help my dd is overweight im sure...

[bubblepop]

just been on a web site to calculate my dd's bmi and although it was a bit confusing,im pretty sure she is overweight..
she's 3 yrs 1 month old, weighs 2st8lb and is 97cm tall. she looks a little chubby to me and always has done,but not absolutely huge.she's got a cute chubby little face,quite a big tummy and chunky hands/wrists, but she's not covered in big rolls of fat. shes's always been a big bouncy type baby and people have always passed comments like "ooh she's solid is'nt she?" and "ooh she's a big girl" which upset me. when she was about 18m old i asked the hv to weigh her and at that point there was no concern, she was not obese then but just on the 91st centile. i don't really understand it because ive just looked in her book and at 17kg and her age she is still very near the 91st but not in the red area which would signify her being overweight, so is she or is'nt she?
we have healthy cooked meals mostly, usually with a chippy tea once a week and sometimes on a sat i give them fishfingers and smiley faces when i can't be bothered cooking.we don't have a chip pan or eat burgers etc.we tend to eat mostly meat, potatoes and veg, pasta etc. her apetite is enourmous and she is constantly asking for snacks and i think this is were im going wrong. i have a right old job getting her to eat fruit,its not impossible but really difficult. she would quite happily munch her way thru the buiscuit barrel if i let her, ive always had to try and limit her intake. if she was my only child i would just stop buying the junky snacks but that would'nt be fair on the older two who are quite sensible, plus they eat their meals aswell and take pack lunches to school. we lead a fairly active life,take them swimming , to the park etc and they play out a lot, theyre not just stuck in front of the tv all day. i guess im just looking for some ideas about what to do and some healthy ideas for snacks and meals. thanks you are all a great bunch.!

[witchandchips]

just looked at some growth curves and she is appears to be just over the 90th percentile for weight and around the 75th percentile for height. She is heavier than some for her height but not massively so. Don't worry. my guess is that if you don't make an issue of she will be fine. Don't forget that if she is active she will have more muscle that will make her heavier.

[bozza]

FWIW my DD is 3.2 and she weights 2 st 3 and is 93cm. But she has been that weight or similar for ages. I think if you are concerned you should cut back on the snacks and increase the exercise. Does she go in a pushchair? If so, ditch it. TBH though I don't think she is that huge, given that she is also tall.

[wheelsonthebus]

my health visitor said 'dump all the desserts' so i did. she's fine now (dd not HV). I also reduced her milk intake a little. Just 2 bottles a day of 6oz. We also walk everywhere.

[Tortington]

i think unless you can tell you have a fat kid - having to measure it on a website should be the "whoooooaaah" factor.

kids grow.
dont be a food facist at this stage

[MascaraOHara]

I think I have probably posted similar threads before and quite possibly up until recently about how she might be considered 'the fat kid' even though she does a fair amount of exercise etc.. my dd has always been around th 95th centile for height & weight. She turned 5 a couple of months ago and recently I've really noticed a difference in her shape, she looks much more in proportion if you know what I mean and positively 'slender' at times for want of a better word I hope YKWIM by that. E.G where she always had a long body and short chubby legs she's suddenly looks incredibly tall & leggy (like a leggy puppy). Her pot belly is also less noticable.

[americantrish]

she sounds right around my son's size. my son's around 100-101 cm, same weight though.

i get those comments too. it drives me nuts.
need to see what my son is up too..will try and write more next time.. (my son is 3.1 too!)

[bozza]

Have to say thought that although my 3yo is quite slim in many ways she still has a pot belly.

[corblimeycharlie]

Agree with MascaraO'Hara - My DD was overweight and HV agreed she was. We ditched the treats and desserts and encouraged her to go to ballet and gymnastics. Nothing seemed to change her shape or weight.... until she turned 5 and now is all tall and willowy.
Try not to worry about her. I spent 2 years making myself miserable about her weight and all for nothing. I think most children have pot belly's it's all very normal.

[rebelmum1]

I'd replace desserts with healthier options and keep sugary snacks to an absolute minimum, have biscuits that have less sugar. Food habits start young if you don't address it now it will be harder later on.

[rebelmum1]

you don't have to reduce the food if she has a big appetite just watch the type of snacks

[nogoes]

Well ds is 2.11, weighs 2.7 and is 95cm tall and yet he is between the 50th and 75th centile for both weight and height, so is not overweight at all. How comes all our centile charts seem to differ?

[hannahsaunt]

Boys and girls have different centile charts.

Have to remember that they tend to lay down the weight then stretch - it's not a contiguous process but an alternating process; you may find she's due a growth spurt.

[RosaLuxembourg]

There is a children's BMI calculator here
Your DD is not overweight according to this.
FWIW my eldest DD was very chubby at this age and is now a tall, slim 10-year-old.