overweight toddlers for m&s

[wouldliketoknow]

i think i heard in the news this morning that marks and spencer is launching a range of large clothing for overweight toddlers, i thought the goal was to not have overweight toddlers,next tv add: no more need to keep an eye on your child's diet, just shop at m&s. they will have to change the name for m&ms, just to keep a theme. thoughs please, i find this quite disturbing.

Difficult one. I know what you mean about it not feeling quite right, but children of all shapes and sizes deserve comfortable clothes that fit properly. I guess M&S are just supplying a demand. No different than supplying larger size adult clothes.

Next already do a plus size for kids. Makes me feel a bit about it.. generally a big for age-but in proportion child will just need an older size clothes.. like Altinkum above's child... that is different from a child who is still the height of his peers but twice as wide.

I think making a plus size for overweight children simply encourages parents to feel it's ok... no tight waistbands to give a reality check.

I thought it was bigger school uniforms for children as young as 4, not outsized toddler clothes?

I'm assuming its because there is a demand for it? No one really wants their kids to get fat do they? So would anyone say to thier DC, "eat another big mac love! I want you to fit nicely into M&S outsize school uniform."

My DD is not overweight but is both tall and chunky and even though she isn't quite 3 yet, she wears clothes aged 4-5yrs.

I think you're overreacting alot a bit tbh.

I understand the point that we don't want to normalise obesity in youngsters, and I'm quite disturbed that the trousers for 4 year olds will have the same waist size as me!

On the other hand, it's really the job of parents and carers, with support from the government and society, to keep children fit and healthy, not Marks & Sparks. And it seems a little unfair to expect those youngsters to go around naked, or with larger sized clothes for older children, with sleeves and legs that are too long for them.

Sorry but if you think that by M&S having a plus size range of clothing for kids is going to encourage parents to ignore their childrens size and for them to stay overweight then you're a bit deluded IMOHO.
The reason a good proportion of kids are overweight is because their diet is neglected by the parents and nothing to do with large clothing being available.
However, there are times when clothing of that size if needed, due to disability, medical reasons etc so why not have clothes for them?

Mm hmm, as others have said, you can't expect the kids to go round naked. And you never know, the fact that their kids are wearing plus size clothing might be a wake-up call to some parents.

an article here

Don't blame the retailer, OP, M and S are responding to consumer wishes

Well kids are all different shapes, my eldest two cannot fit into jeans in their age/size, maybe they have a big bum or maybe children are built differently from adult and clothes manufacturers shouldn't just scale down their patterns.
I have another child who is 6 and still wearing 4-5 clothes from M&S so there's no rhyme or reason sometimes, just as I can be a 10 in Next and a 14 in KM

The sad thing is that it serves a demand. M&S are wisely catering to that demand; it's not up to them to control obesity levels! As kidsncatswine said, big-but-in-proportion children can usually wear clothes for older children - when I was 5, I sometimes wore age 7-8 clothing (I was very proud of it too).

I have actually bought next 'plus size' clothing for my normal sized but very short legged daughter! ie when she was 3 I bought 18mth - 2 yrs clothes so they would fit her in the leg and also more roomy than normal 18-2 waist.
All kids are different sizes and shapes so why not!!

Considering no one seems to be able to sew these days - they're at least providing an alternative to the buy a few sizes up and chop 6 inches off the bottom of the legs spectacle that used to be a regular feature in my house as a kid (my brother was larger because of medication - and surprisingly grew into an unscathed, very fit and active, normal weight adult).

I think it could be a good thing, I don't think it is good for kids to be overweight, but children do come in all shapes and sizes and there are plenty who are not overweight but have thicker waists and shorter legs. Also there are children who are overweight because of medical conditions so it would be ideal for them too.
I don't think that having or not having this range will do anything to change the number of obese children in this country, that is to do with lifestyle and culture!

Hmm, well a lot of clothing is already for larger children, I thought.
Supermarkets always sell trousers & skirts with those adjustable waistbands like maternity clothes have.
They are very uncomfortable IMO.
I wish there was more choice for tall skinny children.

I do feel for "well-developed" girls too. There were a few girls in my class who had full-on bosoms at 11yo. They had a v hard time finding shirts, blazers etc.

M&S are a business. Their raison d'être is to make money.

Not to be the arbiters of healthy eating and a decrease in obesity in the UK.

Why would anyone think otherwise?

Basic economics - supply and demand.

And as for normalising obesity - the day I end up in the overweight toddler section buying clothes for my child is the day I get a massive wake-up call.

Went to town the other day it was full of fat toddlers, teenagers and adullts really obese too, so I suppose they do all have to wear something but very sad imo, for the little ones because you dread to think what impending health issues they will have in later life.

I agree that they're just supplying a demand. That is where the buck stops with them - I can't see how it will encourage obesity, unless the clothes are going to be so much nicer than the standard sizes, or you get free McDonalds voucher with them.

may I add though, my daughter is just 8 but wears age 10 Ms dresses because she is very tall, so would she be classed as oversize, she is just very tall and slim though.

Having struggled through my DD's younger years to find clothes to fit - good on M&S... DD was a big9ish) baby, and always looked older/larger than her age. It was sole destroying watching her try to fit into clothes & shoes for her 'age' when there was no hope! (the most embarrassing - for her - was boots.. made by a well known shoe manufacturer, in her shoe size, but the calf was waaayyy to skinny for her legs and guess what they were all wearing at school that winter!)..

She's now a healthy developing teenager and nowhere near obese .. but between about 6-9 years she was very hard to dress without going into clothing that was too 'old' for her in look (another issue altogether).. (and without giving her a complex of wanting to diet to fit stuff ... good grief it's hard being a child!)

Kids, like adults come in all shapes and sizes - totally support M & S for seeing this and offering different sizes - only wish they done this sooner!

I wish that more retailers supplied more size options,

but my problem is that my DS's are so skinny that all the trousers just fall off them, even the ones with adjustable waists and elasticated waists. And putting a belt on trousers makes the trousers difficult for them to get down (am potty training).
Shorts are usually my only option - I ended up buying shorts size 12-18mths this summer even though they are 3.5yrs!

besides not all children end up the same body shape when they are adults, many skinny children become fatter and vice versa.

I find M&S clothes come up small anyway. If dd has ever had anything from there it's been a couple of ages older than she is.

I think it's a slippery slope.

It's one thing needing bigger clothes for a child that is generally taller and broader than their peers, but making the clothes the same length but much bigger around the waist/hips/thighs is beginning to normalise fatness.

I have a hard time finding trousers to fit DD2 as she's in nappies at age 6.5 so will probably end up buying her these clothes from M&S ironically!

My dd2 is 10 she wears size 16 childrens clothing but is not overweight just very tall and like myself has a large bone structure. She does 3 different sports and whilst she classifies as overweight for her age when you work out her BMI she is bang on in the middle. She is just very tall for her age. Luckilly her best friend is similar sizing so she doesnt feel completely out of it.

but she is 10 I would dearly love to be able to buy clothes that is suitable for a 10 year old. We end up buying her way more expensive brands than I do any of my othe 3 simply to be able to dress her in clothing that I dont feei so to out of her age.

I would love to be able to go to M&S to buy her clothing even if it was socalled "overweight" it would be age appropriate