On Tue, 08 Aug 2006 20:57:27 -0500, Mike Howard <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> I have a 15 month old son, whom we've rigorously been feeding according
> to Paleo standards. ...
>
> The issue is that he is very much on the low end of the growth charts
> (bottom 5-10% weight, bottom 20% length). I had expected him to grow
> slower than formula fed babies, but am getting a bit concerned. My wife
> and I are both in the upper part of the growth charts (I'm 6'1, she's
> 5'8"), so I
> wouldn't think genetics are keeping him small. Does anyone know of any
> research/info on what would be expected of a Paleo baby?
I don't know of any research offhand, but I just wanted to offer a few of
observations.
First, don't assume that just because you and your wife are tall means you
will have a tall child. It doesn't always work that way. Short parents
can have tall children, and tall parents can have short children. Happens
all the time.
Second, growth takes calories, and lots of them. Make sure there's plenty
of good fats and carbs in his diet for calories.
Third, children are funny critters. When my son was about three years
old, my wife and I lamented the fact that he would grow up and wished
(aloud) that he would stay a little child forever. For the next several
years, he obliged. He was healthy and happy, and ate well, but just
didn't grow much. He went from being "big" for his age group to being
"small" for his age group. We started to get concerned. When he was
about six years old, I was talking to him one night and said that his
mother and I had wished he would stay a little baby forever, but that we
didn't really mean it, and that it was OK that he grow up. He's been
growing ever since. :-)
--
Robert Kesterson
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