To tell my HV I will NOT restrict DS's food intake

[thefuturesnotourstosee]

we've just come home from DS's one year HV check. DS has alwiays been a big baby and today he measured the 99th centile for both weight and height.

HV told me he was overweight and I should restrict his food intake. I told her I wanted to talk to the GP about this as I disagreed with her and she told me "he should be no higher than the 80th centile, you're clearly overfeeding him its obvious you don't need the doctor to tell you that".

I politely told her Id seek a second opinion scooped up DS and walked out.

Had his weight and height been substantially out of proportion I may have engaged but I don't think there's a problem. AIBU?

Did she calculate his bmi? There are instructions in the newer red books for dong this. If what you have written is what she said, then it wounds like she needs retraining, both in using the measures and communications.

She's an idiot.

Also, can u tell us the actual numbers and his exact age?

Yanbu, seems fairly self explanatory if the height and weight are roughly in line your child is tracking normally but see stories like this on here all the time.

how mad, I'd want a different health visitor in future.

I wouldn't even bother with a gp appointment.

It sounds like he is following is own line on the charts.

Why don't you put his stats in the NHS BMI calculator (too lazy to link) and tell her she is talking out of her arse.

If every child was below the 80th centile there would be no centiles above there would there? She is wrong to say all children need to be below that. The fact that his length is on the same centile means he is in proportion really.
It wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion, but do not reduce your childs food intake unless a GP / paediatrician tells you to.

No, she was a twat. At 12 months old, even if he was on the 50th for height and the 98th for weight, I wouldn't be restricting intake (aussuming of course the diet being offered is a good one, not mashed up mcdonalds )12 bloody months!

I thought they were only concerned if there were more than 2 centiles between height and weight. So she is wrong.

THat is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard and demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the percentile system! By definition, a minimum of 19 of the children she sees out of every 100 should be above the 80th percentile! And if he's in proportion, what on earth is the issue? Ignore ignore ignore.

Has he always been on the 99 centile? His weight seems to be balanced with his height, what she says about him needing to be on or below the 80 centile sounds ridiculous given his height. Get him checked out by your gp just to be on the safe side.

What a ridiculous thing to say - so she's saying no one should be above 80th percentile - Er no she clearly doesn't understand percentiles - if everyone was 80% or less then 80% wouldn't be 80% - it would be 100%!! Maybe a problem if the height and weight are vastly out (and that's still just a maybe) but if both tracking then she's talking our of her arse!

As long as it follows a general curve you've nothing to worry about. Some babies have to be in the upper centile and some babies have to be in the lower centile.

No baby/child should ever be restricted with food as long as they eat a balanced diet and are active.

Ignore her. I'd go to the GP but only to flag the idiocy of this HV, not to ask for advice.

HV is an idiot. V depressing you see so much of this sort of rubbish advice. A everyone has said, he is tracking a centile which is just fine.

Sounds like madness, but possibly a good time for you to think about what he does eat and if it is too much/wrong things?

What everyone else said!

Worth mentioning his activity levels too. Not uncommon for children to be chunky just before they start walking. Then just watch them change.

Your DS sounds like he's in proportion but I certainly would be reluctant to reduce food intake in a toddler who is about to become very active.

Ds3 was off the chart for weight and height at his year check, the hv wasn't concerned.

He started off right at the bottom at a tiny 4lb 4

He's still huge now at 2.5. We've just had to buy him a new carseat as he's too big for his 0-4 year one

87cm and 28 pounds IIRC (red book in car with dp)

He crawls and pulls to standing but not walking yet

He mainly eats what we eat. Fruit, fish, meat, veg, cereal, pasta, potatoes. Family food really. Odd pudding here and there. He's still breastfed for milk.

Restricting food for a one year old? Bonkers. You know your DS, if he's always been a big baby and seems fine to you, carry on doing what you're doing.

Ignore her, someone I worked with got told at a clinic that her daughter was going to be 6 1/2 to 7 foot as an adult! They put up screens around her when breaking the news, her DD is now in her 20s and 5 ft 7

She is talking rubbish.
Both my boys were the same, they were EBF and both had reflux yet they stayed above the 95th centile until they were walking. Truly they were fat babies.
Now both teenagers and well over 6' tall they both weigh 10.5 stone so skinny.

Depends. Are you over feeding him and is he overweight?

If no to both , then ignore her. If yes, then you need to take her advice.

Ignore her!!

I panicked a little when ds shot up to the 75th centile (I am overweight & kind of sensitive about my dc's following me) but HV said not to worry & that's what the centiles are there for.. Babies & toddlers weight will go up & down within those lines depending on lots of factors.. & that as long as ds gets a balanced healthy diet then it doesn't matter where they are on the chart.