Overweight children

[netherlee]

My OH owns a small clothes shop that has lots of childrens stuff (schoolwear, brownie/cub, sports, fashion clothes etc.). He said recently he is rather irked at the number of parents who comment that they have to buy larger sizes (eg age 9-10 for a 7 year old). Sites like M&S are similarly strewn with such comments. The sizes are all in line with average sizes of children or slightly bigger, but of course he doesn't retort that the real problem is the child is overweight. He has also had at least one child needing a smaller size because they are very healthy (usually a very sporty child who is careful with what they eat). Its a lose lose.

So are we BU to think parents should just watch childrens health a little more rather than moan to shop staff just doing their job?

I totally agree, those damn greedy kids who eat so much their legs grow long!

Totally agree with you op

My DS is really skinny. He's not tall either but I often find clothes for his age are too small depending on the shop.

I think your post is goady, good luck.

I do get bored with vilifying fat people - isn't it somone elses turn tonight?

Short people? I don't like 'em - shortist fuckers, buying kids clothes and shoes, avoiding VAT, bastards, depriving the economy of tax. Put 'em on racks I say! stretch 'em out and make 'em buy the right sized clothes for their age.

He gets annoyed because parents pass comment?

I think he might be in the wrong job.

My son is like a rake - bean pole, ribs sticking out, bones on show. But he is very tall for his age.....surely clothes ought to fit children, rather than children being criticised for not fitting your clothes. Yes, there are overweight children but IMO some makes have not kept up with larger, healthier, taller children. Other makes (Mackays) are useless UNLESS you have a large waist. Surely, if a shop stocks a range of makes they should make an effort to have a range of sizes for different shapes. After all, you can't sell someone something if it doesn't fit them.

YABU - many children are sizes above their age because of height or long-ness. DD is 6 but in age 8 clothes. She is below average weight for her ages but above average height. She looks silly I need own age clothes a the arms and legs are too short.

Buying above is not necessarily because of being overweight.

Oh, and also, I find cheaper clothes and those made abroad are usually smaller ( shorter and tighter) than those made in UK.

If they sized childrens clothes rather than aged them - no one would be commenting

Or perhaps its because children come in different shapes and sizes?

DS is 3 but still in 18-24 month clothes for no other reason than he is short and thin but perfectly in proportion.

My nephew is 4 and in age 6-7 clothes. He is VERY tall (off the centile charts) and yet only on the 75th centile for weight.

Needing clothes which don't translate exactly with your age doesn't mean a child is too fat or too thin necessarily. Just not following the exact lines that the 'proffesionals' say they should.

Does he sell shit clothes OP?

I ask as its places that sell shit overpriced tat that usually comes up small on my dc's

That may be the solution Hollyberrybush. Although items come from suppliers and are labelled as such.

We aren't really talking tall or short, that's different.

"Passing comment" was being diplomatic. Some are actually quite rude.

My daughter is 5, and age 5 clothes are too big on the waist and to short on the leg, shes slender and long legged, i cant help that.

Holly I'm short,5" but I live in Ireland where there is vat on children's clothes and shoes so you can like me

Your OH needs to adapt to the customers needs if he wants to stay in business. If 25% of his target audience is overweight then it makes logical sense to cater for them as well as those who are average.

Yabu. Every child is different.

However, I do have to say that when I was at school there was not one single overweight child in my class. There was one in the whole school and the poor thing was bullied badly. In my sons class there are at least 10 overweight kids. So I do think children are getting bigger, but running a kids clothing shop this should t make any difference to you.

I hate seeing parents letting their kids get fat BUT children are naturally different shapes and sizes. There will always be a large proportion of kids much taller, shorter, bulkier, skinnier than 'average', that's genetics.

I think the problem is in how clothing is labelled, why not just size with height and waist. There is just as much stigma buying clothing a size smaller. The healthy weight/ height range in any age group is too big for one size fits all.

My Ds never had any fat but is broad boned and had difficulty getting trousers to fit his waist for a while. Dd was opposite and even elasticated waist would sometimes fall off her. Both of them always on a similar centile for weight and height.

DD1 is a healthy weight on the BMI and centile charts.

Shes 4 and wears age 5-6 from Asda. 6-7 in some other stores.

YABU.

I was tall for my age so was always in clothes a few years ahead of my age. I was however a food avoider and quite substantially underweight. So it's not just the chubsters that need to go up a size or two.

Oh man. I have a chubby baby... 14 months old, loves her food and we only offer her healthy things to eat. Threads like this make me want to cry....

I know everyones children are perfect and all terribly healthy my 2 teenagers - one is 6'2", and absolutely an anorexic looking 11 stone, he might chunk up over Christmas to 12 stone, and the other is 6'3" and a massive 17 stone. I have to buy from the fat mans outsize retailers shop for him - because he plays sport, only got a 36 waist but I have to buy 42's to get enough material round his thighs otherwise the crotch would split every time he sat down and his nads would be dangling in school.

People are very different shapes and sizes. FWIW the pair of them can fridge raid for an olympic event and shovel food. Neither of them carry any fat. One is like a butchers pencil, the other is a muscle bound hulk.

Yabu and so is your OH

Wouldn't it be so much easier if childrens clothes were all sized by measurements. Its so much easier to find clothes that fit if they tell you the chest size, waist size (or range of for ajustable waists) and leg length then parents could select the items that fit their child. That would reduce the number of complaints. You are right though Op they abu to complain that the correct aged clothes don't fit their child.

If the children are overweight and the parents are complaining about small clothes then they are being utterly ridiculous and should be judged (they should be judged not the children)

However, your OH is being a dick to turn this into an every child who needs lager clothes is fat problem and needs a serious attitude adjustment or a new job.

Children don't come in average sizes. You are being odd..... DS 1 is 14, and has always been lithe but he plays rugby and is muscular so child 'sized' trousers are no use he wears adult jeans / trousers. He is not large by anyone's standards. DS2 is 3 and wears age 4-5 because he is tall.

Same as a size 12 in one shop will not fit every woman who is usually a size 12.

The complaints need forwarding to manufacturers so they size clothe by actual measurements and put us all out of our misery. Well done for the assumption the child MUST be overweight not to fit the average sized clothes.