Meal Supplements

Pediasure or Boost are very popular options for meal replacements or supplements that doctors and nutritionists recommend when children have trouble gaining weight or are poor eaters. If you've ever looked at the ingredient list there is a lot of ingredients that make a lot of moms wonder what exactly they are putting in their child's body. I'm not knocking them at all, they are very convenient and provide great nutrition, however sometimes parents are looking for a more natural option. I've put together a couple options that include more natural ingredients while keeping a good calorie, fat and protein ratio. My recommendation is that if you're using these as a meal replacement (i.e. your child won't eat and they drink instead) you should include a multi-vitamin to make sure they are getting all the vitamins and minerals they need. However, if you're just using it to boost calories then you shouldn't need a vitamin.

Basic Recipe

1 cup whole milk Kefir

1/2 cup banana (approx. a small banana)

2 Tbs Nestle Nido

1/2 Tbs honey

Kefir is more sour than milk, which is why I've added honey. You could also add fruit juice, sugar or anything a little sweeter.

The best part of this recipe is that you can really substitute anything. If you can't find kefir, you can use equal parts milk and yogurt. You could also just use milk or half and half. If your child has a milk allergy you could use coconut milk kefir or any milk substitute that you like.

If your child doesn't like bananas you can use any fruit, you could also forgo the fruit and add a splash of vanilla or chocolate if your child likes that. Again you can also use formula in place of the nido, which would make it a more balanced option if you're using it as a meal replacement.

You'll notice in the nutritional information below that the kefir options appear to have more sugar, but it's unrefined sugar - a mixture of fruit, honey and milk sugars. You'll also notice that there isn't vitamin information for the kefir options, it's because they are listed as adult servings on the package and I didn't want to do the math.

Nutrition Facts

One of the hardest parts, for me anyway, about trying to fatten up my child is also making sure she eats a balanced diet. I know she needs fat and calories, but she also needs fruits and veggies which are lacking in both the fat and calorie department. If your child is still on formula or breast milk you don't need to worry about the variety of food that they eat because both are complete nutrition and any solid food that they are getting is a bonus to their diet. However if you've made the switch to whole milk it's important that they get their vitamins from their food.
Serving sizes for toddlers are much smaller than those we eat as an adult, though the food pyramid is basically the same. For toddlers 1 serving is 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) per year of age, and on a daily basis they should be consuming

• Fruits and Vegetables: 4-5 servings
• Protein: 2 servings
• Dairy: 16-24oz
• Grains: 4 servings

As important as it is to offer a varied diet, it's also very hard to get it all in when your child doesn't eat much. Don't stress about what your child is eating each day, instead try to concentrate on what they are eating over a week. Offer a different fruit and veggie with each meal and try to vary the colors of food that you offer.
A couple other important meal tips... don't let your child snack all day if they are trying to gain weight. It's important that children learn hunger cues and spreading their meals out helps them eat more at each meal. Offer 3 full meals and 2 snacks during the day, serving milk with meals and snacks. Try not to offer juice or water as you want everything that goes into their stomach to have calories but also don't let them drink a ton of milk. If your child is filling up on liquids they aren't going to want to eat and food has more nutritional value than milk (the same does not go for formula/breast milk). Offer all meals at a table, it's an important that your child get used to meal times and the more often you can eat as a family the better! And don't make meal time a battle. I know it's hard to want to force them to eat, but you don't want them to have negative associations with food. Respect their cues, if they are done then let them be done.
One last thing. I've seen it mentioned many times that a 1 year old should be consuming about 1000 calories a day. PLEASE keep in mind that is for your average toddler and not really for kids who are underweight. A good guideline is to shoot for 50 calories per pound, per day.