16 Month Old Peater - Is This Healthy?

[GreenEyedBlonde]

I have a very thin extremely active 16 month old grandson. He has been walking since 9 months and climbs every piece of furniture he can find. His height and weight are below average in percentile but not of concern to his pediatrician. However, the doc wants his diet to be less milk based at this point. My grandson loves milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream, and fruit. He dislikes meat and most vegetables except avocado. Obviously the pediatrician is not happy with his diet but we can’t force the child to eat things he doesn’t like. In fact 3 min is all he will tolerate being confined to a high chair. He prefers to graze throughout the day and on the move.

Should his parents be concerned about his preferences (possibly some control issues going on too)? Is this too young to be Peating? Again, he is very small and never sits. Sleeping during the night is not the best either. Thanks for any input!

 

[Blossom]

I personally wouldn't force him to eat meat or vegetables. You could still offer them periodically but as long as he is eating plenty of fruit and dairy I wouldn't sweat it whatsoever. Being on the lower end of the growth percentile in the absence of real health problems or malnourishment isn't too disturbing imho. Children grow at different rates and have periods of growth that don't always coincide with our desires. Just keep an eye on him.

They can also seem extremely picky but generally their instincts with regards to eating seems better than adults because they haven't been influenced by what is supposed to be healthy. I remember reading a theory that young children gravitate towards sweet tastes because in nature those foods are the least likely to be poisonous.
It sounds like he is well loved and cared for which is the most important thing! I think he will eventually come around to a bit more variety when the time is right.

 

[tca300]

If he isn't allergic, egg yoke would be an important addition, iron needs are high during growth.

 

[Blossom]

If he isn't allergic, egg yoke would be an important addition, iron needs are high during growth.

I was hoping you'd reply. I almost tagged you!

 

[tca300]

@Blossom Well I'm no expert, but my children have never been sick, and are doing extremely well so far.

 

[Blossom]

@Blossom Well I'm no expert, but my children have never been sick, and are doing extremely well so far.

That's what I thought. Knowledge from practical experience counts for a lot. It's been over 26 years since I had a 16 month old.

 

[GreenEyedBlonde]

Thanks @tca300 & @Blossom! I forgot to mention he does eat eggs and it does seem he is healthy otherwise. The pediatrician wants the milk cut back to 2 cups per day ; however it is the only fluid he drinks (won’t drink water or juices). I’m thinking the ped is concerned that the milk is displacing other foods. Since the child eats very little, would there be any harm with increasing his milk to 4 cups per day or would that just keep him full enough to refuse other foods?

 

[Wagner83]

He could go on to become Peater the Great.

 

[tca300]

Thanks @tca300 & @Blossom! I forgot to mention he does eat eggs and it does seem he is healthy otherwise. The pediatrician wants the milk cut back to 2 cups per day ; however it is the only fluid he drinks (won’t drink water or juices). I’m thinking the ped is concerned that the milk is displacing other foods. Since the child eats very little, would there be any harm with increasing his milk to 4 cups per day or would that just keep him full enough to refuse other foods?

My daughters pediatrician is always at us in trying to lower milk consumption, as is my nieces pediatrician. My question to them always is what food is a good replacement in regards to high nutrition for a growing child? Whole grains and vegetables are their answers. What a joke. My daughters drink at least 4 cups of whole milk per day each, as well as cheese on top of it. Milk is high in bioavailable nutrients and doesn't contain defensive components meant to harm creatures that eat it, on the other hand, most plants do, and are much more of a challenge regarding nutrient absorption.

 

[SOMO]

Is he still breast fed?

That's the ideal food and most newborns probably aren't nursed for long enough.


No grains until at least 2 years old, is what I would suggest, but his diet already looks great.

I heard lightly steamed egg yolks (toss the egg whites or use them to make meringue) are also a good starter food for babies, and was given this when I was young. Some are concerned about bacteria, but you're supposed to wash eggs before you crack them anyway. It did come out of a chicken's anus...

I think babies will naturally explore with their diet until they find foods that satisfy them and fulfill instinctual nutritional requirements. If a child starts to develop disordered eating, like a MONO-DIET (it's probably relatively dangerous to only limit diet to a few foods since that is a surefire way to get a nutrient deficiency) the parents should "fix" and monitor the child's diet (or hire some nutritional counseling for the child's diet.)

-Foods I tried as baby:
-Mashed potato and even small, roasted cut up potato
-Cooked beets
-Basic mashed veggies and mashed fruit
-Egg Yolks
-Whole fruit
-boiled meats (nothing sinewy or near the bone)
-bone broth/chicken soup (in a baby bottle)
-Breast milk and regular cow's whole milk (probably grain-fed)

 

[Blossom]

He could go on to become Peater the Great.

I love it!
Maybe making one of his daily milks as homemade chocolate milk with a good quality cocoa powder and sugar would help bump up the calories a little.

 

[Blossom]

Cocoa powder does have some iron since that might be a concern.
Cocoa, dry powder, unsweetened Nutrition Facts & Calories

 

[SOMO]

I love it!
Maybe making one of his daily milks as homemade chocolate milk with a good quality cocoa powder and sugar would help bump up the calories a little.

Should be said that Cocoa Powder does not dissolve well in fat-free milk, as cocoa is apparently not very water-soluble.
Chocolate has to have some fat in it to fully dissolve.

 

[Blossom]

Should be said that Cocoa Powder does not dissolve well in fat-free milk, as cocoa is apparently not very water-soluble.
Chocolate has to have some fat in it to fully dissolve.

Yes, so true! I'm hoping he is getting whole milk for the nutrition.

 

[GreenEyedBlonde]

Breast feeding ended at 7 mos. He has been drinking whole milk since then. My daughter is very carefully monitoring his sugar intake as she is overweight. Therefore, ice cream or chocolate milk is rationed. She does add rice powder to his glass of milk before bed since he is a very poor sleeper although his sleeping has improved somewhat with the rice. Could this be stress response to lack of calories during day? Btw she does feed him some bread and Cheerios if he’s in the mood so he is not grain/gluten free. My daughter has Hashimoto’s - diagnosed at age 7. I’m assuming he will be at risk and should be monitored as he gets older.

Also noticed the grandson has developed eczema on face, back and legs. Mild case I’m assuming might be milk allergy.

 

[SOMO]

Breast feeding ended at 7 mos. He has been drinking whole milk since then. My daughter is very carefully monitoring his sugar intake as she is overweight. Therefore, ice cream or chocolate milk is rationed. She does add rice powder to his glass of milk before bed since he is a very poor sleeper although his sleeping has improved somewhat with the rice. Could this be stress response to lack of calories during day? Btw she does feed him some bread and Cheerios if he’s in the mood so he is not grain/gluten free. My daughter has Hashimoto’s - diagnosed at age 7. I’m assuming he will be at risk and should be monitored as he gets older.

Also noticed the grandson has developed eczema on face, back and legs. Mild case I’m assuming might be milk allergy.

Grains are an equally common trigger for skin eruptions. And unlike milk, are full of antinutrients/mild toxins that irritate the intestines. Check out websites like acne.org and you'll see how many people are grain-free simply to keep their skin clear.

I think grains can be part of a healthy diet, but I think they're simply too hard for a baby's digestive system to digest properly. White rice is great though. I was also fed grains as a kid and I think it really messed with my digestion for many years to come. My father was also gluten intolerant as a child, but outgrew it at puberty.

 

[Blossom]

Most moms and dads will go to extraordinary lengths to get their baby to sleep through the night. Perhaps she'd be willing to try adding a little sugar to his milk before bed to see if it helps.
Edit: added the words- and dads

 

[GreenEyedBlonde]

Great suggestions. Thank you!

 

[omnivoracious]

Breast feeding ended at 7 mos. He has been drinking whole milk since then. My daughter is very carefully monitoring his sugar intake as she is overweight. Therefore, ice cream or chocolate milk is rationed. She does add rice powder to his glass of milk before bed since he is a very poor sleeper although his sleeping has improved somewhat with the rice. Could this be stress response to lack of calories during day? Btw she does feed him some bread and Cheerios if he’s in the mood so he is not grain/gluten free. My daughter has Hashimoto’s - diagnosed at age 7. I’m assuming he will be at risk and should be monitored as he gets older.

Also noticed the grandson has developed eczema on face, back and legs. Mild case I’m assuming might be milk allergy.

My 2 yo son is also very rambunctious. He's at the other end of the spectrum: he's 90th percentile for everything. He absolutely loves milk and drinks a ton of the stuff. There are two issues:
1. He will drink so much milk that he pukes it up. Fun to deal with cleaning him and his bed in the middle of the night. We started mixing his milk with water. It works! We've been able to cut overall milk consumption and he no longer pukes.
2. Dairy can interfere with iron absorption. Our son had low iron stores at his 2 year checkup. We give him an iron supplement with some orange juice every other day. He really likes orange juice. Prior to taking the iron supplement I'd wager 90% of his calories came from milk and yogurt. So it's no surprise his iron scores were low.

The little guy also has a mild egg white allergy which caused his cheeks to get very red. Ever since cutting back on eggs this had completely gone away. If your grandson has a long term skin irritation it's probably a good idea to have the doc try to figure out if it's an allergy.

Young toddlers typically don't have much of an appetite. Even my son who is a pretty big boy doesn't seem to eat nearly enough, so I wouldn't freak out too much so long as your grandson is having something with every meal, even if it's mostly milk. My daughter will turn 4 in a couple months and she's just started to develop an appetite.

 

[GreenEyedBlonde]

My 2 yo son is also very rambunctious. He's at the other end of the spectrum: he's 90th percentile for everything. He absolutely loves milk and drinks a ton of the stuff. There are two issues:
1. He will drink so much milk that he pukes it up. Fun to deal with cleaning him and his bed in the middle of the night. We started mixing his milk with water. It works! We've been able to cut overall milk consumption and he no longer pukes.
2. Dairy can interfere with iron absorption. Our son had low iron stores at his 2 year checkup. We give him an iron supplement with some orange juice every other day. He really likes orange juice. Prior to taking the iron supplement I'd wager 90% of his calories came from milk and yogurt. So it's no surprise his iron scores were low.

The little guy also has a mild egg white allergy which caused his cheeks to get very red. Ever since cutting back on eggs this had completely gone away. If your grandson has a long term skin irritation it's probably a good idea to have the doc try to figure out if it's an allergy.

Young toddlers typically don't have much of an appetite. Even my son who is a pretty big boy doesn't seem to eat nearly enough, so I wouldn't freak out too much so long as your grandson is having something with every meal, even if it's mostly milk. My daughter will turn 4 in a couple months and she's just started to develop an appetite.

Thanks for your input; it was really helpful. Why was your son’s iron levels checked? Was he symptomatic? I will mention this to my daughter. The child’s rash is not really visible or causing him discomfort. It feels like really dry skin on his trunk and limbs. I would not be surprised if allergy related since both parents have allergies.