Just wanted to bring to your attention the Toddler Tips article in the
March-April 2001 New Beginnings - "Living on Air?" Great suggestions,
including a reminder from a pediatrician that the growth rate slows down
enormously in the second year. It may be helpful to mothers to know that
one doctor (quoted in the article) has stated that, "Normal, healthy
children need, as an average, the same amount of food at 18 months as at
nine months, and some children...need less."
Other useful comments include:
- breastmilk is a daily multi-vitamin, with extra hugs and holding
- when a toddler is too busy playing to eat, at least he is getting good
nutrition in breastmilk
- look at the food intake over a week rather than a day
- no juice (offer water, milk or alternate)
- foods are incomplete sources of nutrition, unlike breastmilk
- toddler servings are measured in tablespoons
See LLL's Breastfeeding Answer Book for other information. I also have a
large resource sheet I made up on toddler eating tips - if you think it
would be useful , just let me know and I will send it to you (might be of
interest for the little nursing persons meetings).
1 Help mother decide if this is a concern FOR HER (not the doctors):
- mother can check the growth charts for breastfed babies at
http://www.cdc.gov/growthcharts/
- breastmilk should make up 1/2 to 3/4 of calorie intake at 1 year
(reference is in the BAB)
- mother and father's size and family history (e.g. my daughter was 18 lb at
18 months and 5%ile growth - doctor's remark was, "You're not giants.")
-check LLLI site for further information
2 If this is a concern:
- offer high calorie and healthy foods (extra butter and jam on toast, nut
butters, use normal amounts of fat in recipes, give regular fat milk or soy
milk as extra liquids rather than water)
- avoid 'empty calories' like candy, pop, cookies
- use whole rather than white flour baking (has more protein, fat and
calories)
- recent research shows fat content of milk increases during the day, so let
toddler nurse as needed, especially in the evenings and at night (if wants)
http://www.lalecheleague.org/NB/NBMayJun00p87.html
Breastfeeding Saved My Highly Allergic Baby
Toddler Tips: A Slow Start to Solids
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 14 No. 1, January-February 1997, pp. 22-23
Toddler Tips: Living on Air?
From: NEW BEGINNINGS, Vol. 18, No. 2, March-April 2001 pp. 61-63
Michelle Bentley, CLE
----- Original Message -----
From: "Elvi Dalgaard" <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, January 30, 2002 12:26 PM
Subject: Toddler with slow weight gain
>
> I have a friend who is nursing her 19 month old. He does eat solids, but
> isn't all that interested in them, and only weighs about 19 pounds.
>
> Elvi Dalgaard
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