HV has told me that my 20 month old DD is overweight. I'm at a loss

[Unappreciatedandfat]

I've always put in every effort to make sure she eats healthily, she loves fruit and veg and I make every meal from scratch, no junk etc. She has small portions and they fill her up easily. She has the very occasional treat and only drinks milk or water.

We live on a farm so she's a very active toddler (she's been walking since 11 months) and just generally loves being outside. I'm so disheartened because I really thought that I was setting her up for being fit and healthy. I've recently lost 3-4 stones in weight jus through doing more exercise.
I see my friends with their toddlers who are a similar age and the right weight and they're fed chips, crisps, chocolate and given fizzy drinks and are sat inside all day long watching TV. What the hell have I done so wrong?

OP your little one looks fine to me. Glad your scales correct the error made. I'd call the HV and put her right, who knows what she is saying to other parents. I can't believe she didn't reweigh!!

Your DDs diet sounds great and I love that she is getting lots of outdoors time. Well done you on your weight loss and life changes.

There really must be a special place in hell for women who don't support other women (or whatever Madeline Albright said). A toddler and her Mum do not need negative body image crap. You are doing fantastically well, OP (jaw dropping weight loss) and your dd has loads of open air healthy fun. Well done.

You sound like you're doing brilliantly, OP

She does look chunky (I have a chunky toddler too) but at not even 2 I don't think a 1-2 centile discrepancy between height and weight is a big issue. If at 2 she had the same difference between height and weight centiles she would still be towards the top end of a healthy weight.

Hi op, your dd looks like a normal healthy toddler to me.
Well done on your own weight loss.
One HV scared the shit out of me and dh by insisting ds's was too large and he may have hydrocephalus. Sent us straight to children 's A&E where a lovely doctor rolled his eyes , told us ds was fine & fired off an email to HV supervisor.

*ds's head.

she looks absolutely fine to me and well within a normal range for that age

I am quite shocked at the amount of posters telling op to 'ignore' a healthcare professional who actually does this every day and surely knows what she is talking about.

op, If you are worried then go see your gp.

Scales can invariably be wrong, especially if they are the adjustable ones not the electronic ones. Every time my lo gets weighed on ones that aren't electronic, he always ends up being much heavier. Also, height measurements taken lying down are also a load of rubbish - as my doctor says, the baby ends up being as tall or short as he wants to be. Take no notice!

I'm actually quite shocked at how many people are happy to describe a VERY young child as fat. It's done very fucked up thinking we have going on at the moment.

*some

Oh yes! MrsDeVere you reminded me - the very first thing the doctor told my mum after she gave birth to me was that they were testing for spina bifida as I had a specific warning sign - but it's a sign that can easily just be nothing. And in this case was nothing.

She's still bitter about it, mutters darkly about him at least once a year.

Cats, maybe you are lucky enough to have had consistently good care from hv s. Plenty of posters haven't (self included) and anyone who has been sceptical about the hv (self elf included) has suggested Op goes to her GP.

"I'm actually quite shocked at how many people are happy to describe a VERY young child as fat. It's done very fucked up thinking we have going on at the moment."

Totally agree. Especially after the pictures. That's just not a dangerously overweight child. And as it turns out, it's not even an overweight child at all. Frightening.

She hasn't had a noticeable growth spurt for quite a while now so maybe she is due one?

I bet she is :)

She looks gorgeous! She also looks well-built (I mean built well, not a euphemism for fat) and strong. Your HV's got a bee in her bonnet.

I'm very cross about some of the posts here. Some people ought to realise that a STURDY baby is an excellent thing, and that's what we're looking at.

Me too Gralick.

I'm cross too. Your toddler is gorgeous and you're doing a great job. And I take my hat off at your weight loss too. I can't believe that some people said its not good for a toddler to be sturdy/chunky. There are so many active yet chunky toddlers out there who have gone on to be very much within the normal weight range, that surely no one can believe chunky toddler is inevitably an overweight child.
As I said, I think it would be useful to have clearer advice about healthy sizes/weights for babies and toddlers because I think otherwise it gets muddled up with healthy size/weight advice for children which seems to be is a different issue.

I used to be a nanny, after being told some of the things HV came out with by parents, i now have a smile sweetly , nod then do your own thing approach. Humour her. If you think she looks chunky compared to other toddlers then I would maybe visit GP but otherwise, like another poster said, one min they have baby fat next they have a growth spurt & look skinny.

NHS are obsessed with weight at present: even healthy people who work out and have gone for gym injury are pressured into being weighed at my surgery when its not what they went for/they are obviously healthy weight. My gym bunny friend was most upset at implication she needed weighing, she is size 10 FFS.

sebsmummy and sparky - here here!

Congratulations on your weight loss - that is a fantastic amount to lose and a brilliant example for your DD.
Secondly, my DD was skinny as anything on Saturday and had a pot belly on Sunday. Partly as a result of a large meal she had eaten and partly because she is due a growth spurt.
Thirdly, when DS was born the HV asked whether my (then-3-yo) DD was on solid foods yet! so don't take everything the HV says as Gospel. One HV out of the 5 I've seen has been brilliant. All of them lovely, but only one really knowledgeable. Others have given ludicrous information such as fill your DD up by giving her biscuits!!!!