Is It Normal For Kids to Lose Weight?

1 Possible Causes

Your child's weight loss simply might be from healthier eating and getting more exercise, as my daughter's was. However, certain illnesses, like Type 1 diabetes and other endocrine disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, cancer, infections, or kidney disease, along with certain medicines, can also cause weight loss. In general, it's a good idea to consult your pediatrician about any unexplained weight loss of more than a few pounds.

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2 What to Watch For

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Watch when and what your child is eating for a week or so. Have their eating habits changed? In addition, track symptoms like diarrhea, excessive hunger or thirst, stomach aches, increased sleepiness, changes in urination or stool frequency, fever, or any body pains. Those symptoms will help your doctor figure out what's going on.

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3 When You Should Be Concerned

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Losing a few pounds should not be a cause for alarm. A slow down in growth or changes in eating habits or activity levels is most likely the cause. My daughter cut a lot of processed and sugary foods out of her diet at the same time she started playing soccer for a few hours a week, hence the weight loss. As a rule of thumb, your child should stay around the same weight percentile that they've always been in. If that statistic drops substantially, or if your child is losing weight without any changes in diet or exercise levels, it's time to talk to your doctor.

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4 How to Talk to Your Child About Weight

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Tread lightly when you speak to your kids about weight loss and weight in general. According to a 2017 study from the American Academy of Pediatrics, talking to your kids about weight can have potentially disastrous consequences, especially if your child is overweight: "Rather than motivating positive change, this stigma contributes to behaviours such as binge eating, social isolation, avoidance of health care services, decreased physical activity, and increased weight gain, which worsen obesity and create additional barriers to healthy behaviour change. Furthermore, experiences of weight stigma also dramatically impair quality of life, especially for youth."

Similarly, praising your child's weight loss signals to them that thinness is a trait they should desire over being healthy and could lead to the development of disordered eating. A child who is suffering from an eating disorder, such as bulimia or anorexia, will likely hide the disease from their parents, so watch for signs like obsession with food, constant dieting or counting calories, going to the bathroom immediately after eating, and not eating in front of others. If you think your child has an eating disorder, seek professional help as soon as possible.

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