Two Year old “overweight”

Children lose a lot of body fat when they are toddlers. Just like everything else, that process will happen at different rates for different children. If you are feeding him a healthy diet then his height will catch up to his weight in time. The HV doesn't know what you are feeding him so a referral to the nutritionalist is a sensible suggestion. You could take it or not take it but I wouldn't worry either way.

You say you are confident his diet is healthy etc and that you don’t feel it is appropriate to seek nutrition support at this time, but then also describe him as “a bit on the chunky side” (parents often downplay the reality) and say you know he is overweight.

Healthy and appropriate diets don’t lead to overweight two year olds and I imagine your Health Visitor was trying to be diplomatic.

Overweight toddlers lead to overweight pre-schoolers. Things can very easily snowball and it’s shocking how overweight some young school children can be (we have all seen it at the school gates).

I would absolutely take the HV’s advice and nip this in the bud as early as you can. It will be much easier to make early modifications to your child’s diet and lifestyle now than further down the line.

I disagree. BMI is a poor measurement for adults because it doesn’t take into account muscle mass. Before I had my first child I was a ‘healthy BMI’ but I had no muscle, definitely the definition of ‘skinny fat’. I started going to the gym when my son was 1, lost the fat and built muscle. When I checked my BMI again 1 year later I was classed as overweight - which I wasn’t, I just had significantly more muscle.

With a two year old there are very few mitigating factors that could make BMI and in accurate measure for weight. No 2 year old is bulking up in the gym. If the BMI says he is overweight, then he’s overweight. 2 year olds shouldn’t be ‘chunky’. A 6 month old baby, yes, but a 2 year old, no.

I think YABU to refuse the referral. I would see what they say first, they might have some useful advice or context. He's 2 so he won't be damaged psychologically by having the appointment, even if they come out with a load of outdated fatphobic nonsense.

In terms of the poster saying it changes suddenly at age 2, it's mainly because height is difficult to measure in younger children because officially it's done lying down.

This document which is also probably in your red book explains how BMI is calculated. It is a rough measure and children who are naturally tall because their parents are tall can sometimes get a misleading reading on this, but OTOH in younger children, where they are overweight it often leads to them being taller as well, which can mask a dietary issue if parents assume that their child is on a high weight centile because they are tall.

https://www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2025-11/Boys_0-4_years_growth_chart.pdf

It's tricky to tease out but I would take the question to the dietician - is it possible that my child is heavy because he is tall, or is it more likely he is tall because he is heavy, what makes them think this, essentially don't be afraid to ask questions, they are there to help support you and your child's health, not make judgements and criticise you.

Children vary so much in their portion size and appetite so it can be really difficult to know what is a reasonable diet IME.

I think you are missing a really key point here. His diet may be healthy and nutritious, but if you are giving him too much he is going to be overweight. Too much of a good thing can also be bad for his health.

I’m not really sure why you wrote this post if you are happy with what he is eating and you don’t think you need to do anything about it, go and live your life and don’t worry about it.

The fact you’ve written the post, suggests to me you know he is bigger than he should be, in which case, take them up on the offer to see a nutritionist.

Is he 'in proportion'? My girls were always heavy for age. My 10 year old wears age 12-13 clothes because anything less is too short for her.

Looking at his clothes (non stretchy ones) to get them the right size to go around his body comfortably, are they then too long in arms/legs? Can you see each rib clearly?

I don’t think they do use BMI for children - they use their weight to height ratio, with 95 - 105% being deemed ‘healthy’.

My DS was born on the 98th percentile and stayed there all through childhood. We were told at his weight check in Reception he was overweight, he wasn't, we had a hospital check around the same time and I brought it up with them, they plotted him on the percentile graph (rather than using BMI designed for adults) and he was still bang on the 98th percentile.

He's about to turn 14 and is 5 foot 9 and slim physique, BMI for kids is a bloody nonsense! If you know he eats a healthy balanced diet then take no notice!

My son drinks 2 big cups of cows milk every day and he isn’t overweight. I think the reality of this is that the OP is over feeding and/or not encouraging enough exercise to counteract the amount she is giving him.

What's his centile for height though?

If both height and weight are similar then he'll be 'big' for his age but in proportion, just as a 5th centile for both would be in proportion just diddy compared to peers.

If his height is very different centile then he could be more than 'chunky' and not engaging with support could be setting him up for a number of challenges - listen to what's offered at least op, even if you don't take on the majority of the advice.

How much does he weigh? I don’t know many overweight 2 year olds so if the nurse has suggested a dietician, then I personally wouldn’t turn it down. He may look cute and chunky to you, but if it continues into childhood you will be doing him a disservice but refusing to get him some help. My son did gymnastics from the age of 3 and there was a little girl the same age there who was very overweight. She struggled to do the most basic of things and seeing the heartache on her little face every week made me so sad. I would never want to put my child in that position. If he is overweight and doesn’t have any medical conditions, I would presume that you are feeding too much in relation to the excercise he is getting. Think of your child, don’t live in denial.

I would either offer a cup of milk with breakfast or before bed and thats it. If he’s having multiple cups of whole milk a day that might be it

How much cows milk is he having a day? That could be what’s tipping him over the edge slightly x

I get what you mean OP. A baby aged 23.75 months can be 90-95th centile, having been so since before birth, and be considered perfectly healthy for staying on the same centile. However one week later on their 2nd birthday, they are now considered overweight/obese, and must be being overfed.

I don't know what the answer is. My parents gave me a really healthy diet and I've always been in the overweight range.

First of all you say he is chunky but looks normal to you. Then agree he is overweight according to bmi

what size clothes is he in ?

there were 2 ‘chunky’ kids in pre school with dd at 3yr

by yr 1 def fat and I hate saying that word esp with kids

now in yr 4 and 8/9 they are much bigger then any of the other yr 4 who vary in size and height

they struggle to run about. Can’t climb a skating ramp which they all run up and generally looks unhappy and both in 12-13 size clothes and one is a girl and mum struggles to buy summer uniform as they dont make them that big

you need to keep an eye on their diet - less milk and maybe more exercise /running about

fat kids will be da adults usually

You could be feeding good food, just too much of it. Having grown up as a fat child, I know it's a miserable thing, made me different and a target. Meant I couldn't have the clothes I wanted, or take part in everything. Please take some advice and action now, rather than put him through school as a 'fat child'

My babies were both chunky into their toddler years. It’s normal until they become really active. My dd quickly became unstoppable and went from 80th percentile weight to 15th in her primary years due to becoming fussy about food and also doing heaps of activities. I did actually get quite worried! She’s now 15, still does some exercise (martial arts and hiking) but she maintains a slender size 6.

I would totally ignore the HV

Op does he still use the pushchair a lot? Mine was in the very highest bmi centile before being considered overweight as a two year old. He was visibly very chubby. I was alarmed but didn't change his diet. Though I realised he didn't really get enough exercise so would try to get him walking places.

Now as a 5 year old his height and weight are roughly on the same centile and have been for a year or so. His weight centile has only dropped a little but height has increased. He's was born very small due to difficulties in pregnancy and his weight caught up first before his height I think. He stretched out between 3 and 5 and is now actually quite muscular from riding his bike a lot.

Try not to worry if you're feeding good food, it will probably even out. Kids can never get enough exercise imo so I'd focus on that. It sets up good healthy habits for life in terms of fitness and mental wellbeing.

My son weighed the same when he started school as he did at 2 1/2 always been a healthy weight I think once they start running around it soon comes off

My ds was 9.3 born. At 2 he was a big boy. At 3 he was average size. As an adult he's on the lean side...
Ignore.. Keep a food diary for a week.. If anyone questions you about his diet /portions then shove your findings their way.

I got the same, just overweight but could see ribs. Madness.

How much milk is he drinking per day OP?

My then 2 year old was on the 25th centile for height and the 98th for weight! She was basically a chubby little ball. I wasn’t worried as I had a skinny older one and knew that she ate a healthy diet and now she is a slim, very sporty 13 year old.

I wasn’t offered help but as a hcp I probably would have declined anyway as I felt confident in my ability to feed her a healthy balanced diet. I think some toddlers are just chunky and the key thing is to see how they develop and make sure they slim down as they get older. My little ball lost the weight as she naturally increased her activity levels. I have no idea of her bmi now but am confident it is well within the normal range.

My DD was 10lb 6oz at birth and tracked a consistent weight and height on that percentile until she was 3. Fact is that someone has to be 100% and someone has to be 10%. Our HV raised it as an issue despite the fact she was in proportion re height and weight.

We saw a doctor who said her head was the size of a 5-9 year old and her actual body weight was fine (he was so shocked about the size of her head he measured it three times).

She's since grown into her head and ears and tracks 50% on weight and 75% on height.