attractive manner. Use raisins to make a "happy face" on a cottage cheese and pear salad, or cut animal shapes from toast to increase your child's interest.
Step 9
Offer nutritious small meals four or five times a day instead of three traditional meals. Some children fill up quickly and tend to eat less at each sitting, but they might be able to eat again in two or three hours.
Tips and Warnings
- Use positive reinforcement when your child eats well, but don't scold her for not eating.
- Avoid focusing only on body image. Children who face pressure over the way they look can develop eating disorders.
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