Bringing chubby back

Manna from heaven!

There was a time when I couldn't get my little fella to eat.

It's amazing just how distressing it was. I remember sitting on the floor, rejected spoon of yoghurt in hand, and sobbing.

I remember feeling, surely one of the most basic things I should be able to do as a mother is feed my child?!


The problem was, he'd caught a cold. Then the flu (from his Dad). Then tonsillitis (thanks again, Dad). He was sick for about two months and like most people when they're feeling crook, he wasn't really interested in food. As a result, he lost a bit of weight and was starting to look a bit skinny.

Once he was well, I wanted him to chub up again.

So I took him to see a baby nurse, who told me try a powdered formula. That didn't work.

Then I took him to a pediatrician, who didn't really suggest anything but left me feeling just a little bit more awful.

Then I took him to a pediatric dietition, who looked at the food diary I'd kept and said I was doing everything right.

The thing that helped me the most was a simple product a friend spotted when passing by a chemist.

Pediasure has something like four times the amount of carbs as other formulas and is designed to help little ones gain weight.

It comes in tubs of powder just like formula or individual mixed bottles in chocolate, vanilla and strawberry flavours.

Having had no success with powdered formulas, I went for the flavoured milks - and he loved them! Giving him one bottle a day helped my bub to get his baby rolls back. Now I've got a stash in the cupboard for the next time he catches a cold or some other bug that turns him off his food.