Toddler tiny — what should I ask the doctor to check?
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Question: Toddler tiny — what should I ask the doctor to check?
Hi. My one year old son is quite a bit smaller than his playmates (probably 20% height, 70% weight). But his father is 6′ 5″, and I’m about 5′5, so I thought he would be at least average. My son has also had ear infections constantly from 6mo old to 1 year, which is why we put tubes in 2 weeks ago (all’s fine with them, thankfully!). Could all the antibiotics and Motrin + constant pain from the infections impacted his growth?
We have his one year dr appt today. Are there any tests I should have them run? Or questions I should ask? Is there a specialist we should see? We didn’t get good feedback on the ear infections until we went to a specialist ENT…
Thanks in a advance.
My son is a very good eater & will eat most anything. His weight is fine, it’s his height that’s below average.
The answer in the following:
Answer by Marie C
One of my daughters was very small as a toddler, and my doctor found it helpful when I brought a “sample” menu of what she ate over a three day period. That way, he can look over the child’s eating habits and recommend ways to get more or better-quality calories into the diet. In my daughter’s case, it was simply a matter of adding a small quantity of additional protein foods to each meal.
Answer by MamaMia
Every child is different… he may catch up or he may just have a small frame. One thing you may want to check on is his nutrition. Kids who don’t eat well or eat a large amount of sugar and simple carbohydrates are smaller and have more health issues. Good luck!~
Answer by Dalice Nelson
Have they checked his blood yet? I know a child (at 10 yrs, not one but I think it could stillbe the case) who got his thyroid checked (via bloodwork)when he wasn’t growing at the rate his pediatrician expected.
Definitely air your concerns to the doctor and ask if there is any kind of specialist he would recommend.
Answer by tll
Its not from the anti biotics….my son too had constant ear infections and then at 11 mo we had tubes put in….he has always been at or above average on the charts and we had to give him constant pain meds and antibiotics for his ears…i would tell you its probably normal…he may hit a growth sprut soon….just talk to your dr about it…….
Answer by MommyToo
I have a friend with a tiny toddler. She is the 5th percentile for weight and stuff. They ran a battery of tests for all sorts of illnesses. She had the ear tubes, the whole nine yards – you know what she has???
Acid Reflux.
she doesn’t keep food down well enough to grow. Now that they have diagnosed it, they are treating it with meds and an altered diet.
Answer by Havanah_A
one of my twins was in the 10th percentile… they said if she kept at it they would do blood work(probably to test the thyroid i imagine)
anyway turns out she had huge tonsils that were preventing her from eating well, we had them taken out and she is doing wonderful!
so i guess that is what i would ask about.
Answer by nimo22
My daughter was always slightly below the 10th percentile on the growth charts, and now at 7 1/2 years old, she still is. I used to worry about it but the Dr. told me what those charts are for. They are not to compare kids to other kids, they are to follow the growth of each particular child. So what they look for is where your child tracks along the chart, and they like that to be consistent. So while I was worried that my daughter was only at the 10th percentile, the Dr. was pleased that she always tracked along the same path. What concerns them is when a child suddenly drops from a high percentile to a low one or if a child suddenly goes from a low one to a high one. I hope I’m helping here, when the Dr. explained it to me I finally understood just what those charts are for. If you are really concerned the Dr. can run a blood test to make sure your child isn’t low in iron or other minerals and vitamins, but chances are that your child is fine.
Answer by sunshine
It really depends on the build of you and your husband…were either or both of you small in frame and weight when you were younger. Chances are he’s just going to be thin or will gain more later! I have a daughter exactly like this….who by the way has had 3 sets of tubes in her ears from chronic ear infections…I think that’s just a coincidence, but like my daughter, if ear infections are the only health problems he has, then it doesn’t sound like he’s malnourished. How does he eat…..pretty good eater, but just not a lot, or does he refuse to eat veggies, meat or drink milk? As long as he’s getting nutrients, he’ll grow out of it!! My daughter just turned 7, is pretty close to her average height, but weighs barely 40 lbs and wears a size 5 in the waist….we have to buy everything for the length and take it in! But I was the same way!
Answer by brevejunkie
Tell your doctor everything (the meds. he’s taken, your and your husband’s height, your child’s appetite, etc.) and leave it to him or her to decide what tests (if any) are needed.
My boys are both big (90 – 95 percentile) but my little nephew (his father is 6′3″ and 220 lb.) is only in the 20th percentile for height and weight. I was worried my kids were too fat, and my SIL was worried that her kid was malnourished. Turns out that they’re all fine…kids just grow differently. One day your son could just shoot up like a little weed. 
If he seems otherwise healthy, I wouldn’t worry too much about it, honestly. All kids are different.
Answer by ProudMomma
you should ask your doctor to check his growth chart, if he is staying on a constant line and not dropping in weight or height, then he is fine.
My husband is 6′6″ and i am 5′6″ and our 7 month old is in the 10th percentile in both height and weight.,
As long has he is growing consistantly then he is FINE. the doctor would of said somthing before now if he wasn’t growing properly, because it is his job.
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