Doctors can be idiots.

**Phaedrae** · 09-13-2003, 10:29 AM

My sisters doctor..who said on demand feeding should be scheduled for the baby is now telling her that her 6 month old is not weighing in enough because he is not in the75 percentile. And to start feeing him eggs with butter to fatten him up.

What is it with her doctors that they feel all babies should be the same in weight and height? IT'll never happen...

**aylasmommy** · 09-13-2003, 12:43 PM

oh my goodness!!! eggs and butter for a SIX month old?? I hope she's not going to listen to him

(or is that really ok? I feel confused now! LOL)

**Phaedrae** · 09-13-2003, 12:55 PM

Her doctor seems to think it's okay.. Myself if I were her I would just get him on more regular feedings of the cereals and vegies...

**Guest1** · 09-13-2003, 01:01 PM

Not for nothing - but, if I were her, I'd take this baby to another doctor! The DR told me that Will was labeled "failure to thrive" and if I kept nursing him he'd die....of course I switched to formula...when I became a nurse I realized that this was one old quacks opinion & that I had missed out on so many precious times with my ONE & ONLY son - I'll never get that back! (He was 17 pounds at 5 months!!)

I'd see what another doctor would say - if this kiddo needed eggs with butter, mom would've had a third boob for that too!

**Katybird** · 09-13-2003, 08:24 PM

I agree with everyone else-please urge your sister to get a second opinion. A 6 month old infant's digestive system is not ready for eggs and butter. Pediatricians tell parents not to even give "whole" milk until babies are 1 year old so it makes no sense that eggs and butter would be on the list for a 6 month old. He sounds like he practicing in the 1930s not the 2000s.

**Michelle** · 09-13-2003, 08:32 PM

Originally posted by Katybird
I agree with everyone else-please urge your sister to get a second opinion. A 6 month old infant'd digestive system is not ready for eggs and butter. Pediatricians tell parents not to even give "whole" milk until babies are 1 year old so it makes no sense that eggs and butter would be on the list for a 6 month old. He sounds like he practicing in the 1930s not the 2000s.

Exactly....she should get a new pediatritian.

My kids were never in even the 30th percentile. They've always been small (umm well, with the exception of when they were born at 8 1 oz and 9 lbs 2 oz), and they eat so much, that this was never a concern.

**bamamomto4** · 09-13-2003, 10:29 PM

I would get a second opinion to. What does her son weigh? My dd is 3 months old and weighs about 15 pounds (is that overweight...??? lol)..All she has ever had is formula( I feed her on demand..). BUT when dd#1 was about 6-9 months my mom did sneak and give her eggs and gravy....I wouldn't have,to scared she'd get choked,but my mom said she fed all of us like that and we turned out ok

But, I won't be giving my baby eggs and gravy at 6 months.

I'd give him more baby food and cereal but not table food.

**Phaedrae** · 09-13-2003, 11:05 PM

Tammy,

I finally talked to my sister..all the info I had up til now was from my mom..

Evan is 6 months and 15lbs.. he's lost weight since they(the doctors) put him on baby foods...

He is only in the 10% area of babies his age. But as I reminded my sister...she smoked during her pregnancy so he will be smaller, and weigh less then babies whose mommies didn't smoke...

Also, isn't egg one of the foods that they shouldn't be given until order due to that they can develop an allergy of it later in life...like strawberries or am I just totally off on this one?

**bamamomto4** · 09-13-2003, 11:32 PM

I think eggs is one food babies are not suppose to have till over the age of one,but I am not completely sure. or maybe it's they can have egg whites or egg yolks but not both.....Seems I remember reading that when jackson was small and I'd been giving him the entire egg.But he was older than 1 yr....

15 pounds for a 6 month old does seem small,but since she smoked,it may the normal weight for him...I don't smoke,so I'm not sure. Dh's cousins wife smoked during her pg with her son and he was healthy and still is. Some kids are just small,and always will be. My kids were all 'chubby' babies but grew out of that once they got a little older. Katie is 5 and weighs 35-38 pounds and can wear size 24mos-3T clothes. She was 7.14 at birth and was chubby like Jayme(7.1 at birth) is now,but she grew out of it and hardly eats anything but junk lol
Jackson is 2 ( 9.2 at birth) and weighs about 32 pounds....so not all kids are the same.

IMO--if he's lost weight since starting baby food,I'd only give him formula. Maybe mix in some cereal. But like I said,all babies are different and he just may be small....??!! Is the mom or dad small?
I have friend who's dh is tall and skinny and their son is as well. he looks kinda pitiful (I know it sounds mean) but he just takes after his dad.....

I have always heard babies eat when they're hungry and won't take a bottle if they're not.So it might just be that he's not hungry.... All kids go through growth spurts and then they have days where they hardly eat anything. I think he'll let your sis know when he's hungry. I wouldn't force table food at this young age JUST BECAUSE he's a little under weight. I think that DR was wrong in suggesting that. If she feels he should be a little chunkier,I'd get a second opinion.

I don't know the 'average' weight for a 6 month old.I'll check one of my kids baby books tomorrow and see if I wrote down their weight lol

Ok--I rambled...sorry!

**bamamomto4** · 09-13-2003, 11:53 PM

onething you could do is go on babycenter (the march 03 board) and ask how much their 6 month old weighs.....

Like I said before,15 pounds does seem small for a 6month old and it could mean absolutely nothing,but then again,the more and more I think about it...it COULD mean something as well. But that doesn't mean he needs table food.Most all pedi's I've talked to,or heard about will not suggest table food this early. The medical field is really tough on moms who do feed their baby table food before he/she is ready.They all want you to folllow the recommened guide. I think a baby should be just starting the stage one baby food at 6 months but not table food..and certainly not eggs!!

Even though we were fed ( I know I was) table food at this age and I turned out ok ( or did I lol) I'm still not feeding my baby table food. I remember taking Jayme to church when she was about a month old and some older lady ask if I'd gave her butter bean juice yet LOL!!!!!! I politely said ..." No, I haven't.." But I swear...she was serious!!

Well, I went on and on again...... sorry!

**dz_blonde_girl** · 09-14-2003, 08:32 AM

Not only is there a potential to develop food allergies, but with eggs there is also the potential for salmonella. An infant doesn't have the immune capabilities of an older baby and a timy bit can make him sick. Same goes with honey, but the potential is for botulism.

Anyway, any baby who has lost weight would be a concern, especially if they are only on the 10th percentile. Sounds like she needs a new doc and this guy can't possibly be a pediatritian. Have they explored possible causes for the weight loss? Ds#1 had a congenital condition that caused him to have difficulty eating. He never lost weight, but he didn't gain as fast as he should have.

If it was my baby, I'd stick with formula and cereal, and find a pediatritian to take a look at him!

BTW,smoking only affects a baby's birth weight. By 6 months they should be near average (50th %) even if they were small at birth.

**keilley** · 09-14-2003, 09:47 AM

If the baby is healthy otherwise and developing normally, weight should not be that big of a deal, specially if there is a similar history in the family. She needs to find another pediatrician. Eggs are highly allergenic.

Keilley