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??

I use my eyes on my child. But this thread shows very well that most people don't actually know what a healthy child looks like. Lots of people have said "he's so skinny you can see his ribs; I don't want to be told how massively underweight he is"... actually, he won't be underweight at all. Not based on that alone, anyway.
You're supposed to be able to see their ribs, if they're covered with enough fat to hide them, they are overweight - not healthy.
Sometimes "you know your own child, hun" just doesn't cut it.

Honestly, I don't get the angst about it all.

When I was at school, back in the Dark Ages (late 50s, early 60s), we were weighed, measured, eyes tested, checked for nits and had a general look-over by a doctor.
I was skinny (very) but my mother wasn't traumatised by having her opinion re-inforced and I would have ignored any dietary advice as I was a picky eater anyway. Eye test was useful as I was very short-sighted and I was found to need glasses. No nits found. Was told (apparently) that I would have bunions when I grew up (true).

And I had to be schlepped across town for that privilege, it wasn't done in school it was done in a clinic. It isn't intrusive, it's not usurping your place as a parent and it's not big brother. And it can be useful. I really don't see why it's such a big deal.

My children had their height, weight, teeth checked and sight and hearing done. Now that last one really is useful and I wish it was still done. Teeth is also good.

Not everyone is a naice middle-class Mumsnetter and I wouldn't mind being part of the catch-all if it catches others that fall through the net/don't bother. It's not the child's fault.

Yabu and quite amazingly precious.

"Unique identifiers are left on the data when it is pooled. The info on this comes from someone who really knows their stuff "

Do you have any evidence for that?

Like NannyOgg (Who I have to ask if she has a cat?) I was weighed, measured, checked for nits, eye tested, dentist check and hearing tested several times at school back in the 60's. They did find a problem with my hearing that turned out not to be significant, but it might not have been. To be honest I, as a painfully shy child, would have found it much worse to have been singled out not to go along to the nurse on these occasions. Personally, I think it is very important to have as good a statistical picture of the population as we can to plan and manage the country's health strategy. The larger the sample the better the statistics.

I suspect unique identifiers are left on when theyre poooled. I know theyre removed before theyre shared. In what way does this make it insecure?
med I didnt know that. Were the data analysed nationally and where are the results published? As far as I am concerned we can only look at trends back to 2006

I am your age NannyOgg and it was what happened- it was no big deal and as you say my parents were not traumatised and didn't see it as a judgement on their parenting.
It was all to the common good. My teeth were checked regularly at school even though I had my own dentist- I can't see why you would object at an extra check. The health checks spotted a problem with my sight that my parents had not noticed. The school nurse appeared at intervals, unannounced, and checked heads for nits- they could do with that now.
As far as I can see the obesity problem is in direct proportion to parents getting uptight about a simple measurement that is easily estimated anyway.
I fail to see why insurance companies are remotely interested in a 5yr old's weight! The chubby 5 yr old is likely a skinny 15 yr old so it would be of no interest whatsoever!

chemenger I do!

Children were much healthier when I was young- probably because parents didn't make mountains out of molehills! They saved worrying for important things.

As a shy child I would have rather gone along with everyone else, than have to explain my parents- even if no one made a big deal of it.

The school nurse appeared at intervals, unannounced, and checked heads for nits- they could do with that now.

Quite. How many threads come up on here complaining about children with untreated nits? (and as for threadworms, impetigo... School nurse always used to deal with those parents too)

Far easier to send child into school and have simple measurements done!

I used to think my mother was embarrassing- I see now that she was very laid back!

Why, though? Why don't you want health professionals involved in your child's care to know how much he/she weighs?

I have no concerns about them knowing my child's weight. If the health professionals involved with my child's care have any concerns, I'm sure they're capable of raising them with me themselves!

Raw anonymous data also fine. I just don't want identifiable personal information about my child being bandied about, is all.

I can't believe people have got so much time on their hands that they spend it fretting about their child being weighed at school whether it is part of a screening programme or an information gathering exercise. Everyone is screaming about the red books being out of date but presumably by the same logic, they wouldn't allow their child to be weighed in order to obtain new data. Get over yourself.

I don't see the issue myself, mine got weighed at school - all fine and youngest will when she starts. My older 2 tended to be little sturdy things when younger and then grow into tall whippets as they got older so it's useful to see that they're roughly on track. It looks like youngest us going the same way- I see it as a useful indicator that we're doing something right
Frankly I think that considering the amount of letters we get home they should bring back the nit nurse - I distinctly remember having my head checked in primary , I even remember which room was used to do it and I never felt embarrassed. It would save many threads on here other children catching them from the children whose parents can't/won't treat it.
YABU in my opinion but this is very much an each to their own situation.

This is the paediatric survey, not the referrals service.

Yes, but, 'we may store the information on your child's health record and share it with your child's GP or other health professionals involved with your child's care'.

"I have no concerns about them knowing my child's weight."

Ok well earlier you said you objected to the fact that the information may be shared with health professionals, but never mind.

I see no one has managed to explain how the fact that they "take responsibility" for their own child's health is incompatible with allowing their child to take part in this. Can't you do both?

I take responsibility for my children's health but also have no problem allowing them to be weighed and measured at school, because doing so has absolutely no impact on my ability to take that responsibility.

Can someone please explain the issue witj the growth charts? How are they out of date?

Ok well earlier you said you objected to the fact that the information may be shared with health professionals, but never mind.

It's the sharing I object to, flowery, not my child's doctor/'health professional' having the information. I don't want information gathered at school to be 'shared'. If my child's GP has concerns, and wishes to weigh them, of course I won't object.

There is far too much dissemination of personal information about everyone already, as far as I'm concerned.

my kids won't be being weighed at school or by anyone else as long as I can prevent it. at birth, yes, I can see the need. but no, before anyone asks, I don't use the health visitor service either.

Both my children have the same father. Eldest is very skinny. Youngest is broad and chubby (he's not yet 2, it's normal). I weigh youngest when I think he might be getting to the limit for his car seat (I got it right when I changed from his group 0+ one, he was at the limit)

their father is quite underweight. He always has been underweight (and had regular monitoring for it). I (and most of my family) have always been classed as overweight or obese, including the 2 years when I ate one rusk per day as an adolescent and nothing else while still doing 8 hours of dance classes a week. If I was ever going to be thin, it would have been then.

I don't expect eldest to ever be fat, and if youngest ends up skinny I'll be surprised. they have the same food (different sized portions, obviously).

I have eyes and am aware of what I need to be feeding them. I don't need to have them weighed. I won't be letting the school do it.

Mind you, I told them I didn't want the eldest to be seen by their dentist either (he'd recently been seen by the family one) but they still did... "oh we'll just sit you in the chair and you open your mouth"
no trust. I may have to make my feelings a bit more clearly known. I am "that parent" and since these are my kids and it's their wellbeing in question I'm happy to have that title.