Grandson not growing. Help

I think it very unwise for anyone to say 'do not worry' unless they have seen and know the child involved. As long as the parents have concerns they should be pushing for a paediatric referral and necessary testing.

In the current state of the NHS it is unsafe to make statements like The paeditrician has been told by the A&E about the problems, so presumably the matter is being taken care of. because, as most of us have experienced in recent years, referrals can get lost in the sand, or treated as low priority and waiting lists to be seen and assessed can mean waiting years to be seen.

Try to stop worrying. The paeditrician has been told by the A&E about the problems, so presumably the matter is being taken care of. Otherwise, the parents should get in touch with their G.P.

My father once said he, born in 1920, was in long gowns until he was six months old, instead of being big enough to be put into short gowns at three months, Just over six months he finally put on weight.

Not that he weighed much at any time of his life, but he lived a hale and hearty life until he was 89.

Good advice on here. GP appointment, ask for paediatrician appointment. The breathing problems and the failure to grow could be linked, or could be completely different conditions. Or it could be a blip and there’s nothing wrong, but the parents need to know.

lemsip

my son was diagnosed with Coeliac disease at 40,. This should have been picked up when he was a child because at school medical it was noted he was underweight range for age

If he has only doubled his birth weight in 13 months this does need investigation unless he was a particularly big baby.

That could be a consideration but it does need a diagnosis, only giving a positive result if wheat is included in the diet.

I wish there's been more awareness when my DC was very young, it would have saved years of undiagnosed problems.

I havent been sure what to post on here, so thought I would wait and see what others post first.

I will DM you.

But apart from that.
I looked up Uk average wieght for 13 month old boy. 21.8 lb (9.9 kg)
There are children born over 10lbs.
But I am assuming he was not one of them.

I will write one more thing on here.
I believe the 5th percentile is considered "normal" so what is the trajectory of his growth I wonder.

As far as I can remember there are 5 lines. the middle one being 50% - average.
The trajectory is important from what I can remember. Quite important.

There are going to be children at the top or bottom of their percentile.
As long as it is within those, then I don't see any reason to worry on that score.

Tell the GP they are not happy and insist on a referral to a specialist consultant. If they are adamant about a referral (and ask them to make it an 'urgent' or 'soon' referral, not just a 'routine') then the GP should do it.

I can understand your concern. Your grandsons failure to grow is a matter of concern. I am amazed that doctors have not reacted more proactively - actually I am not, my grandson, has also had health problems, which doctors shrug off. At 13 we finally have a diagnosis.

The parents of this child should be constantly with their GP and should be pressing for a referral to see a paeditrician. Telphone appointments in cases like this strike me as rank neglect.

Can you afford to pay for a private referral and consultation, even if you then move back into the NHS for treatment?

I have every sympathy with you and your family .
I went through months of stress over my son .
It took him a very long time to regain his birthweight . His skin came off .
He didn't feed well .
He didn't sleep .
I had many appointments with the paediatrician , who couldn't diagnose the problem and wasn't reassuring .
Eventually , I decided on hourly feeds of tiny amounts keeping an accurate food diary and he very slowly improved .
He was a very pretty little boy , active , intelligent and charming .
He did not develop a healthy appetite and sleep through the night until he hit puberty at 13 !

Try not to worry too much. Get professional advice and help.
My son was much the same. At age 4 he was the same weight as when he was 2. I took him to see my GP who put my mind at rest.
At school he was one of the smallest boys in the class and was on the lower percentile for weight. He landed up being monitored for couple of years.
He's now 46. A strapping, muscular chap just under 6ft tall and tipping the scales around 15 stone.

Only just doubled his birth weight is a cause for concern. Breast milk is fine especially as he is eating solid food. Your daughter and SIL must take the child to the GP and tjen be referred to a specialist. He is meeting his milestones so that is reassuring, however his small weight and visits to A and E need investigating. His parents need a face to face appointment not a phone call!!

One of my granddaughters was tiny as a young child, she ate like a horse with boundless energy, now at 15yrs she’s above average height and she wants to stop growing!.

my son was diagnosed with Coeliac disease at 40,. This should have been picked up when he was a child because at school medical it was noted he was underweight range for age

I believe the 5th percentile is considered "normal" so what is the trajectory of his growth I wonder.

What happened in the phone appointment -or maybe that's in future?

I would take comfort in that he is meeting his developmental milestones and if the consultation hasn't happened yet I hope they get a face-to-face appointment out of it.

Thinking of you.

Thank you for all your replies. As you can see from my replies my daughter has done everything suggested by you all. Maybe better weather will help. They live in the North East so fingers crossed for a good summer.

He only has breastfeeding milk for comfort and cuddles otherwise he eats a wide variety of foods and now drinks whole milk.

He only breastfeeding now for comfort or "snacks" He has a really good appetite and eats a wide variety of foods but still doesn't put on weight.

I do think if a baby or small child has breathing difficulties then getting them to Children's A&E quickly is the best course of action rather than trying to see a GP.
The Children's A&E Consultant should be a paediatrician anyway.

I would be more concerned about the health problems than the size ones. Frequent visits to A&E will also trigger concerns, which is why I think the Dr passed the case to the paediatrician and if it continues could lead to other stautary involvement.

You say the parents are concerned but taking the child to A&E is not the answer. They need to see the GP (not always easy I know but they have a duty to see children quickly) and then get another referral. Meanwhile they could ask the Health visitor.

Hope you get some reassurance soon.

Don't know where you live, but I would be wanting your GS to have a face to face appointment with a paediatrician

I agree, a phone appointment just isn't good enough.

There are all kinds of reasons a baby could have breathing difficulties. Bronchiolitis, RSV, or just catching colds from older siblings who are at school. It could also be hay fever or an allergy, (which was what it proved to be with one of my DC, who put on weight very slowly) but it needs to be investigated further by a paediatrician.

Perhaps, too, he could be having more solid food and less breast milk. We used to be given vitamin drops, too, by the Health Visitor but I'm not sure if they're recommended now.

I suggest an appt with GP, and request a paediatrician referral. A&E depts are so busy, and I feel are not keyed up for regular investigatory work such as this.

Don't know where you live, but I would be wanting your GS to have a face to face appointment with a paediatrician. My GS developed what is known a paediatric wheeze when slightly older. We live in an area well known for excellent child health facilities. He had treatment from about 2 years and at 9 is now virtually wheeze free. He started off with night time wheezes which needed treatment in A&E. I witnessed one of them and it was quite scary. I do hope you get some sort of support from the health system. It is very worrying but there are some excellent treatments now.

Is he on the bottom percentile lines for height as well as weight ? If so then he may just be a small child. Are his parents below average for size too ?

Maybe the back-to-back viral infections, when they don't feed properly, has pushed him down the percentiles, & he wasn't constitutionally a fast grower to start with? It's good that he's meeting his milestones & taking solids & breastmilk without a problem, so hopefully some dietary modification to optimise his growth & a few summer months virus-free will get him back on track. I do hope so, Best wishes for him.

So not exclusively breast fed?
My D2 and 3 went on feeding their babies for comfort until they were getting on for 2 but they had other food as well. (Just what they called Mama milk for a snuggle and a cuddle.)