To think it’s possible for child to be overweight BMI but not unhealthy?

@Babababyy so it's already gone from "overweight" to "just within a healthy weight", but it's not. The hatred women have for their own bodies is horrendous

Are you/his dad overweight?

Exactly 9 stone is just within healthy BMI range. 9 1/2 stone is very almost overweight. No way would a short person be skeletal at this weight. Although if you were tall then you'd look skinny. Bang in the middle of healthy weight for 5'2" is 8 stone.

I think it’s important to consider the child’s mental health as well as his physical health. He will know he is fatter than other children and other children will know he is fatter than them. This affects self-esteem, particularly in the tweens and early teenage years.

Most overweight children don’t grow out of it: they carry the burden of low self-esteem and risk of physical poor health into adulthood. So while I can’t see the picture, if the BMI is putting your child towards the top of the range then it’s likely he is either unhealthy or heading towards poor health. But the earlier you intervene to make improvements to his diet and exercise habits the better his chances will be. I expect you already know that, though. It’s a difficult thing to deal with.

Weight is a very upsetting topic for a lot of people but ultimately a previous poster is right that there is nothing inherently wrong with being overweight in and of itself. The issue is that carrying excess weight over a period of time isn’t good for you and increases your risk of developing various conditions in later life. Regardless of his weight & whether or not it’s more than it ideally should be if certainly won’t hurt your son to focus on healthy options food/activity wise (which it sounds like you already do). I think just keep doing that and keep an eye on how many treats you offer that are food based. I was an overweight child then a more overweight teenager and I’ve struggled with weight my whole life. I’m trying really hard to ensure my kids don’t have the same start I did (not sure I’m succeeding though so probably not the best person to offer advice).

@Babababyy no, it's not. For a white woman it's bang in the middle of a healthy weight.

You're weird. I was just replying to someone who said they were skeletal at 5'2" and 9 stone. That's overweight when you're short.

definitely 8 years, wears 9-10 clothes. 35kg and 135cm tall.

My ds is almost 8 and is the same height.

He weighs 26-27kg and looks healthy and slim. I'm sorry but your DS must be so overweight. Children this age are supposed to be slim. Overweight kids tend to actually hit puberty early and stop growing, it can reduce adult height.

Good god these comments are horrible.

OP is your son happy? Does he come home from school with a smile on his face? Does he know he's loved? Does he enjoy movement, enjoy playing and enjoy life?

If yes then that's all that matters.

I think we are all genetically programmed to some extent to be a certain size and that everyone's 'ideal' weight for their height will be different. Obviously you can override this by over or under feeding your child or not doing enough exercise but I do think people can be built very differently a different stages of their lives.

I wasn't stick thin as a child and always had some shape. I think my BMI would have been normal but probably top end of it. Puberty came relatively early and since then I have been low end of BMI without having to try much. None of my siblings are overweight as adults but we all weren't skinny as kids either. My parents never focused too much on weight or diet and none of us have any issues with food and naturally eat quite balanced diets. This is what I want for my kids so I always cringe when people on MN bleat on about needing to see children's ribs etc. Focus instead on them eating a balanced diet, getting plenty of exercise and setting your children up for adulthood with a healthy approach to nutrition and looking after their bodies.

Oh, well done. Tell me, did they give you your award at the hospital, or when you got home?

The difficulty is we shouldn’t visually judge a child with adult ideals as to a healthy weight. Pre puberty and child should be straight up and down. It’s puberty that gives the shape. So bell overhang on a child is overweight

I'm the same height and just less than 7 stone (I don't diet). I'm not skeletal and I'm healthy. If I was 9 stone then I'd be very overweight. I wasn't even that heavy when I was 9 months pregnant!

There is a difference between protruding ribs and visible ribs.

Pre pubescent children should have visible ribs. My 6 yo is 75th centile for weight and height and his ribs are visible. This is stated by doctors as pps have posted upthread - it’s not just some made up measure.

I haven’t seen the photo but it doesn’t help anyone to pretend that overweight children are fine. It is much easier to maintain weight and slim down with growth spurts than to lose weight later, and carrying excess weight as a child can affect all kinds of things from future height to metabolic profile. If my child had a BMI in the overweight range I would be taking steps to address it asap.

No you weren’t overweight according to BMI. Not ridiculously skinny, but well within the healthy weight range.

Mumsnet is really not the right forum to get advice for this here OP as you'll get loads of random anecdotal opinions - I suggest the book "Kids Thrive at Every Size" and making sure as a family your diet is varied and healthy and you are active (walking, hiking, swimming, running around...).

Most kids in a healthy weight will have visible ribs.
We have lost sight of this because so many children are overweight.

Scrawny?
That is vile. Some children are naturally very slim and can eat like a horse.

Lots of things can trigger anorexia - how horrible of you to question the previous poster.

I didn’t see the picture but eating well and exercising are good habits regardless. i think as long as his weight and height percentiles are reasonably stable I wouldn’t worry too much, he’ll probably go through some growth spurts. Mine has always tipped just slightly in and out of overweight on BMI, she usually has a growth spurt that takes her back down to a healthy BMI after chubbing up a bit first. Also very tall for her age (usually 98-99th percentile for height).

My ds was chubby ages 8 - 10 but had his first growth spurt & went from 4' 8" to 5' 6" by the time he was 11, by 16, he was 6' 1" & is now 6' 4" at 20, he is by no means skinny but is not fat, he is well built like all the men in our family.

Blunt being the key term there. Parents get letters home based on their kids BMI scores and the letters can be hugely triggering for both parents-and particularly for the kids, who wonder why they’re getting letters and peers aren’t. I’ve heard on several occasions (SADLY only with girls) where children have developed unhealthy eating habits as a result of receiving the brown envelope in school after BMI measurements. The kids know what’s in the letters.

The bluntness can be VERY damaging.

It can be a useful tool with other things being looked at, but by itself alone, no.

It's really not. For the vast majority of people it is a blunt tool that indicates whether a person is a healthy weight. It is just part of what makes up a full picture of health.