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Original poster

Shit, my kids are nearly overweight.

102 replies

Rainallnight · 06/08/2020 18:50

2 and 4. Thought four year old was looking bigger after lockdown so got the tape measure and the scales out, ran it all through a NHS calculator and she is only just within ‘healthy’ weight.

I never thought I would be that person.

Need to nip it in the bud right now.

Don’t know why I’m posting, really. Just wanted to offload as can’t tell friends.

OP posts:

Helpimfalling · 06/08/2020 18:52

Ok so just within healthy weight is okay and not too bad to pull any unhealthy eating habits back without making her aware.

Just don't make her aware please

slipperywhensparticus · 06/08/2020 18:52

she is still a healthy weight so no need to worry chances are just due a growth spurt unless you have been ramping up the fruit shoots and maccies

WorraLiberty · 06/08/2020 18:52

Well done for discovering it now instead of sticking your head in the sand.

No doubt many posters will tell you not to worry as they'll get growth spurts. They may well do but why would you want to take that chance?

PineappleUpsideDownCake · 06/08/2020 18:53

Sooooo you're panicking that your child is a healthy weight?

PineappleUpsideDownCake · 06/08/2020 18:54

Have you been in more with lcokdown? I think a lot of kids have been less active but now theyre going out more will lose it.

StrawberryScentedThings · 06/08/2020 18:54

Don't beat yourself up.

They are still healthy. They have been fed and taken care of. You just need to work on the treats and portions for a little while.

MamaDane · 06/08/2020 18:56

Glad to hear you're aware of it, OP. Like other posters have said, don't let them know but make changes to their diet.

Ricekrispie22 · 06/08/2020 18:57

I’m sure lots of people are in the same boat. The kids are at home all day and snacking becomes a habit. All soft play are shut, not every outdoor playground is open yet, and other outdoor activities/National Trust sites etc... you have to book for. It’s understandable. At least you’ve realised and presumably you’re going to do something about it.
Don’t stress too much. If she starts school in September, she’ll loose some of the excess weight - she won’t be able to snack all day, and snacks in KS1 are fruit. She’ll be running around during play times and have regular PE lessons.

elfycat · 06/08/2020 19:00

Don't panic, they'll have a growth spurt at some point and stretch out. What you need to do now is focus on healthy eating and increase activity - It's probably the Covid-lack-of-running-around that's caused weight to build up.

No diet, just healthy eating for a while

hippohector · 06/08/2020 19:04

My son has always been at the top end of the healthy range, always - even when he was born.
He is a teen now and is still the same. By comparison to his three stepbrothers he eats way less - both in portion size and he has way less junk food too - yet somehow he is the heaviest.
I just make sure he eats a well-rounded healthy diet, has the odd treats, and we try to make exercise fun.
I absolutely believe a lot of it is down to genetics.
Keep an eye on your DC, be aware of the food they consume and exercise as a family.

kerfuffling · 06/08/2020 19:11

@PineappleUpsideDownCake

Sooooo you're panicking that your child is a healthy weight?

Oh no!!! Much better to wait until the child is obese and then panic.

ArriettyJones · 06/08/2020 19:36

If their diet is reasonable, don’t tamper with it.

You just need to exercise the DC as though they were Labradors.

Bananabread8 · 06/08/2020 19:39

Don’t use BMI for kids. My child had a letter from school saying he is over weight.... he is not at all. You will know if your child is over weight. Clothes sizes will indicate this for a start.

WorraLiberty · 06/08/2020 19:44

@Bananabread8

Don’t use BMI for kids. My child had a letter from school saying he is over weight.... he is not at all. You will know if your child is over weight. Clothes sizes will indicate this for a start.

You mean the clothes sizes that are often completely different from one shop to another and are bigger now than they were years ago?

Many parents don't have a clue their kids are overweight as they're so used to seeing them. Sometimes it takes something like what the OP has done, to open their eyes.

cleanermam92 · 06/08/2020 19:46

Change their diets and get some more exercise but don’t make them aware you’re changing their diets

teablanket · 06/08/2020 19:48

@Bananabread8

Don’t use BMI for kids. My child had a letter from school saying he is over weight.... he is not at all. You will know if your child is over weight. Clothes sizes will indicate this for a start.

I've heard similar things from a lot of friends. The only issue is, their kids are visibly overweight, the parents just don't see it.

My DS has gained weight during lockdown. All sports/scouting activities are cancelled, he's no longer walking the 3 mile round trip to school every day, and it all adds up. Better that we notice it now while it's easy to handle, rather than 10st down the line.

Bananabread8 · 06/08/2020 19:48

Only in MN land people claim they are a size 12 in X shop and a size 16 in X shop....
to be honest there is quite a big difference from a size 12 to a size 16. Clothes shops do sometimes vary BUT not to that extreme well not until I read that on here anyway.

Blackbear19 · 06/08/2020 19:52

@Bananabread8

Don’t use BMI for kids. My child had a letter from school saying he is over weight.... he is not at all. You will know if your child is over weight. Clothes sizes will indicate this for a start.

Assuming the Op has used a kids BMI tracker that takes into account age and sex, she's done the right thing.

Some clothes sizing for kids is huge. And I'd think most kids would be obese before they can't get clothing to fit.

Blackbear19 · 06/08/2020 19:56

You mean the clothes sizes that are often completely different from one shop to another and are bigger now than they were years ago?

I know vanity sizing is a thing in women's clothing. Do you think it's happened with kids too?
Might explain why I struggle to get stuff to fit my slender 9 yo. I wouldn't even look at places like M&S or Asda for things like underwear and PJs that don't adjust.

ArriettyJones · 06/08/2020 19:57

I’m not so sure @Bananabread8

Every so often a study is done or an article written and they always seem to find wild discrepancies between - or within - brands.

time.com/how-to-fix-vanity-sizing/

cancelculturemeinyellow · 06/08/2020 20:04

Lots of children are fat these days. It's a well recorded epidemic. I think it's great that you as a parent are looking after their health in this way. I wish my parents had helped me have a better relationship with food.

Saying things like "we have peas with this meal because that's good for keeping our skin healthy" (vitamin C) or "shall we have a banana as a snack? Banana has potassium in it which is good for XYZ." I find is a much better approach in developing a relationship with food which is about what food can do for us rather than limiting certain foods. Better than just telling them to eat less or whatever. Obviously yours are very young but something to consider in the future.

I think so many children are fat that most people have lost sight of what a healthy weight looks like.

Outdoor play, scooters, bike-rides, long walks in nature, play parks (when open). Many activities are free or cheap and kids love them.

Good luck op

Bananabread8 · 06/08/2020 20:04

I’m not arguing that you can be between 2 sizes of course you can. But there’s no way your a size 12 and then your having to buy a size 16. I think people must be delusional about there size in the first place if that’s the case. Clothes sizes are not that far out.

vanillandhoney · 06/08/2020 20:11

@Bananabread8

The labels in my wardrobe must be all wrong, then.

I wear size 10's in some brands and size 14's in others. But of course I must be lying

AriettyHomily · 06/08/2020 20:15

Mine are a bit older but they definitely packed on weight in lockdown. It's come off again now that they are able to be more active.

Original poster

Rainallnight · 06/08/2020 20:20

Thanks for all the replies and for being kind. I half though I’d get slated.

Yes, it’s absolutely lockdown, with lack of movement and too much snacking. Also - and not excusing myself here, just explaining - my DM died a couple of weeks into lockdown and my DF had died not long before that, so I was having a horrendous time. DP was working like the clappers upstairs and I was on my own with the DC downstairs, grieving like mad, and I definitely got softer about snacks and treats because it gave me ten minutes peace and a sit down.

Also, my DM’s iPad came home from the hospice and I began to let DD watch cartoons etc on it - again for peace - which we had never ever done before. So the sheer extra sitting that comes with screen time is definitely a factor too.

I get the arguments about growth spurts etc but I do believe, as some posters have said, that obesity is an epidemic and it would be all too easy to put my head in the sand and wake up one morning with fat kids, and with the life long health issues that entails.

@Bananabread8 and @Blackbear19 Yes, it’s a kids’ tracker on the NHS website which is based more on centiles, I think.

@Ricekrispie22 Yes, I think school will be super helpful.

OP posts:

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