My 10mo boy ate a whole baked potato for tea.

[squidzin]

Hi, DS is about 85th centile in height and Weight so is admittedly big. He's actually the same size as my friends 18mo boy.

DS eats A LOT. We're pescetarian.

I cook rather than buy babyfood. Every morning he has porridge made from normal Sainsburys oats and he'll have a small adult sized portion. He'll often have a whole banana after his lunch.

AIBU in worrying about leading him into obesity so young? I don't over encourage, or stop him eating. He just eats so much more than all other 10mo babies I know...

My 6'3 builder husband doesn't eat that much in a day lurked. Regardless of what your perception is two cooked meals a day and three crumpets/garlic baguette/bread roll/bacon bap is not only a ridiculous amount of foot but terribly unhealthy, if you think otherwise its you thats making yourself look silly.

autumn I don't dispute that it may have been the ideal way for your ds, just that it isn't the ideal way for all babies and small children.
Interestingly though I think lack of self regulation comes down to parents using food as a treat/ pastime/ reward, and offering food before toddlers/ children ask. And the type of food, you're full from a need point of view before you feel full if you're eating crap. Not to mention the clear your plate if you want desert mentality. Portion size alone for a toddler I don't think is a cause of them losing self regulation. If anything the opposite because self regulating means you could offer them 12 jackets and they'd only eat what they needed.

My 10 month old often eats more than my toddler. She's going through a picky stage. He loves his food at the moment. No idea what he weighs as I haven't taken him to a HV for six months but he's in the right sized clothes so I figure he's doing fine.

I really wouldn't worry.

sharon do share your wisdom then. If someone is skinny, and eating lots, are you suggesting they should reduce their portions to fit in with someone elses deluded ideals? And do what, aim for emaciated? Perhaps you just aren't very active, therefore the idea of actually burning off considerable calories is beyond you. Especially as you use the word builder as a synonym for 'ultimate physical activity' which isn't my thinking.
Do share your stats though, I assume you are above average height and smaller than a size 2 as you have the audacity to say we eat too much. In which case I would suggest you are equally ill placed to offer dietary advice.

Like I said, my husband is a builder and doesnt pack that much away in a day and also thought it was a huge amount for an eleven year old (and I have one of those too- also wearing size 2's and skinny as a rake but couldn't eat that much!) but you carry on being indignant and horrified someone could have the audacity to think thats an obscene amount of food, your child carry on.

It always amuses me how many posters think they can prescribe exactly how much food other posters and other posters children need. I tend to think most such posters haven't met teenagers. My two are girls and not tall. They still eat a fair amount. Friends have teens who are considerably taller etc and they get through a truly amazing amount of food. You cannot compare baby, child and teen portions with adult ones.

So your 11 year old is what? Ussain Bolt?

I salute your patience, Lurked

Squidz, your baby is TALLER than 85% of children his age, therefore he's grown fast! No child can grow without food - more growth means more food. At 85% taller than most he should be 85% heavier, which he is. No problem :)

In a statistically perfect world, this would also mean he eats 85% more than most babies but other factors come into play. The fact remains that you've got a healthy baby whose diet supports his growth pattern. Job's a good'un. Well done.

(I do realise I've overused the 85%, maths geeks! Too lazy to work out the actual stat.)

Of course Sharon there is the possibility that your husband eats more than you think he does.

My mum used to make fruitcake for our builders. They got through one or two a week.

And excessive food can also equal excessive growth....

Even if he does that still sounds like a lot of food for an 11 year old to both of us.

excessive food can also equal excessive growth

When you're looking at a child on the same centile for height and weight, what is excessive growth?

Do you feel OP should attempt to restrict her baby's growth through limiting food intake??

It always used to be said if a child's weight and height were both on higher centiles then they were in proportion. There is now however evidence that being overweight causes a child to grow in height excessively due to increased growth hormone.
Some children will eat and eat and eat, finishing everything given to them. Not all children are able to successfully regulate their appetite.

I would be worried about an 11 year old eating that much greasy stodgy food sorry its not the amount its the type of food..

op Both my dc would eat rings around me when they were babies/toddlers. Unfortunately now they can be fussy and I struggle to get them to eat fruit and veg.. Can't win eh?!

Lurked I think the message you are giving is what edged me into anorexia years back.

3 x 120ml doesn't seem like a lot of milk. My DD is 10.5m and has 3 x 200ml a day, plus three meals. She wouldn't eat a whole jacket potato, but if she could I wouldn't worry about giving it to her.

What's an excessively tall child like, Sharon? Unless they have a rare chromosomal disorder, they're only going to produce as much HGH as will get them to their genetically maximal height, aren't they?

Otherwise, all those fat kids would be 7 feet tall instead

I wouldn't worry too much, but ensure DC is getting enough of all food groups, maybe.

My DD has always been 95th centile in weight and height, people always think she's a year older than she is. Some days she'll eat everything in sight, other days it's a struggle to get her to touch anything. They know when they're hungry and when they've had enough. Don't stress about it.

garrick
Yes sharon you have me there, the inane bollocks of some online randomer and her husband are something I should put above the opinion of every hcp and sport related pro I've ever met. Because I bet you have bonafide scientific knowledge. Such as reading the rda for calorie consumption off your pack of rice cakes, and reading some half baked theory in a Sunday supplement about carbs being the route of all evil. I also feel you have a point on the height, having tall parents is of course not a factor or at all genetic, it's all from shoving food in them. You sound uber informed.

Again do share your specific dietary suggestions, you haven't yet made it clear whether we should be aiming for emaciated, ditching the exercise and therefore reducing the food, or some magical solution where we eats less but remain a healthy if low weight?
You forgot to share your stats too. My dd is a carbon copy of me in terms of physiche. So no need to worry. What has your child got to grow into? Perhaps I can offer relevant advice on your own diet. And perhaps if your husband increased his consumption his thought process would be less disordered too.

lucy your entitled to your opinion. She eats as much protein and veg etc as her friends, possibly more. Just more carbs and fat because she uses a lot of energy. I eat the same type too.

fantals what message? I'm not sure what you mean?

Lurked i was that height and size at 11 and 5ft 10 by 13yo. I did loads of exercise/sport (rowing, hockey, netball and dancing school all day Saturdays). I also was thin enough to do catwalk modelling at 15. I ate cereal for breakfast, a hot choc and a bag of mini cookies at break, 2 sandwiches or a plate of pasta, a chocolate bar and fruit at lunch, on the way home from school i usual bought a bar of chocolate. At home i would make a micro meal and eat toast while i was waiting for it to cook. I then would have a cup of tea and half a pack of maryland cookies/fruit shorties. I would then have a huge dinner with may parents - much more than my builder dad. I stayed thin and i was just constantly hungry. I'm certainly not saying the it was healthy, but it was the food that was available to me at the time and the stodgy filling food i craved. Now i eat primal/paleo because it suits me but still have a huge appetite. I will have a gammon steak and mushrooms and leeks for breakfast, a 5 egg spinach and cheese omelette made with lots of butter and a salad with an oily dressing and mayo for lunch followed by an avocado, Nuts and olives when the kids eat at 5. Then a big dinner with DH at 8.

(Also not sure why someones husbands opinion should suddenly make their point more valid )

Autumn my DSs are not 'chunky' as in overweight. They are perfectly proportioned. They were born chunky. They will be big men. They are tall. We are tall - it's genetic. At 1 they were/are 3 times their birth weight, which is exactly what they should be according to the HV.

I started weaning them on Annabel Karmel recipes and followed her portion advice - 1 ice cube of puree etc. Well, that didn't go down well! They both screamed and screamed for more food. Then i fed them to their needs. I put a small amount out which i topped up when they cried for more. I didn't to blw so wasn't putting loads of food out in front of them. Just holding a bowl and if they opened their mouth and gesticulated wildly at the bowl and howled, i knew they wanted more.

When we went out i always ordered the baked potato and cheese/tuna/beans for them at that age (for us to share) and they always ate the lot and i got the salad garnish.

I see no problem with mayonnaise but do have the low salt/sugar beans at home.

According to general nutritional advice my DH needs 3300 calories a day to just keep going. Some people just need it. Why can't people understand that they and their Husbands are not the blueprint for 'normal' that we should all strive to reach?

What's an excessively tall child like, Sharon? Unless they have a rare chromosomal disorder, they're only going to produce as much HGH as will get them to their genetically maximal height, aren't they? Otherwise, all those fat kids would be 7 feet tall instead confused

This with bells on.

Ds1 is 7 and in age 9-10 clothes. Size 4 feet, massive head and hands (I have to buy him adult size baseball caps). He's well over the 98th centile for both height and weight, but perfectly in proportion. And he eats a lot. He always has, even at the milk stage, drinking up to twice the 'recommended' formula amount every day until we weaned him.

When discussions about kids size have come up in the past on here and I've mentioned ds1, people have trotted out the 'all that food can cause excessive height' bollocks.

Mmm...or it could be related to the fact that DH is 6ft 6in and it's in his genes maybe? He was never going to be a borrower with the size on dh.

I think we were separated at birth mrskoala. I'm also quite amused by the fact it got entirely missed that firstly the only direct sugar is fruit and half a biscuit, no dessert/ junky items, and that dd rarely takes in any calories from drinks. I'm pretty sure if I had listed stuff like glasses of milk, yoghurt, one glass of cordial, one packet of crisps or a small cake, a child size portion of birds eye fish fingers, beans and mash etc, which all added up to the same amount of calories in the course of a day, there would be no horror at the amount. Or if I said dd ate small amounts and did the modern norm of a small amount of exercise. Dd does more exercise before she reaches second breakfast stage than many adults do in a week, and more than a lot of kids do in a day.
People are so far removed from what an active lifestyle is they have difficulty understanding why and how anyone else could need lots of energy.
Good job I didn't list my normal diet, let alone what I was eating from mid teens to pregnancy, I'd be getting my boney arse directed straight to slimming world!
This forum is bonkers, on the one hand I read posts about loads of people who struggle to lose weight, how being model size super skinny is unhealthy, and yet at the same time I'm getting grief for feeding a child who is stick thin too much. As having healthy bodies is something we are pretty good at I funnily enough will be passing on changing our diet or exercise based on anyone elses shock or disgust.

To be fair Lurked if you post your dc's diet on here, you're going to get it critiqued.

3 crumpets, a bacon sandwich at break. School dinner of fish and new potatoes, not sure of portion size but presume reasonable as she only ate half a bread roll with it. A good size lump of cheese. Adult portion of meatballs and spaghetti with 1/3 garlic baguette and half a biscuit. Plus at least 5 portions of fruit, probably more, and a few portions of veg

To me, that sounds like a fuck load of 'empty' carbs and none too healthy tbh, regardless of her size. Crumpets, bread for a sandwich, potatoes, spaghetti, baguette, all in one day?

If she's that hungry, she should up her protein not her carbs.