Picky 8YO on Adderall XR needs to gain weight

[Kyhlee]

Any good ideas for getting our picky eater to eat enough calories to start gaining weight? (Without meds he’s a dynamo, less so on meds, but he’s always moving, so he burns plenty of calories.). Wondering about kid-friendly shakes (think Ensure) that taste good. Don’t want to buy a bunch of something and have him turn up his nose. I’ve been giving him ice cream for dessert because it’s something he will eat no matter how full he feels.

Any suggestions? Dr. Is suggesting we withhold meds on weekends, but his impulse control is affected and he ends up getting into trouble.

[Pennywink]

We've just now started looking at this ourselves. Unfortunately don't have much advise for you. Too bad they only seem to be in 6 packs.

Cutting back on the sweets might also help boost his appetite, or at least steer it to healthier options.

Right now we try to give my son a hearty breakfast with protein & fat, then a healthy dinner (extra protein & fat) w/ healthy snack options for any post-dinner munching. Probably mostly bananas, as they seem to be the most filling of all fruits & veggies.

Best of luck - lemme know how it goes!

additudemag.com/adhd-medica...

[3boys2grlsalHomeschl]

We use whole milk yogurt and a lot of snacking on high protein/high fat foods--especially because he tends to have no appetite for meals because of the timing of his medications. He also doesn't eat ice cream (the first kid EVER I think haha) or shakes or chocolate milk. Interested to see others' suggestions for sure!

[ScatteredMommy]

Do you think he needs to gain weight or is this coming from the doc? My son is skinny and the doc says he needs to gain weight, but I look at him and he looks like my brother at that age. She took some bloodwork and said he is really healthy. I stopped caring about their percentiles and focused on making sure he has a protein-y breakfast. He loves peanut butter so a lot of mornings he has a peanut butter and something sandwich. Sometimes the something is syrup and sometimes jelly (various flavors). Some days he wants eggs or maybe bacon. I have even on special days let him have multiple resees peanut butter cups. Then at lunch he can get a snack or if he wants he can get school lunch. I usually make sure he has jerky or a meat stick in his back pack. Then at dinner I try to get veggies in the mix. We have a one bite deal so he will take one bite of whatever we have and I force nothing more than that. He has to do that even if he has tried it before because I explained that taste buds change over time. He has started liking a wider variety of things. He is allowed to eat fruit anytime he wants but we did cut back on juice since he had been filling up on that and not feeling hungry after.

Doctors who suggest weekends off obviously don’t have ADHD or a child with ADHD. My kid needs his Adderall XR every day to feel himself. Days where it gets forgotten for whatever reason are not good days for him. He gets overly emotional and does things regrets.

[Kyhlee]

Agreed that med ‘holidays’ are no holiday—for the child or parents! Doc is concerned because he’s been on meds for about 8 months and he weighs nearly the same as when he started. He does have slender parents, but we and doc want to see him gaining. We do use full-fat dairy and we encourage a bedtime snack , as well, since he eats the most after meds wear off. Being such a picky eater just makes it difficult—he doesn’t like eggs or even much meat, and he has tired of PB and cheese, so it’s a real struggle.

Thanks for you suggestions—and support. We can all use as much support as we can get!! Hugs!!

[Janice_H]

You can try to offer frequent healthy snacks like peanut butter & pretzels, nachos w/hummus, popcorn, cheese & crackers, nuts and dried fruits, mini protein pancakes. They tend to eat the fun foods rather than a full meal.

[Mudpies]

My son loved the strawberry ensure that has extra calories and protein. I also gave him milkshakes and added fruit to them. Hugs!

[Buggeemom]

we are in a great place with our 7 year old son, the meds 15 mg Adderall in the am have completely transformed his school experience, as well as honestly the instance of any negative behaviors has seriously diminished. Of course our boy is a twig, but tall which is a great indicator of health, even over weight. I agree with medicating at the same time as consuming some type of breakfast. We serve a lot of eggs as well, as they are great to hide extra butter and cheese in. I have come to accept my boy isa grazer and does eat when hes hungry. 5 pound gain last doctor appointment! And I also will feed a late meal for him, absolutely, its quite often hell eat very well as late a 9pm. Sleep is a bit reduced, he gets a solid at least 7 hours, and functions extremely well as long as this is so. Thanks for being here! I didnt mean any offense as well, im new to commenting in these forums.