KiasuParents - Parenting in Singapore

Dear All

I have a 7yo child who is eating a lot for his age (really a lot.. same amount as my rather rotound husband!) but he has the height of a 4.5yo and is very skinny. He amazes many with his huge appetite. There was once we went to a Japanese a-la-carte buffet (when we walked in they charged him foc given his height ... only to watch in amazement (maybe horror) how he could polish up the cooked food... beef, chicken, fish, tofu w rice.. in his own minute capacity). We were quite embarassed really.

Is there any nutritionist / dietitian out there who can advise how i can help him grow esp in the height department? I am 1.6m tall and my husband is 1.73m tall (considered average individuals for our respective gender) but my son is not even in the average range. When we brought him to coffeeshop , coffee aunty will comment "have you started school?"..thinking he is pre-nursery when he has already started primary education!). My son is not concerned about his skinny frame... he is more concerned about his lack of height! His classmates are all easily half a head to 11/2heads taller than him

Appreciate some valuable inputs here. Thank you

Take him to a pediatrician for a consultation. The doctor will be the best to explain to you the possible reasons and treatments, if any are necessary.

We did that 2 years' back. Paediatrician said... "eat more; drink more milk" but my son cannot drink milk due to allergies... he has chronic eczema!

We even brought him to 2 Chinese Physicians... still the same size
First physician... after we go all the way there, he said he doesn't look at "young kids".
Second physician we queued for 2 hours each time (we went 3 times) still like that...
We do not need him to be tall... just 50% percentile is good enough for us .. just so long as he feels "integrated" in terms of height.

Maybe must go take queue number at KKH ... I just worry that after all the time and hassle, doctors say "it is ok"... it is obviously not ok for him as i am worried how it will affect his self-esteem... and since he is still young, this is the "opportunity to work on it"... rather than wait til past puberty then seek help. May be too late by then.

WaWa wrote:We did that 2 years' back. Paediatrician said... "eat more; drink more milk" but my son cannot drink milk due to allergies... he has chronic eczema!

We even brought him to 2 Chinese Physicians... still the same size
First physician... after we go all the way there, he said he doesn't look at "young kids".
Second physician we queued for 2 hours each time (we went 3 times) still like that...
We do not need him to be tall... just 50% percentile is good enough for us .. just so long as he feels "integrated" in terms of height.

Maybe must go take queue number at KKH ... I just worry that after all the time and hassle, doctors say "it is ok"... it is obviously not ok for him as i am worried how it will affect his self-esteem... and since he is still young, this is the "opportunity to work on it"... rather than wait til past puberty then seek help. May be too late by then.

The pediatrician may have a different opinion now that your son is 2 yrs older. It may have been too early to conclude that there was a problem at that age, but maybe the doctor can make a more accurate diagnosis now. If you don't want to go back to the doctor you consulted before, why not go to another one who is recommended by someone you trust? Or to KKH? Even without milk, your son should be getting enough food according your description of his appetite. Exercise may help too.

Normally, if the doctor thinks your son needs any special growth treatment, it would be administered at the onset of puberty, so it would be good to go now and get a firm recommendation as to when to begin. Or there may be other issues that can be addressed now. Waiting until after puberty may be too late, as you say. Hope this helps.

I noticed that you didn't mention his actual height and weight? It could be that he is at the lower end of 'normal'? My 2 girls (now at full growth) are at the 25th and 10th percentile respectively - short, but still considered normal, and they at the appropriate height for their weight.

Thanks. I think I will get a referral to KKH via polyclinic.
Yup I definitely want to seek help sooner rather than later

He is in Primary 2 .. height is 110 weight is 19 kg.
He swims and does TKD.

WaWa wrote:Thanks. I think I will get a referral to KKH via polyclinic.
Yup I definitely want to seek help sooner rather than later

He is in Primary 2 .. height is 110 weight is 19 kg.
He swims and does TKD.

Yes, you should probably seek a consultation. Based on the stats, he is short for his age although he is a healthy weight for his height. See the links below:

http://www.hpb.gov.sg/HOPPortal/content ... charts.pdf

http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/program ... e-boys.pdf

I took my son (K1) to the feeding clinic because he eats very little and is super short and skinny. The doctor/psychologist/nutritionist/speech therapist say there is nothing wrong with him.

Perhaps while your child is eating a lot, he is burning a lot of calories in his sport. Since he eats a lot, this may not be the issue.

Cow's milk does have lots of growth hormones due to the medicine farmers give to the cows to prevent them from falling sick. Hence, those who eat beef and drink cow's milk tend to be bigger.

My son also cannot take cow's milk like your son due to allergies. So I guess it is really hard to grow taller. He is also extremely short, and those in N2 are already taller than him. His classmates also tower over him.

Elgarmummy wrote:I took my son (K1) to the feeding clinic because he eats very little and is super short and skinny. The doctor/psychologist/nutritionist/speech therapist say there is nothing wrong with him.

Perhaps while your child is eating a lot, he is burning a lot of calories in his sport. Since he eats a lot, this may not be the issue.

Cow's milk does have lots of growth hormones due to the medicine farmers give to the cows to prevent them from falling sick. Hence, those who eat beef and drink cow's milk tend to be bigger.

My son also cannot take cow's milk like your son due to allergies. So I guess it is really hard to grow taller. He is also extremely short, and those in N2 are already taller than him. His classmates also tower over him.

Currently my son's eczema is kind of "under control". My sister suggested I put my boy back on formula milk (controlled dosage, ie once a day every morning for breakfast). What do you think of this suggestion?

I know my son is hurt whenever we go out and people go "huh? he is P2 ah? I thought he is in K1..." (once someone even thought he was in nursery!). Friends are puzzled why me & my spouse are of average height but my kid is so small.

WaWa wrote:Currently my son's eczema is kind of "under control". My sister suggested I put my boy back on formula milk (controlled dosage, ie once a day every morning for breakfast). What do you think of this suggestion?

I know my son is hurt whenever we go out and people go "huh? he is P2 ah? I thought he is in K1..." (once someone even thought he was in nursery!). Friends are puzzled why me & my spouse are of average height but my kid is so small.

Do a small test with dairy before you start giving it to him daily. I don't think you want to risk triggering his eczema again. What about soy milk and other protein sources? Cow's milk is really not essential.

It is hard when your child is different, but you can help him accept himself and focus on what he is good at.

Hi,

My son is 19 months old and weighs barely 8kg. His weight is always lower than 3rd percentile on the weight chart since birth. I've consulted his PD and she took blood test for him and the result was normal but dat doesn't stop me from worrying. Recently i just bought him to see a dietitian and was advised to give him eat more carbo food but my son wasn't a big eater as he is a small size boy so his stomach is not dat big so it is unlikely dat I can follow according to the dietitian's guidelines. I feel bad whenever i need to "force" him to eat when he always shakes his head indicating he doesn't want to eat anymore and worse, sometimes he vomited out.

My boy has 3 meals a day and i will give snacks like milk, biscuits, yogurt, etc. in between meals but if I do dat, his nxt meal, he will not be able to eat much. And worse of all is my boy still naps 2x a day, morning nap at 11+am (naps abt 2hrs, ard 2pm wakes up, abt 2+pm den eat his lunch) and another one at ard 5+pm (normally i will try to keep him awake till his dinner time) but if he is tired, he will be cranky and refuse to eat.

I seriously do see a problem, probably in my routine or feeding methods?
Being the primary caregiver for my son, i really can't stop worrying and questioning myself where actually is the problem.. y he is not putting weight like other babies or toddlers do?! When ppl (especially old folks) see my boy, they will always comment "boy, u must eat more or u must feed him more food." I do feel hurt & sometimes inferior when I heard such comments or when I see other babies or toddlers younger than my son are bigger size than him.
Any mummies having similar problem or could advise me, pls?