Failure to Thrive: Follow-Up Thoughts

We have received the results from most of the "Failure to Thrive" testing.  Everything has come back normal so far.  I weighed Howie at Lifetime Fitness (I had to sneak him into the all-girl locker room.  No one busted me.)  His weight has gone up 2 ounces since the last doctor's visit, but 2 ounces could be the difference between a wet diaper and a dry one.

After receiving this diagnosis I have been analyzing my child with new eyes.  Why is he so little?  How is he different from other children? Is it a parenting issue or a child-centered issue?  And here is my temporary conclusion that could change at any time: He is SUPER active.  Howie seems to burn about twice as many calories as anyone else in the room.  He does not sit down.  Ever.   

Howie uses his awake hours to do as many activities and get into as many things as possible.  He laps the house an average of 4 times per minute, all the while bending over to carry items that weigh as much as he does.  He has to touch everything in a store while he is looking up to smile at all the customers.  He climbs his Little Tykes slide and goes down with rapid speed and repeats it about 45 times in a row.  He moves with vigor about the deck to the hose, dog bowls, sandbox, swimming pool, grill, hose, dog bowls, sandbox, swimming pool...  He laughs all the time.  He climbs on everything he can.  He moves everything he can pick up.  He is never still. 

As you can imagine, sitting down to eat is not a high priority in little Howie's life.  He just cannot be bothered.  When he does slow down enough to indulge his stomach pains, he eats high quality foods.  Example: Tonight for dinner he ate grilled lemon chicken, squash baked with oil/cumin/garlic blend, rice with butter and pieces of peach.  At this point, I simply offer him the highest quality of food as I know to give him and we eat at routine times throughout the day.   

So for now, I have decided to embrace my child as a little peanut and enjoy his energy.  He is fascinating to watch.  His mind is moving a mile a minute.  His weight will come with time; I am confident that he will grow into a healthy, strong little boy. 

Thank you to everyone who has offered us their encouragement and concern.  It is nice to know that we have so much support in the greater community.  I especially enjoyed the advice from people who have gone through this before and told me not to let my anxiety create eating anxiety for him.  This is so true.  You cannot force a child to eat- you just do what you can to create a healthy eating routine with healthy food choices. 

-Becky