Nicholas is 9 months and I found out he weighs 18lbs. He's been sick at least 3-4 months of his life (broncholitis, croup, adenovirus, pnemonia) you name it - he had it! :( And the diagnosis currently is ASTHMA. Anyway, I want to know what I can do to increase his feeding intake. All advise will be appreciate.

I'm not really clear... are you saying he's lost his appetite?

That'd be expected given the bouts with sickness.

18 lbs is within the healthy weight range for a 9 month old.

What is your son eating? Do you have specific reasons to believe he is not eating enough?

Has he been losing weight? If so, has it been a steady decline or just recently?

I agree with nikosmom... need to know a bit more information.

After he got sick numerous times (back to back) he never really regained her appetite for milk. He drinks milk but not as much and doesn't eat much solid. I could just be paronid - developmently he is great (holding on to things and walking/crawling and talking tons) I just see other babies his age that are much chubbier than he is and I feel he has to play catch up since he lost all that weight in the early stages of his life.

As long as he is now gaining weight and meeting the expectations of development, I wouldn't be too worried. He was ill and lost weight so it is to be expected that he will be smaller than some other children his age. If he is quite active that could be another reason why he is not quite as chubby as some of the others his age.

Offer his milk before solids for now... his milk will be higher in calories than the solids at this stage. You might consider adding some avocado to his diet as one of his solids options as it is higher than most calorie wise, but again if everything else looks good, he is likely doing just fine. If his doctor has not expressed concern, try not to worry.

Thank you so much for your advice. I will try not to worry (which is hard) and will add avacado to his diet and offer him milk instead of solids first. Great idea. I put cereal in his milk - should I stop that. I realize he doesn't drink much of the milk escpecially when my husband puts the cereal in it.

Unless you were instructed by his doctor to add cereal, which is sometimes done when reflux is an issue... there really is no need for it. If you have noticed he takes less when cereal is added, than definitely skip it.

It might help to keep a diary of just how much he is taking in over several days or a week. This will give you a better picture of his intake and he may be having more than your realise.

OK. Thanks again.

Hi I would not really worried about it.. a baby will only eat what they want you cannot force feed them.. they will eat when there hungry.. my little girl is 13 months old and she is only 18 and is very small all babies are different are not all the same as the books will suggest.. my little one will only take a few mouthfull of food and then she is done.. hope it help

My son was long and lean and not a chubby baby. Yes I would have loved to have a chubby baby belly to kiss... but you son was not built that way. As long as his health is good don't worry about him getting chubby or not

my son was long and lean and not a chubby baby. yes I would have loved to have a chubby baby belly to kiss....but you son was not built that way. as long as his health is good dont worry about him getting chubby or not

Hi I have a 9 week old as well and he is 11pound he is not that far behind his sister he is going to be a brute

After he got sick numerous times (back to back) he never really regained her appetite for milk. He drinks milk but not as much and doesn't eat much solid. I could just be paronid - developmently he is great (holding on to things and walking/crawling and talking tons) I just see other babies his age that are much chubbier than he is and i feel he has to play catch up since he lost all that weight in the early stages of his life.I wouldn't worry unless the doc is worried... my son is 14 months and not even 20 lbs yet so don't worry kids do through phases

I wouldn't worry about your son's diet too much unless the doctor has shown signs of concern. My son is almost 10 months old, and at his 9 month check up he was only 18 lbs 14 ozs. I wouldn't add cereal to his formula unless specifically told to do so by his doctor. It can be very unhealthy otherwise. Hope the advice helped. Need anything else just ask :)

Thank you guys so much. I have to report that Nicholas unwent surgery on May 15th to have his adneoids removed and he is now recovering. His drinking pattern has increased and he can "breathe and drink milk at the same time". Thank you for all your advice.