my 8 year old is skinny how do i get him to gain weight?
454963
What a coincidence. I was just looking at pictures of my son from age 14, 15,16, 17, 18, and now at 19.  He is SOOOOO skinny. I guess I never really noticed. I knew he was thin, I mean he's now 6'4" and weighs 151 pounds. He has not been chubby since he was 3 months old and solely survived on breast milk.\n\nYet he is very healthy, athletic, intelligent and eats like a horse.  His sister, who is 16, 5'9", weighs 155 (tell me THAT's not an issue) tells me she knows a lot of skinny guys her age.  The doctor tells me he is and always has been healthy, if low weight percentile, and I shouldn't worry.\n\nStill. I worry.  Why are we never satisfied? Do you really think you need to worry? B/c if so, get a good diet from your pediatrician, and add pediasure supplements to it. That'll help, at least in the short run.  \n\nGood luck.
16639
I'd suggest talking with your child's doctor about this if possible.  He's still developing, so actually lifting weights could be dangerous.\n\nHowever, getting him into youth sports may be a good alternative if weightlifting isn't a good idea.  He can build muscle and learn teamwork at the same time.
1115610
Eating issues top the list of stresses in a lot of parents of 3 year olds.  A child will NOT starve themselves, so start by making food a "non-issue"  Offer her food, if she doesn't eat, put it away and offer it again later.  Don't beg, plead or bribe her to eat.  Stick with healthy foods in a variety of textures, colors, shapes and from all food groups.  She will not likely sit still long for meal times, so offer small meals throughout the day.  Breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 3 snacks are appropriate for her age and health concerns.  Keep the portion sizes small.  If she is drinking a lot of juice, even if it is diluted with water, it contains enough sugar to make a small body think they aren't hungry.  A small amount of juice diluted with water served at one snack per day is plenty.  Stick with water and milk, which should probably be whole milk based on her need for calorie intake.  Avoid the empty calorie foods like chips and cookies.  Ice cream in small amounts, again as part of a snack or meal, can help with calcium intake.  I would suggest starting the day by serving breakfast, let her eat what she wants.  Then remove the food and let her play.  When she asks for something to eat, offer her a small plate of healthy bite size snacks such as string cheese cut into pieces, grapes cut in 1/2, mini Ritz crackers (whole wheat is good for her).  If she won't eat that, let it sit on the table and when she is hungry she will.  It is so tempting and normal to bribe her to eat with promises of sweet treats, but that is only developing some bad eating habits for her.  Experiment with veggies in a variety of ways such as carrots can be raw, steamed, or stir fried.  Her doctor should be made aware of her poor eating and may want to examine her to rule out any type of illness and may recommend a supplement such as pedia-sure, but most kids do not need that.  A nutritionist can also be consulted who can help design a meal plan specifically geared to help with weight gain.
701279
at 15, he probably wouldn't use a gym, or he'd be using the one at school already.  He is likely embarrassed by his appearance and doesn't want to work out in a group setting like a gym.  Ultimately, you can't help him, he has to work this out for himself.  You can encourage him by inviting him to go for long walks, or if he will wear swim trunks, to go swimming.  Keep encourageing him to join you in cardio type activities, like bowling, walking, horseback riding, skate boarding, roller skating, that sort of thing.  Do not refer to his weight again, or you will drive a wedge between you when he probably needs a freind most.  But remember, you can do nothing to change him, he has to want to do that for himself.
1012811
Ask your doctor to give you a referral to a Dietician.  They will give you a specialized diet plan to help you gain weight the proper way. Make sure you eat 3 good meals a day and 3 good snacks in between.  Junk food will put weight on you but not the kind you need!
269079
Well my son is 6 and weighs almost 70lbs, what I do is watch what he eats. I don't let him have alot of junk food and I don't let him over eat at the supper table. He won't like it at first that you might tell him no for food, but after awhile of you sticking to it, he will get use to it. Also get him to be more active and everything should be fine.
681301
i have always been skinny and wanted to gain weight.  Everyone told me to drink milk but it never worked for me, but it probably depends on the person and their metabolism and stuff.
743766
Yes... Thats like disgustingly skinny. However, it is even worse to try to gain weight too hard. Eat normally, maybe have some more protein.\n\nWhat you don't wanna do is trade your skinny body in for a large one, with a side of heart disease. In other words, don't gain weight by chugging Mcdonalds.
1149863
The only easy solution is to eat more food. Snack more in between meals and before you go to bed. Try not to go without eating for more than 2-3 hours.\n\nBasically the more you snack the more likely you are to gain weight.\n\nIf you have seen all the adverts for loosing weight why not do the opposite of what they say. Makes sense to me.
287875
Peanut butter, cornbread, chicken and dumplins, biscuits, they will all put on weight.\nAs far as metabolism, be patient It'll slow down soon enough!
761638
You need to do weight training to put on weight. The food is minimal. You will not find a food that will make you build muscle on its own. believe me I'm skinny too. I've just put on 10 pounds from weight training. But u gotta got like 5 times a week and train hard and keep at it. Its worth it.
1054874
Make sure you're feeding him a healthy diet for one.  That's all you can do. Also remember to have doctor check ups.  It's not a horrible thing if your child is underweight.  I've been underweight my entire life and I'm healthy.  Talk to your doctor if your very concerned to make sure it's nothing however.  Keep them active and off the couch and they should grow up to normal.
269315
I have wondered that myself because for me it is genetically impossible to gain weight. Trust me over summer one year I did absolutely no excersize as kindof an experiment and I ate so much junk food since I cant cook. I didnt gain a single pound. Im 5'10 and 135, thank goodness im skinny because I would be so fat right now if it werent for genes.
328956
I would see a nutritionist about this.  I would think their should be a high protein soy formula out there.  I hope he is not allergic to that.  Good luck.  Are you feeding him jarred food yet.  If he really likes your milk you can puree fresh veggies and add your milk to it to give him more calories.  Have you tried that.\n\nI made my son's baby food.  All you have to do is steam the veggies and put them in a food processor to puree.  You can do a lot at one time and freeze them in ice cube trays or baby jars.  You can also use the first years small containers.  The breast milk might make him eat more of it.  Just mix it in.  I hope this helps some.
330713
I know how you feel, I have a seven year old and that is all he wants. The only "regular" food he wants are McD chicken nuggets, hot dogs (plain) and believe it or not canned beef stew. What I do with him is he has to eat at least one of these things and then he will receive a small sweet treat. With him, if I fill him up on food, he doesn't seem to want as many sweets. We make an exchange. I have tried making him eat other things, doesn't work...Hope this helps any at all.
451671
go to a doctor to prescripe to you the suitable kind of amino protiens that as i think works well in gaining weight
1086745
Well just eat foods that are healthy but in larger amounts.Then, lift weights so you can change the food you ate into muscle instead of fat.By doing that you will gain weight by gaining muscle.