To ask for your opinions on this

[slippersaremyfriend]

My DS is 14 months old... He's always been a 'big boy' in that he is very tall, (his dad is 6,3) and was 9lb3 at birth.

As a rough guide, he will have
1-1 1/2 weetabix for breakfast
A sandwich (cheese or low sugar jam) banana & raisins for lunch
Cooked dinner eg cottage pie, bolognaise, fish & mash for dinner with yoghurt for pudding. He also has various cups of water or very diluted sugar free squash throughout the day.
Don't get me wrong, he'll have some biscuits and the odd treat but my point is his diet is varied and balanced (I think)

He has just started walking so although a little wobbly at times, he is up and moving a lot of the time. I weighed him and he is just over 12kg - which is the same as his weight measurement at his 1yr HV check and HV said his weight was fine in line with his height (I forget what height was but she said he was tallest 1 yr old she'd seen in a long time - taller than average)

So my AIBU is I keep getting comments off people that he is so big, he must be eating too much/wrong food etc. It's now got me thinking about his weight and everything am I panicking cause of the comments and he is fine or is he eating too much/wrong food/ too big??!
Any thoughts/advice welcome! Thanks

The daily intake sounds fine but without pictures, this thread is useless.

However, there's no way I'd let my child drink juice. It forms bad habits, can destroy their teeth and has no benefits. My children still only want water or milk (7 and 4).

Does she get any veg?

Children tend to be at their chubbiest just before they start walking, don't they? Then the puppy fat falls away.

Ignore, ignore, ignore...

This sounds like my DS, he's tall and when looking at his weight it tracks perfectly with his height, I had lots of comments about how he's a big boy (and actually thinking back had the same with DD - who is now 8 and still one of the tallest of her peers, but is stick thin - although eats like a horse) he eats well, but is very active and very tall, 97th percentile - I think.

When they get older, they lose the baby fat and their true build comes out, his diet sounds perfect.

Trust your instincts, to me he sounds perfectly healthy

My children still only want water or milk (7 and 4).

Good for you however the OP said massively diluted sugar free squash. Obviously water is preferable for their teeth but it's hardly the same at a full glass of fruit juice.

I think the diet sounds fine but could have more fruit and veg. He is only just walking so is likely to slim down soon and you had him checked a couple of months ago and he is fine so ignore the comments if he is very tall then he should be heavier.

HV has told you he is in line with his weight/height. Don’t listen to anyone else.

2 out of my 3 boys, could seem a bit ‘chubby’, then they would grow upwards. I now have 2 very healthy, 6 foot + adults and 3rd is still growing, outwards and upwards in bursts!

@beyondBeyondLivid I do appreciate that, however DS will NOT drink any milk. It was so odd he hit his 1st birthday and completely refused any at all. He has cows milk on cereal and in food/cooking but will not drink any normally at all. He does drink water, and only occasionally throughout the day has very diluted squash.

I am trying to ignore. Definitely. I had a research on the average weigh for a boy my DSs age and it said around 10kg - he is 12kg. So not loads I know it just annoys me how people keep commenting 'oh he's such a big boy what does he eat?' people often mistake him for around a 3 year old! Although the is mostly in 2-3yr clothing!!!

Fruitcorner123

No, it isn't the same as a rum and coke or espresso either. What's your point?

It's a terrible habit and if I were her I'd wean it out of his diet.

It isn't as though I attacked the OP for neglect. I said it "sounds fine" but offered a little criticism as she'd asked for it.

There doesn't seem much fruit or veg. cut the jam, introduce peanut butter, hummous, etc instead, maybe?
Until he's running around properly, he's bound to chunk up a little, tbh. My DS was the same weight from about 19mo until 4! He just grew upwards not outwards once he was running around.

My point is it isn't a terrible habit. It's a normal part of plenty of healthy children's diets.

But it's unnecessary for small children, fruit corner. Just water is better for his teeth, let alone his metabolism.

My eldest DS was huge, off the top of the weight chart for a while. However he is tall and his weight and height were never that far out. (eg weight was something above 99.9 centile, height was above 95th or something). He was 9lb 11oz at birth on his due date so a big boy.

Since running/walking everywhere he is now just above 95th centile for both height and weight. He is now 6 and slim.

Personally I found it difficult having a big child as people assumed he was older than he was eg they would try and start a conversation with him. (Which wasn't helped by his speech delay to be fair) He looked at least a year older while a preschooler and people assumed he was badly behaved when he showed age appropriate behaviour so I had to watch him ever second when we were out. Also check weight limits on everything. Other than that, having the big kid is good. My second child lost lots of weight because of a medical problem and that was far more of a worry. Big, sturdy kids are great and so long as he has a balanced diet he will slim down as he gets older, dont worry.

You to be a baby sugar free squash?? Pure chemicals! And food is Not, and can never be, a treat.

To be = give

Why can’t food be a treat?

Hmmm ok people really don't like sugar free squash. Any alternatives at all? He will drink water if he's thirsty but much prefers other things with flavour. How about flavoured water?? Is that better than squash?

And by treat - I mean he had a couple of his (tiny) chocolate bunnies at Easter. I'm not one of those parents that never lets their child have chocolate, biscuit etc

On the food: I wouldn't do jam sandwiches as there is no nutritional value to the jam, swap for cheese or ham or something more fancy if he will eat it.

Squash - i dont think this is evil but I would avoid sugar free squash. Not because of the teeth thing but I would try and get him out of the habit early because we really don't know what the long term impact is of the huge amount of artificial sweeteners we are consuming is. Virtually every food and drink now has some sort of artificial sweetener so I would cut it out where it is easy to do so. You could get the same effect mixing a small bit of fruit juice with lots of water. (So long as its pure fruit juice without the sweeteners as most fruit juice has sweeteners too!)

Also agree on the juice, however diluted. It's just not necessary at all.

Try to swap some of the sugary foods for savoury and add veggies to make a more balanced. Raisins, jam (even sugar reduced), banana and yogurt (unless natural) is probably too much sugar for a single day.

Having said that if your HV says his weight is fine then don't worry about that side of things.

As long as he's getting the calcium then it's fine, slippers

I still think cordial's a bad habit and it's DH's. He drinks alcohol about twice a year, doesn't smoke, very healthy diet etc but would stay thirsty rather than drink water. Milk, tea, coffee, juice, squash, home made iced-tea but never water.

He's a grown man in his 50s with a career in politics who takes Ribena to work!

At his age I wouldn’t give juice. It is not natural and is created in a laboratory using manmade chemicals.

You could give him Ella’s kitchen fruit smoothies.

Definitely swap jam with peanut butter and for snacks offer things like ham, chicken, cucumber.

Just ideas I’m not criticising you.

Sounds just like my ds. He was 10lbs born and was absolutely massive up until he started walking. And I mean massive - Michelin man rolls down his arms and legs - but now he is very tall for his age and lean as a bean. If he doesn't start to stretch out once he's up and walking then re-assess with advice from your health visitor, but at this stage don't let it stress you out.

Oh and very dilute no added sugar squash, I see no issue with this as long as you're brushing teeth. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Apart from the lack of fruit and veg his diet is fine. He is tall, his dad is tall. If he isn’t podgily fat don’t worry about his weight.

We all prefer things with flavour OP But he's 14 months. As you say, he drinks water when thirsty....there's really no need to give him that vile unsweetened squash.

My son is on the 99.6 centile for his height - or was at our last check. He was 8lb11 at birth (75th centile) He was a little podgy before he started walking. Soon burnt off.

Diet looks fine. Don't beat yourself up about a bit of squash or biscuits. Not everyone is a lentil muncher....

When people comment just tell them what he weighed at birth and how tall his father is. It's genetic and not environment. That should be enough to satisfy most people's interest and you'll probably find they go on to some other topic of conversation after that. As long as your HV is happy he's the right weight for his height you've nothing to worry about .

Also don't enter into conversations about what he eats. Just deflect their comments/curiosity by telling them what he weighed when he was born and say he's tall by birth and genetics. Then change the subject.