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Original poster

HV has told me my baby is too heavy

204 replies

NeverGotMyPuppy · 11/07/2019 12:56

And I'm feeling really crap about it.

We had his 10 month check. He is weighing between the 75th and 91st centiles for weight but only 25th for height. She said there should be a maximum of 2 centiles difference between the 2.
She told me to stop spoon feeding him completely. This has thrown me because although he has breakfast and lunch as finger foods dinner is almost always spoon.

I just feel a bit low about it because I thought I was doing ok.

OP posts:
Original poster
NeverGotMyPuppy · 12/07/2019 08:47

Yes I've noticed with the pouches although they contain a good range of stuff the biggest ingredients aren't necessarily the best ones

OP posts:
ComeAndDance · 12/07/2019 09:04

If I have been overfeeding him- this is reversible, right? Have I buggered his ability to stop eating?

You are doing absolutely fine @NeverGotMyPuppy.
I overfed dc1 in that I left eat until he wanted to stop (he was feeding himself as soon as he could and certainly by 10 months). He has been known to eat so much that he would make himself sick and then would still want to eat again!
From that, I just became more aware I couldn’t trust his hunger. But he still ate loads. As a baby, a toddler and then a child.

He was able to learn when to stop eating. He is a very slim teenager who still loves his food. One thing he isn’t is fussy about food

Original poster
NeverGotMyPuppy · 12/07/2019 09:22

Thanks @ComeAndDance.

He had toast and omelette for breakfast which he doesnt usually have so I'm stuck for finger food lunch ideas- i dont like giving him bread twice a day!

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

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Families Weaning
BazaarMum · 12/07/2019 09:27

All three of mine have been around 90th centile at that age, they were (and are) eaters of a healthy variety of foods.

At about 3 years old they stretched out, tummy flattened and centile dropped. One is now 5, on the 90th for height and 25th for weight! Tall and skinny; the other 75th for height and 50th for weight and muscular.

It sounds like your baby is having an amazing diet, breastfed and you are aware of health and nutrition.

Keep doing what you are doing, you are not dooming your child to a life of over weight!

nobreakfastforme · 12/07/2019 09:54

@NeverGotMyPuppy could he manage to pick up and eat pasta tubes? You could do a tomato sauce

Original poster
NeverGotMyPuppy · 12/07/2019 10:14

I haven't tried pasta as a finger food yet. I've made him falafel in the half an hour nap he gave me Hmm

OP posts:
LoafofSellotape · 12/07/2019 10:43

He had toast and omelette for breakfast which he doesnt usually have so I'm stuck for finger food lunch ideas- i dont like giving him bread twice a day!

I understand and iirc I would've just given ds eggs and saved the bread for lunch as it was easier as we were often out.

Original poster
NeverGotMyPuppy · 12/07/2019 10:45

I did try that but he was not a happy boy!

Yes sandwiches ded easier when we are out!

OP posts:
LoafofSellotape · 12/07/2019 10:49

Omelette with some fruit to pick up himself?

Original poster
NeverGotMyPuppy · 12/07/2019 11:08

He had some banana - so I just gave him half a slice of toast

OP posts:
GrabbyGertie · 12/07/2019 11:23

Oh Jesus, babies can’t be overweight. They are BABIES

That's simply not true. My first kid was a fat baby. He wasn't 'chubby' he was FAT and off the charts of the red book.

I feel really dumb for not realising earlier TBH. He was the worlds easiest and happiest baby and he fed with no problems at all. I think the fact he was such a good quick feeder and the fact he was such a content baby made me oblivious to his obvious fatness. (Not my best bit of parenting to be fair)
When it dawned on me I tweaked his diet and gave him more low calorie food. Strawberries rather a yoghurt for example. I'd also make sure that I didn't give him snacks to keep him quiet. I wasn't expecting him to lose weight as I was looking at a long term gradual change.
He then slowly slimmed down.

It was no biggie at all. He was a bit chubby as a toddler but was a normal size by the time he was 3 or 4. He is now a handsome 6'6 slim healthy man.😊

If you aren't careful then fat babies turn into fat toddlers who turn into fat kids etc

Oliversmumsarmy · 12/07/2019 11:40

GrabbyGertie

I wonder if there is a link between fat babies and how tall they end up.

Both of the babies (girls) from my NCT classes with dd who were very round and very podgy are now both pushing 6ft and are really slim.

Her0utdoors · 12/07/2019 11:50

Has she actually put the dots in the right place in the charts? It's harder than it looks from my experience of health visitors and their ability to record data accurately. Were the measurements taken on the same equipment as the last time, has it been calibrated recently? It sounds like you are doing a good job op, if you don't have any concerns declining further input from the hv is an option.

Original poster
NeverGotMyPuppy · 12/07/2019 12:04

@Her0utdoors no they weren't the same machines. I'm not fully convinced it's right

OP posts:
Dodahdodah · 12/07/2019 13:16

All equipment used by the HV team is regularly calibrated. I think it's irresponsible of some on here to blithely advise the OP to ignore professional advice.

JellyBaby666 · 12/07/2019 13:29

Look at something like the young gums cookbook, my SIL has it and it has really good BLW recipes that are good for you and baby. Let him eat with his hands and give him a spoon, even if it’s curry or something ‘messy’ - chuck a few chunky veg on there as well and let him have a go.

Original poster
NeverGotMyPuppy · 12/07/2019 13:57

The Young Gums book is the one we use, I love it - tho it may be to blame given all the chia and coconut recipes!

OP posts:
MeadowHay · 12/07/2019 22:20

I just wanted to say that you've had some good advice on here but try not to worry so much. All of us are worrying so much about one thing or another aren't we? At 10 months I was seriously stressed about why children like your DS were eating all that, and mine wasn't eating hardly anything at all. My stress was starting to transfer to meal times and it was making it all worse.

Now at 1 she has just suddenly started eating loads better over the last few weeks, to the point where I'm starting to wonder whether actually I can't trust her own satiety responses and maybe she is eating too much dinner some days! I feel that she looks chubbier in a short space of time and I've gone from stressing about the possibility of her weight dropping, to worrying about it increasing too fast, within the space of about 8 weeks!! We all need to learn to relax - I don't mean ignore advice from HCPs when I say that, but still to relax when we try our best and know that we are trying our best and that nobody is perfect.

BertieBotts · 12/07/2019 22:37

YY don't think in terms of "finger foods" - just let him at everything with his hands unless it's something actually liquid - I spoon feed (or hand loaded spoons) for yoghurt and porridge.

Curry or stew - give him the chunks of meat and veg. Mix the rest of the sauce into some mashed potato or rice or couscous to give it some texture and spoon/loaded spoon for this. Or dunk bread into sauce as "edible spoon".

Spaghetti bolognese - can be eaten with hands. Take pictures, v funny. Or make meatballs from the mince rather than cooking it down into the sauce.

Soups - if smooth dunk toast for eating with hands, and then spoon feed some. If chunky, same approach as stew.

Baked beans, little pieces of scrambled egg, can be eaten with hands.

Etc etc :)

Original poster
NeverGotMyPuppy · 13/07/2019 09:45

That's really helpful, thanks. We were giving him things like spaghetti bolognese to eat with his hands but he was getting very frustrated - that was months ago now though and he is really good with his hands now. He is fine with strawberries, pancakes, omelette, toast, falafel, porridge slices, bananas, 'chips' - and now he has 6 teeth biting should be easier.
He is now refusing to be spoon fed anyway is doing really well with a loaded spoon.
Its scary how quickly they change!

@MeadowHay you are absolutely right. Nothing panics parents more than comparison I think!

OP posts:
Multiplybyone · 13/07/2019 09:58

I would listen and follow the advice. Parents need to try not to become defensive when given this sort of advice. And everyone needs to stop minimising the issue that there is a problem with food and weight for many children and adults. It is a big issue for so many of us, so be honest and open minded with this advice.

I would consider the whole picture. Are you and dh overweight? What are your extended families weights/diets like? What are your attitudes to food?

What is the baby's temperament/activity levels like?

Don't panic but just be calm and discuss it fully with your dh and Hv/GP etc

LoafofSellotape · 13/07/2019 10:41

Are you and dh overweight? What are your extended families weights/diets like? What are your attitudes to food?

The OP says she's a size 8 and it's pretty clear from the thread she has a good understanding of nutrition.

Original poster
NeverGotMyPuppy · 13/07/2019 10:52

@Multiplybyone I'm really not trying to be defensive but I think from this thread that I have been all of those things? DS was big at birth. I dont believe that I am over feeding him but he has naturally stopped wanting to be fed in the last couple of days anyway.

@LoafofSellotape thank you. I think that's what has frustrated me - it's not like he is eating pouches 3 times a day and shed loads of rusks!

OP posts:
LoafofSellotape · 13/07/2019 11:44

OP you aren't coming across as defensive at all imo, just wanting to know how you can improve IF necessary.

amusedbush · 13/07/2019 11:50

My friend's DS was MASSIVE when he was a baby. He looked like the michelin man Grin

He's now 2 and is slim. Babies eat what they need and they lose the chub when they start running around.

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