Is it OK for a toddler to have a big belly? (breastfed, weight)

[glass_of_merlot]

Having a belly is one thing. I think alomost all toddlers have a belly. But then we have the fat toddlers and yes, they do exist. They are the one with not just belly but with back fat, fat legs and arm. But your pd would have said something if that was the case. Only having a belly is normal.

[Hopes]

It's normal for toddlers to have a belly, but I'll focus on this exchange because it sounds relevant based on your response.

Originally Posted by CraigCreek

Is your daughter chronically constipated? That can cause the appearance you describe...

Her diet sounds mostly okay, but might be a little high in carbohydrates. See if the doctor can recommend nutritious substitutes for the snack crackers - maybe cheese cubes?

Originally Posted by Maila

Thank you. She doesnt have chronic constipation but she does have constipation. So, I was asked to give her prunes everyday (which I do) either in the fresh fruit form or the gerber one. If I miss it two days in a row, her constipation gets so bad that she starts crying. Could it be because of this apart from being normal amongst toddlers?
She has not been checked for anything specific.

When I read your diet, the first thing I thought is it's high in carbs and protein and low in fruits and vegies. Carbs and protein constipate. Fruits and vegies keep things moving. The traditional American diets is carb and protein heavy. Half of our diet should be fruits and vegies, a fourth should be whole grains, and a little less than fourth should be protein.

Another thing to remember is the BRAT diet that's used for diarrhea. That's bananas, apples, rice and toast. You give it when a child has diarrhea because these foods are bland and constipate. Look at your daughter's diet and you'll see that you are basically feeding her the brat diet. Cheese, milk and peanut butter also constipate along with carbs and protein. I'm not saying you need to stop feeding her these things, but you need to balance it with more fruits and vegetables. The diet very well could be what's constipating her.

"Breakfast: 1 egg with some cheese or 1 hasbrown usually with a little yogurt
snack: Cut fruit, usually half an apple or pear or a few strawberries
Lunch: soup or pasta or noodles or cut pieces of meat with some veggies
snack: Milk with some crackers
Dinner: usually rice as she loves rice with veggies
pre-sleep-snack: Cheerios or rice crispies with milk"

Add more vegies and fruit. Take away some of the carbs. Replace carbs you keep with whole grains. Increase water intake.

[Maila]

Originally Posted by rrah

The other thing you might do is switch the crackers for a higher fiber cracker if she's now eating the typical goldfish. Try to get her to eat brown rice also. If the starches she's eating are low in fiber, a little more can help.

My D also had constipation problems as a toddler. Some prune juice or grape juice always worked for her. There were times even as a teen she would have problems. I ended up keeping a little bottle of "baby" prune juice around for those occasions. The other thing we had to do for awhile when she was a toddler was feed her a tablespoon or so of mineral oil. I mixed it with apple sauce or yogurt. Let's just say things moved smoothly after that.

Rrah, thank you. I wanted to shift to something healthier but I don’t know what I can substitute with. I have tried more fruit like kiwi, peaches etc but as of now the only fruits which she eats are banana’s, apples, pears, strawberries and if she is in a really awesome mood, handful of blueberries. She goes to a daycare and even though they provide food there, I send my food so that she is getting a well-balanced diet. But looks like I am still missing something.
Ya, prunes is a must for her as she doesn’t eat grapes. Some suggested me that okra keeps the constipation at bay. I am yet to try that.
Walking and growing will make young children look less like tadpoles and more like real people. Give her time.[/quote]
Hi there, thanks so much for the explanation! You are right, birthing itself is a traumatic process.

Originally Posted by shaylahc

Yes, it's normal. You're lucky she's such a good eater! Mine stopped eating much from 2-4. They were just never hungry and it was a battle to get them to eat.

Thank you, ya, she does eat well but only thing is the portions are so low. But nevertheless, she does eat a variety.

Originally Posted by MmeZeeZee

The belly on toddlers comes from the fact that their stomach muscles are not developed and do not hold the organs in like adults' do.


Honestly, if your baby is anywhere between percentiles 10 and 90 weight for height you should not worry. I know that there are lots of eating issues in our society and you don't want your child to struggle, but just focus on the positive, eating these things to grow tall and strong! That's what I tell my girls.

Thankyou, yes, mine also goes through eating spurts to eating tiny portions. I am now comforted to know that a lot of toddlers do have this belly.
Yes, I also make sure that she stays active and gets plenty of physical exercise in the form of running up and down the slides in the park to playing in the backyard to jumping on the bed.

Originally Posted by veuvegirl

She is two, chill. You are already obsessing about her weight. Children are very intuitive, you don't want her becoming insecure.

Thank you. Actually she was a low birth weight baby. We stayed at the hospital for a few days as doctors wanted her to put some weight on before they felt safe to let us go. She remained off the charts for a very long time. So, I was advised by her doctors to feed her more milk and I didn’t wean her off the night feedings until she turned 1 +.
Anyway, so, I am a little bit careful; not exactly obsessing, knowing her history.

Originally Posted by lkb0714

Toddlers bellies are function of muscle development, and the fact that core strength is not there yet, they have only been walking a relatively short period.

thank you!!

Originally Posted by hml1976

Love that belly while you have it!

I know eh! I love her belly! she looks so cute

[Maila]

Originally Posted by thedwightguy

pot bewwy, pot bewwy.
My son is 23 and slim as Mark Spitz is swimming Olympic form.

But as a little kid, he had an amazing "pot bewwy".

You never know.

Thank you!! You never know

Originally Posted by Amisi

The cheese, rice, and milk could be causing the constipation. I know that certain foods (including cheese, rice, and milk) cause me to be constipated and it can be very painful and uncomfortable.

I would make sure she eats prunes every single day --- 2 jars of Gerber should do it (one in the AM, one in the evening). If not prunes, then grapes (cut in half, of course, to prevent choking). Also, give her some high-fiber foods (oatmeal is great).

Fletcher's Castoria is great for constipation and works quickly. Also, grape juice (REAL grape juice like Welches) is great.

Your daughter is normal --- even if you look at puppies and kittens when they're "toddlers", they are small and always have a big belly! Check with the doc on your next visit just to be sure, though!

See, I was als thinking if calcium/dairy is causing the constipation. I cat cut down on portions of cheese/milk. Do you think it will help?
Thanks for the suggestion on what may work well for constipation. I will check that out in stores. Amisi, it’s a battle to finish even half a jar of gerber prunes. I don’t think I can do 2 full jars.

Also, I am making oatmeal these days. She is eating a little bit of that too; maybe 2 times a week.

Originally Posted by glass_of_merlot

Having a belly is one thing. I think alomost all toddlers have a belly. But then we have the fat toddlers and yes, they do exist. They are the one with not just belly but with back fat, fat legs and arm. But your pd would have said something if that was the case. Only having a belly is normal.

Thanks. She has no fat at all. She is in her 20 percentile in weight and you can see her bones.

Originally Posted by Hopes

It's normal for toddlers to have a belly, but I'll focus on this exchange because it sounds relevant based on your response.




When I read your diet, the first thing I thought is it's high in carbs and protein and low in fruits and vegies. Carbs and protein constipate. Fruits and vegies keep things moving. The traditional American diets is carb and protein heavy. Half of our diet should be fruits and vegies, a fourth should be whole grains, and a little less than fourth should be protein.

Another thing to remember is the BRAT diet that's used for diarrhea. That's bananas, apples, rice and toast. You give it when a child has diarrhea because these foods are bland and constipate. Look at your daughter's diet and you'll see that you are basically feeding her the brat diet. Cheese, milk and peanut butter also constipate along with carbs and protein. I'm not saying you need to stop feeding her these things, but you need to balance it with more fruits and vegetables. The diet very well could be what's constipating her.

Hopes thank you so much. I can incorporate more fruit I guess. Instead of cheerios with milk, I can give her something else before going to bed maybe. She is having a lot of veggies, its probably the fruit I should concentrate on. How will I incorporate whole grains? Powder them and cook them? Ioh yes, I also make lentil soup for her once in a while. I don’t know if I can cut the rice down though hopes. She eats really less all day (she goes to daycare). I always hear from the care provider that she eats very less portions. After coming home, she would be pretty much starving. My mom told me that give her rice and will keep her full. Maybe not everyday.

[Natsku]

Syrup of figs is great for constipation and tastes delicious so she might get it down better than the prunes.

[Maila]

Originally Posted by Natsku

Syrup of figs is great for constipation and tastes delicious so she might get it down better than the prunes.

ok! thanks! I will see where I can find this.

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Maila

Hopes thank you so much. I can incorporate more fruit I guess. Instead of cheerios with milk, I can give her something else before going to bed maybe. She is having a lot of veggies, its probably the fruit I should concentrate on. How will I incorporate whole grains? Powder them and cook them? Ioh yes, I also make lentil soup for her once in a while. I don’t know if I can cut the rice down though hopes. She eats really less all day (she goes to daycare). I always hear from the care provider that she eats very less portions. After coming home, she would be pretty much starving. My mom told me that give her rice and will keep her full. Maybe not everyday.

Pick fruits and vegies that have lots of water or absorb water-- melons, grapes, raisins, cucumbers. Remember, bananas and apples can constipate. Don't cut them out because bananas have potassium, but give them in moderation if you're not going to cut back on other constipating foods. Raisins are a great water absorbing fiber because they are portable and can go anywhere you go. Give her a small handful of raisins with every meal. Nuts are also good non-water absorbing fiber that help move things along too.

Remember that your mom comes from a time of the traditional American diet when Americans were more active and could burn carbs and fat via working in coal mines, etc. If she's younger, she learned from a mother who came from that time period.

I'm not saying to stop giving her rice. Just cut it down, and give her a more varied diet. Switch to whole grain rice. Even though you put vegies in the rice, start putting more vegies and less rice. You do need to cut down on her carbs because it is a carb heavy diet. Carbs shouldn't be the main even in a meal. I'm not against cereal because it's fortified though. I'd cut another carb out instead---pasta, crackers, etc.

A for her being hungry, Using carbs as filler is a mistake Americans make. Carbs aren't what keeps people full. Protein is. If you look at your daughter's diet, she's really only getting protein in the morning except for her milk throughout the day. She isn't getting any protein with dinner. Put some chicken in that rice veggie dinner.

"Breakfast: 1 egg with some cheese or 1 hasbrown usually with a little yogurt
snack: Cut fruit, usually half an apple or pear or a few strawberries
Lunch: soup or pasta or noodles or cut pieces of meat with some veggies
snack: Milk with some crackers
Dinner: usually rice as she loves rice with veggies
pre-sleep-snack: Cheerios or rice crispies with milk"

I just want to stress that I don't think this is an awful diet. There are kids being fed worse diets. But you came here wondering about her stomach, and it turns out she has a problem with constipation, and the diet would constipate.

[Maila]

Hopes, thanks again for taking time to post. here is what I take homw from everything in this thread:

1. Limit dairy intake to an extent
2. Limit carb intake
3. Add more fruit (veggies she is already having a lot)
4. Increase high fibre foods like grapes, raisis etc
5. Try and get her to eat more variety of fruit. Maybe if I cut papaya or kiwi in fun shapes she will have it?
6. when making rice, add lots more veggies and lots more meat and less rice.

Thanks again!

[Hopes]

Originally Posted by Maila

Hopes, thanks again for taking time to post. here is what I take homw from everything in this thread:

1. Limit dairy intake to an extent
2. Limit carb intake
3. Add more fruit (veggies she is already having a lot)
4. Increase high fibre foods like grapes, raisis etc
5. Try and get her to eat more variety of fruit. Maybe if I cut papaya or kiwi in fun shapes she will have it?
6. when making rice, add lots more veggies and lots more meat and less rice.

Thanks again!

1. Don't limit her milk. She needs that many servings of milk per day. Increase her water.
2. Yes. Don't eliminate. Just decrease.
3. Yes.
4. Yes. Have her drink water with those raisins so they absorb the water to move through her digestive system.
5. Also try melons--watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew, etc. Cucumbers and celery also have water and fiber.
6. Make WHOLE GRAIN rice (brown rice or long grain), add more veggies and SOME meat and less rice.

Water hydrates the body and helps move stuff along in the digestive system.

No need to overdo it. Just encourage water drinking.

Good luck!

[Stagemomma]

Both my girls were big babies at 9+ lbs, but my second had such a large belly at birth they ultrasounded it to make sure her liver wasn't enlarged. She continued to have a large belly. I have a photo of her at about 18 months with a long skinny body, sitting with her legs sticking straight out and her big belly lapping almost down to her knees. This is a child with ADD in constant motion her whole life...she never napped and rarely slept at night.

Now at age 13 she is in the 75%ile for height and 25%ile for weight and she has a six pack.

She does have a touch of scoliosis, but I don't think it was a factor in the appearance of the belly.