To be shocked at how many overweight kids there are here?

[glasgowsfinest]

Have got my fireproof hat in place, here goes...! I'm currently at a Butlin's-type holiday park on the south coast. As you can imagine, it's jammed full of kids of all ages. I'm genuinely shocked at how many of them, from pre-schoolers to older teens, are significantly overweight. I don't think puppy fat can be used as an excuse for all of them. Thinking back to my childhood, overweight kids were the exception, not the rule, but now it seems the opposite. I have two children who by no means have a perfect diet, and eat more chocolate and watch more TV than I thought I'd allow, but they're active too and don't seen to have any fat on them at all! Maybe they're just "lucky", I don't know. But the sheer numbers of chunky kids made me feel quite sad.

Anyone who said we are pearl clutching

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/08/30/obese-toddlers-begin-showing-signs-heart-failure-age-one-study/

Wowsers I didn't know babies could be obese. Worried now as one of my is on the 90th percentile, bf for 5 months.

There have been a few threads where people have voiced concerns about the size of their babies. The general consensus was usually that HV were talking nonsense , you cant ovwr feed a baby despite some of these babies weighing more than some 3 and 4 yr olds on the threads. However they are still babies at 1 and some aren't even really on proper meals by then (just at the trying stage) . But clearly it is a problem but there doesn't seem to be much you can do I mean if a baby is hungry you feed it don't you?

When do you say it's fine beyond a chubby baby here's a problem.now?

I remember a thread where people were raging saying that a baby couldn't be overfed. Someone was going on that no baby could be fat and destroyed another poster for daring to say that yes, babies could be fat.

Giles sorry to be controversial but some people put a bottle in a baby's mouth the moment it squeaks. And I guess some babies just accept that comfort and pleasure as older people do.

I guess part of the issue with that is the getting into a habit of feeding a child lots and regularly.

We almost have a fear of letting children feel a little bit hungry.

Well he's on the same curve as birth weight so I've been told it's ok. Just started weaning & 80% homemade food.

Tbf he's very long wearing 9-12m.

Also babies are tough because you can't know what they are crying about half the time so it's a relief when a bottle settles them. Doesn't necessarily mean they were hungry. With BF they can get that comfort even when you're not ready with milk for them yet so they aren't getting much food. I guess that helps with regulating intake.

We have friends who are both very overweight (they didn't used to be that bad at all but they are HUGE eaters so the insidious gain was inevitable) and so no real surprise that their DC are very overweight too. They are well-off, Oxbridge educated so it's not a case of poverty/ignorance or any of the other things people might suggest. They're not sporty and drive everywhere which I assume doesn't help but the portions they feed their young DC are absolutely staggering (more than most adults would eat) and every photo they post on FB is of the kids digging in to pastries/cakes/chips. As I say - not ignorance, not budget related. They just love to eat. As adults fine, let them make their own decisions and suffer any consequences (they have both been told to lose weight for health reasons) accordingly. But given this it still amazes me that they continue to over-feed the kids.

I think as a society we are generally getting bigger, and it is sad to see children who are overweight and have health related issues. I do think though that this is an issue that affects all classes etc.

My DD is taller and bigger than me than when I was her age, so it does worry me personally but it's something I'm descreetly monitoring

The UK is the most obese nation in europe.

(Could this be the underlying reason we want to leave the EU and join forces with Trump. We only want to associate with those who make us look slim.)

@limecordial

Do you think that overfeeding children, albeit unconsciously, is child abuse?
If so, what should be the punishment for the parents?

Do you also think fat shaming is prevalent because there are no other options?

Just going back to breastfeeding, I was a bf baby who was HUGE and my mother was told off by the HV. Many years ago. All my four children were ebf and all never lost their birthweight, just piled on a pound a week, up to 99th centiLe and then gradually they went back down to the 50th centile they were born on where they have remained. None of us has ever had a weight problem. I do wonder if the charts are right for bf.

www.the-pool.com/news-views/opinion/2017/35/frances-ryan-on-child-poverty-in-the-uk

"For children who rely on free school meals, the summer holidays can mean not so much fun adventure and harmless boredom but weeks of hunger. On Wednesday, it was reported that, boosted by £500,000 from the Welsh government, Wales is now running a scheme to provide children with free meals throughout the summer break.

It’s heartbreaking how necessary this is. The all-party parliamentary group on hunger this year found three million children risk going hungry during the school holidays.

Read through the latest report of the committee and it’s like hardship from a bygone era: children existing on holiday diets of crisps, hungry kids unable to take part in a football tournament because “their bodies simply gave up”, and others relying on unhealthy diets “bought to fill hungry stomachs”

I think it is going back to the last century with regard to poverty levels and the difference between rich and poor. People are really struggling.

This is not only about poverty but educating the parents too. The government don't help either, sugary and fat laden food is cheap, healthy fresh foods more expensive. It's these unfortunate children who pay the price with their health. I know I was one of those kids :((

A previous poster made a really good point...at what point does the cute chubby baby turn into an overweight child? With my dd, as you expect, her baby weight fell away as she became increasingly mobile.

Obesity is not caused by poverty - what rubbish.

Obesity is not caused by poverty - what rubbish.

It depends what you're thinking of when you think poverty.

Obviously people aren't talking about third world poverty.

They're talking about first world poverty. This is just one study that makes a direct link between income inequality and obesity academic.oup.com/eurpub/article/26/1/7/2467515/Why-are-poorer-children-at-higher-risk-of-obesity

shrunken Good question. Personally I tried to keep an eye on how their shape changed as they got mobile and moved more and more onto solids rather than breastmilk. I also didn't replace breastmilk with cows milk to drink in any massive volumes - they drank water, or had the odd cup of milk but never in the same way that a bottle would be given. I think it might be sooner than that with a baby/toddler who takes formula in any amounts.

"Obesity is not caused by poverty - what rubbish"

Said by someone who likely voted for such policies I shall wager.

Helena I have to rant, the shop ran out of my peanut butter protein bars. I am APPALLED.

Its the Big Protein Bar Heist.