Does Your Child Need a Weight-Gaining Shake?

Not consuming enough calories can impact your child’s health in various ways. Being undernourished can lead to low energy levels, a diminished immune system, and impaired growth.

If you are concerned about your child being underweight, understanding how to help them gain weight healthily is important. It may be tempting to provide foods high in fat and sugar to pack on the pounds; however, these foods only provide empty calories. Empty calories will promote weight gain but won’t provide the nutrients your child needs for their rapidly growing body.

Gaining weight in a healthy way means gradually increasing your child’s consumption of nutritious, calorie-dense foods from a variety of sources. If your child has fallen off the growth curve and isn’t consuming adequate calories from various foods, it may be time to consider supplementing their diet with weight-gaining shakes.

Establishing Good Eating Habits

If you are concerned that your child may be underweight, it’s important to provide high-calorie, nutrient-dense food. Establishing good eating habits will improve your child’s energy levels and immune system. It also promotes healthy growth.

Good eating habits for kids include:

• Avoiding grazing and snacking throughout the day. Children are much more likely to eat a well-balanced meal if they haven’t been snacking on empty calories all day.
• Focusing on serving high-nutrient, high-calorie foods like whole milk yogurt, nuts, cheeses, Else Toddler Formula, and nut butter.
• Limiting drinks at mealtimes. Drinking a lot during meals may fill your child up, leaving little room for solid foods.
• Limiting low-nutrient, energy-dense foods with empty calories like candy, chips, cookies, and sodas. Empty calories might add some weight, but they lack the nutrients a child needs to build a strong, healthy body.

Despite your best efforts, some children may not reach their recommended weight with solid food alone. Picky eaters or kids who don't have much of an appetite may be willing to drink shakes that are packed with calories and nutrients to help them grow and thrive.

How Many Calories Does My Child Need?

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to how many calories your child needs each day. Every child has varying activity levels and will burn calories at different rates. While it may not be necessary to count every calorie your child consumes, it may be helpful to have a ballpark understanding of how many calories your child should have if you’re concerned about their weight.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the estimated daily calorie needs for moderately active boys and girls aged 2–10 include:

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When Should You Consider Using Weight-Gaining Shakes for Your Kid?

Weight-to-length measurements monitor your child's growth from birth to age two. After that, your child’s growth will be assessed using the body mass index (BMI) chart.

The BMI compares a child’s weight to their height. Children in the bottom 5 percent for body mass index are considered underweight.

Besides relying on the BMI growth chart, there are signs that you can watch for if you are concerned that your child is underweight:

• Your child’s weight percentile continues to trend downward.
• Your child isn’t outgrowing their clothes each season.
• Your child’s ribs stick out or are prominently visible.

There are a variety of reasons why a child may be underweight. One of the most common reasons is simply due to inadequate food intake.

Other children who may need help gaining weight include those with chronic medical conditions, children with food allergies, and children struggling with digestive problems.

Another reason a child may be underweight is due to medication that interferes with their appetite. Medication, particularly those prescribed for ADHD, can impact appetite and lead to weight loss. In fact, according to research, roughly 20% of people with ADHD who were treated with stimulants reported a loss of appetite.

You should consider weight-gaining shakes if your child’s eating patterns abruptly change, avoiding specific foods, or if you notice a decline in their weight.

Advantages of Weight-Gaining Shakes

While healthy food intake is essential, weight-gaining shakes have many advantages for kids.

• They can provide the right balance of nutrients to help underweight children move toward a healthier body weight. These weight gain supplements can boost your child’s calorie intake and provide a mix of carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fats to ensure proper and adequate growth.
• Weight gain shakes are often made with whole fruit, which provides enough natural sugar to sweeten the beverage and may curb your picky eater’s cravings for highly processed, sugary foods. Since they are made with only your chosen ingredients, it helps your kids avoid eating foods with questionable ingredients.
• Additionally, liquids can sometimes go down easier and quicker than solid foods and can be packed with weight-gaining ingredients. Therefore, nutritional shakes may appeal to the busy, picky eater looking forward to getting back to playing as quickly as possible.

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When to Serve Shakes?

Weight gain supplements for kids are intended to be a supplement, not a meal replacement. Therefore, it’s recommended to give your child the shakes between meals as snacks rather than with their meals. They tend to be filling, and it may not be realistic for a child to eat solid foods and drink a shake simultaneously.

Eating three solid meals of whole foods a day remains an important component of helping your child gain weight. Whole foods also provide an array of nutrients that will support your child’s healthy growth.

A Sample Meal Plan

While every child is unique, increasing intake by 100-200 extra calories daily will likely result in a steady weight gain.

A sample meal plan for a 2-year-old may include:

The total calories in this meal plan without the weight-gaining shakes contain roughly 1,000 calories. If you include a weight gain shake as a morning and afternoon snack, the calories in this meal plan contain 1,138 calories, which is an additional 138 calories. The addition of this weight-gaining shake will help to promote healthy, steady weight gain.



Weight-Gaining Shakes for Kids Recipes

For all recipes, combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.

If your child needs extra calories, you can add the following to their weight-gain shakes: heavy cream, avocados, evaporated milk, non-dairy creamers, canned coconut milk, Else Toddler Formula

Alternatives to Cow's Milk for Weight-Gaining Shakes

For children who are lactose intolerant or those with a milk protein allergy, there are plenty of alternative dairy options, which include: soy milk, rice milk, nut milk (almond or cashew), coconut milk, oat milk, hemp milk, dairy-free yogurts made with soy, almonds, or coconut.

» Take a look at these meal replacement shakes for kids

5 Creative Ways to Serve High-Calorie Shakes to Your Kid

1. Add Granola

If your child isn’t interested in drinking a weight gain shake from a traditional cup, try pouring it into a bowl and adding granola. This will help give the meal or snack a huge calorie boost and is a creative way to serve the shake.

2. Let Kids Prep Shakes

Involve your children in the process of making the shake. Kids will be more inclined to drink a shake that they took part in creating. Kids may also enjoy making up their own names for different shakes, adding even more to the fun.

3. Serve a Milkshake Smoothie

Rather than a super-sugary, high-fat dessert, try making a healthy “milkshake” smoothie for kids to enjoy after dinner.

4. Try Smoothies as a Snack

A child who won’t drink milk at lunchtime may love smoothies made with yogurt or milk as a snack between breakfast and lunch.

5. Make a Smoothie Bowl

Try thickening the texture of your shakes and create smoothie bowls. Create a fun design using fresh fruit on top of the bowl. Kids can also help and will love the opportunity to have fun with their food.

Kids' Weight-Gain Shakes Alternatives

Making your own weight gain shakes can be simple, but it requires having ingredients on hand.

Ready-Made Shakes

As an alternative to homemade weight gain shakes, there are ready-made options on the market to choose from. These ready-made formulas generally provide plenty of protein, carbohydrates, healthy fats, and an array of vitamins and minerals to support optimal growth.

Weight-Gaining Snacks and Foods

Nutrient-rich, high-calorie foods (when eaten) can also serve as an alternative to weight gain shakes. They may include peanut butter and other nut butters, avocados, whole milk dairy products, nuts and seeds, and dried fruit.

Powdered Milk or Formula

To further boost calories in an underweight child’s diet, you can add powdered milk or Else Nutrition's Toddler Formula to different foods, including yogurt, soup, or oatmeal.

Adding Sweetness to Nutritional Shakes

Some kids prefer a sweeter shake. Consider sweetening a weight-gain shake with ingredients like honey, fruit preserves, fruit juice, or fruit juice concentrates.

Don’t be afraid to get creative. It may take a few tries to find a shake your child loves. But once you do, you can continue offering it regularly in addition to balanced meals to help your child achieve a healthy weight.