h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

This is something I feel continually a bit paranoid about as the Star didn't gain weight properly at all when I was exclusively breastfeeding.

Now he's weaning and having formula and some top up milk from me. He eats like a horse. Actually, no, he eats like the blugbatter beast himself. He's put on loads of weight, so he's now around the 50th percentile.

Except that he's taller than that. In the top 25th percentile.

On the one hand I'm not bothered. He doesn't look too thin. He doesn't look too fat.

But what is normal when it comes to weight gain and can I just continue to pump food into him as fast as he seems to want it and leave it to his body to sort it out?

Faith (PaperKid) has always been in the 50th percentile for weight, and the 75th for height, so that's not a bad balance. At Star's age, you can feed him however much he wants--just keep in mind that his appetite will go down in a couple months, because his growth will slow a bit.

I think the appitite is partly fueled by his tremendous energy and inability to sit still, although he is huge now compared to a few months ago.

I actually thought his appitite was beginning to die down, but then he put on a growth spurt and...

Well t'Boy is above the chart (tracking just above the 99.6th) for his weight and around the 80th for his height. Every few months I have a total meltdown about his weight and worry I've somehow set him up for a life of obesity and health problems by producing gold top exclusively for his first six months and then in addition to grub until 13 months, and then feeding him all the fruit and veg and non-fatty proteins that he wants to eat now. And each time I do the health visitor points out he has been maintaining his line for well over a year and he is just a big boy. Actually he hasn't gained much for ages but has got significantly taller and I think that is fairly common.

I think weight is one of those things we will always worry about, whether we are at the top, middle or bottom of the chart.

So long as you aren't feeding him crap then I reckon he is fine

The best thing is to stop weighing him.

Seriously, you can tell if a child is actually too thin and if they're fat, as long as they're still active and energetic, they'll use up the excess weight as they grow.

I have two who look normal but get thin every time they have a growth spurt, one who gets plump just before a growth spurt and then slims down to just right, and one who never gets fatter or much taller. Three of them are tall for their ages and one very small but I really have no idea how much they weigh; Emily who is three hasn't been weighed since she was about three months old. I assume they're slimmer than average because clothes are always too wide.

All four of mine have what they want to eat, when they want it; they were breastfed on demand and weaned at their own pace and none of them have ever had trouble finding the right balance.

I recommend feeding him when he wants, as much as he wants, and throwing the scales away.

He's ravenous this week. Not surprising as he was ill last week and hardly ate, and I also think he's in the middle of a growth spurt.

Anyway, I am ramping up the amount of carbs and protein he gets as he is actuall waking hungrey in the middle of the night despite three substantial meals and the same number of fairly substantial snaks as well.

Does that sound about right? Any advice about suitable snacks? Fruit, rice cakes and cheese is what we are doing so far, but that could get old.

Children approaching a growth spurt need lots of carbohydrates, children in the middle of a growth spurt tend to need more protein.

Give him a choice and then offer more of whatever he eats since that'll be what he needs most.

"Fruit, rice cakes and cheese is what we are doing so far, but that could get old."

How old is he? Is he old enough for toast? Sardine and potato cakes?