High calorie meal ideas?

[lozzy21]

Thought id ask this in here since you lovely ladies will probably have had advice from dieticians.

In the past month Niamh has only put on an ounce. Yet i think she eats realy well so im just looking for ideas. I still make her breakfast with formula, give her cheese and yogurts, use full fat products and give her desert.

Ideas please?

 

[Cazzyg]

I use a lot of cheese and butter in my daughter's meals. Things like scrambled egg with butter, putting soft cheese into mash, pasta with a cheese sauce made with full fat milk and cheese. Avocado is another good one for upping the calories.

 

[AP]

Lozzy I had a nhs booklet - if I find it, I'll scan it (keep meaning to post it because I found it handy and didn't make me feel guilty when weaning either)

 

[lozzy21]

Bump

 

[Mrs Doddy]

Macaroni cheese ?

 

[25weeker]

If you are using full fat milk in her food try switching to milk gold cap also known as jersey milk as it has a higher calorie and fat content than full fat and formula.

You could also add a spoonful of double cream into yogurts to increase the calories. I add butter to lots of things as well.

The dietician gave me a leaflet which I will try and find tomorrow and add anything extra it says.

Try not to stress a gain is still better than losing weight x

 

[lozzy21]

Thanks hun, il have a look out for that milk. I allready add butter, cheese or olive oil into her food to add more calories but it doesnt look like its working.

Shes grown loads despite only putting an oz on so shes starting to feel rely skinny, shes allways had a bit of chub on her untill now.

 

[Cazzyg]

My daughter grows like this - she just starts to look healthy and then has another growth spurt and grows taller and we're back to counting every rib again. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to worry too much. There were a good few months when she didn't put on any weight or actually lost some and the paediatrician and dietician weren't worried.

I found keeping a food diary very useful as then I could see exactly how much she was eating.

Another couple of ideas for snacks - things like flapjacks are pretty high in calories and also banana loaf.

Another thought - weight gain does slow down as they get older and in particular as they get more active.

 

[lozzy21]

Any one else?

 

[summer rain]

Try to relax, my second eldest wasn't prem he was two weeks late and 9lb 12 but after 8 weeks he just stopped gaining any weight until he was over 7 months, so he went from 13lb 13 at 8 weeks to only 15lb at 34 weeks! When he was one though, wow he just started piling it on and went from the 0.4th centile at his lowest point to the 75th. I think you're doing everything right. With him I had the added complication of a dairy allergy and the dietician reckoned that dairy via my milk was one big cause of his really poor weight gain; have you had Niamh tested for anything like this? I know your not BF anymore but some babies will absorb fats and calories poorly due to a food intolerance or allergy but that will be their only symptom.

Otherwise just keep doing what you're doing; try giving a lot of starchy foods as well, root veggies, bread, pasta and rice and cook them with a lot of fat. If you make your own bread you can add dried milk powder for extra calories. The Jersey milk is a good thing to give and you can get double cream made with it as well from some ASDAs and probably other supermarkets as well. Use greek yoghurt instead of normal yoghurt and you can strain the yoghurt so you're left with only the rich curds, strain it in a muslin over a sieve into a measuring jug. Avocados and bananas are really good choices fruit/veg wise. Also red meat is great; try to get the really fatty cuts of lamb and mutton xx

 

[lozzy21]

Thanks hun, she hasent been tested for any intolorances, your the first person to mention it to me, Iv got no idea whats going on.

Today she has had a wheetabix with 3oz of formula and 3/4 of a small banana and a 5oz bottle of formula.

Lunch was an advocado with a 1/4 tin of pear mixed with a little olive oil and a fruit pot.

Tea was home made fish pie, the rish pie was made with whole milk, proper butter and full fat cheese in the sauce, milk and butter in the mash and cheese on top, salmon and hadock and lots of vegies in it too, a stage 2 ellas kitchen pouch size serving and a slice of cake with a 1/3 of a tin of custard. She doesent usually have cake but it was the last of her christening cake so it would be mean not to give her a little bit since it did have her name on it. The cake was home made anyway so it waset full of e numbers.

5 oz of formula, 2 before bed and another 3 as a dream feed, tryed giving more but she wasent having it.

She refuses to have any formula during the day so thats part of the problem

 

[clairec81]

I also have a v poor gainer which has so far been put down to her open pda, small lungs so burning extra calories and just being 'small naturally'. I would be really keen to have her tested for intolerance and i've read about not retaining calories and also over/under active thyroid - i once asked about it and was asked about her stools - conversation went;
consultant - 'are they normal?'
me - 'well i think so, but what's normal?'
consultant - 'then she's fine.'
conversation over!
Might ask at next apt as her weight really gets too me and i would like to think that we haven't missed anything!

 

[25weeker]

Holly had her blood and urine tested for various things to see if there was a medical condition for her low weight but they all came back fine. Some babies are just slow at putting on weight.

Along with solids babies should be taking at least a pint of milk but this doesn't have to be all liquid form, yogurts, custard etc all add to it. My dietician said Holly should have 3 meals and 2 snacks a day along with her milk so you could maybe try giving her a yogurt or something between lunch & dinner.

OH thinks he put the booklet in the recycling box so will try and find it later as we have the dietician number on it and I will add any extra tips on if there is any x

 

[lozzy21]

Snacks are hard to fit in some days as she has a big nap in-between breakfast and lunch and then another nap in-between lunch and dinner. Shes not hungry before her nap since shes had dinner and a snack after her sleep and she wont eat much of her next meal.

 

[lil-star]

That's great advice the girls gave, making eggs with cream & butter. Cheesy creamy ragu sauces, but is she more active lately? I forger when lo started moving more he'd be using more calories

 

[lozzy21]

Shes only become more active in the last 3/4 days so i dread to think what its going to be like at the next weight in.