: Date:    Wed, 4 Feb 1998 22:52:12 -0800
: From:    Cherie Moore <[log in to unmask]>
: Subject: Re: weight gain
:
: Who has said that this is underweight? How many calories and what
: percentage of energy nutrient breakdown is he consuming?-Cherie Moore
:
: ----------

Many of the "baby books", such as What to Expect the First Year, have
standard growth charts in the back for boys and girls to age 3.  These
are pretty hard to read - I got a blank one from our doctor to chart
Alyssa's height and weight.

Generally, my experience has been that underweight by itself isn't a
problem, as long as they are still growing on their own percentile
curve.  Weight loss or failure to gain for many months (this varies
with age, of course), is more worrisome.  Many kids
will go several months during the active toddler years without weight
gain, especially in the winter/sick months.  3 months with no gain is
not a big deal for a 2-year-old, but is, of course, for a newborn...

That said, Alyssa weighed 29 pounds at her 3 year checkup, and that was
about 25th percentile for girls - not underweight at all, and actually
up from where she's been before (as low as 5th percentile).  Of course,
we just survived a week of influenza, where she ate nearly nothing for
8 days... that wouldn't look good, if we were to have an official weighing
this week, as I'm sure she lost a couple of pounds, or more!

Laurie (and Alyssa)