to not let DS be weighed at school?

[QueenofKelsingra]

DS is in reception. just had the letter home saying the whole year will be weighed and measured for the NHS.

I don't really know why but I don't want him to have this done. DS is a healthy height and weight (75 and 50 centiles respectively) so I'm not 'scared' I will get some snotty letter stating that he is over/under weight. I just don't like the idea of someone else taking his measurements and making comments/statements about him when I haven't asked for it.

DH thinks I'm making a mountain out of a molehill and that it's no big deal. For some reason I just don't like the idea.

So WIBU to refuse to have him weighed and measured? Anyone else do this and why??

Just curious if the objectors would allow their DCs to get vaccinated at school. I was happy for mine to get their jabs at school. It's convienient and must save the NHS lots of 'our' money

Regardless of your DCs weight isn't it a good thing to talk about the importance of being a healthy weight at school? Schools are already incorporating healthy living into the curriculum. Weighing children is a good discussion point and encourages the view that weight issues are not something to be secretive and embarrassed about but are something to be aware of and, if needed, be tackled.

Yes I do realise that some parents won't respond to letters, but it does enable staff to be aware of and keep an eye on undernourished children. One year it also flagged up a child with undiagnosed diabetes. I just can't get to grip with the animosity to a health check. Unless of course you have a reason to fear them.

I'm not an objector myself but absolutely endorse others right to choose.

I had injections at school and would let DDs have them at school. My friend though was terrified of injections and her mum used to take her to the nurse herself. One time when she was older she did decide to have an injection at school she fainted and seriously hurt herself.

"It's extremely patronising to assume that parents aren't aware of whether their child is overweight."

Actually there's evidence that many parents of overweight children actually don't aware that their child is not a healthy weight.

here

"Researchers surveyed parents of 277 children and found only a quarter of them recognised when their offspring were overweight.

Where children were obese, a third of mothers and 57% of fathers thought they were "about right", the team at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth found.

Denial and desensitisation to excess weight were to blame for the lack of parental concern, the team said."

Expired yes I would let him get his jabs at school - but they would be jabs that I had already decided it was necessary for him to have. the point is that for my DC this weight check is not necessary.

I also have issues with the national guidelines promoted in schools on healthy eating - demonising sugar and at the same time insisting fruit is the snack of choice? fruit is full of sugar! they don't seem to know their arse from their elbow!!

mini I can believe that, most people I know think my DS is underweight slightly, they are often surprised when I say he's actually 50th centile.

Yanbu op. It is your decision.

in the case of my dd, like you I have felt bullied by hcps over my dd's height and weight. As a baby she dropped down the centiles from 50 to the 9th. Not at any point did they bother to look and see that she was large at birth because I had gd when I was pg with her. I ended up with pnd because of the stress.

Dh's family is very short and from about 6 months old it became noticeable that dd was also short. But because of these bloody statstics and the expectation that 'one size must fit all' they decided that instead of listening to us and the history of dh's family, that there must be something wrong with her. Being measured at school and getting the patronising letter was the final straw. I consented for dd to have a series of blood tests done. A year on she remembers it vividly and now has a fear of needles. And of course as we already knew the results of all the tests were clear and were told 'she's just small'. Well no shit sherlock!!!

I will now refuse to have her weighed and measured. At the age of just 5 she's had 3 operations (2 on her eyes and 1 on her ears) and some painful blood tests. She will have to have her eye checked no every 3 months for the rest of her life so enough is enough.

Don't blame you at all.

My ds2 opted out of being weighed

He is not obese but he knows he is overweight, he did not want to be teased

And yes, after having three children the first two of which were weighed in year 6 I am well aware that it is done privately and by a nurse but it was HIS choice

I think you are being silly, he is too young to understand the numbers or what number equals fat. It will be a bit of fun at school and all the kids will probably go around finding someone with the same number as them.
Why would you want to exclude him from what all the other children are doing?

These threads come up every year and they do make me smile.

When your baby is born most of you take them religiously to the Health Visitor clinic every week to be weighed, charting it in their red books.

When they hit school age and their health care is taken over from the HV by the School Health Team, they are offered growth screening along with sight and hearing checks.

Yet many parents throw their hands up in horror - how dare they want to weigh and measure my child?!?!

Ah the irony....

Well fruit is preferable to what many children have for snacks.

DS is 2.5 but I have already decided I will not consent to this. I appreciate the need to gather statistics but I just feel it is too crude a measure to then start drawing conclusions about his health and badgering parents. As a pp said, weight fluctuates and I saw enough friends (and pupils of my own) at school fill out then shoot up to feel that this is a reliable measure or indicator of long term health. t
To my mind it's more worthwhile placing the emphasis on healthy eating and living and encouraging parents to seek help and advice without judgement if fear a problem may arise or they need more guidance or support on keeping their children healthy.

sidge - I don't and didn't. DS1 last went to HV weigh clinic at 8 weeks when I had had enough of being made to feel inadequate. DS2 and DD have not been to a HV ever. they were weighed at hospital at birth and nothing since. as I said above, I refused their 9m and 2yr checks.

Thank you Sidge for being so sensible.

We all use the handy percentile charts to know whether our DCs are bang on average or on the 75th or the 10th or whatever. Where the fuck do people think that information comes from? So you're happy to have that data available so you know that Little Jimmy isn't too thin or too tall or whatever, but you won't contribute your child's stats towards them?

You're probably in the minority then Queen.

Of course growth monitoring isn't compulsory, and declining is your right and your privilege.

But these checks aren't just looking out for the overweight kids; when I was a school nurse we picked up children with previously undiagnosed growth disorders, visual problems, hearing problems.

Not all parents recognise when medical intervention may be needed, or if they do they don't know how to access it or who they need to see. Not all parents are as switched on as those that post on MN.

Of course fruit is part of a healthy diet. It doesn't just contain sugar, it also has vitamins, minerals and fibre.
I can remember being weighed at school, way back in 1969. We also had vaccinations, dental checks and the hair inspections by the nit nurse. I can't recall any one making a fuss about any of these things, they were just done.

Yes how dare they weigh and measure children to try and stop the obesity crisis which is getting worse by the year. What massive cunts.

I refused to give permission for my DD to take part in this.

As others have suggested, I strongly object to the nanny state/big brother aspect and am perfectly capable of dealing with any health & wellbeing issues my child encounters myself - it is my job as her parent.

She never felt left out about not being measured, and in the subsequent 5 years I have had no issues whatsoever with the school thinking I'm a difficult parent.

If you are not happy to have it done, and assuming your DH doesn't feel really strongly in the opposite direction, then refuse permission.

He is your child and does not belong to the government and their statistics boffins.

Look, it's your decision, and you have to do what you feel is best for your DC.

DS will be going to school next year and I've decided to let him be weighed. Selfishly because I know nothing will come of it - he's currently 78th weight and 96th height and only getting taller. But partly because it's non-invasive, necessary to monitor trends, and contributes to the very centile charts that mean I already know where he is in the grand scheme of things. It's also part of what I see as the 'service' schools give: eyesight checks, jabs etc. I'd be hypocritical to take all but one. And believe me, I am a bit conspiracy theorist: Nectar card refuser and scoffers at HV ('you're still EBF at 6 months, OMG!') right here.

Is it really that big a deal? DS is pfb bit not that precious - and if in fact I've missed something and fed him one too many ice creams, at least I'll know.

Exactly what advantage is there to opting out?

The thing is many parents think they know better and what their children need and whilst most people do there are parents who could do with the States support in dealing with potential or actual problems

yawn yanbu it is clearly not a big deal.

I opted out and funnily enough I didn't do baby clinics either

i was told my 1st dd was too tall , 2nd dd too short , they are both average height now in teens , the phone calls just make you worry for nothing , also at 9 month check was told dd had a squint , after months of worry and appointments was told what i said from the start , she just had a wide bridge on her nose , waste of time going to these checks .

Plenty of breast feeding mothers have been tormented by HVs etc into giving up because of those charts. They are not perfect, are constantly criticised for being too white-caucasian-bottle-fed based, and do not take into account that some children follow their family's genetic pattern of growth rather than that mandated by the red books.