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Government wanting to weigh children

348 replies

birthdaybelle · 11/08/2020 07:28

Anyone see this on Jeremy Vine this morning? Loads of backlash (rightly so!) about children's mental health and eating disorders etc. But what stands out to me is another bloody bashing of every day people trying to feed their kids on meagre wages or benefits.

More shame piled on to us because on top of everything else, our kids are fat.

OP posts:
Emsi77 · 11/08/2020 20:40

Fuck off...Joe wicks...fuck you Bo Jo...people are dealing with real shit and just because BO JO had some sort of ephiphany in hospital!!! The whole of the UK are now suffering for his 'I'm shaking hands with coronavirus patients?' ffs

Gancanny · 11/08/2020 20:44

What is a safe food? How could a macdonald become one of these? A safe food must be something that they have initally been given by their parents?

When a child has food issues and the list of what they will eat dwindles - if there was even anything on the list to begin with - you try all sorts of different foods from all sorts of different sources. For some parents this will include processed foods and fast food because when you're worried and desperate you try every option.

DS was on milk only until around 8 or 9 months of age because everything offered was rejected after the initial first taste. By the time he was 18 months old he would only eat mushed up Weetabix, bananas, sweetcorn, and yoghurt. With many years of work he now, aged almost 7, eats Weetabix, peanut butter sandwiches (smooth only, white bread only), plain chicken, chicken dippers, plain pasta, plain baked potato, cucumber, and sweetcorn and that's it. He will very occasionally tolerate a Yorkshire pudding or some green pepper. He takes daily vitamin supplements and has milk to up his calories but is underweight for his age, he's on the 2nd centile for weight and 50th for height. His three year old sibling recently overtook him in weight by a whole 1lb.

As well as the restrictions on what he eats he also has rules around food such as foods can't touch, they have to be served at room temperature as he won't eat anything hot, no sauce, no flavourings or seasoning, specific plate, specific cutlery, and so on.

It is worrying, tiring, and you don't know how hard it is until you've been through it. He will literally go days without food if there is nothing acceptable to eat. If a parent has a child with food issues but that child will eat McDonalds then of course they're going to offer it.

BadlyArrangedToasties · 11/08/2020 21:00

My son and daughter had eyes tested in reception and ears in year one. All schools in our council arranged for these tests.

WorraLiberty · 11/08/2020 21:03

@Emsi77

Fuck off...Joe wicks...fuck you Bo Jo...people are dealing with real shit and just because BO JO had some sort of ephiphany in hospital!!! The whole of the UK are now suffering for his 'I'm shaking hands with coronavirus patients?' ffs
They're dealing with 'real shit' as opposed to the 'pretend shit', which is childhood obesity?

I can understand you disliking the Prime Minister as people tend to dislike them for a whole host of different reasons but what has Joe Wicks done that's worthy of a 'Fuck off'? Confused

40andginger · 11/08/2020 21:11

Sirzy/gancanny

I find it very scary that children who need help cannot get it especially if they are being kept alive by medical intervention because they won't eat
I'm assuming there are groups for people like you sirzy and your DC situation to get some form of help

Bland foods maybe the go to but they can still be made at home and made as nutritionous as you can get away with!
Alot of kids are fussy about how they eat their food also not just autistic children and alot can be trial and error
And no I wouldnt give mine a macdonalds but we are plant based and she wouldn't dream of eating a cow anyway! she understands where food comes from and with the rise of plant based food trend I'm hoping as a nation we all get a bit healther unfortunately the junk food is still there no matter what your preference

AllWashedOut · 11/08/2020 21:28

Schools and GPs in France weigh children regularly and BMI is monitored. I don't think they have more anorexia than the UK?

pigcon1 · 11/08/2020 21:32

We were all weighed, foot check, nit check at the start of each term at school. It didn’t feel intrusive.

1moreRep · 11/08/2020 21:35

obesity is a killer, over feeding your child is a form of abuse.

I don't understand how people refuse to accept this.

Neglecting your duty as a parent to promote their heath and fitness is neglect, pure and simple.

there's are huge problems with the minimum wage and the cost of healthy food. This is a factor but not an excuse.

As a mum of 2 now girls i have been a single parent, working full time and had very little money but i managed to keep their meals healthy and ensured they exercised daily.

It's a sad fact that people don't value their health or take responsibility for it.

Mumratheevergiving · 11/08/2020 21:39

@Emsi77

Oh so it's okay to shame the parent as long as the child never hears it from them! Shame on the government. Of course it's aimed at parents on low incomes who are trying to make good decisions for their children. Thank god I left the UK years ago...calorie counting and fat shaming kids via their parents!! Ffs, are things not bad enough right. Jesus. Allowing your kids to get weighed..you should tell your kids that the school don't give a shit about you..not now, not ever. Jesus.
Except it’s not shaming the parents is it? It’s a factual report, akin to an eye test report. Do you disapprove of academic reports being sent home too?

Honestly I cannot fathom the responses from people up in arms about this. If you think there’s an element of ‘shaming’ involved then that implies you realise there is something wrong when children are falling out of the healthy body weight /height ratio. The primary carers for those children are the people who can turn it around for the children. Isn’t it better that they are alerted to this and that some may make changes for the health and well-being of their children?

Nobody wants to hear their child is fat which is why so many posters mention obese children that we know (neighbours. Friends, family) but it’s a taboo subject in real life.

BogRollBOGOF · 11/08/2020 21:39

@40andginger

Sirzy/gancanny

I find it very scary that children who need help cannot get it especially if they are being kept alive by medical intervention because they won't eat
I'm assuming there are groups for people like you sirzy and your DC situation to get some form of help

Bland foods maybe the go to but they can still be made at home and made as nutritionous as you can get away with!
Alot of kids are fussy about how they eat their food also not just autistic children and alot can be trial and error
And no I wouldnt give mine a macdonalds but we are plant based and she wouldn't dream of eating a cow anyway! she understands where food comes from and with the rise of plant based food trend I'm hoping as a nation we all get a bit healther unfortunately the junk food is still there no matter what your preference

I do give my children McDonalds because when he was a baby with multiple food allergies, it was a safe, accessible, reliably allergen-free source of food when out. We still go because with his autism, he appreciates the predictability of the environment and food quality. No one appreciates a 9 year old melting down in a naice cafe because it's a bit echoey, or the food that he was expecting to like has the wrong texture. (Moot point to this thread as he has ribs like a xylophone, an enviable 6 pack abdomen and a decent 5k pb at parkrun)

Polarising plant based as gold standard and McDonalds as bad is part of society's messed up attitude to food. While McDonalds would be far from great as a standard for every meal mainly for being lacking in fruit/ veg than an absence or excess of macro nutrients, it's fine within an over all balanced diet. They also upsell fruit bags, so there is an option and have options for water, fruit juice and milk.
A large proportion of children I see there are of healthy build and in sports kits indicating time as a factor in the choice to go.

Most people are aware of what they're getting at McDonalds, it's more that much of the hospitality sector, especially at the affordable end it little better. A lot of DCs would appreciate more variety and veg on the usual, predictable children's menus.

Emsi77 · 11/08/2020 21:47

Yes I do...academic reports..I really do. Hey a grip. The world is currently in free fall or haven't you noticed? Let's avert the world from the current crisis onto something more palatable....hey I know....'uk parents are fucking negligent!! Feeding their kids all sorts of shit...oh jesus...: They've done a job on all of you and you don't even see it! They have fucked up the covid 19 response but hey let's look at fat kids, negligent parents! A good time to bury bad news.

Choochoose · 11/08/2020 21:49

Of course it's aimed at parents on low incomes who are trying to make good decisions for their children.

I am so curious at why people seem to think that the only overweight children are from low income households. Every thread on MN about obesity there are all of the stereotypes trotted out, that they are uneducated, lazy, cannot get to a supermarket, can't cook, can't afford anything decent. There are children across all income households who are carrying excess weight, some it is because the parents have no idea they are, through to those who have complex physical or emotional reasons which won't be solved by just weighing, it would require actual initiatives etc to make a difference. It's not all about money though, and it's not all the government's fault just as it's not all parents' fault. But blaming the other means that neither feel compelled to do anything.

Mumratheevergiving · 11/08/2020 22:05

@Emsi77

Yes I do...academic reports..I really do. Hey a grip. The world is currently in free fall or haven't you noticed? Let's avert the world from the current crisis onto something more palatable....hey I know....'uk parents are fucking negligent!! Feeding their kids all sorts of shit...oh jesus...: They've done a job on all of you and you don't even see it! They have fucked up the covid 19 response but hey let's look at fat kids, negligent parents! A good time to bury bad news.
Emsi77 I can categorically say that I think the Government have performed poorly on their handling of this crisis.

I also think childhood obseity is a problem that needs tackling (before, during and after the pandemic).

Honestly, the Government are not going to bury the bad news of the Covid death rate, shortages in PPE, abandoning quarantine and tracing early, allowing mass gatherings to go ahead, introducing lockdown late, Covidiot Cummings, ill-preparedness for economic response in a crisis etc...by measuring children and sending their parents a factual letter.

Two problems that co-exist, neither will cancel out the other.

Roswellconspiracy · 11/08/2020 22:10

They've done a job on all of you and you don't even see it! They have fucked up the covid 19 response but hey let's look at fat kids

Obesity is a risk factor with covid

We cant control underlying conditions. You cant control other people. You can control how much food you give your kid and reduce one of the risk factors

40andginger · 11/08/2020 22:29

Bogrollbogoff

Macdonald is not healthy
Allergies! That's the worst excuse I've heard for giving your kids shit food

I don't care what people eat but they need to take responsibility for their children and give them the best start they can! And a plant based diet reduces obesity amongst other things

WorraLiberty · 11/08/2020 22:30

@Emsi77

Yes I do...academic reports..I really do. Hey a grip. The world is currently in free fall or haven't you noticed? Let's avert the world from the current crisis onto something more palatable....hey I know....'uk parents are fucking negligent!! Feeding their kids all sorts of shit...oh jesus...: They've done a job on all of you and you don't even see it! They have fucked up the covid 19 response but hey let's look at fat kids, negligent parents! A good time to bury bad news.
But what has Joe Wicks done wrong?
Emsi77 · 11/08/2020 22:48

Nothing Joe wicks, I really like you. It's not about you, it's just the ' watch a Joe wicks video with your kids and be a responsible parent'...it's not Joe wicks at all. I'm taking my thoughts elsewhere. This thread is for people who want to blame the neighbours, the parent in line at school... not the real source of the problem...the sugar industry, the dairy industry, big pharma...nevermind, keep fighting amongst yourselves, blaming each other, that's exactly what the point is.

rumpleteaserspaws · 11/08/2020 22:49

@Emsi77 what has Joe Wicks done wrong? Confused

losenotloose · 11/08/2020 23:01

@Emsi77 I agree with you about the sugar industry, big pharma etc but people also need to take responsibility for themselves.

Emsi77 · 11/08/2020 23:03

Weigh your kids yourself at home. For gods sake don't tell them what you are doing though. A kid shouldn't see a scale until the are over 21. Why let a school do it. Can you control the look on the nurses face when she weighs them in...can you control the look on your own face.??

losenotloose · 11/08/2020 23:05

@Emsi77 what do you think the answer is then?

Roswellconspiracy · 11/08/2020 23:05

This thread is for people who want to blame the neighbours, the parent in line at school... not the real source of the problem...the sugar industry, the dairy industry, big pharma...nevermind, keep fighting amongst yourselves, blaming each other, that's exactly what the point is

The dairy, big pharma and sugar industry are not going to peoples houses, holding them at gunpoint and funnel feeding them KFC and cans of monster.

Now as questionable as the ethics of all these peope are, parents are still choosing to drive 400 yards to school, turn up at the gates with bottles of coke and a king size Mars bar and "treat them" to a chippy tea.

Mumratheevergiving · 11/08/2020 23:16

Emsi wouldn't it be more positive to view it as change needed rather than blame? I would like to live in a society where the number of obese children is shrinking not growing.

Childrens health comes in part from the type of society they are growing up in but also in part from their immediate surroundings and carers. To improve the situation effectively BOTH need to make changes. The Government's strategy is here and will address labeling and advertising:
www.gov.uk/government/publications/tackling-obesity-government-strategy/tackling-obesity-empowering-adults-and-children-to-live-healthier-lives

If I got one of those letters to tell me my child was overweight I'd like to think I'd get them more active and curb some of the calories. It wouldn't really help my child or their future if I made no changes to their diet or routine but I wrote an angry email to Cadburys telling them that their bogofs had made my child obese.

WorraLiberty · 11/08/2020 23:55

A kid shouldn't see a scale until the are over 21.

Oh turn in the drama for goodness sake. Kids love playing with scales and weighing everything from a bag of flour to the cat.

I gave birth to my kids, not the sugar industry, the dairy industry or anyone else.

Therefore it's up to me to make sure I don't overfeed them and see they get enough exercise. It's not up to anyone else.

VettiyaIruken · 12/08/2020 02:05

@WorraLiberty

A kid shouldn't see a scale until the are over 21.

Oh turn in the drama for goodness sake. Kids love playing with scales and weighing everything from a bag of flour to the cat.

I gave birth to my kids, not the sugar industry, the dairy industry or anyone else.

Therefore it's up to me to make sure I don't overfeed them and see they get enough exercise. It's not up to anyone else.

You mean you don't have the Cadbury heavy mob breaking down your door, tying you up then making you watch helplessly as they feed your kids a wheelbarrow full of dairy milk?
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