Underwieght?

My son is 3 years 4 months old. He was born 5 weeks early because I had preeclampsia, at birth he was 4lbs 7oz and 18 inches long. He now wieghs 23lbs and is 35 1/2 inches tall. He is basically a good eater, but doesn't care for red meats and is can be a bit picky at times. His doctor has asked me in the past if we're concerned with his weight, really we're not; the doctor hasn't mentioned anything regarding his weight since. He's very bright and has been on track with all of his "milestones". My husband was a small child, although not as small as our son. I know that he is smaller than most of the other kids his age and am just afraid that as he gets closer to school age that he may have a hard time because he's petite...is there anything we should be trying to do to help him gain weight, or am I just being a worried mommy?

[Renee Radenberg]

As long as his weight has been steadily increasing since birth, then his weight is fine. It is below 3rd percentile; however, remember he was born ahead of time. His height is on the 5th percentile for his age. Eventually they caught up to their intended height. He may be small in stature due to the family genetic make-up; however, it may be too early to tell. Suggest nutrient dense drinks in place of milk such as Pediasure, milkshakes (milk and ice cream blended) or yogurt smoothies (yogurt, frozen fruit, and ice cream blended) for additional calories and protein to help with weight gain. Hoped this helped you.