Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think nhs school height / weight check is useless

319 replies

Ellieboolou27 · 21/01/2017 08:17

Dd is 4.5 she's 3ft 7" and weighs 3st 9lb

The school did the height and weight check a few weeks ago and have sent a letter saying she is very overweight and they would like me to come in to discuss healthy eating.

I'm really shocked as dd is far from being very overweight
She does tap, swimming and multi sports weekly, as a family we eat normal family meals, she wears size 5-6 clothes, 6-7 in some shops like primark where they come up small.

She's certainly not skinny, but most certainly not very overweight!

I think this bmi checker is shit, according to the NHS online bmi checker my dh is obese, he is 6ft 2" and weighs 16st but is an ex body builder so is a big guy with not an ounce of fat on him.

Feeling awful Sad

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
Original poster
Ellieboolou27 · 22/01/2017 09:31

*party
Yes it is an IKEA bowl art next to it is our normal sized bowls Confused I

To think nhs school height / weight check is useless
OP posts:
Original poster
Ellieboolou27 · 22/01/2017 09:33

Just for you art dh and kids giving me strange looks now while I'm photographing our bowls, I just replied "don't ask" Smile

OP posts:
viques · 22/01/2017 09:33

Next time your dd is in the bath try to look at her dispassionately. can you see her ribs? Are her thighs chunky? Are her ankles and feet a bit podgy? Does she have rolls of fat on her back or in front and behind her armpits, does she have a little tummy or a pronounced belly?

as others have said, we no longer know what a healthy diet and a healthy weight looks like. I wonder if you tend to serve larger portions because of your husbands former body building.

Don't panic about your daughter, she is young, plenty of time to take control of her eating and guide her into a healthy lifestyle, which could also benefit you and your oh.

shouldwestayorshouldwego · 22/01/2017 09:34

If her diet and portion sizes are otherwise fine then occasional party food is ok. It's great that you are aware though and making changes.

m0therofdragons · 22/01/2017 09:41

My df's dd was very "solid" at 5 but at 7 she'd really slimmed down so don't panic just be aware of snacking. (Says I who just let dc have Christmas sweets after breakfast and one had chocolate spread on toast - Sunday is the only day I allow sweet breakfasts)
Df's dd will get a bit podgy and df starts worrying, then she shoots up. Just seems to be how she grows. Activity is great but it is a lot about what they eat. We've started meals where dc dish up their own at the table and that's working well for us. Good luck op.

TalkingofMichaelAngel0 · 22/01/2017 09:47

Im casually wondering whether all the posters who have food treat days have weight issues. Ive never been more than a size 10, usually an 8. My children are slim. Until she hit 70s my mum was always slim. Our meals growing up were chicken or fish based and lots of veg. We have never had food as a reward / treat / special occasion / certain day.

My daugter was getting a treat this weekend and she chose freshly squeezed orange juice from a market stall!

smilingsarahb · 22/01/2017 09:48

I've been watching this as I've noticed my son getting a bit plump, which makes me think he must be really really plump if I have noticed 😯. I wondered how to cut portion sizes back..you can't do it all in one go. Has anyone else done it?

Original poster
Ellieboolou27 · 22/01/2017 09:53

IKEA bowl

To think nhs school height / weight check is useless
OP posts:
MadamDrag0n · 22/01/2017 09:53

Most of us have no idea what a healthy, normal weight looks like so it would be all to easy for this to happen. I'm sure I remember reading about children with bad diets also being particularly tall because they use the extra fuel for growth upwards as well as out. Well done for checking out all the infother you can. This will be much easier to fix in an active growing child than in a lazy 30 something woman -looks at waistline and weeps- and the good habits you teach her now will keep her healthy long into adult life.

Artandco · 22/01/2017 09:54

But those 'small' bowls aren't small, they are normal size. It's just you have extra big ones also. Those big ones are not cereal sized for anybody.

Original poster
Ellieboolou27 · 22/01/2017 10:00

art it is a small bowl Grin seriously its the same size width / depth wise as the plastic kiddie bowls they sell, I even measured it!

OP posts:
midcenturymodern · 22/01/2017 10:02

You mention snacks a few times. She only has them on fridays, but the other days she does have them, but it's fruit and cheese rather than chocolate or crisps, then you say she only has snacks at weekends or as a one off.
It sounds like she is having a couple of hundred calories a day in glasses of milk and snacks that you don't count as snacks because they are cheese or fruit. She does sound like she has quite a bit of cheese and bread. I couldn't eat 2 slices of cheese on toast with a bowl of lentil soup.

FurryLittleTwerp · 22/01/2017 10:04

Don't worry about the party crap food - it's normal for parties & miserable to expect her not to eat it.

Madam yes that's true - overfed children grow tall as well as wide but as they then enter puberty early they often end up as short fat adults.

Carollocking · 22/01/2017 10:08

Not got back here to Repy till now however I opted out all things official related like this as I have no interest In a School or other officials poking noses in where not needed,if I have a problem I'll go to a doctor with them I don't need noses poked in at set times.
And to reply to all powerfullizardperson when mine went to primary school a letter was sent home in first week and I opted out of everything like this.

Gileswithachainsaw · 22/01/2017 10:09

aw op the important thing is that you are aware now and are trying to do something.

Sometimes it just takes someone on the outside to point stuff out. When you see someone every day we just don't notice things.

Fir those saying school dinners have no effect it has been my experience that they do. I took my dd off them after the fact they were inedible and she was living off the free bread and maybe the pasta if there was some meant she was bloated and really not hungry at tea time either. Her eczema was terrible and she looked like shit. Cos she wasn't hungry at tea time it was very hard to make up all the fruit and veg and meat portions she was lacking at lunch.

I wouldn't feed a stray dog our school dinners.

Depending how they are done they can have more effect than you think. What appears to be balanced isn't when your kid cab pick out plates of jacket potato sweetcorn and pasta or ends up with weird combos.

The British fish day is always breaded too.

Artandco · 22/01/2017 10:10

It might be the same size a small kiddy bowl, but that doesn't mean it's small. It's just not plastic. It means baby bowls are also getting bigger

If you ever compare vintage crockery to nowadays you can see how huge stuff is. Ikea especially sell giant plates. For example my parents have an old microwave and new plates wouldn't fit in
Plates used to be 7-9inches, are now 11-13 inches on average.
We have old plates etc from an auction. Our dinner plates are the same size as some new 'side plates'. Same with bowls and cups. Cups and saucers, most people now fill huge mugs with same things.

MsJamieFraser · 22/01/2017 10:15

Round, sorry I didn't mean height I meant build, he's always been on the 99th/100th centile since he was 3 weeks old, he was only 6ib 2 born, however was under pead care due to allergies from the offset.

If his consultants are not worried, I'm not going to worry about it, ds has a very active lifestyle and also has an exceptional diet, he can't eat normal foods, everything has to be homemade as he cannot have dairy, citruis or casein in foods.

CecilyP · 22/01/2017 10:21

OP, the food you are providing is wholesome enough, but the amount your DD is eating sounds rather a lot for a 4 year old. In addition, she seems to be drinking an awful lot of milk. If she is getting enough calories from food, that extra milk will cause her to put on extra weight. Could you cut back on that and replace with water? Add in the nanny treats and and its possible to see how your DD became overweight. I wouldn't worry about the odd party, but perhaps you could get nanny on board with trying to change things.

Oliversmumsarmy · 22/01/2017 10:25

Ds last year aged 13 was told according to his height and weight marker he was only going to be 5ft 9 as an adult and he was obese.

Ds in less than 9 months has grown 8" and is now 2" taller than his apparent tallest he was going to be and has a few more years growing in him. He also has lost about a stone in weight without really trying. His diet certainly hadn't changed.

A friends DD she described as tall and slim when dd was in reception. She still describes her as tall and slim despite her not being that tall and being quite overweight. The mum doesn't see what everyone else see's

DD was told her adult height would be 5ft 5"
She is 5ft 10"

Natsku · 22/01/2017 10:29

The plate size thing is interesting, just measured our dinner plates and they are 9 inches across, got them from a second hand shop so most likely pretty old, couldn't really imagine eating from a bigger plate than that.

Natsku · 22/01/2017 10:31

I agree that it sounds like a lot of milk for a 4 year old, they don't need that much milk (not sure they need it at all really, DD won't drink milk at all)

Introvertedbuthappy · 22/01/2017 10:33

OP I'm glad you are going to make some changes. The portion sizes seem really big, and I'm thinking about my 8 year old, never mind a 4 year old! When we have soup here we have it with a roll, not two slices of cheese on toast. Also remember, not every evening meal needs a 'treat' after.

Here is a photo of my 8 year old - have a look at your daughter. Like him you should be able to see ribs, flat stomach etc. He is not underweight, he is slim, as a child should be and does loads of sport.

Original poster
Ellieboolou27 · 22/01/2017 10:35

Yy to plate sizes, they all look massive
I'm cutting out one glass milk per day she usually has 2, seeing mum today so will speak with her although she's of your "clear your plate" era. I will try and sit down at mealtime too as currently in the habit of having main meal with dh once kids in bed

OP posts:
GieryFas · 22/01/2017 10:37

OP - These are the IKEA bowls I use for cereal / porridge / soup for my kids. My 4yo usually will eat at most one of those full of porridge, usually less, and maybe two of soup if she's particularly hungry. Maybe swop to something more this size?
www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/tableware/dinnerware/ikea-365-bowl-rounded-sides-white-art-50258950/

Similarly with glasses for milk, how about downsizing to something like this?
www.ikea.com/gb/en/products/tableware/glasses-cups-mugs/pokal-glass-clear-glass-art-60081734/

And don't worry about the party - it's what you do day in and day out at home that will make the difference. Having said that, I do quietly confiscate party bag sweets, they go in the big tin of sugary crap that I don't want my kids to have too much of (and then to the bin, or possibly DH).