Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OK, its not normal for a 12 yo boy to just be "a little stinky" after exercise. 12 yo boys STINK after hard exdercise, even the ones who wear deoderant (is he wearing deoderant?)

That is not a kid-in-puberty appetite. He could be hitting puberty really late...but not gaining weight at all in a few years is not normal for any age child.

My just-turned-13 yo boy eats easily 3 times that much food in a day.

I would get him checked out by a pediatric endocrinologist.

DS of the same age has also not gained weight for a couple years and only grew a little. Also on the small side and we ran all the tests and child is perfectly healthy apparently, just hasn't started puberty yet. Don't be alarmed but agree that you should try to get him to eat more. My child who is the same size definitely eats a lot more than yours.

+1

This was my younger son, OP. He has always been extremely active and we joked he literally runs on air. He never was very hungry. Once in awhile he’d out eat everyone, but 90% of the time ate like a bird. It didn’t effect his sports’ performance, he would play entire soccer and basketball games going 150%—but was tiny compared to everyone.

He had a foot/heel X-ray in October and the orthopedist said his growth plates were wide open. He predicted a growth spurt soon. He already has gotten a little taller since then and his appetite is the best it’s ever been. His voice isn’t cracking. He still sounds like a kid and just started getting a pimple here or there. He turns 14 in April and prob. 90-95 lbs now 5’2” which is at least 5-8 pounds since summer. His arms are really long now as well.

His brother grew late and went from 5’1” to 5’10.5” from age 14.5-15.5. And, my younger son I know is behind him because he is still losing baby teeth.

I’m 5’5” and husband is 5’10–so fairly average. But, I have tall siblings, parents and cousins. I’m the runt. Older son is predicted 6’1-6’2”. We all grew in college —my brother 2 inches. As a woman, I get a full inch in college!

It’s hard not to worry.

Anonymous wrote:OK, its not normal for a 12 yo boy to just be "a little stinky" after exercise. 12 yo boys STINK after hard exdercise, even the ones who wear deoderant (is he wearing deoderant?)

That is not a kid-in-puberty appetite. He could be hitting puberty really late...but not gaining weight at all in a few years is not normal for any age child.

My just-turned-13 yo boy eats easily 3 times that much food in a day.

I would get him checked out by a pediatric endocrinologist.

Really don't think you need to see a specialist yet. Still totally normal. My skinny 12-year-old eats like that too and has no signs of puberty. My 14-year-old JUST started puberty, really not much stink from him even. He is a late bloomer and I figure 12-year-old will be too but I think it't too early to declare that.

What would worry me is that slow down in weight and growth. I would definitely as ped about it.

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for your thoughts. I'm getting this checked out asap. Its been worrying me for a year, but ped/Dh kind of told me not to worry. Now DH is worried. We are white...

DS just looks so young compared to his peers, like his face hasn't really changed either. He looks like he's 10.

Its hard to get him to eat more. I am trying but will be more determined about it.

He sleeps about 9.5 to 10 hours a night.

My child looks very young too but that's because he hasn't started puberty. There are plenty of other friends in his middle school who also look young and then there are the friends who shot up to 5 foot 6 or more (one is 6 feet) and have mustaches. It's an interesting age and they do look funny together but they don't seem to act like it's a big deal to them.

Anonymous wrote:OK, its not normal for a 12 yo boy to just be "a little stinky" after exercise. 12 yo boys STINK after hard exdercise, even the ones who wear deoderant (is he wearing deoderant?)

That is not a kid-in-puberty appetite. He could be hitting puberty really late...but not gaining weight at all in a few years is not normal for any age child.

My just-turned-13 yo boy eats easily 3 times that much food in a day.

I would get him checked out by a pediatric endocrinologist.

DS of the same age has also not gained weight for a couple years and only grew a little. Also on the small side and we ran all the tests and child is perfectly healthy apparently, just hasn't started puberty yet. Don't be alarmed but agree that you should try to get him to eat more. My child who is the same size definitely eats a lot more than yours.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My DS was late to start puberty but when he did, he started eating like a horse. It was like someone flipped a switch. Now he pre and post eats before and after meals. He has gained 20 lbs in a few months. He grew 4 inches per year between age 12 and age 15. He actually developed scoliosis because he grew so quickly. He is now 5'5"ish and now around 120lbs. He is nearly 17 now and is probably done growing.

Why do you think he’s finished? It’s not uncommon for boys to have a growth spurt in their early 20s.

He has two short parents and he is almost at his predicted adult height. I guess he could eke out another half-inch though.

I'd discuss with his doctor, but wouldn't be too worried. My 12 year old son has not had a significant growth spurt yet, and has not gone through puberty. He is 57 inches tall and 74 lbs.

Anonymous wrote:OP here, thanks for your thoughts. I'm getting this checked out asap. Its been worrying me for a year, but ped/Dh kind of told me not to worry. Now DH is worried. We are white...

DS just looks so young compared to his peers, like his face hasn't really changed either. He looks like he's 10.

Its hard to get him to eat more. I am trying but will be more determined about it.

He sleeps about 9.5 to 10 hours a night.

Caloric drinks might help. My kids drink naked juices and we give them carnation instant breakfast drinks (with a full breakfast) to increase their calories).

OP here, thanks for your thoughts. I'm getting this checked out asap. Its been worrying me for a year, but ped/Dh kind of told me not to worry. Now DH is worried. We are white...

DS just looks so young compared to his peers, like his face hasn't really changed either. He looks like he's 10.

Its hard to get him to eat more. I am trying but will be more determined about it.

He sleeps about 9.5 to 10 hours a night.

Anonymous wrote:OK, its not normal for a 12 yo boy to just be "a little stinky" after exercise. 12 yo boys STINK after hard exdercise, even the ones who wear deoderant (is he wearing deoderant?)

That is not a kid-in-puberty appetite. He could be hitting puberty really late...but not gaining weight at all in a few years is not normal for any age child.

My just-turned-13 yo boy eats easily 3 times that much food in a day.

I would get him checked out by a pediatric endocrinologist.

Hold up. Some populations - East Asians, particularly Koreans, don’t have the BO gene. We smell sweaty after working out but we don’t have body odor. Maybe OP’s son is East Asian?

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/people-without-underarm-protection/

Anonymous wrote:My DS was late to start puberty but when he did, he started eating like a horse. It was like someone flipped a switch. Now he pre and post eats before and after meals. He has gained 20 lbs in a few months. He grew 4 inches per year between age 12 and age 15. He actually developed scoliosis because he grew so quickly. He is now 5'5"ish and now around 120lbs. He is nearly 17 now and is probably done growing.

Why do you think he’s finished? It’s not uncommon for boys to have a growth spurt in their early 20s.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does he eat? My daughter didn't gain weight (but did grow) from ages 12-14. Her doctor was only (moderately) concerned because she was only eating around 800 calories a day. When we got that under control, she started gaining weight (and the doctor stopped being concerned). No one suggested seeing a specialist.

That doctor is dangerous. She should have been hospitalized during the increase in calories to monitor for something called refeeding syndrome. I’m glad your daughter is ok now, but that was dangerous as hell.

Reversing syndrome happens in people who are literally starving. I don’t think that was the case with PP’s daughter. And I’m sure she didn’t jump from 800 calories to 1600 in one day.

OP, I have similar concerns. See a pediatric endocrinologist and get a bone age scan. Does he get enough sleep? Growth hormones release only during deep sleep.

It sounds like he’s not in puberty yet. When did his dad go through puberty? He’ll start to eat a lot more when he hits puberty. Is he just 12 or almost 13? I might worry more if it’s almost 13.

Agree that he’s not close to 1600 calories.

I have 11 and 13 year old boys and from my personal experience he seems like he’s not eating enough, not active enough, and not growing enough. You need to talk to a doctor. Might just be that he’s not eating enough, might be something else.

Granted, my kids are big, but my 11 year old has probably grown 8-9 inches and put on 35 pounds in the past 2 years. My 13 year old has grown about 6 inches and put on 40 pounds. It’s prime growing time.

Anonymous wrote:OK, its not normal for a 12 yo boy to just be "a little stinky" after exercise. 12 yo boys STINK after hard exdercise, even the ones who wear deoderant (is he wearing deoderant?)

That is not a kid-in-puberty appetite. He could be hitting puberty really late...but not gaining weight at all in a few years is not normal for any age child.

My just-turned-13 yo boy eats easily 3 times that much food in a day.

I would get him checked out by a pediatric endocrinologist.

My 12 yo dc eats about three times that much food, to. He is really active and well into puberty though.
OP, your son eats less than an early elementary age kid. Its hard for his body to grow on so few calories. I would get him checked out (by a specialist, not a regular ped).