Failure to Thrive

So today we went to Claire's 15 month check-up. Apparently she isn't gaining weight well. She was labeled as Mild Failure to Thrive. WHAT? How can this be right. By 4 months she was 19.6 lbs and 26 1/4 inches tall. Then at 9 months she was 30 1/4 inches tall, head was 18 inches, and she was 23.10 lbs. Then at 12 months she was 31 1/2 inches tall (97th percentile), head was 18 1/2 inches (92nd percentile), and she was 23.15 lbs. (90th percentile). Now at this appt. she was 33 inches tall (97th percentile), head was 18 3/4 (still at 92nd percentile), and she weighed 23.8 lbs. which is at the 60th percentile. She weighs a few ounces less now than at 9 months, and not surprising the same clothes for the most part. ;)

So she's basically too busy to eat in my opinion. She would rather smash, throw, smush, smear, and whatever else you can possibly do with food than eat it. She'll taste it, but spit it back out for the most part. She likes to feed Josh, me, or anyone else who's near. She fed some random old lady when we visited Timbercrest and walked by and said HI while we were eating. She fed her Cheerios to Oma during Deanna and James's wedding. Oma really didn't want them, but Claire insisted, and it kept her quiet. Claire, not Oma. Oma knows how to be quiet. :)

So my doctor told me to start giving her whole cow's milk. I think that would be great if 1. she were a baby cow or 2. she would actually do more with a sippy cup than break them. Doctor also told me to give her Pediasure to help with weight gain. I don't think the idea is to fatten her up, but even her out? Maybe I should put a brick on her head during the day as my dad used to say to stunt her growth. Then her weight would be fine. :)

Failure to thrive, even if Mild, seems like a harsh diagnosis to someone who has always been in the 90s for percentiles or over. I was reading about it all afternoon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Failure_to_thrive usually it's diagnosed in the first year, not after. BUT apparently if they drop more than 2 % in the weight category, they fall into the failure to thrive. I was discussing this on some Cafe Mom boards and everyone said kids will eat what they'll eat. Several of them have tried to fatten up their kids, but it didn't work anyway.

I also hesitate to start her on milk as I was allergic to milk while I was young and really wanted to wait longer. She's been fine on other dairy items. like yogurt and cottage cheese, but I think straight cow milk is different.

I was also reading a bunch of other stuff and I think she is a very very slow eater and a very very picky eater. I always start her eating before us and she eats until everything is all cleaned up and put away! She also wasn't eating solids until right about a year old. Also, someone on CM (Cafe Mom) pointed out that if she didn't start taking solids until 12 months, she's really eating solids like an 8 month old would.

Also, like WIKI said, it's not really "failing" to thrive, it's more of a slow weight gain. When I think of Failure to Thrive, I think of some isolated baby in an Orphanage in Russia (or someplace remote) who is only held to be taken to changed and only propped with a bottle. :( YIKES.

Needless to say, we fed Claire a lot of food today. And then some candy... she ate a mini-kitkat, and a mini-Reese-cup, and a sucker. I hope she doesn't get sick, but man, did she love it ;) Her first taste of REAL people candy!

So tell me I'm not a horrible mother? Thanks. ;)