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Original poster

Is my child too fat?

49 replies

Chopbob · 27/08/2019 16:59

I feel like the worst mother ever right now please be gentle.

Just had a letter from school that ds is overweight. I'm gutted. I always try to cook healthy from scratch with healthy snacks.

But I'm not sure I totally get it. He is 98th percentile for weight but hes also 98th percentile for height but because he's over 95% for both/either the NHS deem this overweight.

He is really big (tall) for his age and has solid little muscles but he doesn't really look fat.

Should I be worried?

OP posts:
C0untDucku1a · 27/08/2019 17:01

Cooking from scratch is great. But portion sizes still matter. You'll be overfeeding him. Maybe get a portion plate for children his age so you get used to visibly seeing what amount he should be eating. Or weigh his food according to correct portion sizes for a week so you get a better idea.

Passthecherrycoke · 27/08/2019 17:02

Hi Op in a word, yes. But don’t panic! He should be the percentile below his height percentile, not on a equal percentile. I know this because D.C. was the same- 95th for weight and 91st for height. At their height they should’ve been 75th percentile for weight. I did loads of research and had this confirmed by a doctor

However the advice is not to put them on a diet. Just ensure they don’t gain any more weight and let them grow. When they’re slightly taller they’ll come out of the overweight category

I was so worried but it happened for us. Just limited treats and watched what they ate. Good luck!

MashedSpud · 27/08/2019 17:02

Get him involved in fun activities like swimming to help burn off calories.

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Anotherusefulname · 27/08/2019 17:03

How old is he?
I'm sure you are doing the best you can but speaking from experience I needed the letter to help me see my DS's solid little muscles were actually fat. And the fact he was born at 9lb + doesn't mean he should still have been chubby at 5.

EllebellyBeeblebrox · 27/08/2019 17:03

No you shouldn't be worried. I imagine that it will be from the school health/National Child Measurement Program team who will have done his height and weight in school. If he's 98th for both then you shouldn't worry, he's only a child still and it is based on BMI centiles which is a notoriously blunt tool for gauging heathy weight. As long as he's happy and healthy and active and eats a good variety I would bin the letter and not worry about it x

TillyTheTiger · 27/08/2019 17:06

My DS is exactly the same, 98th percentile for weight and height. But you can tell from looking at him that's he's not fat - he's robust, with a big head, wide shoulders, a broad chest and a big muscly bum and thighs, but you can see his ribs.
BMI doesn't take into account a child's frame - DS has a cousin the same age and height but a very slight narrow frame, he's about 2/3s DS's width so of course they aren't going to weigh the same!
If you're confident that your son has a healthy balanced diet and plenty of exercise then I wouldn't give it another thought.

FudgeBrownie2019 · 27/08/2019 17:06

Without seeing a child nobody can really make a judgement. I will say, though, that both DC here have always been on or over 97th centile for height and weight since they were born and I tend not to worry about them in comparison to average DC because they're just bigger DC.

My main concern is if they're active enough and getting enough of the right foods; mine are so I let it roll. DS1 is 13 and 6 foot 2 with size 13 feet. He does 5 types of sports each week on top of swimming and horse riding, so I know he's fit. If your DS eats well, is active and healthy I wouldn't panic.

Passthecherrycoke · 27/08/2019 17:06

Oh and in terms of activity they need quite a lot- we were able to start walking to nursery, about 2 miles a day- but only because I’m on maternity leave. Sadly before that they were driven everywhere. An evening walk around the block is a good idea if you can’t walk in the day

Raphael34 · 27/08/2019 17:07

I don’t know any fat child where the parents admit they’re fat. You’re taking on board recommendations instead of giving excuses. For your child to be above 95% they’d have to be morbidly obese. Do you honestly not know where you’re going wrong?

Mamamooligans · 27/08/2019 17:10

No. He is 98th for height and weight meaning he is perfectly in proportion.
If he was say 60th for height and 98th for weight that'd be different..I'd remind school he is 98th for both, meaning he's in bang on what he should be for his height!

dementedpixie · 27/08/2019 17:12

My ds got this letter at primary school too. He has rugby player legs and broad shoulders like his dad so I took little notice of it. He is now a couple of years older and his shape has changed as he starts puberty - he is now taller and slimmer without changing anything.

Original poster
Chopbob · 27/08/2019 17:18

He is 5 and like others above he has always followed the 98th percentile since birth. His head and frame are massive by comparison to his school friends- his last hat I bought was 11-14 years 😂 and I can see his ribs.

He does eat A LOT though so I think portion size might be the problem. He's always hungry! He eats as much as me!

He is getting plenty of exercise- plays football, swimming, horse riding plus walking to and from school and general day to day playing out etc.

I think a bit of portion control might be necessary!
It's so hard to gauge as my dd(3) is really tiny for her age but also eats the same as ds does but never grows/ puts on weight and she tracks the 2nd percentile- I will probably get the letter that she is underweight Confused

OP posts:
Passthecherrycoke · 27/08/2019 17:19

“For your child to be above 95% they’d have to be morbidly obese.”
@Raphael34 this is completely untrue. At 95% my child was overweight and had she weighed half a kilo less she would’ve been normal weight (albeit the top end of that)

You can’t make assumptions about what such calculations mean because they aren’t that straight forward

Singlenotsingle · 27/08/2019 17:22

Kids have growth spurts. They grow in height, then they seem to stop and consolidate. If he's getting plenty of exercise and eating healthily, I wouldn't worry too much.

haveuheard · 27/08/2019 17:22

Is he 5 or 11? I had this with my 5 year old, they had measured his height wrong. For his brother who is huge - I never got a letter. So I don't think the measuring is very accurate. At 5 a cm or two also makes a huge amount of difference to their BMI.

My eldest is about 95th for height and weight - he has a comparatively long body and short legs and spends most of the summer playing sport. He certainly isn't obese.

The % are only a guide.

Original poster
Chopbob · 27/08/2019 17:22

Nice bit of shaming there Raphael34

OP posts:
desperatesux · 27/08/2019 17:23

What does he weight ? The problem is that if you are fat as a child you have an 80% chance of being obese as an adult. My friends daughter weighed a stone for each year, 5 stone and 5, 6 stone at 6 etc , again she was tall "big boned" etc
She is enormous now, I mean huge - she does play a lot of sport but she just eats way too much. I feel sorry for her but imagine this will be a life long struggle now. At least you are tackling it early while you have control over every aspect of their diet

Original poster
Chopbob · 27/08/2019 17:24

Haveuheard, he has just turned 5

OP posts:
AppleKatie · 27/08/2019 17:28

I would weigh and measure him yourself to reassure you of the accuracy or not of the stats.

Then I would look at exercise. Deliberate (eg football club) and incidental (walking to the shop etc)

Chitarra · 27/08/2019 17:29

Now he's not a baby it's better to use child's BMI, which allows for height and weight in one number, rather than track his percentiles separately. Have a look at the NHS website and check it yourself. Maybe he's just borderline overweight?

www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/bmi-calculator/

You may find that some very small changes around treats and portion sizes could be enough to bring him back to a healthy BMI.

Original poster
Chopbob · 27/08/2019 17:30

He weighs 24kg and he is 118cm tall

OP posts:
Herocomplex · 27/08/2019 17:30

desperatesux how does she play a lot of sport if she is ‘enormous’? Sumo?

Passthecherrycoke · 27/08/2019 17:31

Children’s BMI calculator just gives you the percentiles though once you put in an age of 4 or 5 (or at least- the NHS one does for me?)

Jesse70 · 27/08/2019 17:33

Are u overweight? I'm just asking because sometimes bigger people don't realise and give their kids big portions and just don't notice it. I don't mean to be rude but maybe it's something u can do as a family and sort out your diet/portion sizes etc
Some people pile on the dress sizes and don't realise or care

Passthecherrycoke · 27/08/2019 17:33

The nhs calculator above comes out at 85 percentile normal for me when I use the measurements but obviously made up a DOB (also just realised I selected female child!)