Meet Reid.
He’s my sweet little charmer; a terribly opinionated, feisty toddler who still prefers the company of his thumb over any stuffed animal I present him with. And for those who’ve been following my blogging journey, yesterday was his second birthday. Yes, he is TWO. (Already!)
Now would be an appropriate time to insert a predicted “Where does the time go?” – except for the fact that I know exactly where the time went: two years of feeding, changing, amusing, disciplining, soothing, teaching and caring for a sweet little baby. A baby whom, according to Old Navy’s size guide, is now a toddler.
My toddler Reid, who go-go-goes, pausing only briefly to smell the flowers – or eat a well-seasoned tortilla chip, as demonstrated above. He was a champion breastfeeder, is an authentic foodie (preferring pan-seared scallops over chicken fingers any day) and demands enjoys a cup of warm white milk before bedtime.
And, every single day of his life, he has been below the 5th percentile for weight.
(For the non-parents, that means on average, over 95% of children the same age weigh more than him.)
Not gonna lie, it bothered me at first. Born at a respectable 39 weeks, he was 6 pounds at birth – not entirely puny, but still below the average of 7.5 pounds for term babies. When we took him home from the hospital, we had to work hard to help him regain the further 14 oz he lost.
But Reid took to breastfeeding immediately and quite honestly, even though he stayed a lightweight, our pediatrician showed no concern over his tiny frame at all. He was gaining weight slowing and steadily, meeting his milestones, and was overall a joyful baby.
Today, at 24 months old… Reid is 22 pounds. That’s like, Smurf-skinny.
BUT, he’s got three things going for him:
1) He eats like it’s going out of style. Seriously, he actually picks food off Ryder’s plate – and asks for a snack exactly 15 minutes after a meal is complete. So, Reid definitely has the right appetite, and I make sure to keep him fueled with healthy, hearty foods.
2) That little drug called youth. He’s constantly moving. I honestly don’t think anyone has ever seen him walk – he runs absolutely everywhere. So if there was any concern that Reid is feeling lethargic in any way, just one look would confirm that this little dude has the energy of, well, a two year old.
3) Reid’s got a mama who stashes an arsenal of IronKids Gummies. With a Multi-Vitamin, Vitamin D and Calcium supplement every morning, I feel great knowing that I can now enhance Reid’s diet with a little boost from a great-tasting gummy vitamin. They give me peace of mind that I’m doing my very best for my child – growth charts and percentiles be damned. Because even though I’ve heard it a million times, I’m finally starting realize that moms really do know best, and we have to trust our instincts.
My instincts tell me that IronKids Gummies help to keep my children healthy.
(All IronKids Gummies are made in a nut free facility, and are allergen and gluten free. Plus, there’s no sugar coating, aspartame or artificial colors . . only real ingredients. #winning)
Is your child healthy, happy… and underweight? Do tell!
I am an IronKids Brand Ambassador – with pride. I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this brand.
The opinions on this blog are my own.