Helping Your Child Gain Weight

What should I do if my child is not gaining weight?

If your child seems to be gaining weight too slowly, you should take your child to your health care provider for a check-up. Serious health problems can sometimes cause a child to gain weight slowly or not at all. Your provider can help you figure out why your child is having trouble gaining weight. You may also need to feed your child a high-calorie diet.

When children are underweight, they may need to temporarily increase their intake of fats and calories above the amount normally recommended in a healthy diet.

How can I add calories to my child's diet?

If your provider has recommended a high-calorie diet, here are some ways to add extra calories.

For Babies

You can add calories to formula or breast milk. Ask your provider for instructions on how to make a high-calorie milk that is safe for your baby.

See Making High-Calorie Formula or Breast Milk

For Children

For children old enough to eat solid foods try some of the following:

• Add powders such as Carnation Instant Breakfast to milk to increase the calorie content. Cow's milk can be given to a child after age 1.
• Add cheese, meats, or sour cream to eggs.
• Add peanut butter to starchy foods and vegetables. Peanuts themselves, however, are a choking hazard and should be avoided until 4 years of age.
• Mix cheese, avocados, ground beef, or sour cream to refried beans and eat it with chips, crackers, or tortillas.
• Make a tuna sandwich with mayonnaise.
• Add avocado slices to sandwiches, salads, or chips.
• Serve pasta with meat, meatballs, or cream sauces.
• Add cheese or butter to vegetables. Squash, for example, can be prepared with butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
• Feed your child more potatoes. French fries, tater tots, mashed potatoes with butter and sour cream will provide many calories.
• Make bread or biscuits with butter, honey, cheese, or cream cheese.
• Serve dessert. Many desserts have lots of calories. Ice cream with all the fixings is a great way to end a meal. Or give your child an ice cream milkshake. Shakes can be made with yogurt and fruit for additional nutrition and calories.

When your child is on a special diet, always monitor your child's weight closely with your child's health care provider.