To withdraw DD from being weighed at school?

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DH thinks I am making a big fuss about nothing.

I refused consent for DD to be weighed at school as I don't think its neccesary. I didn't make a fuss, just ticked the box saying that I did not give consent.

Actually, there is quite a strong link between being slim and being healthy.
Being even slightly overweight seems to be bad for us.

But it's hard sometimes. Just so much bloody food around.

Packed lunch is a particular annoyance of mine noble - I used to work in an office and would grab a sandwich from the local shop for lunch. I didn't also then have crisps/cake/yoghurt/cheese (and neither did the other adults in the office), so why do we feel the need to fill our kid's lunchboxes with crap when we, as grown ups, eat a comparitively small lunch of soup or a sandwich?

This then causes me angst in the supermarket when my kids start with the "so and so has cheese strings/crisps/lunchables/chocolate etc, why can't we". I want to tell them that they can't have them as they're unhealthy, but don't as I don't want them going back to so and so and telling them, and don't want them demonising certain foods and them taking on mythical status.

I know what you mean sibling I compromise by giving mine home made treats - they never have branded food in their lunchbox - it's all home made - even the bread - which they don't get very often .

How can a five year old child weigh 5 stone and not be overweight or obese?

A five stone 5 year old . My 12 year old weighs barely 6 stone...

A five stone 5 year old?? I missed that!
I'm only 9 stone and I'm 22 weeks pregnant

My sister's little girl is 5 and she weighs about 3 stone which is what I thought was quite normal?? I think looking at the child provides more information though as to whether they are are overweight than knowing the actual number of stones they weigh. Children of all ages develop at different stages and have different frames etc.

But, on the flip side, it amazes me that some parents look at their overweight children and genuinely don't think there is a problem. As has been said, people are losing sight of what is a healthy weight.

Here
and
here
are examples of children whose parents think are 'skinny' who are in fact overweight. Yes they don't look fat but neither are they skinny. These kids will be fat kids in 5 years time.

I am very glad they do thweigh in as it has highlighted the problem. at our school. We've just been given a big grant to try and promote sport and healthy eating as we are one of the fattest schools in the country.

I look at some of the poor year 6s with their rolls of flab, huffing an puffing on the way to school (or out the car more often than not) and think more needs to be done. They're fucked now. Their health, even if they lose weight can be irreversibly damaged. They do so little exercise and now hitting puberty are unlikely to pick it up, especially if a girl as the embarrassment factor kicks in.

More not less needs to be done by schools as some of the parents sure as hell arent doing enough.

Neither of those children are anything approaching skinny.
I loved the second one's quote, she loves fruit and veg as justification that she couldn't possibly have a weight issue.
I love fruit and veg too, and I'm not particularly skinny either...

I agree that they are certainly not skinny.

I don't think you can be sure that they will be fat in 5 years. They may well stay the same.

I can't believe those parents letting their children appear in the paper for such a piece. Then the dad saying she might get a eating disorder because of being weighed at school!

Those children both look a bit fat to me, even from a still photograph. If I were the parent I would most definitely take note and stop being so angry.

Did you read some of the comments as well, all saying the children are fine and it's the system that's at fault!

I think people get so angry about this is just because of the implied criticism of their parenting. Non of us are the perfect parent (I know I'm not), we all do things wrong even with the best intentions in the world.

As I said up thread I do sometimes feel worried that I'm not feeding my children enough when I look at the amount others eat. I guess the parents in the other camp, feeding a lot more that I do, wouldn't feel the same anxiety because they are not the ones doing anything differently, they are feeding the same amount as most people

I can't believe those parents letting their children appear in the paper for such a piece.

People often lose their brains when their 15 mins of fame is within their grasp.

I think you are perfectly within your rights to withdraw your daughter from the scheme, but I personally think it's a good thing to have these checks at school. I weigh my DS every 4 months and work out his BMI as we have several very overweight people in the family and I couldn't bear to see him suffer the same unhappiness. He is not a skinny child but well within the healthy range, which I find comforting. In the links above, the first child is clearly carrying too much weight on her frame. Many people simply can't 'see' their child impartially as they love them so much. I have a friend whose child is severely overweight but to her mum they are 'just a bit cuddly'.

As a school nurse, in my experience there is a number of parents who refuse consent for their child to be part of the NCMP. I think this is a shame for those in reception who miss out on the hearing test that is a part of it,'

I declined the weight check but had the hearing test so that isn't true.

'We ensure that the Year 6 children do not see the reading on the scale so are unaware of what they weigh and so won't be comparing notes etc.'

Not true in my school, all the kids were discussing their weights and saying who was 'biggest' and comparing. A boy at my friends school was crying because people were saying he would be 'the fattest'.

' I understand why people don't want their child to be obsessively worrying about their weight, however excluding them makes more of an issue of it in my opinion.'

My daughter had no idea of her weight but came straight home after getting the letter and weighed herself and worried about her weight for the first time. That's not healthy at all.

I refused for all 5 of mine. They are all normal size and i have no ned for someone to tell me if they are 'fat' or to tell me how to feed my kids (hate those patronizing yellow leaflets!!).

There is a girl in ds1's class, so aged 8 or 9 who is extremely overweight, to the point of wheezing when she even walks quickly, never mind running, which she can't do at all.
Her mother sees absolutely no issue with her size, and she's a school nurse employed by the local council.
Some people literally can't see things they'd rather not.

School nurses are employed by the nhs, not the local council.

She's sent to various schools on a rota provided by the local authority as far as I knew, but I've obviously got it wrong somewhere.

Do you kow what, it doesn't matter Floggingmolly
I have no idea why I felt the need to be so obstructively pedantic tbh.
I agree with the point you were making.
Sorry.

Only parents of fat children tick the 'no' box.

Are you speaking from personal experience LaGuardia?

I guess part of the problem is when you see someone every day you don't notice the subtle changes so you could easily miss the fact they are slipping from being a healthy weight into overweight - and by the time it is noticed often it is a lot harder to rectify. The two children in the articles above are exactly the children that such screening could help if the parents instead of getting up in arms sat back and looked at their childrens eating habits and activity levels and made even minor changes.

Only parents of fat children tick the 'no' box.

Very ignorant and sweeping statement.

Some parents may tick the no box if they are concerned their children are overweight.

Some parents may tick the no box because they would prefer not to have their child weighed and measured in school at a time when children may be getting preoccupied by weight.

Dd is firmly in the middle of the healthy BMI range. I have chosen for her not to be weighed/measured at school (she's year 6). I see no need.

It's ok, Amanda

Every parent thinks their child has a "healthy diet". Does anyone ever go "I feed my kid a load of old shite"?
No.
However, I went on a trip with 30 kids recently, and had a group of 5. 3 of my group seemed very tired and limp by 10 a.m, so I asked them all what they had had for breakfast. Cereal-all of them (cocoa pops/special K etc)
All of these children are from nice caring families from what I can tell, but clearly whoever is sorting their breakfast doesn't seem to realise that sugary cereal is not that healthy, and doesn't keep you going.
They need eggs or porridge with walnuts, or pancakes!
Agree with whoever was saying about all the snacks too (yourtoastmildred?). I mean, I let ds have a snack if he is starving after school and tea will be a while, but it's a glass of milk and an apple or something. I never did the Organix/cheese string doodads (mainly because they are expensive).
If you don't really buy packet/processed foods, and you buy raw veggies, rice, cheese, eggs, meat etc and make stuff, you will probably be healthy and a normal weight. I eat like this and only put weight on because I then pig put on the chocolate or wine-it's no mystery.