18 month old losing weight...?

[LimeSlice]

Charlotte appears to be losing weight and I am worried, mainly because she is a slip of a thing to begin with.

When I last weighed her in January, she was 10kgs.

DH has just weighed her then and she is now 9.5kgs - immediately after a good sized dinner.

She doesn't eat much, but eats often, or picks often should I say.
She eats a god breakfast most days, porridge or weetbix maybe some yoghurt.
I can most often than not, not get her to eat anything substantial for lunch, and she eats fairly well most nights at dinner, though that is still not much

We are still breastfeeding, and have always breastfed....and has about 6 feeds a day, although only 4 of those are of any great volume or duration.

Charlotte takes after her dad, so it long and slender and has been since birth, so Im not expecting her to be a chubba, but I am now concerned that she is losing weight.

SO! I thought I should take her to the doctor and see if she has worms or something lol Then I wondered what he would do?
I don't want to give her formula, she wont drink it anyway, but what can they do if she isnt eating enough?

What can I do to make sure she is putting weight on and not losing it?

[Trillian]

What were the circumstances of the weigh in at 10kg? was she fully clothed and on scales different to your own? My own scales are so shoddy I would never be able to accurately weight the kids on it. I dont' think formula is the answer at this stage and it would be unlikely to make much difference to her weight if she's never been one to stack it on kwim? One thing you could look at doing is stimulating her appetite. Using probiotics can help - if the gut is in perfect working order, it can help with the way they digest and metabolise their food. I have been using some for Alister with great results. His eating has improved (he had a terrible diet before and would hardly eat anything in one sitting) and he is gaining weight.

[misty]

I don't think it is anything to be worried about, DS's weight goes up and down like this too. Having said that, if it will put your mind at ease - go and see your doc or a child health nurse. They should at least be able to put your mind at rest.

[LimeSlice]

Thanks Trillian Do I just ask the chemist for one suitable for her?

They are our scales, I weighed her on mums before. I suppose I am concerned because it took her 3 months to go from 8kgs to 10kgs, and she maintained that for a couple of months, but is not gaining weight at all anymore...she doesnt even feel heavier.

Will give the probiotics a go and see what happens

ETA Thanks Misty! Nice to know it isn't just Charlotte!

[Trillian]

You could see a naturopath or get them at a health food shop. Better to get one that isn't synthetic. It's worth a shot anyway. I know the struggle only too well to try to get them to eat well - DS is a shocker and even though he's better, he is nowhere near perfect. He sat on 10kg for 6months until just recently.